SRI LANKA: Thayasevan, “I’m starting to feel normal again”

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2011-06-15

Thayasevan, aged 36, who lost his right leg fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was recently released from a government “rehabilitation centre” and is trying to restart his life. Four thousand other former rebels remain in the centres. He told IRIN his story:

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Thayasevan now looks to the future

"I lost my leg during the conflict, and until recently felt I had lost my entire life.

“It’s been a tough road. I joined the LTTE in 1991 of my own free will. There were frequent roundups and arrests of innocent people in my village, leading me to become a long-term LTTE member.

“It was a gruesome time being with the LTTE. I have suffered physically and emotionally. I could not even attend to my dying mother due to LTTE regulations. It was a very heart-breaking time.

"After the war, I was placed in a rehabilitation centre, while my wife and two children returned to our village and resettled.

“Last year [in the rehabilitation centre] was particularly tough for us financially - so tough that my wife had to take up fishing to feed our children.

"When I returned from the rehabilitation centre in 2010, I wasn’t really able to manage things for my family and wondered what the future held.

“Without a job I felt disabled and soon found myself having to borrow money to get by. It was a terrible time for us.

“Fortunately, after two months I was able to find work lagoon fishing.

“Today, things are slowly improving and I have paid back my debts and even bought a small plot of land for a house. More importantly, however, the community has accepted me back - accepting me as one of their own.

“Today I feel free from my past; but more importantly am starting to feel normal again."

Source: IRIN

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