In the early hours of this morning, Hon. Joseph Pararajasingham, Member of Parliament for the Batticaloa district from the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) was assassinated while he was attending Christmas midnight mass at St. Mary’s Co-Cathedral in Batticaloa. It is believed that the gunmen were seated in the pew behind Hon. Pararajasingham when the attack took place. Seven persons have also been injured including the wife of Hon. Pararajasingham.

The government condemns this cowardly act in the strongest possible terms. The government also denounces the disrespect shown by the assassins to the sanctity of a church on Christmas day.

The assassination of an elected Member of Parliament (MP) is an assault on the very heart of democracy. It is clear that this assassination has been carried out to serve a specific agenda, in that it creates the environment to further escalate the cycle of violence in the North and East perpetuated by the LTTE.

The government has instructed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to appoint a special investigation team to conduct a full investigation into this assassination and bring to justice the perpetrators.

The President and the government wish to express its deepest condolences to the family of Hon. Pararajarasingham, and seek the quick recovery of Mrs. Pararajasingham and the other injured.

The President has offered to provide additional security to the ITAK Members of Parliament in consultation with them.