(CN/TW: Pictures of blood, needles/scalpels below) 

Surgeons at Mullaitivu District Hospital performed the hospital's first successful knee replacement surgery on Tuesday.

The surgery was carried out by orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sutharshan and his team. The patient's family and locals have praised and congratulated the team for its triumph. 

The momentous outcome instils hope and optimism in the people across the Tamil homeland, especially the victims of the armed conflict that were physically impacted by the shelling and ground mines. There are many ground mines still actively present across the North-East to this day that were placed by the Sri Lankan security forces. 

Last year, human skeletal remains and mines were recovered from hospitals across Mullaitivu. Clearance work had been taking place at the Mankulam Hospital where construction workers soon uncovered remnants of mines that may remain unexploded. A Sri Lankan military offensive during the final stages of the conflict repeatedly bombed hospitals in the region, including the use of cluster weapons that can lay unexploded for years. Tens of thousands of Tamils were killed in the shelling. To date, there has been no accountability for the killing, with frequent findings of bodies and munitions over a decade later.