Colombo - Sri Lanka was forced to declare a state of emergency on Saturday after the assassination of their foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.  He was 73 and was shot on Friday at his heavily secured home in the capital Colombo. The Govt. declared emergency as precautionary measures fearing more attacks.

Kadirgamar was an ethnic Tamil. He had led efforts to ban the rebels as a terrorist organization but later on backed peace negotiations. The military, however, blamed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels for the shoot, which S.P. Tamilselvan, the group political chief, denied any role in the killing and condemned officials for a hasty action taken by them to target their group.

According to CTV ca, the government said on Saturday that it would not take any action that will violate the cease-fire with the rebels, but said it would take precautions to protect its citizens against terrorist attacks.

Officials said seven people have been detained in connection with the killing, as the Defence Ministry sent soldiers to search homes and vehicles for more suspects.
Dozens of military trucks moved into Colombo Saturday and soldiers have taken up positions at major intersections, checking vehicles coming in and out of the city.Navy patrol boats were also guarding the coastline, some of which is controlled by the Tamil Tigers.

During a state of emergency, authorities have the power to detain, without charge, anybody suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.

"We have taken the steps" to safeguard our people, said the office of President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

"A state of national emergency has been declared to facilitate enhanced security measures and effective investigations of this wanton act of terror."

The president said Kadirgamar had been killed by "political foes," but she stopped short of accusing the Tamil Tigers.

This wasn't the first time Kadirgamar has been attacked. He was gravely wounded in a 1999 assassination attempt, which police blamed on the Tamil rebels.

His slaying has put the island's fragile peace process at risk, and Kumaratunga has appealed for "calm and restraint in the face of this grave and cowardly attack."
Police officer Nimal Lewke told the Associated Press that two snipers involved in the assassination were hiding in a building near Kadirgamar's home, and that they shot through a ventilation hole in an upper floor.

India reiterated its support on Saturday  to the island nation's fight against forces seeking to undermine its unity. A statement released by the Indian foreign ministry called the killing a "terrorist crime."