COLOMBO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reshuffled some of his cabinet ministers in a bid to strengthen the unity government, the President's Media Division said.
In the new cabinet, six ministers took oaths in front of President Sirisena, while three State Ministers and one deputy minister were also sworn in.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new Minister of Law and Order while retaining his earlier portfolio of Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs.
Former Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayaka was sworn in as Minister of Youth Affairs while keeping his Ministry of Southern Development.
Senior United National Party (UNP) legislator, Lakshman Kiriella was sworn in as Minister of State Enterprise and Kandyan Development while Kabir Hashim was sworn in as Minister of Higher Education and Highways.
Harsha De Silva was sworn in as State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs while Ajith Perera was sworn in as State Minister of Prisons and Rehabilitation.
President Sirisena in a statement congratulated the newly appointed ministers and said these changes as well as those changes soon to be made in his United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will strengthen the government to better serve its people.
Those reshuffled on Sunday were from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party while another reshuffle within the President's UPFA is expected to take place next week.
Sri Lanka's unity government between the UNP and UPFA has been facing political unrest since the parties' defeat in a recently concluded local government polls.