{"id":118440,"date":"2014-01-16T00:10:24","date_gmt":"2014-01-15T18:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=118440"},"modified":"2014-01-23T00:54:13","modified_gmt":"2014-01-22T19:24:13","slug":"combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/b>By Ruwan M Jayatunge<\/span><\/a> –<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a>

Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge MD<\/p><\/div>\n

The Sri Lankan society experienced a 30 year prolonged armed conflict that changed the psychological landscape of the Islanders. A large number of combatants, civilians and the members of the LTTE<\/span><\/a> underwent the detrimental repercussions of combat trauma. Following the armed conflict in Sri Lanka over 90,000 people lost their lives and thousands of families are still grieving. A large numbers became physical and psychological casualties of the war. \u00a0The war trauma still echoes in the Sri Lankan society.<\/p>\n

War has serious consequences for both short-term survival and longer-term recovery and development (S\u00f8rensen, 1998). War trauma represents a horrendous experience to the Sri Lankans.\u00a0The Sri Lankan society is still struggling with the negative aftermath of the 30 year armed conflict.\u00a0 If not addressed effectively the psychological scars following combat can stay behind for many years. It can change the psychological markup of people making them more dysfunctional.<\/p>\n

Londo\u00f1o and colleagues (2012) indicate that exposure to violence in general and to armed conflict in particular has been consistently associated with an increased prevalence of mental illness.\u00a0 Although mental disorders are a major public health problem, the development of mental health services has been a low priority everywhere, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (Minas, 2012).<\/p>\n

War trauma<\/span><\/a> has impacted the Sri Lankan society in every level. The social fabric has been severely damaged. It has become a part of social experience and memory. \u00a0As the Salvadorian psychologist Martin-Baro wrote of his own country, what was left traumatized were not just Salvadorian individuals, but Salvadorian society. This expression is totally applicable to Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

During the post war period interpersonal violence, child abuse, rape, alcohol and drug abuse, social violence have been increased in significant numbers. Many of these social maladies have direct or indirect connections with war trauma. \u00a0Deplorably Psychological wounds of the Eelam war were not adequately addressed and the deleterious effect of combat trauma impacts the post war Sri Lankan society.<\/p>\n

Nature of the Sri Lankan Conflict<\/b><\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan Conflict was the longest-running armed conflict in Asia. \u00a0It was a conflict between the Government Forces and a rebel separatist group better known as the LTTE (The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). \u00a0The LTTE was regarded as the most lethal terrorist group in the world. In the subsequent years the LTTE was banned in UK, US and in Canada. The LTTE\u00a0\u00a0 attacked\u00a0\u00a0 the Sri Lankan armed forces with modern high tech weapons.\u00a0In addition the LTTE used numerous unconventional methods to fight the Sri Lankan Forces using child soldiers and suicide bombers. The Northern conflict consumed many lives and caused damage to the property worth of billions of dollars.<\/p>\n

Sri Lankan Combatants\u00a0and War Trauma<\/b><\/p>\n

Sri Lankan military forces deployed its entire bayonet strength for nearly 30 years.\u00a0 During this critical period the Sri Lankan military launched nearly 20 major military operations against the LTTE. Over 200,000 members of the Sri Lanka armed forces and Police had been directly or indirectly exposed to combat events during these years.\u00a0 They were exposed to hostile battle conditions and many soldiers underwent traumatic battle events outside the range of usual human experience.<\/p>\n

In 2009 May the Sri Lankan government declared that the country won the war against the LTTE. Although the armed forces were able to gain a decisive\u00a0victory<\/em> it came with a huge social cost. The Eelam war affected the psychosocial health of the combatants. Significant numbers are still impacted by combat trauma. During the post war era high numbers of desertions and suicides have been reported among the combatants.\u00a0 According to the Military Spokesperson of the Sri Lanka Army from 2009 to 2012 postwar period nearly 400 soldiers had committed suicide (Sriyananda, 2012).<\/p>\n

The Social Impact of Combat Related PTSD<\/b><\/p>\n

The experts believe that the circumstance of war can produce a range of emotional, psychological and behavioral stress reactions among soldiers and officers that can lead to a condition known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that engenders both symptomatic distress and severe disruption in interpersonal and social functioning (robertson et al. 2004).<\/p>\n

