The government said in a statement that Thursday's killing of a soldier from the military intelligence unit and an informant had all the "hallmarks" of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

"This is a direct violation of the ceasefire agreement which calls on the parties not to engage in assassinations," the statement said. "The continuing violations cast doubts on the seriousness of the commitment of the LTTE."

The statement said it also raised doubts about the LTTE's interest in observing the Norwegian-led peace initiative aimed at ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead the two men in the island's east Thursday.

The attackers opened fire as the victims rode a motorcycle in the district of Polonnaruwa, the officials said, adding that investigations were under way to track down the killers.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The military has blamed similar attacks on the Tamil Tigers.

The government has accused the Tigers of killing more than 250 rivals, including military informants, since the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire went into effect from February 23, 2002.

Meanwhile, a gunman shot dead a Sri Lankan High Court judge and his police bodyguard as they returned to his official residence in a fashionable residential quarter here yesterday, police said.

Judge Sarath Ambepitiya was killed as he exited his car with his bodyguard, police said.

Police said the gunman escaped and police cordoned off the Sarana Road area of Cinnamon Gardens in the diplomatic quarter of Colombo and launched a search.

The motive for the killing was not immediately known. The judge was known to have handed down record jail terms to child molesters.

Child rights activists said his slaying was a blow to their efforts to bring offenders to justice.