Prabhakaran's father dead

Slain Tamil Tiger chief, V Prabhakaran's father, Thiruvekkadam Vellupillai, has died after a brief illness, the Sri Lankan army said on Thursday.

Slain Tamil Tiger chief, V Prabhakaran's father, Thiruvekkadam Vellupillai, has died after a brief illness, the Sri Lankan army said on Thursday.

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Vellupillai, 86, along with his wife, had been living under military protection since the war against the Tigers ended in May 2009. The couple was among the refugees who came out of LTTE-controlled areas as the war reached its final phase. They were reportedly living in a refugee camp in Vavuniya.

The army did not give reasons for Prabhakaran's father's death and only said that he was ill for a while. According to agencies, he began his career as a clerk in the Lankan railways and served the government for 39 years.

Vellupillai retired as land officer of the Land Settlment Department in 1982, a year before the civil war broke out in Sri Lanka.