COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 25, SPA --An exodus of civilians fleeingthe fighting in northern Sri Lanka has picked up, with morethan 1,500 escaping in the last day, the government saidWednesday. Tens of thousands of terrified civilians are trapped in asliver of jungle and beach along the island's northeastcoast where government troops are battling to dislodgeremnants of the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels, Associated Press reported. A statement on the government's Web site said 1,515people, including nearly 650 children, had crossed intomilitary-controlled areas by late Tuesday nearPuthkkudiyirippu, the last rebel-held town, where battleshave been raging for weeks. The statement said the civilians were being screened andwould be taken to displacement camps in the island'sinterior. The military also said its troops captured a safe housebelonging Pottu Amman, the rebels' powerful intelligencechief.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/647847