New Delhi, Jan 10 - If the doting father could have had his way, Velupillai Prabhakaran would have never founded the Tamil Tigers or died so brutally along with his family and dreams. Thiruvendran Velupillai, who died in Sri Lankan military custody last week, tried his utmost to persuade his youngest child, Prabhakaran, to concentrate on studies and not be swayed by Tamil nationalism.

Velupillai, who fathered four children, had more than one reason to worry.

In the 1960s when Prabhakaran was in his teens, Tamil-Sinhalese relations were worsening. His own house was located in Velvettiturai, or VVT, in Sri Lanka's northern tip where smuggling was a way of life.

Colombo - DNA tests carried out on the bodies believed to be of Tamil rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his son have matched, a military spokesman said Thursday.

Army medical experts carried out the tests on the bodies of the two men killed last week in north-eastern Sri Lanka, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

They died as the government wrapped up its military offensive against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and announced it had defeated the guerillas after a more than 25-year conflict.

Colombo - Tamil rebels have made conflicting claims over the reported death of their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, with one saying that he was still alive and another confirming his death.

A day after Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the head of the Department of International Relations of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), issued a statement confirming the rebel leader's death in fighting in northern Sri Lanka last Monday, another powerful group within the rebel movement contradicted the claim.

Coimbatore, May 22 : A weekly magazine in Coimbatore has carried some photographs in its latest edition giving an impression that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran is still alive.

The Tamil magazine Nakkeran, published from Coimbatore town of Tamil Nadu has published some photographs of Prabhakaran in which he is shown watching his photographs on television and other media reports in which the Sri Lankan government is claiming he is dead.

Colombo - Sri Lanka's Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka officially announced Tuesday that the body of Tamil rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has been positively identified.

The official announcement came hours after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam claimed the rebel leader was still alive.

Colombo, May 19 : Rejecting Sri Lankan Government''''s claim that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam''''s chief V. Prabhakaran has been killed by the army, LTTE''''s International Relations head S. Pathmanathan on Tuesday said Tamil Tigers chief is still alive and healthy.

According to a website TamilNet, Pathmanathan said: "I wish to inform the global Tamil community distressed witnessing the final events of the war that our beloved leader is alive and safe. He will continue to lead the quest for dignity and freedom for the Tamil people."

New Delhi - Velupillai Prabhakaran apparently lacked what he had demanded of his subordinates, namely the courage to die. The leader of the Tamil Tigers, or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), did not swallow one of the poison capsules that he and his fighters kept around their necks for hopeless situations.

Colombo  - Velupillai Prabhakaran, the fearsome leader and founder of the Tamil Tiger rebels, accused of numerous murders and acts of terrorism, made his place in history by altering the political landscape of the island nation of Sri Lanka.

Colombo - The leader of the Tamil rebels, Velupillai Prabhakaran, who waged war against the Sri Lankan government for more than 25 years, has been killed by the army, army sources said Monday.

Colombo, May 18 : Liberation of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has reportedly been shot dead along with his son Charles Antony and other Tiger commanders.

Unofficial reports said Prabhakaran was ambushed and shot dead while trying to flee Special Forces who closed in on the last rebel fortification.

A Sri Lankan military spokesman said that there has been no identification of Prabhakaran as yet.

There were reports that only DNA verification would confirm Prabhakaran's death, as he was known to move around with two doubles.

Colombo, May 18 : The Sri Lankan Army on Monday claimed that Liberation of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, is alive and surrounded by government troops.

A BBC report quoted a military spokesman as saying that Prabhakaran is guarded by about 200 rebels in a small patch of jungle.

Earlier, four senior rebel leaders were killed in fighting, the army said.

Colombo  - A body believed to be of the son of Tamil rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has been recovered by the army during clearing operations in north-eastern Sri Lanka, the Defence Ministry said Monday.

The son known as Charles Anthony was known to be fighting alongside his father in the conflict.

London, Apr 26 : Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran will not surrender and fight till the death, despite being cornered by the Sri Lankan Army in a 10 sq. km patch, according to his former right hand man.

The Sri Lankan Government has urged Prabhakaran to surrender and end the fighting in which thousands of civilians have died. But most generals and officials privately say that only the death of the Tamil Tigers' leader will end the long war.

Colombo : Government troops fought their way into some of the last Tamil rebel-held areas in a north-eastern Sri Lanka on Friday, with special focus on locating the hideout of the rebel leader Velupillai Prabhkaran, military officials said.

The officials said that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which had been capturing visual images from air, also have been used to monitor the movements of the rebels and locate the area where the rebel leader is believed to be hiding.

London, Apr 16 : To end the island nation''s age old long bitter conflict, the Sri Lankan Government is reportedly trying to broker a deal that may allow Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran to lay down his arms and escape into exile.

The government has sent "feelers" to the LTTE to see whether such a deal would be possible, The Independent reported.

Colombo - Tamil rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran Thursday declared that his movement was looking to renew good relationships with neighbouring India.

Prabharkan in his annual speech to mark what the rebels call a "Heroes Week" coinciding with his 54th birthday said "We wish to express our goodwill and are looking forward to the opportunity to build a constructive relationship."

Colombo, Mar, 1 : Velupillai Prabakaran, the reclusive leader of Sri Lanka's rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is reported to be suffering from a badly gangrened leg, which could be amputated.

According to an Asian Tribune report, Prabhakaran is holed up in a highly secret location in Wanni that has been declared out of bounds for senior LTTE cadres, including Pottu Amman, the intelligence Chief and Sosai, the head of the Sea Tigers.

Prabakaran who is also critically diabetic and has an injured shoulder needs immediate hospitalization, said the report.

The paper quoted reliable sources as saying that a specialist doctor and a medical team were flown into the Wanni region from Tamil Nadu to treat Prabhakaran.