Top Tamil journalist shot dead

Sivaram Dharmeratnam, 46, a senior editorial board member of the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website, was grabbed by unidentified men around 10:30 pm (1630 GMT), colleagues reported.

Police said a bullet-riddled body found in the Colombo suburb of Talangama was identified as that of Dharmeratnam by his colleagues.

The government condemned the murder and vowed to bring the killers to justice.

"The government has ordered a full-scale investigation into the abduction and killing ... and law enforcement authorities will ensure speedy action," the government said in a statement.

Several Sri Lankan journalists have been killed in recent years, but not a single murder has been solved.

The government said the journalist's abduction and killing was the "latest in a series of violent acts and political killings" since a ceasefire between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.