COLOMBO, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Tuesday ordered the army to be deployed in TV and radio stations in capital Colombo following the sacking of Mass Communication Minister Imtiasz Markar on the same day, army officials said.

    The president's order came after her sacking of Markar and two other ministers, Defense Minister Tilak Marapana and Interior Minister John Amaratunga, earlier on Tuesday.

    The president sacked the three ministers in order to prevent further deterioration of security situation in the country, the president's office said in a statement.

    Meanwhile, Kumaratunga wrote to Parliament Speaker Joseph Michael Perera, asking him to suspend the parliament from Tuesday till Nov. 19.

    The series of actions taken by the president came at the crucial juncture of the country's ongoing Norwegian-brokered peaceprocess only days after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)rebels submitted on Friday to the government their counter proposals on an interim administration to be set up in the north and east.

    The president has said that the LTTE rebels' proposals are beyond the country's constitution while the government of her political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted "fundamental differences" between the rebel proposals and those of the government handed over to the rebels in July.

    However, the government has asked the Norwegian facilitators toarrange an initial meeting between the government and the rebels in the near future in preparation for the formal resumption of peace talks early next year.

    Peace talks have been stalled in April this year following six previous rounds since September last year.

    Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is currently on an official visitto the United States. Enditem