Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead an intelligence officer conducting security checks in eastern Sri Lanka ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, officials said yesterday.

The officer from the police intelligence unit was shot Wednesday in the town of Kalmunai in Ampara district, which the premier is due to visit on Saturday, officials said. Another officer was also shot and wounded.

"The two were deployed to gather information about the local security situation ahead of the VVIP visit," the official said. "We believe it is the work of the Tamil Tiger pistol group."

The latest attack came despite security being stepped up in the restive region after suspected Tiger rebels killed three soldiers from a military intelligence unit last month.

Gunmen from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacked the three men, two intelligence officers and their driver, travelling in a three-wheel scooter in the eastern district of Batticaloa, just north of Ampara.