The amnesty runs from Saturday to Monday, military officials said.

Army spokesman Brigadier Sunil Tennakoon told a news conference on Thursday that 2,889 soldiers had been arrested since October 7.

Some 15,000 soldiers are listed as deserters, most having fled camps in the north and east where they are fighting a bitter campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels.

The government's information department said the campaign to arrest the deserters was launched after police reported a sharp rise in crimes committed by soldiers absent without official leave.

The military has said that it needs more manpower to end the 15-year-old war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east.

Officials said there had been a poor response to various army recruitment drives in the past.