``We are convinced the consignment was meant for the LTTE,'' van Haltern said, using an acronym for the rebels' formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. He did not elaborate.

Another suspected LTTE cache was found Tuesday aboard a boat intercepted near the town of Point Calimere, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Chennai, said coast guard Cmdr. S.K. Panwar.

All five of the men detained were aboard the fiberglass boat, and three are suspected to be members of the Tigers, Panwar told the AP.

``We have seized one AK-56 assault rifle, 124 rounds of ammunition, huge quantities of hand grenades and detonators. There were also eight barrels containing a white colored chemical, which we suspect could be ammonia-based and usable in making explosives,'' he said.

Tamil Nadu state is home to nearly 56 million Tamils, who share broad cultural ties with Sri Lanka - 's 3.1 million Tamils. While many in Tamil Nadu sympathize with the plight of Sri Lanka - 's Tamils who have faced decades of discrimination from the island nation's Sinhala majority there is only tepid support for the Tigers in the Indian state.

India's government also has been reluctant to become deeply involved in Sri Lanka - since a disastrous military intervention in the 1980s led to the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a Tiger suicide bomber. Discuss this story Published: Wed Feb 14 06:23:08 EST 2007

Five men were on the boat, three of them Sri Lankan Tamils and suspected LTTE cadres.

“Out of those five, two are Indians and three are Sri Lankans,” said Commander, Indian Coast Guard, Eastern Region, Rajendra Singh.

On Tuesday, the Navy seized nearly four tonnes of material used to make explosive devices off the Rameswaram coast. The material was on its way to Sri Lanka. More... [Watch] Discuss this story Published: Wed Feb 14 12:08:13 EST 2007

Samarasinghe said the house was specially built and had false walls. The 23 boxes of explosives, each containing 30 kilograms (66 pounds), were placed between the dummy walls, he said.

``This was a special ammunition storage site for the Tigers,'' Samarasinghe said, adding that the haul was the result of a civilian tip-off. ``The explosives were good enough to blow up large buildings.''

Calls to rebel headquarters in Kilinochchi for comment were not answered.

Separately, clashes between security personnel and rebels in eastern Ampara on Wednesday killed at least four people, Samarasinghe said.

Fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the military has left at least 68,000 people dead, including about 3,600 who died last year despite a 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire.

Both sides claim they are still adhering to the truce. Discuss this story Published: Wed Feb 14 06:23:11 EST 2007