Prabhakaran’s family found shot dead

LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran’s wife Mathivathani, daughter and younger son Balachandran were found shot dead on Wednesday.

Their bodies, having gunshot wounds in the head, were found a day after pictures of Prabhakaran’s body were released by the Sri Lankan authorities.

The bodies were found in the Nandi Kadal lagoon area barely 600 metres from where Prabhakaran's body was recovered by the Sri Lankan Army.

Balachandran was barely 13. Prabhakaran’s wife and daughter were not in Europe as believed but right there alongside the LTTE chief as he fought a losing battle against the Lankan forces.

According to reports, the family was gunned down by the security forces as it tried to break out of the no-fire zone. Another 150 bodies were found in the lagoon area.

Colonel Karuna Amman, a former LTTE leader of the Eastern province and now the Minister for National Integration and Reconciliation, said: "I am very sorry to hear about the family's death. But on the battlefront, one can't blame the army. Prabhakaran could have saved the family but he made a lot of mistakes. President Rajapaksa would have given them amnesty.”

“Prabhakaran's family became the collateral damage in these operations. Mathivathani was like my sister. The children used to play in our house,” he said.