COLOMBO, July 29: The police here have arrested five suspected Tamil separatist guerrillas who were allegedly plotting to assassinate President Chandrika Kumaratunga, and are hunting for three others, officials said Tuesday.

Among those detained are two trained as suicide bombers, said police officials, who asked not to be identified.

Another suspect in custody is a security guard at a state-owned grocery chain, who was allegedly helping the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) gather information on the President's movements, officials said.

The remaining two were low-ranking Government officials who brought the bombers to Colombo from the rebel hideout in the jungles of eastern Sri Lanka, officials said.

Police arrested the three at a hotel in Colombo. The arrests were made on last week, but detectives would not give details for more than a week while they hunted for the accomplices.

Detectives have discovered four plots to assassinate Kumaratunga since negotiations between the rebels and the Government broke down in April 1995.Since then, Kumaratunga has ordered large military operations to drive the separatists out of the major cities and into the northern jungles.

Guerrilla suicide bombers have assassinated politicians and Government officials and blown up key military targets.

The rebels are fighting for a separate homeland for the minority Tamils, claiming they are discriminated against by the majority Sinhalese who control the Government and the military.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.