2nd lead:

Ministry of Internal Security declared in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 December 2003, 21:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga haspromulgated a Ministry of Internal Security from Saturday, sources at the Presidential secretariat in Colombo said Friday night. The special gazette notification establishing the new ministry was signed and formally promulgated by the President at midnight Friday.

The new ministry will replace the Ministry of Interior established by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government after it came to power in 2001.

However, many subjects which were under the Ministry of Interior, including the Departments of Immigration and Emigration, Registration of Persons, Dept. of Prisons would remain within the purview of the ministry of Defence, according to the sources.

The new Ministry of Internal Security will be in charge of Police, the Special Task Force-the elite counter insurgency arm of the Sri Lankan security forces-the home guards and traffic control, the sources said.