The vessel was carrying 3,800 boxes containing 61,056 detonators, he said.

``It is a huge find ... the shipment was meant for the LTTE,'' Dassanayake said, referring to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam by their acronym.

The five men will be handed over to police, he said.

Southern India is home to 56 million Tamils, some of whom have family or traditional ties with Sri Lanka - 's 3.2 million Tamils.

India's embassy declined to comment until it could confirm the seizure.

``We can comment only after we have verified the news reports,'' said Magma Mallick, spokeswoman for the Indian High Commission.

A naval patrol boat detected the vessel as it was anchored off an island close to shore, Dassanayake said. It was ordered not to move and more naval craft arrived and discovered the cargo, he said.

The Indian and Sri Lankan governments have close ties and there was no apparent strain in their relations over the seizure. In the past, some Tamils living in India have been involved in smuggling goods for the rebels.

More than 65,000 people were killed in the civil war, which began in 1983, until a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire brought relative peace in 2002.

Peace talks broke down in April 2003 over guerrilla demands for extensive autonomy in the Tamil-majority north and east.

The rebels want to set up a separate homeland for Sri Lankan Tamils, saying they can only prosper away from the alleged domination of the majority Sinhalese.

Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 26 08:33:33 EST 2006

"The United States welcomes the agreement by the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to hold peace talks in February in Geneva.," the U.S. Embassy in Colombo said in a statement. The agreement was reached after talks between Norway's top peace envoy Erik Solheim and the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Velupillai Prabhakarn on Wednesday, after more than 18 month of deadlock over a venue.

Many believe that a spate of deadly violence in recent weeks had pushed Sri Lanka to the brink of war.

"The United States commends the Sri Lankan government for its restraint in the face of recent provocative attacks and fully supports its efforts as it advances towards peace," the statement quoted, U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack as saying. He also urged both the government and the LTTE "to take immediate action to prevent violence and to uphold the terms of the cease-fire agreement. "

The Tigers have been banned in the U.S. since 1997 as a terrorist group along side Al-Qaeda and Washington has said the rebels will never have a relationship with the country unless it gives up violence in word and deed.

"We believe that the people of Sri Lanka desperately want to see an end to years of conflict. The United States will continue to support them as they take steps to bring peace and stability to their country," he said.

The LTTE has been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland in the island's Tamil majority north and east. Nearly 65,000 people were killed before Norway brokered a truce in February 2002. Subsequent peace talks collapsed in April 2003 amid rebel demands for wide autonomy.

Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 26 08:37:10 EST 2006

All but Sarath and two other police officers were subsequently released.

The rebels claimed that the group entered their territory unauthorized.

Though the government controls Mannar, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) north of Colombo, the rebels hold sway in nearby areas, where they run their own administration.

Talking to the media after his release Sarath, 40, a father of two children, appealed to the guerrilla leader to free his fellow police officers.

``My humble appeal is that my colleagues too should be released and we all should work for peace.''

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels on Wednesday agreed to meet government officials in Geneva next month for the first direct peace talks in nearly three years.

The negotiations broke down in April 2003 after six rounds when the guerrillas withdrew demanding more autonomy in the Tamil-majority north and east.

More than 65,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka - 's civil war since 1983 until a Norway-brokered truce brought relative peace in 2002.

Discuss this story Published: Thu Jan 26 04:27:57 EST 2006