COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, stripped of her civil rights and expelled from Parliament, headed for her ancestral home today.
Mrs. Bandaranaike, 64, the world's first woman prime minister, conferred with her Freedom Party associates today on political strategy before going to Attanagalla in the hill country northeast of Colombo, which she previously represented.
The government's ruling United National Party took action against Mrs. Bandaranaike Thursday on charges of abuse of power during her 1970-77 rule, which resulted in her losing her official post.
But she was able to stay on as head of the Freedom Party. Observers speculated the Freedom Party will nominate her son, now a member of Parliament, to take over the seat she vacated.
Mrs. Bandaranaike represented the electorate that her husband represented before he was assassinated.
When Parliament voted 138-18 against her, Mrs. Bandaranaike left the legislative chamber almost in tears.
The former prime minister's nephew, Felix Bandaranaike, who was a minister in her Cabinet, was also stripped of his civil rights on charges of abuseof power.
Attempts to forestall the vote supported by the government's ruling United National Party including an appeal to the Supreme Court failed stop the vote.
The abuse charges, handed down by a special commission set up by President Junius Jayewardene, formed the basis of the move to banish the former leader from the political scene.
After Parliament opened debate on Mrs. Bandaranaike's alleged crimes, forces loyal to her tried to force postponement of the action. They said nothing should be done until the Supreme Court rules next month on an appeal of the charges against her.
But the speaker of the Parliament ruled that the debate go on and Prime Minister Ranna Singh Bremabasa told lawmakers they should proceed because even a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the former prime minister would not cause the government to retract its charges.
