Five Senior Tamil Tigers 'killed' in Sri Lanka Conflict

Five senior Tamil Tigers, including the rebels' leader, were reported dead today after government troops moved into the last areas of territory held by the group, according to the Sri Lankan army.

The rebel chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was rumored to be among the dead, according to a Sri Lankan defence official, Sky News said. However, a defence official told the Guardian his death was yet to be confirmed.

Prabhakaran's top deputies were still missing last night, but troops found the body of his eldest son, Charles Anthony, and three other senior members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The news prompted celebrations in the capital, Colombo, but also protest at Britain's perceived support for the Tamils.

More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside the British high commission, where protesters burned an effigy of the foreign secretary, David Miliband.

They threw rotten eggs and stones at the embassy compound, and the effigy of Miliband was set on fire before being thrown over the high walls.

The foreign secretary has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the conflict and for civilians to be allowed to leave the afflicted area.

The developments come after Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, announced on Saturday the defeat of the Tamil rebels, and soldiers seized control of the entire coast for the first time in the 25-year war. The president is expected to formally announce the end of the war on national television tomorrow.

A military spokesman, Udaya Nanayakkara, said the insurgents declared their 25-year war fight had reached its "bitter end."

During previous rounds of fighting, Prabhakaran had reportedly told his bodyguards to kill him and burn his body beyond recognition rather than allow his capture. Tamil Tiger fighters have been trained to commit suicide rather than be taken. A large explosion in a bunker yesterday prompted speculation that Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the Tigers' leader, and other senior commanders may have killed themselves.

Troops were waging gun battles yesterday with the last remnants of the rebel group hiding in bunkers in a tiny area about the size of three football pitches placed side by side, Nanayakkara said. "Mopping up operations are still going ahead in the area," he said.

Earlier, troops found the body of Prabhakaran's eldest son, Charles Anthony, who was reportedly also a leader of the rebel group.

The Defence Ministry said special forces also found the bodies of the rebels' political wing leader, Balasingham Nadesan, the head of the rebels' peace secretariat, Seevaratnam Puleedevan, and one of the top military leaders, known as Ramesh.

In a statement it said the bodies of many more rebels were scattered about the area and were not yet identified.

Thousands of civilians have been killed in the recent fighting.

"This battle has reached its bitter end," Pathmanathan said in a statement emailed to Associated Press. "It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells, illness and hunger. We cannot permit any more harm to befall them. We remain with one last choice to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns."

The Tamil Tigers have been blamed for hundreds of suicide attacks. The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority after years of marginalisation at the hands of the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.