Sri Lankan policeman killed, one wounded in Sri Lanka 's volatile east

Suspected Tamil Tiger gunmen shot dead a policeman and wounded another in Sri Lanka's volatile east Tuesday, the military said.

The shooting came hours after an ethnic Tamil civilian was shot and wounded in what authorities said was an attack linked to fighting between rival rebel factions.

The two policemen were fired upon while standing outside a government office in Kaludawalai village in Batticaloa district, 220 kilometers (135 miles) east of Colombo, military spokesman Brig. Nalin Witharanage said.

Earlier, two unidentified gunmen shot Kadirgamar Thambivelupillai, 49, while he was riding his motorbike to work in Batticaloa. He was hospitalized but his condition was not critical, Witharanage said.

An initial investigation found that Thambivelupillai's two sons have links to the mainstream Tamil Tiger rebel group, he said.

A split in the Tamil Tigers in March 2004 sparked internecine clashes that have killed scores, mainly in Sri Lanka's east.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's parliament voted 80-19 to extend emergency rule on the island for another month. The measure was enacted after suspected rebels assassinated Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on Aug. 12.