Tamil murder sparks accusations

Sri Lankan government forces are facing an upsurge in violence

Sri Lanka's government and rebel Tamil Tigers have blamed each other for the murder of a Tamil member of parliament while he attended a Christmas Mass.

Joseph Pararajasingham, 71, was shot at close range just after receiving Holy Communion at St Michael's Church in Batticaloa, a witness said.

The attack came after international mediators expressed "deep concern" over a recent escalation of violence.

The bloodshed has cast doubt over the future of a ceasefire declared in 2002.

Mr Pararajasingham represented the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party in parliament.

The TNA is linked to the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

'Crucial choice'

Police said at least eight other people, including Mr Pararajasingham's wife, were injured in the shooting at the crowded midnight church service in Batticaloa, 300km (190 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.

The motive for the killing was unclear.

The Tigers said "chauvinistic forces have taken away this patriot who has worked for the Tamil nation's liberation and promotion of human rights".

Meanwhile the government said the Tigers had planned the killing, as they "were desperately trying to divert the attention elsewhere and create mayhem and havoc while eschewing political discussions".

International donors and foreign truce monitors have said the sharp upsurge in violence, following the election of Mahinda Rajapakse as Sri Lanka's president in November, has left the ceasefire under grave threat.

"Sri Lanka faces a crucial choice today between mounting violence and reinvigorating peace," the mediating quartet known as the Co-Chairs said in a statement on Saturday after meeting Tiger rebels.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a fully-independent ethnic homeland since 1983.