Sunday, May 29 2005 09:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Suspected Tiger gunmen shot dead a police officer in Sri Lanka's troubled east, hours after former US president Bill Clinton visited the restive region, police said.

"Inspector Jude Thyagarajah, 39, was shot dead as we went home in the town of Batticaloa, about 40 kilometres north of the town of Kalmunai where Clinton spent about an hour discussing tsunami relief efforts," officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the authorities suspected that Tamil Tiger rebels were behind the slaying.

There had been a spate of killings in the area following an unprecedented split in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since March last year.

Police and security forces had stepped up security in the region for Clinton's visit.

Clinton left here after an overnight visit as the UN special envoy for tsunami relief work.