New Lankan president appoints hardliner PM
Sri Lanka's new leader swore in a hawkish new prime minister yesterday in a move analysts said reinforced his hardline stance on any future peace negotiations with the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Former deputy defence minister and one-time prime minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, a fervent Sinhalese nationalist, was reappointed to the premiership by newly elected President Mahinda Rajapakse.
"The appointment of Wickremanayake sends a message that President Rajapakse intends to take a hardline stance on the peace process," said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, director of the Colombo-based think-tank Centre for Policy Alternatives.
"The appointment of Wickremanayake could have implications for the peace process, but we have to wait and see," he added.
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