The editors of Mawbima said that Dushyantha Basnayake’s arrest was part of a “campaign of harassment” against the newspaper which began after it published articles criticizing Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and reporting on accusations of human rights violations committed by his brother, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse.

“We had to think twice before writing any story that exposed corruption in any Ministry under President Rajapakse,” the editors wrote in a statement issued Monday. “Most times we were forced to cancel such articles.” More... Discuss this story Published: Thu Mar 1 23:12:32 EST 2007

The man was overpowered and handed over to the police late Wednesday, where he confessed that he was working for the Tamil Tigers, who are fighting to create a separate state for Sri Lanka - 's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority, said the official, who cannot be named under military regulations.

The man was carrying a remote control device, a stand to set up a Claymore roadside bomb, a detonator, a roll of wires and a hand grenade.

The Claymore fragmentation mine fires steel balls and nails across a wide area, and is normally set up on a stand or other surface for greater effect.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels on the incident.

Vavuniya is the last major government-held town before rebel territory starts in the north.

The Tigers have fought since 1983 for the separate homeland for the Tamils, following decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. The war left about 65,000 people dead.

A 2002 cease-fire still exists on paper, but it fell apart in 2006 as renewed fighting killed more than 4,000 combatants and civilians, according to European cease-fire monitors. Discuss this story Published: Thu Mar 1 03:33:06 EST 2007