Sri Lanka's joint opposition, which is headed by the UNP, have for the past two weeks been attempting to gather support for an effort to impeach Kumaratunga. The speaker needs to accept a Parliamentary call for impeachment of the President - unless over two thirds of the 225 MPs are already in support of it. Thus Sri Lanka remains in a situation at present where legitimate political opposition to President Kumaratunga is practically impossible.
Parliament is suspended, public protest marches are banned, and the press has been warned.
In the meantime, Kumaratunga and state media have been plugging the need for a new constitution to end the island's woes. The nature of the new document is, of course, deliberately being avoided. The dawn raid resulted in the destruction of several military aircraft and three airliners of Sri Lanka's national carrier. The loss to Sri Lankan Airlines alone is estimated to be over half a billion and the body blow to tourist industry is expected to damage the economy, already struggling under government mismanagement, corruption and the costly war. The UNP, understandably keen to exploit the political windfall, is also responding to the fresh wave of renewed Sinhala frustration over the state of the country's affairs.