Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger chief appears after tsunami

The reclusive leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas has appeared in public for the first time since last month's tsunami, quelling rumours that he had been killed in the disaster.

Velupillai Prabhakaran had met relief workers in the northern town of Kilinochchi on Monday, Tamilnet.com said. It carried a picture showing him in combat fatigues chairing a meeting.

"Although our people have suffered severe hardships, we are shocked by ... the scale of destruction and loss of life the tsunami has inflicted on our people," it quoted Prabhakaran as saying.

- AGENCIES