During the Eelam War many soldiers experienced combat related psychologically distressing traumatic reactions. Most of these acute traumatic reactions were not appropriately diagnosed or treated. Some soldiers were emotionally overwhelmed as a result of war trauma. There were no apparatus to identify these distressing reactions and offer psychological first aid without delay. Some soldiers lived with the traumatic ruminations for years while serving in the operational areas. These victims were later diagnosed with combat related PTSD.<\/p>\n

For a number of years the Sri Lankan authorities were reluctant to believe that combat related PTSD<\/span><\/a> was emerging in the military. PTSD was regarded as an American illness and there was an unofficial taboo to use the term PTSD. The tension of combat trauma was mounting in the military over the years and there had been suicides, and self-harms reported from the battle fields. The soldiers affected by war trauma had behavioral problems and their productivity was plummeting. Many soldiers who had positive features of combat related PTSD without any physical wounds were compelled to serve in the operational areas and engage in active combat. In the early days of the war soldiers were sometimes charged with malingering when they tried to seek medical attention. Many traumatized veterans deserted the army or joined underworld criminal gangs. Until 2005 the Sri Lanka Army did not medically discharge any combatant on psychological grounds especially PTSD.<\/p>\n

The laborious work of Dr. Neil J Fernando- the former Consultant Psychiatrist of the Sri Lanka Army gave an insight to the authorities to think about war trauma and PTSD seriously. The first soldier who was able to get a medical discharge with PTSD (in 2005) was a Lance Corporal with malignant PTSD. He was a POW who was held by the LTTE for nearly 5 years.<\/p>\n

Combat related PTSD has impacted combatants hugely. \u00a0The wounds that they received from war were not confined to the battlefield. It was not an individual trauma anymore.\u00a0 The war trauma frequently transformed to their domestic environments. Domestic and community violence, child abuse addiction issues, self harm etc. became massive social problems. War trauma has turned in to a vicious cycle affecting \u00a0\u00a0individuals as well as the entire society.<\/p>\n

The Residual Effect of Combat Trauma<\/b><\/p>\n

It is important to know that in the post war era late reactions of combat related PTSD can emerge. Combat stress has residual effect on some veterans. For some soldiers combat related traumatic reactions can emerge at a later date. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop as a serious long-term consequence of traumatic experiences, even many years after trauma exposure (Lecic-Tosevski et al. 2013). There is a risk of emergence of late reactions of combat related PTSD in the post war Sri Lankan society.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Michael Robertson of the Mayo Wesley clinic ex-servicemen can experience delayed reactions of combat stress. A large number of WW2 Veterans those who never had any anxiety related symptoms later complained of Delayed PTSD. Some reactions were manifested 40-50 years after the original trauma. Therefore the health authorities in Sri Lanka should be aware of the late reactions of combat related PTSD. \u00a0Studies are needed to systematically assess the mental health of the members of armed services who fought a prolonged war.<\/p>\n

Combat Trauma among the ex LTTE Carders<\/b><\/p>\n

Combat Trauma among the ex LTTE Carders is least discussed. Very few studies are available on the mental health factors relating to the ex militants. Many surviving members of the former LTTE either now live in Sri Lanka or live abroad. Most of these ex militants joined the movement as children and throughout the war they underwent the harsh realities of war trauma.<\/p>\n

As children these members witnessed and engaged in violence. While spending time in the battlefield they turned in to adults. As adults they continuously lived through battle stress until the end of the conflict in 2009.<\/p>\n

Mental health experts believe that psychological trauma experienced by people during their childhood have a higher tendency to manifest mental health problems in later life. \u00a0\u00a0According to several mental health experts some of the ex LTTE members suffer from malignant PTSD (Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified or DESNOS). These victims live with rage, guilt, alienation and suicidal ideation. They lack social skills and unable form families due to lack of parental skills and intimacy. Although a number of rehabilitation projects were launched by the Sri Lankan government to rehabilitate the former militants some of them still live with scarred minds. Those who managed to flee and live as refuges in the Western countries do not receive culturally fitting psychological rehabilitation therapy. These individuals need psychosocial rehabilitation in order to re integrate in to society.<\/p>\n

