Colombo- Police Thursday made a controversial arrest of a newspaper editor in Sri Lanka, raising protests from journalists and media rights activists who say the arrest amounted to an abduction.

Three policemen in uniform and two in civilian clothing grabbed N Vidyatharan, the chief editor of the Tamil language Sudaroli newspaper from a funeral parlor in Mount Lavinia, 12 kilometres south of Colombo, where he was attending the funeral of a relative.

Police had failed to identify themselves, relatives said, and initial reports spoke of an abduction.

Colombo  - Government troops advancing into the final stronghold of Tamil separatist rebels have found a suicide bomb-making plant in northern Sri Lanka, the Defence Ministry said Thursday.

The plant, located in Pudukudirippu, 385 kilometres north-east of Colombo, was also reported to manufacture claymore mines, improvised explosive devices and anti-personnel mines, the ministry said.

Government troops entered the area amid heavy resistance from Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, the army said.

Colombo  - SLankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will launch a national campaign against the recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, the president's office said Wednesday.

The campaign will be launched on Thursday under which child soldiers will also be rehabilitated with the assistance of local and foreign organizations, the office statement said.

New Delhi - India Tuesday urged Sri Lanka to agree to the evacuation of thousands of civilians caught in the conflict zone with rebel Tamil Tigers and offered help.

India offered to facilitate the process of bringing the civilians to safety and medical help for the sick and wounded, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement came a day after the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appealed for a ceasefire which the Sri Lankan government has turned down.

New Delhi, Feb 24 : India on Tuesday asked Sri Lanka to appropriately work for the evacuation of civilians from war zones and expressed its willingness to help in this direction.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said that India was ready to provide all necessary help to facilitate the process of bringing innocent civilians to safety and to meet their humanitarian needs for relief materials, medicines and medical care.

Colombo  - Government troops entered the last rebel-held town in northern Sri Lanka after heavy clashes overnight, military officials said Tuesday.

Troops entered Pudukudirippu, 385 kilometres north-east of the capital and were consolidating positions Tuesday morning, the army said.

It said Tamil rebels sustained heavy casualties in combat Monday and lost a large amount of weapons in the area.