Colombo: Two Buddhist monk legislators were hospitalised here after they were beaten up by Government legislators in an unprecedented brawl in Sri Lanka's Parliament, officials and witnesses said.

New MP Akmeemana Dayaratne and fellow monk MP Kolonnawe Sri Sumangala, both from the Opposition National Heritage Party (NHP), were admitted to the Jayewardenepura Hospital, officials said.

The ruling Freedom Alliance of President Chandrika Kumaratunga was furious with Dayaratne, who was selected to replace a fellow monk legislator who had broken ranks to support the shaky minority Government.

Officials said a mace, a symbol of Parliamentary authority, was stolen during the brawl, holding up proceedings, and that it was later found in a lobby used by Government MPs.

Parliament sittings were disrupted by the brawl, but the new monk MPs managed to take his oath.

Kumaratunga's Freedom Alliance won April 2 elections but has so far mustered only 108 seats, five short of a simple majority in the 225-member Assembly.

"I have never seen such disgraceful behaviour," a Parliament official told reporters. "This is a disgrace to Parliament."

The monks' party condemned the attack saying they were not surprised after the behaviour of Government MPs during the three previous sittings of the House when the Freedom Alliance MPs threw files and paper balls at monks.