Villagers were killed while they were working in the farm

The incident happened monday morning in Yayaheta, Mahavilachchiya in Anuradhapura, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

Reports say the civilians were killed while they were working in their paddy fields.

No LTTE comment

The bodies of three men and a woman killed by gunshot wounds were discovered near the farming village of Mahavilachchiya which is a village just south of rebel-controlled territory in the north, said a defence ministry official speaking to the media.

	Villagers urged authorities to provide them with better security

The army and police had started investigating the incident and are searching the area for suspected rebels responsible for the attack, reports from the area say.

There were no comment from the Tamil Tigers.

Villagers who spoke to journalist Athula Bandara urge the government to provide security to the area.

'Tighten' security

The government has failed to provide them with security despite the village has come under continuous attacks by the LTTE, they said.

Mahavilachchiya lies on the edge of Wilpattu National Park where rebel incursions and attacks had taken place in the recent past.

Increased violence since December 2005 has killed more than 5,000 people of which the majority are civilians.