Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Sri Lankans disabled by war, forgotten in peace

Mayuran Sivachandran, seen here in August 2015 in Mulaittivu District where fighting raged between Sri Lanka government forces and the Tamil Tigers, lost his leg in 2008 to a war-related injury.

KARADIYANARU, Sri Lanka, 16 September 2015 (IRIN) - Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war ended six years ago, but it’s not over for many victims who suffered permanent injuries during the conflict.

Government soldiers can receive assistance packages for injuries sustained in service, including the continuation of salaries for those able to work at desk jobs, or long-term care in military-run facilities for those severely disabled. But there is no programme to help civilians and former Tamil Tigers who remain permanently affected by injuries during the war.