COLOMBO, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- A former Tamil Tiger rebel militant leader is to enter Sri Lanka's parliament as a legislator, elections officials said Monday.

    Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan alias Karuna, the former powerful eastern commander of the Liberation Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), will take oaths as an appointed government member of parliament on Tuesday.

    The Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake has already issued relevant gazette notification announcing Muralitharan's appointment to parliament.

    Karuna broke ranks with the mainstream LTTE in early 2004, accusing the leadership dominated by the northern Tamils of discriminating the eastern Tamils.

    He then formed his own political party Thamil Makkal ViduthalaiPuligal (Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) or TMVP.

    His party now controls the island's Eastern Provincial Council.

    The 43-years-old former rebel leader has led many successful attacks against government troops in their long drawn-out conflict with Sinhalese dominated governments.