Many displaced welfare centre residents are mentally affected
Tamil civilians, who have been displaced many times following the Sri Lanka government offensives since August 2006 in Muttur, Trincomalee, continue to languish in Batticaloa welfare centers.Stress of long-term displacement and depression fuelled by the yearning to return, to their own homes and livelihood, to their schools, and to their relatives are causing psychological problems and leading to alcohol addiction and abuse.
According to physiatrist in Batticaloa teaching hospital, M Ganesan, “Most of the patients from these welfare centers who come to the hospital are mentally affected. Most of the patients are older people but there are youths among the affected as well. Proper counseling procedures are more important than providing medical treatment to get these patients back to a good health, but their living environment in the welfare centers are not conducive to carry out the counseling. They are always thinking and talking about the day of return to their homes. They are longing for their lives in their own homes. These were people who were already displaced and who lost all their all property in the tsunami.” “They have to be resettled, only then we can proceed to give counseling to these people. We are providing basic counseling in that IDP camps with 15 staff. But in this environment it will take a long time for them to recover back to good health” physiatrist expert M Ganesan added.
20 August 2007
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Europe which has a total population of 800 million is made up of 45 language based nation states. South Asia which has a total population of one billion, (1000 million) is comprised of four states. Who is preventing and therefore benefiting by limiting new nation-states in South Asia?
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