Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a state of emergency as a political crisis on the island deepened and fears grew for the fragile peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels. The president's office said the state of emergency -- giving sweeping powers to the security forces to make arrests -- would last 10 days and reassured the international community a ceasefire with the rebels would be respected. The move came after the president Tuesday sacked the ministers of defence, interior and information, suspended parliament for two weeks and deployed troops around key installations. Her actions were widely seen as a "constitutional coup" against her bitter political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who signed the landmark truce with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on February 23 last year as part of a Norwegian-backed effort to end three decades of civil war. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Kumaratunga's top advisor, said the ceasefire with the rebels would not be affected by developments. "The president has specifically asked me to state that the ceasefire agreement stands, and will stand and there is no question about it," said Kadirgamar. "The president has no intention of resuming or provoking the resumption of hostilities," he told reporters. Officials said the state of emergency would last 10 days, the maximum allowed under the constitution without parliamentary authority. The country was ruled under the emergency laws almost continually between March 1983 and October 2001. The president's party has been in opposition in parliament since 2001 but Kumaratunga, who was elected separately and is critical of the premier's handling of the peace process, retains the power to dismiss cabinet ministers. Diplomats said Kumaratunga had so far acted within the constitution. The president said she sacked the three ministers in the "national interest" but did not elaborate, although her Sri Lanka Freedom Party had earlier rejected a Tiger proposal for a de facto federal structure for the island. Wickremesinghe was in Washington for a meeting with President George W. Bush when Kumaratunga acted. He called Tuesday in a statement for police and troops to remain calm and accused Kumaratunga of trying to create "chaos and anarchy" at a time when he is trying to push the Norwegian-backed peace bid with the Tigers. He said the government would not deviate from its mandate despite the "irresponsible and precipitous actions of the president aimed at plunging the country into chaos and anarchy". The United States and neighbouring India led calls from the international community for the peace process to be protected. "We are surprised at the sudden political developments in Sri Lanka," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said. "We hope that the situation does not provoke a constitutional crisis which would impact on the political stability in Sri Lanka and on the ongoing peace process." It was not immediately clear if Kumaratunga would go ahead with a planned weekend visit to New Delhi for a UNICEF meeting. In Washington State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said they were concerned that the events could have a negative effect on the peace process. "We stand firmly behind the government of Sri Lanka in its search for peace after 20 years of bloody conflict," he said. Kumaratunga went on national television Tuesday night saying she was ready to open peace talks with the Tamil Tigers within "the parameters of the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka." She made no reference to the LTTE's own blueprint for peace unveiled publicly Saturday and rejected by her Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). **PHOTO CAPTION*** Sri Lankan troops and police take up positions outside the main government printing press in the capital Colombo, shortly after President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked Defence Minister Tilak Marapana and two other senior ministers. (AFP/Sena Vidanagama)