<span style='font-size:22pt;line-height:100%'><b>LTTE: MP killed by military intelligence </b>
<img src='http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/images/2005/12/20051225115315pararajasingham-2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
LTTE and Sri Lanka military accuse each other for the assasination
Tamil Tigers rebels of Sri Lanka have accused Sri Lanka military intelligence unit and paramilitaries of killing Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, Joseph Pararajasingham.
The national list MP was shot dead in his home town Batticaloa on Saturday night while attending Christmas mass.
Pararajasingham's wife and seven others were injured in the shooting.
He was murdered by the Sri Lankan military intelligence wing and the paramilitaries working with them, including the Karuna Group and EPDP, a statement issued by the LTTE political wing said.
LTTE accused
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has denied any involvement in the incident.
Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka military spokesman told BBC Sandeshaya (bbcsinhala.com) that the SLA has information to suspect the Tamil Tigers.
This well-planned murder proves that the long hand of the chauvinistic forces such as the Jathika Hela Urumaya is working through the Sri Lankan military intelligence wing
LTTE statement
However, he added that the SLA was not clear why the LTTE would kill a politician close to the LTTE other than to put the blame on the state forces.
Condemning the MP's murder, the Tamil Tigers also alleged that the chauvinistic forces such as the Jathika Hela Urumaya is working closely with the military intelligence.
Listen to the int. with Chandra Fernando
Inspector General of Police Chnadra Fernanado alleged that the Tigers may have tried to \"divert international attention\" focused on killing of more than 30 soldiers by the LTTE during recent weeks.
The government, meanwhile, has described the killing as an attack on the heart of Sri Lanka's democracy.
'Cycle of violenace'
The government condemns this cowardly act in the strongest possible terms, a statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat said.
It said that the assassination has been carried out to serve a specific agenda\" to create an environment to \"further escalate the cycle of violence perpetuated by the LTTE\".
The assassination of an elected Member of Parliament (MP) is an assault on the very heart of democracy
Government statement
The President has offered to provide additional security to the TNA parliamentarians in consultation with them, the statement added.
The killing follows a month of worsening violence which has cast doubt over the continuation of a ceasefire between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government.
Co-chairs meeting
Shortly before the attack, international mediators warned that the country faced a crucial choice between mounting violence and reinvigorating peace.
In other violence on Saturday, the Sri Lankan army said it killed four rebels in Jaffna, and a soldier was shot dead at a checkpoint.
The Tamil Tigers were accused of killing more than 30 military personnel since Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn-in as Sri Lanka's fifth executive president.
TNA accused the security forces of harassing the civilians in Jaffna and raping and killing a young woman.
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- BBC