The Child soldiers in the Sri Lankan Conflict\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Over 7000 children were forcibly recruited and sent to war by the LTTE during 1983 \u2013 2009\u00a0(Human Rights Watch). Children were abducted and forced into weapon training and they were subjected to torture, indoctrination, sleep deprivation and often forced to commit atrocities. \u00a0\u00a0During the Eelam War these children witnessed absolute carnage that would impact their future adult lives.<\/p>\n

Former child soldiers<\/span><\/a> have numerous mental health issues. Children who survive traumatic events exhibit\u00a0\u00a0 diverse set of symptoms and physical signs\u00a0\u00a0 often meet with diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder etc (Perry, 2003).<\/p>\n

In 2009 the Sri Lankan Government liberated all the child soldiers that were held by the Tamil Tigers. These child soldiers were reunited with their families and they were offered rehabilitation.\u00a0 Among\u00a0\u00a0 the conflict ridden countries Sri Lanka became the first state to free all the child soldiers that were held by the rebel group.\u00a0 Today Sri Lanka is free of child soldier menace.\u00a0 This is a major victory to the civilized world that sternly condemns the military use of children.<\/p>\n

Today these ex-child soldiers undergo rehabilitation. Most of them go to schools and receive vocational training.\u00a0 But still many are trapped with their dreaded combat memories. According to the local clinicians a considerable numbers of Sri Lankana child soldiers\u00a0\u00a0 are suffering from depression, PTSD, somatization and adjustment disorders.\u00a0They need effective long term rehabilitation and acceptance by the society.<\/p>\n

The Civilians Affected by the War \u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In armed conflicts civilians have little protection from collateral or incidental damage and often they become\u00a0vulnerable.\u00a0Among the consequences of war, the impact on the mental health of the civilian population is one of the most significant (Srinivasa Murthi & Laksminarayana , 2006). The recent military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq had a large numbers of civilian casualties. \u00a0The Eelam war in Sri Lanka was no exception. A large number of civilians from the North and South\u00a0\u00a0 became innocent victims of the war in Sri Lanka. Many became casualties due to the colorectal damage following military offensives against the rebels (in the North) and due to suicide bombing by the LTTE (in the South).<\/p>\n

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (2003) between 1980 and 2000, the LTTE carried out 168 suicide attacks causing heavy damage on civilian, economic and military targets. Suicide bombings and other form of explosions can cause long-term repercussions on survivors. Bashir and colleagues (2013) highlight that\u00a0 civilian victims of suicidal and improvised bombings present with a wide range of neurological symptoms and injury patterns, which often differ from the neurological\u00a0injuries\u00a0incurred by\u00a0military personnel\u00a0in similar situations, and thereby often require individualized care.<\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan conflict caused mass displacements. At the end of 2006, at least 520,000 people in Sri Lanka were victims of conflict-induced displacement in a country of 20 million, making up one of the largest displacement crises in Asia in absolute terms and particularly in terms of the proportion of the population displaced (Civilians in the way of conflict: Displaced people in Sri Lanka September 2007). \u00a0Many civilians who became displaced \u00a0\u00a0lived in shelters for long years and fled the country. Adverse\u00a0mental health\u00a0consequences have been reported among the displaced people.<\/p>\n

The war trauma in Sri Lanka destroyed the social fabric and a large number of civilians underwent hardships of war. People lost their loved ones. They lost their property and livelihoods.\u00a0 It affected individual as well as in collective level. \u00a0For the most of the Sri Lankans the war became a collective trauma. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans still face the bitter consequences of the war. They live with their traumas suffering silently.<\/p>\n

The civil society has been degraded by war trauma. Hostility, suspicion, alienation, emotional numbing, indifference, scapegoating became the common components in the war ridden Sri Lankan society. Empathy, tolerance and compassion gradually disappeared as the war progressed. There is a noticeable lack of quality in civil society, partly due to the crippling brain drain, but also due to the devastating effect of the war. There is also widely reported perception in northern Sri Lanka that there has been a marked deterioration in social values evidenced by changing sexual and social behaviours. (Somasundaram 2007)<\/p>\n

The researches indicate that armed conflict can have long term consequences. Nandi (2013) investigated to what extent the soldiers and young women of World War II were affected by PTSD symptoms over the course of their lives and in this study the researchers recruited 52 male and 20 female Germans aged 81-95 years and interviewed regarding war experiences and PTSD symptoms. Of the men 2 % and 7\u2009% met the criteria for current and lifetime PTSD diagnoses, respectively, as compared to 10 % and 30\u2009% of the women, respectively. These researches show that the impact of war trauma can affect the Sri Lankan society for long years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Eelam War and the War Widows<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

