Government activists burned tyres and blocked highways into the small town of Anamaduwa, now better known as the most lawless constituency, as the opposition United National Party (UNP) held its final campaign rally on Thursday.

Armed commandos from the police Special Task force kept activists of the ruling People's Alliance (PA) and the Opposition UNP away from each other. Shops and roads were closed because of the tension.

Smoke engulfed the town as government supporters dumped more tyres on already burning piles of rubber as former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, head of the opposition, addressed a meeting.

The provincial council election is being bitterly contested because the results are expected to signal winners of future polls.

Wickremesinghe said government supporters had stripped an opposition woman activist and tortured her toprevent a house-to-house campaign by the party and scare UNP voters. Several UNP offices have been smashed.

Two people, one each from the UNP and the PA, have died during the campaign marred by some 650 reports of violence, a private observer group, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence said.

Five journalists, including an AFP correspondent and a photographer were fired at as they drove in Anamaduwa, 120 km north of Colombo on Thursday. There were no casualties.

Journalists heard over a dozen gun shots as they sped along a highway near the village of Wendakaduwa. Residents said many motorists had avoided the road because of burning tyres and fear of attacks.

Ruling party politician D M Dassanayake, the main target of opposition charges, denied allegations that his group was behind attacks on rivals.

``Look at the UNP flags,'' Dassanayake told reporters. ``We have not cut a single although they accuse us of pulling down their (green) flags.''

In neighbouring Chilaw, an opposition UNPoffice was smashed by about 150 PA supporters as they left a campaign rally addressed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, witnesses said.

Some 1.3 million people are eligible to vote in the January 25 election to the north-western provincial council which is the highest level local government body.

``This is a silent electorate here,'' Wickremesinghe told journalists. ``My message to the people here is go to the polls and vote. No matter to which party, but go and exercise your right to vote.''

The leftist JVP or People's Liberation Front which is regarded as a decisive third factor has also been the target of attack because of its impact since giving up a violent uprising and taking to mainstream politics in 1997.