Sri Lanka's president declared a state of emergency today, giving the military sweeping powers in the island nation.
The country was in political turmoil today after a gloves-off political fight between the president and the prime minister threatened a fragile peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels and sparked worldwide concern.
But an adviser to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga said there would be no change to the ceasefire despite differences with Prime Minister Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe over his handling of the 20-month peace process.
"I am authorised by the president to tell you that the ceasefire agreement stands and will stand. There is no question about that," Mr Lakshman Kadirgamar told reporters of the Norwegian-brokered truce.
The president, who is elected separately from Mr Wickremesinghe, sacked the defence, interior and media ministers yesterday and suspended parliament, raising questions about both the future of the government and the direction of the peace bid.
The move drew fury from Mr Wickremesinghe - currently visiting the United States where he will meet President George W. Bush - and came just days after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) released a proposal on power-sharing the government hoped could be the basis for fresh talks.
Ms Kumaratunga's party sharply criticised the proposals, but Mr Kadirgamar said it was the president's belief that the security situation was deteriorating that led to her actions. He said a suspected LTTE weapons-smuggling ship spotted offshore last month "brought to a head concerns about how the security situation is being handled".
The LTTE spokesman in northern Sri Lanka said he had no comment on the president's moves but denied rumours the main highway that links the country's north and south and runs through rebel-controlled territory had been closed.
Sri Lankan stocks dived 13 per cent in their biggest ever fall on Wednesday due to mounting uncertainty over the peace process that had sown seeds of an economic boom. The stock market has been among the world's strongest this year.