Former LTTE cadres living in the Nanattan division of Mannar have expressed their frustration at the lack of support they have received in rebuilding their lives, despite meeting with local and central government officials to discuss their needs.
Over 60 male and female former cadres live in the division, among whom at least 15 have lost limbs or are otherwise disabled.
Speaking to local press, the cadres said they had been called to discuss their needs more than twice with the Nanattan divisional secretariat and with officials of the presidential secretariat.
However, despite officials taking down copious details of their needs and ideas to support them, nothing has come to fruition in the months after.
“Most of us do daily manual labour for a pittance,” a representative said. “At least some drought relief or flood relief would have been helpful.”
The cadres also said they had been given false hopes about being able to apply for government loans for enterprise, which had also proved fruitless.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
