Tearful farewell to Sri Lanka's 'mother'

Mourners pay their respects to Sirima Bandaranaike

Thousands of Sri Lankans bid a tearful farewell to Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world's first woman prime minister, at a state funeral on Saturday.

Mrs Bandaranaike, 84, fell ill and died shortly after casting her vote in Sri Lanka's general election on Tuesday.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga, right, joins relatives offering prayers

The funeral brought the war-torn island to a virtual standstill as Sri Lankans watched the final farewell to "the mother of the nation" on television.

In her last will, Mrs Bandaranaike asked to be buried in a simple ceremony.

But the government accorded her a state funeral with military honours, including a 19-gun salute.

Members of the security forces stood with their heads bowed as the coffin, mounted on a gun carriage and draped with the national lion flag, was driven around her home constituency of Attanagalle for local residents to pay their respects.

A 2km stretch of the main highway near her home north of Colombo was closed to allow mourners to line the way.

Chanted prayers

The funeral was the culmination of two days of national mourning for the shy housewife turned three-time prime minister, known affectionately as Mrs B.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga - Bandaranaike's daughter - and her politically estranged brother Anura were visibly shaken as Buddhist monks chanted prayers and blessings during the ceremony.

Mourners included Indian Vice President Krishna Kant, foreign dignitaries and local political leaders.

President Kumaratunga paid respects to her late mother

World leaders, including Indian President K R Narayanan and Chinese Premier Li Peng, have sent condolence messages and tributes to Mrs Bandaranaike who was well-respected for her statesmanship and influence in the Third World.

Mrs Bandaranaike will be buried alongside her husband Solomon Bandaranaike on the family estate.

It was his assassination 40 years ago that propelled Mrs Bandaranaike into a political career.

She retired from politics only last month, and her death cast a shadow over this week's parliamentary elections.

She leaves a political dynasty. Her second daughter is head of state and the youngest son is a prominent figure in the main opposition.

The two siblings are known to quarrel in public over their political differences, but the funeral has brought them together in emotional scenes.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's shaky new coalition appeared in danger of collapsing after the main Muslim party on Saturday issued a 100-day deadline to President Kumaratunga to implement controversial constitutional reforms.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), whose support helped President Kumaratunga's People's Alliance (PA) form a coalition, said it was opposed to Prime Minister Wickremanayake's call for an all-out military campaign against Tamil Tiger separatists.