Sri Lanka's crisis pushes war-shattered Tamils to the brink

Singaram Soosaiyamutthu, a 44-year-old labourer who lost both his legs during Sri Lanka’s civil war, digs a spade into farmland he’s rented to plant peanuts in Mullaitivu, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, on August 13, 2022. REUTERS/Joseph Campbell

MULLAITIVU, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Under a blazing sun, a 44-year-old Tamil labourer tended his rented patch of peanut field in Sri Lanka, striking his spade against the earth in a daily struggle to beat inflation that has put many necessities out of reach.

"I have more difficulties than a daily wage labourer," said Singaram Soosaiyamutthu, who moves around on the palms of his hands after an air strike in 2009 took both his legs and injured his left arm.