NEW DELHI, 18 May 2009: Sri Lanka military today claimed that it had discovered the dead body of Charles Anthony, the eldest son of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Veluppillai Prabhakaran.
Sri Lanka’s military website said troops of 53 Division found the body of Anthony in Vellamullaikkal area in the island’s north this morning.
However, mystery still surrounds the fate of his father, Prabhakaran, 54, and government officials have yet to confirm his whereabouts, although there were wide spread speculation yesterday that he could have committed mass suicide along with his hardcore fighters.
The website also mentioned that dead bodies of several top LTTE leaders, including the group’s political head B Nadesan was discovered by troops.
Anthony, an aeronautical engineering graduate from abroad, was said to have set up LTTE’s air wing and had planned and executed several air raids in the past and on 1 April, the 24-year-old, was wounded on his shoulder during a battle with Lankan troops.
Prabhakaran had named his son Charles Anthony in memory of his close confidante who was killed in the civil war in 1983. — Bernama
