Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) vowed here Sunday to take disciplinary action against the party defectors who had joined the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Some 18 UNP legislators joined the government in Rajapakse's first Cabinet reshuffle since being elected president in November 2005.

"We will take disciplinary action and expel them from the party, " the party chairman and legislator Rukman Senanayake told reporters.

Senanayake said the president's action was against the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Rajapakse and the UNP leader Ranil Wuckremesinghe in October last year.

However, Minister of Media and Information Anura Yapa told reporters that the president's action in accommodating UNP members was not against the spirit of the MoU.

"We have not damaged the MoU. UNP members wanted to join the government so we have taken them," said Yapa, who is also the government spokesman.

He said the UNP members joining the government is expected to bring much needed political stability in the island.

Six members from the main Muslim party, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) also joined the government along with the UNP members.

Analysts say Rajapakse wanted opposition legislators to join his government in view of the decision by the main left party the JVP or the People's Liberation Front to stay out of the government.

The JVP has 38 legislators in the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance's current strength of 126 members in the 225- legislator parliament.

With the crossovers of UNP and SLMC legislators into the government, the Rajapakse administration finds itself just one short of the 113 required for a working majority in parliament.

Source: Xinhua