Not so perfect post-liberation Madhu feast

Sri Lanka is the home to many religious locations. The Buddhists revere the Dalada Maligawa, the Hindus pay homage at Nallur Kovil and the Catholics pray at the Madhu shrine. The Madhu shrine has been in the news for a number of years due to the threats it faces. For a number of years the Tigers have used the shrine for many of its activities and have also used it as a shield. The shrine is revered by Catholics around the island and houses the statue of our Lady of Madhu. The statue has been at the shrine from 1670. Thousands travel annually to the shrine to pay homage. As the northern insurgency escalated, the LTTE managed to control the areas surrounding Madhu in 1985. Barring a few months, the Tigers have held the area for 23 years until 2008 where the army finally wrested control. Over the years anyone wanting to visit the shrine had to obtain the permission of the Tigers. Tigers are also said to have demanded a tax to receive clearance.
Liberated
Soldiers from the 57 Brigade liberated the Madhu shrine on 28 April 2008. The Tigers moved the statue of our Lady of Madhu to Vellankulam inside its territory before the soldiers moved into Madhu. The events surrounding the return of the statue have been conflicting. The statue was finally turned up at the home of the Bishop of Mannar.The Madhu feast was to be held from 6-15 of August despite the uncertainty surrounding the missing statue. Many however doubted if the event could be held at all. However on the night of 9 August the statue was returned to the shrine. This was despite the passing of three days from the beginning of the feast. Even though there were no official pronouncements regarding the feast, the bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph demanded that the surrounding areas of the church be declared a “peace zone”. The government rejected such conditions. It was argued by the government that during the occupation of the church by the LTTE, its cadres were allowed to carry weapons within the confines of the church preventing the army from entering the area and that a new order would be unfair by everyone. The government reached a consensus with the bishop in time for the feast. The government stipulated that the all pilgrims to the church had to register at a checkpoint on the way to the church and had to travel by a bus arranged by the government. The government also wanted all pilgrims to leave the church by 6 pm and would only accommodate a limited number of persons each day. After the government announcement many pilgrims from the south travelled to Madhu. The last day of the feast also featured government ministers. The feast was held with much media coverage and was the first feast to be held under the patronage of the government. This reporter visited the shrine after a lapse of eight years. The shrine is located 45 kilometres from Madawachchiya and a further 12 kilometres from the Madhu Junction. A military police officer at a checkpoint on the way to the church refused entry to this reporter saying the area was off limits to the media. In the face of this restriction we were only able to cover the feast from 12 kilometres away from the church.
Register
Alvin Miranda, 65, who arrived with his family at the feast complained that he had travelled from Thalpadhu in Mannar and that the army had demanded that he travel 45 kilometres in order to register for the event. He said that he had come annually for the feast since 1966 and that he had no money to travel a further 45 kilometres and come back to the church. He also said that even though he was prevented from worshiping this year he still received the blessings of Our Lady. These regulations by the government prevented many from worshipping at the church. While some were allowed to visit the church and others were not, is an indication of a breakdown in the organising abilities of those in charge. Most blame the regulation of registration and limiting crowds for the inconveniences.The majority of Catholics who arrived from Mannar were forced to travel a further 90 kilometres. These restrictions caused the number of pilgrims at the 2008 feast to be limited to just 1119. In 2007 the number that visited the feast was 10 002. As this reporter was not able to visit the shrine and covered the story from 12 kilometres away an army officer remarked, “When you report this story you might only write about the few people who were prevented from reaching the church. This might give a negative image of the army. Please speak to the people who did reach the church and report on how happy they are. Don’t forget the lives that were lost to clear this area of terrorists. Please don’t forget their contribution”.Even though we did attempt to speak to the pilgrims who did visit the church, we were prevented from speaking to them by the military police.