Tuesday, May 30 2006 13:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Twelve Sinhalese construction workers were reportedly shot dead by suspected Tamil Tigers in eastern Sri Lanka, a military spokesman said today (May 30, 2006), even as the European Union put the rebel outfit on its list of terrorist groups.

A total of 14 construction workers from the majority community had been taken away by suspected Tamil rebels and shot yesterday, the spokesman, Prasad Samarasinghe, said.

"Two men escaped with gunshot injuries and reported to police this morning," he said.

"We are sending a team to investigate" the reports.

He said the investigations were slowed because troops had to clear the road of mines before entering the remote area where the construction workers were employed to build an irrigation tank bund.

The two men with gunshot injuries were admitted to hospital, Samarasinghe said.

The report of the killings came as the European Union banned the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organisation.

There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers, but the government said the ban would not lead to any military adventure by security forces.

"The Government is of the firm conviction that solution to the issues at hand have to be sought only through political means and not through military means," a statement by President Mahinda Rajapakse's office said.

"It therefore rejects any suggestions that these measures by the international community would or should encourage any military options by anyone, " he said.

For their part, the Tigers said before the ban was slapped that it would jeopardise the Norwegian-backed peace initiative.