A group of six Sri Lankan soldiers who have been held captive by the Tamil Tiger guerrillas for the past five years have been released and reunited with their families.

One of the released soldiers said he had no idea if he would come out alive. Most of the soldiers were captured during the Tigers attack on the northern army camp of Pooneryn in 1993.

The Tigers handed over the soldiers along with three merchant sailors to the International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday and they were then brought to Colombo to meet their families.

Emotional scenes

One of the released soldiers is mobbed by his family

There were emotional scenes at the military headquarters as the families of the released captives rushed in crying and wailing and threw their arms around the soldiers.

Most of the soldiers had been taken prisoner by the Tamil Tigers during an attack on the northern military base at Pooneryn in November 1993.

A corporal, who was shot in the leg, said he was taken to Jaffna, then a Tiger stronghold, with a group of other captives. His wounds were treated in the hospital there before he was chained up in a cell in the Tigers' camp.

"I had no idea if I would be killed or I would survive," he said.

Another soldier, captured a few months earlier, said he felt no anger against the guerrillas and was happy they had spared his life.

His colleague said he believed their release could be designed to create an atmosphere for peace talks which he would personally welcome.

The six men said they were beaten at the start of their captivity but after sometime were allowed books and letters through the International Red Cross.