One harsh reality of the war is that the every soldier killed in war leaves behind grieving family and relatives. It has been a reality since the Trojan War. The women who were left widows as a result of the Sri Lankan conflict are facing radically altered circumstances. There are estimated thousands of war widows who still experience grief reactions. Many widows young and with the death of their husbands these women have become a psychologically and socially vulnerable group. Most of the women who underwent severe emotional pain still have not completely recovered. Many have become the victims of pathological grief and were clinically diagnosed with Prolonged Grief Disorder or PGD.<\/p>\n

They are unable to work through their grief despite the passage of time. With the widowhood, they experience identity change, role adjustment and change in social status.<\/p>\n

Many researches concur that the mental trauma of the war widows can last for long years. Depressive reactions are common among the Sri Lanka war widows. Many LTTE carders who died in action left their wives in grief-stricken situations. The war widows of the Northern part of Sri Lanka too experience the similar plight.<\/p>\n

In the conservative Asian societies, widows face social, economic and legal handicaps. Widow as its name denotes is associated with some form of socio-cultural stigma and humiliation. They are considered as bad omen in many Sri Lankan rural areas. They are marginalized by their own communities. These\u00a0 \u00a0factors affect their self-esteem. In some events, the accusations were made by the in laws stating that the husband\u2019s death occurred because of the unluckiness of the wife and they are partially answerable for the husband\u2019s death. They experience lack of social support and loss of their social possession in their own family circles.<\/p>\n

The war widows face a number of mental health problems. They have suffered bereavement as a result of the violent deaths of their husbands and these traumatic memories hound them for long years. They are often subjected to extreme forms of discrimination and physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Therefore, widowhood represents a form of \u201csocial death\u201d for these women.<\/p>\n

Healing the Post War Sri Lankan Society<\/b><\/p>\n

Post war societies are highly vulnerable. Therefore the combat trauma in the post war era has to be managed effectively. There are numerous examples from other countries that reveal the susceptibility of the social networks and communities in the post war period. \u00a0For example soon after the American Civil War, some of the traumatized soldiers formed an extremist movement that called KKK which engaged in racial violence. Many American volunteers who participated in the Spanish Civil War engaged in social violence and some Lincoln Brigade soldiers became top criminals. Post-Vietnam War caused a vast social chaos in the USA. Similarly, many Afghanistan veterans of the Red Army engaged in organized crimes in the former USSR.<\/p>\n

Soon after a mass conflict like war, there is a tendency to political extremism and sometimes religious fundamentalism to emerge. In a post conflict, society social fabric is fragile, people are traumatized and they become easy targets to these extreme and damaging forces. Soon after the WW 1, Germany faced such a situation and NAZIS could exploit the collective trauma experienced by the German people. The Taliban fundamentalists grabbed\u00a0\u00a0 power at the end of the Afghan- Soviet conflict. Hence, there is an impending risk that Sri Lankans face today and the Democratic forces have an absolute responsibility to restore peace and justice system in the Country<\/p>\n

The major impacts of war include disintegration of communities and damaging the psychological well-being of the people. Therefore, major psychosocial interventions are required to restore the damages caused by the war. Promotion of human rights and justice are the key way to reinstate the social equilibrium. The victims of war trauma need appropriate treatment psychosocial support and culturally sensitive rehabilitation. Apart from these measures infrastructure reconstruction and reconciliation should be focused in the post war Sri Lankan society.<\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

American Psychiatric Association (APA) (1994) . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association<\/p>\n

Baro, M. (1994) . Writings for a liberation psychology, Harvard University Press.<\/p>\n

Bashir, M.U., Tahir, M.Z., Bari, E., Mumtaz, S. (2013).Craniocerebral injuries in war against terrorism — a contemporary series from Pakistan. Chin J Traumatol. \u00a016(3):149-57.<\/p>\n

Batista, P. & Wiese, E. ( 2010) .\u00a0\u00a0 Culture and Migration: Psychological Trauma in Children and Adolescents. \u00a0Traumatology<\/i>\u00a0<\/i> <\/i>\u00a0<\/i>16<\/i>:<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>142<\/i>–<\/i>152<\/i><\/p>\n

