Special report: Ceasefire over in Sri Lanka

    COLOMBO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- A special advisor to the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict on Sri Lanka Monday blamed both the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels for child recruitment for combat in the island's battle zones.

    Concluding a 10-day visit, Allan Rock said in statement that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has not complied with the Action Plan for Children affected by conflict.

    "The mission also found that the so-called Karuna faction continued to abduct children in government controlled areas in the east," said Rock.

    The statement said they also found strong and credible evidence that certain elements of the government security forces are supporting and sometimes participating in the abductions and forced recruitment of children.

    Karuna alias Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan broke away from the mainstream LTTE in March 2004.

    The mainstream have complained that the government is working hand in glove with the Karuna faction called for disarming of the Karuna group as a condition for them to return to the stalled Norwegian backed peace process.

    "Since May of this year 135 cases of under aged recruitment by abduction have been reported to UNICEF," Rock said.

    "It is increasingly clear that children are at risk from all sides," Rock stressed.

    However, he said that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had pledged a thorough investigation into the alleged complicity of security forces with the Karuna faction of the LTTE.

    Meanwhile, the military said in a statement that Rock's comments on the role of the security forces in the abductions and recruitment were "regretted and completely misleading."

    "Security forces while dissociating itself from those allegations vehemently denies having any involvement whatsoever with the LTTE breakaway group for abductions in Batticaloa," said the statement issued by the Army Headquarters.