Prime Minister Paul Martin said he has been assured by political representatives of the Tamil Tigers that humanitarian aid is getting through to areas controlled by the militant group in Sri Lanka's northeast.

Paul Martin in Sri Lanka

Martin had promised Canada's community of 250,000 Tamils that he will verify that humanitarian aid is getting through.

Martin also asked the Tamil alliance members about reports that Tamil militants are recruiting children who have been orphaned by the disaster.

After the meeting, R. Sampanthan, leader of the National Alliance, downplayed the reports, saying it was propaganda. He said the Tamil Tigers were taking the children in and providing for them.

Earlier, Martin spent his second day in Asia visiting the tsunami-stricken areas in eastern Sri Lanka, saying he's been overwhelmed by the experience of seeing the destruction first-hand.

"This is sheer devastation. It's really beyond human comprehension," Martin said as he toured a village in the Ampara region. It is estimated more than 10,000 people died â?" a third of all the dead in Sri Lanka â?" in the region that is about half the size of Prince Edward Island.

Martin, who was also joined by members of all opposition parties, said the tour puts a human face on what he's only seen on television.

"When you see these young kids, what they've gone through...When you go to those graves and see the numbers of people who were buried, it was impossible not to be deeply affected," he said.

Martin also met with troops from Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team, touring one of its medical clinics and a water purification site that is pulling water from a lagoon and pumping out thousands of litres of fresh drinking water for tsunami survivors.

The prime minister praised their work, saying Canadian aid is going exactly where it's needed.

Martin's tour began in Thailand where more than 5,000 died, including four of the six Canadian confirmed killed in the disaster. Thousands are still missing from the Thai coast, including at least 28 Canadians.