Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a state of emergency Saturday after Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated.

The state of emergency was declared to ensure national security, a presidential spokesman said.

Kadirgamar was shot at around 11:15 p.m. local time Friday (1715 GMT) and passed away at 00:15 a.m. Saturday (1815 GMT Friday).

Security sources said a sniper shot at him while he was near the swimming pool of his private residence in the plush residential area of Cinnamon Gardens in the capital.

Kadirgamar, a Tamil, was in the forefront of Sri Lankan government's campaign for an international ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

As a well known lawyer, Kadirgamar entered politics in 1994 and was immediately made the foreign minister.

He held the post from 1994 to date, barring a short period between 2001 and 2003.

Kadirgamar figured high on the Tamil Tigers' hit list and was provided with elite commando security.

(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2005)