Sunday, December 25 2005 11:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: A Tamil legislator was shot dead by unidentified gunmen during midnight Christmas mass at a church in Sri Lanka's east, police said today (Dec 25, 2005).

"The attackers fired at Joseph Pararajasingham, 71, from close range while he was at the St Michael's church at Batticaloa, 303 kilometres east of the capital," police said adding, "The politician's wife escaped with injuries."

They said at least eight others were injured.

Pararajasingham's bodyguards too had opened fire, police said.

He became a member of parliament in 1990 succeeding Sam Thambimuttu who was gunned down by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels.

However, Pararajasingham represented the Tamil National Alliance which is seen as a proxy of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

A breakaway faction of the Tigers is opposed to the TNA.