Child soldiers global report (2009) .<\/p>\n

Fernando, N. & Jayatunge, R (2011) . Combat Related PTSD among the Sri Lankan Army Servicemen. Retrieved from<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.srilankaguardian.org\/2011\/02\/combat-related-ptsd-among-sri-lankan.html<\/p>\n

Human Rights Watch. (2004) .\u00a0 Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers Forcibly Recruit Child Soldiers. \u00a0November 12, 2004\u00a0Retrieved from<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2004\/11\/09\/sri-lanka-tamil-tigers-forcibly-recruit-child-soldiers<\/p>\n

Jayatunge, R. (2004) . PTSD Sri Lankan Experience , ANL Publishers Colombo.<\/p>\n

Lecic-Tosevski, D.,Pejuskovic, B., Miladinovic, T., Toskovic, O., Priebe, S.2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder in a serbian community: seven years after trauma exposure.J Nerv Ment Dis. 040-4. doi: 10.1097\/NMD.0000000000000051.<\/p>\n

Londo\u00f1o,A,.\u00a0\u00a0 Romero,P.,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Casas , G.(2012).The association between armed conflict, violence and mental health: a cross sectional study comparing two populations in Cundinamarca department, Colombia.Confl Health.6: 12.<\/p>\n

Minas,H (2012). The Centre for International Mental Health Approach to Mental Health System Development.\u00a0Harv Rev Psychiatry.20(1): 37\u201346.<\/p>\n

Nandi,C. (2013).War trauma and PTSD among German war survivors : A comparison of former soldiers and women of World War.<\/p>\n

Retrieved from\u00a0http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/23695004<\/a><\/p>\n

Perry, B.D. (2003) Effects of Traumatic Events on Children. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.mentalhealthconnection.org\/pdfs\/perry-handout-effects-of-trauma.pdf<\/p>\n

Robertson, M., Rushton, P.J., Bartrum, D., Ray ,R. (2004).Group-based interpersonal psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: theoretical and clinical aspects.<\/p>\n

Somasundaram , D. (2007) . \u00a0Collective trauma in northern Sri Lanka: a qualitative psychosocial-ecological study. \u00a0\u00a0International Journal of Mental Health Systems 2007, 1:5<\/i><\/p>\n

S\u00f8rensen, B. (1998).\u00a0 Women and Post-Conflict Reconstruction.\u00a0 Retrieved from http:\/\/www.unrisd.org\/unrisd\/website\/document.nsf\/0\/631060b93ec1119ec1256d120043e600\/$FILE\/opw3.pdf<\/p>\n

Srinivasa Murthhy, R.,Lakshminarayana, R . (2006) . \u00a0Mental health consequences of war: a brief review of research findings. World Psychiatry. 5(1): 25\u201330.<\/i><\/p>\n

Sriyananda, S. (2012 September 24). Nearly 400 soldiers commit suicide in peacetime. The Island Newspaper. Retrieved on February 14, 2013, from\u00a0 http:\/\/www.island.lk\/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=62302<\/p>\n

Tribe, R., & Silva, P. D. (1999). Psychological intervention with displaced widows in Sri Lanka.\u00a0International Review of Psychiatry, 11<\/em>, 184-190.<\/p>\n

Watters, \u00a0E. (2010) . Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche. \u00a0Free Press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":115993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nCombat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-01-15T18:40:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-01-22T19:24:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"121\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"152\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/\",\"name\":\"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-01-15T18:40:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-01-22T19:24:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg\",\"width\":121,\"height\":152,\"caption\":\"Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3\",\"name\":\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/colombo_telegraph\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2014-01-15T18:40:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-01-22T19:24:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":121,"height":152,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH","Est. reading time":"17 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/","name":"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg","datePublished":"2014-01-15T18:40:24+00:00","dateModified":"2014-01-22T19:24:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg","width":121,"height":152,"caption":"Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/combat-trauma-and-post-war-sri-lanka\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Combat Trauma And Post War Sri Lanka"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9db3d0cfcfa59e1997e3c3524d454cb3","name":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/920b3181b0bf86b5c339ad9f0963a89f6a8b19c4b971e629987a021ba7a663df?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"COLOMBO TELEGRAPH"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/colombo_telegraph\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Ruwan-M-Jayatunge.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118440"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118735,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118440\/revisions\/118735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}