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Deserters return after Lanka's amnesty offer

COLOMBO: Responding to an amnesty offer by the Lankan army which is trying to bolster its strength, 164 deserters have reported back to work, a Defence Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Deserters who return to duty by the weekend will not face any charges, military spokesman Major J D A Gunasekara said.

The amnesty coincides with the ministry's efforts to recruit 15,000 men into the army, which is fighting a 17-year war against the Tamil Tiger separatists.

Nearly one-fifth of the 100,000-strong army have deserted in the last five years, according to government statistics.

Last year some 14,000 deserters rejoined the army.

Sri Lanka army's current strength is approximately 100,000. It is unclear what the LTTE's total strength is, but military officials have in the past put it at between 5,000 and 6,000.

The army has in recent years found it difficult to recruit soldiers and has been hit by large-scale desertions that typically rise following military setbacks.

The military lost several key bases in the northern Wanni region to the LTTE last November.

Tamil rebels are fighting for a homeland in the country's north and east, claiming that they are discriminated against by the majority Sinhalese who control the government and the military. The government denies the charge.

More than 61,000 people have been killed in the fighting.