The Sri Lankan government said Monday that the abduction and killing of two Red Cross volunteer workers was aimed at discrediting the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse and tarnishing Sri Lanka's image abroad.

The presidential office said in a statement that the killings were part of "disinformation build-up against the president and the government ahead of the public hearing on tsunami reconstruction and human rights by the European parliament in Brussels."

Two Sri Lanka Red Cross volunteers both from the minority Tamil community coming from the eastern district of Batticaloa had gone missing on Friday.

They were abducted by a group claiming themselves from the police crime investigation department at the Colombo Fort railway station.

Their bodies were found shot on the head at Kiriella, 123 km southeast of Colombo Sunday morning.

Neville Nanayakkara, a senior Sri Lanka Red Cross official said that the two volunteers came Colombo to attend a workshop.

"The president has also ordered an immediate and thorough inquiry into these two abductions and killings," the presidential statement added.

The Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels are facing charges of human rights violations by international human rights watchdog groups.

Source: Xinhua