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: "mailto:gloprete@iom.int">gloprete@iom.int