A missive from the President's office on Monday sent to local newspapers said ``ministers should refrain from travelling abroad even on official work''. The rule applies to secretaries of ministries, heads of departments and of corporations and statutory boards as well.

In an indication that Kumaratunga may be contemplating elections earlier than due, she has told her ministers that there remains a ``range of activities to be performed by the government to which they should devote special attention''.

Elections are due in mid-2000, but it is being speculated that they could be held earlier. Unable to fulfill its two main promises of ending the war and abolishing the executive presidency and replacing it with a Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, the ruling PA coalition is concerned about an erosion insupport for the proposals.

Though the ruling People's Alliance (PA) coalition won all the provincial council elections held earlier this year, the results were far from encouraging.

Last week, the executive committee of the coalition urged Kumaratunga to present her proposals for changing the constitution and restoring peace in the island as a legislation before parliament to demonstrate the sincerity of her government.

The legislation has virtually no chance of going through parliament because the opposition United National Party (UNP) will not endorse it, but PA managers believe the move will serve to expose and shift the blame of unfulfilled promises to the opposition.