COLOMBO, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least two activists of a political party based in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka have been killed in a shoot-out on Saturday, police officials said on Sunday.

    An unidentified gunman fired at the activists in a social club run by the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (Tamil People's Liberation Tigers, TMVP) in the eastern town Batticaloa, 310 km east of the capital Colombo on Saturday evening.

    The gunfire killed one on the spot while the other succumbed toinjuries later in hospital, the police said.

    Motive for the killing or who was responsible was not known, the police said.

    TMVP also know as Karuna Group is a breakaway faction of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels.

    The TMVP leader Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, also known as Karuna became a legislator in the parliament last Tuesday.

    The TMVP deputy leader Sivanesaturai Chandrakanthan is the chief minister of the Eastern Province.

    Both of them are members of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance coalition headed by President Mahinda Rajapakse.