Colombo, Jan. 9: Following Tuesday's assassination of Sri Lanka's Minister for Nation-Building, D. M. Dassanayake, the Government has increased security for Members of Parliament.

Dassanayake was killed by a roadside bomb attack on his convoy near Colombo. A bodyguard also died in the blast. Parliament Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara was quoted by an international news agency, as saying that in the wake of the assassination, appropriate security measures have been taken for the benefit of the country's lawmakers.

Lokubandara said leaders of all political parties had discussed the issue on Tuesday.

According to the BBC, fighting between troops and rebels has worsened in recent months. On Tuesday, the military claimed that 38 rebels and one soldier had been killed in battles in the north of the country. The figure could not be independently confirmed and there was no comment from the LTTE.

According to the country's Constitution, the Parliament consists of 225 members elected in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution for a duration of six years. Articles 98 and 99 of the Constitution indicate the composition of Parliament. One hundred and ninety six Members are directly elected by the people through a General Election and the balance 29 seats are distributed among the political parties and Independent groups contesting such General Election according to the proportion of votes polled by each political party/ Independent group. (ANI)