Colombo – The northern Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi was one of the hardest hit by the country's protracted conflict between the government and the LTTE (Tamil Tigers).

This week, Japanese Ambassador Nobuhito Hobo inaugurated a centre in the town for psycho-social and mental health services to provide counselling to former LTTE cadres and affected communities. It will be run by the Family Rehabilitation Center (FRC), which operates similar centres throughout Sri Lanka.

The project has the backing of IOM's Government of Japan-funded project Assistance for Reintegration and Reconciliation to Northern Conflict-Affected Communities, which was launched in 2011.

IOM's overall programme for the reintegration of former LTTE cadres has been active since early 2009 in the East and 2010 in the North of the country.

"People living in Kilinochchi have faced terrifying times during the conflict. But until now there were very few  facilities or trained medical personnel to meet the needs of people requiring psycho-social assistance....Overcoming psycho-social problems are an important step for reconciliation in  communities and also a new beginning for them," said Ambassador Hobo.

In the framework of IOM's reintegration of former LTTE cadres and conflict affected groups, which includes information, counselling, referral services, Japan is also funding community reintegration projects in four districts in Northern Sri Lanka.

***

For further information please contact Giuseppe Loprete, IOM Colombo, Tel. +94.11532.5300, Email: gloprete@iom.int