AP mines - a shattering experience

By Shanika Sriyananda

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Only a few minutes ago I saw him walking. But that memory was to be short lived. For not long after I heard that his leg was blown off from the ankle shedding blood all over. Next, I saw him screaming for life and cursing the war.

The three young soldiers were moving into the jungle when our mini truck ‘Bolero’ was passing the Jayapuram Tamil School.

For me and my colleague with the camera Rukmal it was a nerve wracking experience witnessing this sad happening. Rukmal had been taking pictures of the Tiger wall poster which is said to have motivated schoolchildren to join the LTTE at the Jayapuram school.

The roaring blast few yards away alarmed us. “Ape kollekuge kakula battekuta gihin. (One of our colleagues has got caught in a mine) Can you take him to the MDC (Medical Dressing Centre),” a soldier who came on the run inquired of us.

We were not supposed to move an inch forward without the permission of the officer-in-charge of us in this newly liberated area of Jayapuram, but the soldier’s plea swayed us to disobey the order in the circumstances.

No time was left and delaying taking the casualty to a MDC could have seen yet another death due to bleeding. We asked the driver T.B. Sugath to drive the casualty to the MDC.

It was Traumatic... pathetic... and no words left to describe the agony of a young soul, broken down before my eyes. The young soldier in his twenties was screaming in pain. His foot had blown off from the ankle.

The skin of the leg had torn to pieces and they appeared like pieces of rag. He was bleeding and pleading of his friends, who carried him to the vehicle, taking care not to let the damaged leg to touch the floor for the pain it would cause.

Driver Sugath drove recklessly at high speed on the bumpy gravel roads of Jayapuram, and I could not bare the pain of watching this young soldier suffering. His wide open eyes just staring at the sky lying semi conscious.

The young soldiers, one with injuries to his face and two more who supported their screaming colleague were staring around helplessly. The weapons they had for the moment looked meaningless in that hour of need.

At last, we managed to hand over Private Kumarage to the nearest MCD where he was given immediate medical treatment - cleaning the skin, cutting the damaged skin, cutting the bone to minimise the risk of getting infected, giving saline and if necessary blood.

The medics at the MCD were busy treating injured soldiers. Kumarage was given injections and saline but the pain of injecting needles was no pain to him considering the gravity of the wound.

We saw another soldier with a leg injury being transported to the MCD on our way back to Jayapuraum Town. I shuddered realising how many more must have fallen prey to “Jonny battas”, the common name used by soldiers to describe anti personnel mines.

‘Batta” means little, but it is not so little when used in such devious means of harming human life. When a soldier sits on it, the velocity of the device is enough to blow off the ankle, buttocks, bladder, genitalia, rectum, hip bone and spine. If the body weight fell on it when the soldier was crawling, his body including stomach will be blasted.

According to sources, these AP mines manufactured by the LTTE, was named ‘Jonny’ to remember one of the LTTE senior cadres killed on the battle front 20-years ago.

The war to destroy terrorism which is in a decisive stage will bring relief to thousands of people soon, but the scars - of a disabled population - will remain for years. The ‘batta’ will also be waiting somewhere under the soil to take many lives or limbs.

“Most of the casualties that we treat are injured by the AP mines. Over 50 percent admitted to the hospital since last April are due to AP mine injuries.

Majority of them have amputation below the knee and some of them have bi-lateral amputation (both legs have been damaged.) In addition to leg injury, they suffer from other injuries” said, Consultant Surgeon Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke of the Sri Jayawardenapura General Hospital, who did an extensive research on AP mines. He emphasised that Rehabilating victims was paramount.

What will happen when a person steps on a batta?

“It will damage the leg and it is a very traumatic experience where the affected area gets separated from the leg. Because of the blast you get fragmentation and they will damage the other leg and also the genital area.

The pieces of sharp metal and other sort of material in the mine will get embedded in the body. This would lead to injuries in other parts of the body.

Even those who are behind and walking in front of the blast will get injured”, he elaborated adding that the number of AP mine casualties were high in 1990s and as the war gathers momentum the same phenomena could be seen in the nature of injuries.

Out of all deadly mines - land mines, clamour mines- according to Dr. Goonetilleke, Jonny battas are the worst. This deadly small device has taken thousands of lives while making thousands permanently disabled.

“One to one and half millions mines are buried in warring areas in Sri Lanka”, was the horrifying revelation Dr Goonatilleke by who stressed the need of initiating a well planned de-mining programme to save lives after the end of the war.

While bringing different damages - to the toes, then little higher up - the ankle - and below the knee to those who step on a batta, this little device will also damage the face, eyes, hands, chest and abdomen when it goes off when a soldier is trying to defuse it

There is no escape from a batta, when one steps on it as it will explode within few seconds. Once the victim’s leg is blown off, the most important aspect is to take care of the victim.

“The first task is to stop the bleeding. Putting a pressure bandage is needed to prevent bleeding. Then saline and even blood if necessary. Pain killers and antibiotics should be given to the patient”, Dr. Goonatilleke explained.

According to Dr. Goonatilleke, following first aid at the MDCs, the patient needs to be taken to the nearest hospital where there are surgical facilities. It can be Mannar, Palali, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa and sometimes even to the hospitals in Colombo.

“These victims should be admitted to a hospital within six hours”, he stressed.

The next step is the surgical management, which is done in two phases - first cleaning of the wound under anaesthesia, where the surgeons will decide the correct level of amputation.

“Usually over 80 percent of AP victims will have the amputation 10 to 12 cm below the knee. And then we have to cut the bone, muscle and skin at the correct level. Importantly the injury should be kept open and after 7 to 10 days the patient will be taken back to the operation theatre to suture the wound.

Here, we follow the surgical principal adopted after the second world war - leave the wound open after the amputation to prevent amputation at higher level”, he enlightened adding that if the patient is managed properly, the entire healing process of amputation ends within 14 days.

Dr. Goonatilleke said that the challenges - physical and psychological rehabilitation begins next. Once the wound is healed and there is no pain the patient will be given an artificial limb.

Artificial limbs need proper measuring to make the patient walk to get him back to his previous occupation or some thing else. Importantly psychological rehabilitation helps them to get back on their own feet.

“These people are affected psychologically because of the blast. The physical rehabilitation includes the physiotherapy to the affected muscles and as well as the other parts of the body. If a patient has an amputation he must be given physiotherapy to the other limb also. When the muscles are strong when he is provided the artificial limb he can stand and bare the weight.

All aspects should be included and this is not only healing the wound. Psychological therapy should be started early as possible”, Dr. Goonatilleke, who was the surgeon at the Polonnaruwa Base Hospital for six years and later volunteered to treat soldiers at the Pallai Hospital, stressed.

The story would go thus. Of young souls who sacrificed their future to lead a lonely struggle once they reach their homes. Most of them belong to poor families in very remote areas and suffer due to lack of care and facilities.

“They prefer to be in the hospital rather than going home. They have good food, clothing and beds and people are around to look after them”, the medical man said.

A batta, which blew off Kumarage’s leg, costs only Rs. 350 (US$). But it will take a colossal Rs. 1 million to make him walk again.

Like Kumarage, there will be thousands of youth Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims - who are suffering silently in their own dark world filled with loneliness.

It is the responsibility of all who enjoy freedom in the world to destroy LTTE terrorism soon to make the lives of these youth better. Giving them a word of encouragement motivation and lending a helping hand to stand on their own would go a long way.

Otherwise many Kumarages will curse not only the terrorists who made them disabled but those who cornered them.