Colombo  - Five doctors who worked in Tamil rebel-held areas claimed Wednesday that they gave false information about casualties and food and medicine shortages due to pressure from the rebels.

The doctors, who escaped into government-controlled areas a few days before the rebels were defeated by government forces in May, said they were forced to give inflated civilian casualty figures to the media by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

It was not clear whether the doctors were speaking to reporters on the instructions of the government.

They are in custody and being investigated for their activities during the conflict, but no charges have been lodged against them.

The doctors were in regular contact with media and international organizations commenting on the fighting between government forces and the LTTE in north-eastern Sri Lanka.

"We regret that we provided false information," Dr Illancheliyan Pallavan.

"The LTTE was fighting a useless war in which civilians suffered. It was heartbreaking to see those between 14 and 15 injured in the conflict", Dr S Sivapalan said.

Dr Thurairaja Sathiyamoorthy said rebels seized Red Cross food shipments by land and sea, and forced the doctors to claim that there were food shortages.

According to UN estimates, over 7,000 civilians were killed since January, but other estimates claim to be the figure is higher. The government has not released any casualty information.

The end of the fighting with the rebels brought an end to the 26- year-old conflict, but some 270,000 people have been displaced and are living in refugee camps in the north.(dpa)