Colombo  - Tamil rebels defeated by government forces in Sri Lanka two months ago have appointed a new leader as part of a restructuring, the rebels said Wednesday.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a statement issued Wednesday said they have decided to appoint Selvarasa Pathmanathan as their leader in place of Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was killed in a clash with the military on May 18.

Pathmanathan is believed to be the main arms procurement agent for the rebels. His whereabouts have been unknown in recent months.

The statement also said the Tamil Tigers had reorganized their structure to continue their struggle.

"We have undertaken a long, elaborate and deep process of consultations among our members, including our cadres who bravely fought their way out of the battlefield and our representatives abroad and in the diaspora, in order to make some firm decisions," the statement said.

The Sri Lankan government has vowed not allow the rebel movement to rise again after it killed the rebels' leadership, ending a 26-year conflict in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Some 10,000 rebels are said to have been arrested or surrendered to the security forces. Some are undergoing rehabilitation while others are due to face the courts.(dpa)