In Sri Lanka, more than 550 army personnel who were on unauthorized leave, were arrested today in a country-wide raid conducted by the Police and military personnel. <br/><br/>Military Spokesman, Brigadier Roshan Seneviratne said this is the biggest ever raid conducted on a single day. He said the military has been pursuing nearly 43,000 deserters who left the service without intimation or proper procedure. The spokesman said arrests have begun after the grace period under a government amnesty scheme expired in December. <br/><br/>Sri Lanka's armed forces have a combined strength of over 275,000 personnel, but desertion has been a serious problem throughout its history. Soldiers used to leave the job during the three decades long war against LTTE which ended in May 2009, but it remained an issue even after war ended. <br/><br/>Officials say the desertions are due in part to a reduction in risk-related allowances paid to soldiers, and the growth of better paying jobs in the private sector.