Colombo (PTI): Elusive LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran led the Tamil rebels in paying homage to 365 members of its suicide squad killed since the Tigers first unleashed the deadly terror tactic 21 years ago.

A grim faced Prabhakaran, 53, who rarely comes out of his hiding, participated in the remembrance ceremonies at an undisclosed location in Wanni on Saturday.

The event coincided with the anniversary of the first suicide attack by LTTE "Black Tiger" identified as Captain Miller on the Sri Lanka Army troops garrisoned at Nelliyadi Central College in Vadamaraadchi in Jaffna in 1987.

"The celebrations in the Tamil homeland on Saturday began at 9.00am with the hoisting of the Tamil National flag all over the land," a LTTE statement said adding people paid homage to the "martyred" Black Tigers by lighting lamps.

Prabhakaran together with his "senior commanders," also paid homage by lighting lamps to the black tigers killed in the clashes, the LTTE said.

According to the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet, "76 of the 254 Black Sea Tigers who have died were female commandos".

It said 81 male and 71 female Black Tiger commandos have died in ground operations.

"Six music albums were released by head of LTTE Intelligence Wing S. Poddu, Special Commander of the Sea Tigers Col. Soosai, Head of LTTE's Military Intelligence Ratnam, Political Head B. Nadesan, Head of LTTE's military academies Col. Aathavan and a commander of the Sea Tigers Naren in the event," Tiger officials were quoted as saying.