Tamil Tigers block pilgrims from going to Madhu Marian shrine
On 15 August, many Tamil and Sinhalese were unable to reach Madhu because of the sudden closure of entry points to rebel-held northern territory. Others were trapped on the wrong side of the border, separated from their families. Witnesses tell what they saw.
Colombo (AsiaNews) The abrupt closure of roads to rebel-held territory in Sri Lanka separated mothers from their children, created problems in aid delivery and also prevented pilgrims from undertaking a traditional pilgrimage to the northern shrine of Our Lady of Madhu for the feast on 15 August.
Situated in jungle terrain controlled by the Tamil Tigers, the shrine is arguably Sri Lanka's most revered Catholic place of worship; the ancient statue of Mary preserved there is an object of intense devotion. When the ceasefire was signed in 2002, hundreds of thousands of people, Tamils and Sinhalese, flocked from across the island to attend the church's main feasts in July, August and October.
But recently escalated clashes between the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have changed all that. An estimated 8,000 people largely Tamils and a few Sinhalese managed to attend the celebration last week, a far cry from circa 400,000 people who thronged there last year. The Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka, Mgr Mario Zenari, was present.
Around 100 determined Sinhalese pilgrims who tried to attend the feast were barred by the Tigers from going beyond the border. All entry points to LTTE areas in the north were abruptly sealed off on 11 August when clashes erupted in Jaffna. Those pilgrims who managed to reach Madhu had gone earlier, to pray the Novena over nine days before the feast on 15 August.
Fr Jeyabalan Croos is from the northern Mannar diocese, home to Madhu shrine. He told AsiaNews: "I heard some Sinhala pilgrims were stranded at Madhu Road Junction on 14 August so I went to see them. They were waiting and asking the police to allow them to go into the LTTE area." Fr Croos said the pilgrims had come so far because a Catholic MP had persuaded the government to allow people to enter rebel areas to go to Madhu for the feast. But then the LTTE refused permission. "The people of Mannar diocese heard this on the radio and refrained from making the trip, but people from the east and south came up to Madhu Road entry point, only to be told they were not accepted."
However, the pilgrims were to have some grains of consolation. The Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, asked the police for permission, which was granted, to bring the statue of Our Lady to Madhu Road. The statue was brought on the morning of the feast and people from nearby parishes in Mannar Diocese gathered with the stranded Sinhalese pilgrims for a blessing by Mgr Zenari.
The unexpected shutting down of the borders left more than pilgrims stranded on the wrong side. Fr Croos recalled one woman he met at the check point who told him she was from some place beyond Madhu, where she had left a seven-month-old baby to go to hospital. The poor mother had tried all entry points to go back, but in vain. The priest spoke to the authorities and finally a government official took her across in his vehicle. "It struck me then and there, how many similar cases of forced separation would have been caused by the sudden closure of the roads," said Fr Croos. "This is just one of the minor results of the war. But still, it's real, isn't it?"
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24/01/2007
