![]() The Sri Lankan state and military have actively striven to suppress the truth of the ensuing carnage for fear of investigations for war crimes. There are several contested versions, discourses battling to establish their perspective. Much of what happened is still shrouded in mystery and secrecy. They stand out from the rest of humanity. When one meets or sees survivors even in January, 2010 in the various internment camps, public places like bus stands or in private homes, they are obviously in a thihaiththupona ( daze) state, not having comprehended or come to terms with what happened. A common refrain from people who were there has been ' varthayal varnicca mudiyathavai (it is beyond description by words)'. The total destruction of civilian infrastructure that ensued in the bitter fight to the end between the Sri Lankan military forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with an estimated civilian population of around 300, 000 trapped in between is an ineffable human calamity. What happened in the Vanni and to its people from August 2006 onwards, particularly from January 2009 to May 2009, has been described in apocalyptic (in the local Tamil as pralayam) terms. ConclusionsĬonsidering the severity of family and community level adverse effects and implication for resettlement, rehabilitation, and development programmes interventions for healing of memories, psychosocial regeneration of the family and community structures and processes are essential. There develops collective symptoms of despair, passivity, silence, loss of values and ethical mores, amotivation, dependency on external assistance, but also resilience and post-traumatic growth. The family and community relationships, networks, processes and structures are destroyed. ![]() The narratives, drawings, letters and poems as well as data from observations, key informant interviews, extended family and focus group discussions show considerable impact at the family and community. This paper is a qualitative inquiry into the psychosocial situation of the Vanni displaced and their ethnography using narratives and observations obtained through participant observation in depth interviews key informant, family and extended family interviews and focus groups using a prescribed, semi structured open ended questionnaire. This study explores the long term psychosocial and mental health consequences of exposure to massive, existential trauma. From January to May, 2009, a population of 300,000 in the Vanni, northern Sri Lanka underwent multiple displacements, deaths, injuries, deprivation of water, food, medical care and other basic needs caught between the shelling and bombings of the state forces and the LTTE which forcefully recruited men, women and children to fight on the frontlines and held the rest hostage.
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