Prabhakaran dead: LTTE

Ending its silence over the death of Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran,the LTTE said the top rebel leader was killed in last week final battle.

Ending its silence over the death of Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran,the LTTE on Sunday said the top rebel leader was killed in last weeks final battle with the Sri Lankan military in the north.

8216;We announce today,with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader and supreme commander Prabhakaran8230; attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression,8217; the LTTEs head of International Relations Selvarasa Pathmanathan said in a statement on Sunday. 8216;For over three decades,our leader was the heart and soul and the symbol of hope,pride and determination for the whole nation of people of Tamil Eelam.8217;

Pathmanthan said the Tigers would now use 8216;non-violent8217; methods to fight for the rights of Tamils.

The Lankan Army had on May 18 said it has killed Prabhakaran when he tried to flee in an ambulance. But the LTTE had rejected the claim,saying Prabhakaran was alive and safe. The Tigers had dismissed the announcement by the government as 8216;engineered rumours8217;.

8216;These rumours have been set afloat to confuse the global Tamil community which has been voicing support for the liberation of Tamil Eelam,8217; a pro-rebel website had said,quoting Arivazhakan,the Head of International Secretariat of the Intelligence wing of Tamil Tigers.

However,in the statement on Sunday,Pathmanathan said Prabhakaran,54,died fighting but did not give details of the circumstances that led to his death. He also announced a week of mourning for their dead leader,starting on Monday. The statement calls on Tamils all over the world to 8216;restrain from harmful acts to themselves or anyone else in this hour of extreme grief.8217;

8216;Since the failure of the peace process and the escalation of the war forced upon the Tamil people,the LTTE was faced to confront the Sri Lankan military that was supported by the world powers8230;. This deliberate bias and position taken by the international community severely weakened the military position of the LTTE,8217; he said.