COLOMBO, May 23 Prabhakaran's daughter Thuvaraka, an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer, had fought for the Tamil Tigers against Sri Lankan forces, according to a Tamil journalist.

Prabhakaran's wife, Mathivathani, daughter Thuvaraka, and the youngest son, Balachandran, were with the Tiger chieftain during the dying stages of the war, D.B.S. Jeyaraj, wrote in an article for a local newspaper. They lost their lives while trying to flee to the Mullaitivu jungle, captured by the Lankan military.

Thuvaraka was studying agriculture at a university in Kandy, but later opted for a Western university. However, she returned home sometime after things started going wrong for the LTTE during the past one year. “Thuvaraka had been a member of the Malathy women's brigade and had fought in recent battles,” Jeyaraj said.

According to the Sri Lankan army, it has not been able to find the bodies of Mathivathani, Thuvaraka and Balachandran. “We are not even looking for them,” an army official said wryly.

“Prabhakaran's wife may be important for him, but not for us. We are only interested in finding the bodies of commanders like Theepan,” Brig Shavendra Silva told a newspaper.