COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, on Tuesday took exception to `certain conclusions' by U.N. Ambassador Allan Rock, Special Adviser to the U.N. Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict that a section of the armed forces was actively `aiding and abetting' in recruitment of child soldiers by the Karuna group in the east.

A statement put out by the President's Office said conclusions that Ambassador Rock has made public have led to `many distorted media reports,' as opposed to the government's long-standing zero-tolerance policy on the recruitment of children as combatants. There was no elaboration on the media reports in question.

"Terror atmosphere"

At the end of his 10-day mission to Sri Lanka on the state of children in the conflict-ridden north and parts of east, Mr. Rock said there was an atmosphere of terror in the districts of Batticaloa and Amparai due to connivance between a section of the military and the Karuna group in conscription of children.

The U.N. envoy said Mr. Rajapaksa, on being apprised of the situation, promised an immediate probe into the incidents and action against those responsible. The President's Secretariat said that Mr. Rajapaksa told the envoy that if there was credible evidence of such incidents he would have them investigated.

Triggers alarm

The report of Mr. Rock has triggered an alarm in the political and diplomatic circles here. In the words of a western diplomat, "We are shocked that a section of the security forces, whose government is actively engaged in a campaign against the practice of use of children for combat by the LTTE, is now photographing children in villages and facilitating the Karuna group to do the same thing. This is totally unacceptable. If unchecked, the international community might be left with little option but to consider sanctions."

Military "perturbed"

The Sri Lankan military said it was `perturbed at a couple of observations and comments' made by Mr. Rock, and said the Mission's allegation that "certain elements of the Government security forces were sometimes participating in the abductions and forced recruitment of children is regretted and completely misleading."

`Eye-witness evidence'

Likewise, the Mission's conclusions based on `eye-witness evidence' that the `Government security forces are actively involved in these criminal acts' deserve a deep sense of revulsion and explanation in view of their serious nature and repercussions.

"It is no secret that the Mission by innuendo has gone the extra mile to blame the troops of the Sri Lankan security forces deployed in government-controlled areas of eastern Batticaloa to contain LTTE violence and defend human rights in the region."

Body airlifted

At least four soldiers were killed in the east in alleged attacks by the LTTE and the body of pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Nadarjah Raviraj was airlifted to Jaffna on a Sri Lanka Air Force AN-32 (Antonv) aircraft in the company of the MP's family members and several TNA parliamentarians.

The funeral would be held on Wednesday.

"3 soldiers killed"

The military said three soldiers were killed when the LTTE cadres blasted an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Manthottam Railway Station, Vavuniya, in the early hours.

Claymore detonated

Another soldier died when the Tamil Tigers detonated a claymore mine targeting an Army patrol at Sirippidi, Jaffna, in the morning.

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