Bishop removes statue through LTTE checkpoint

A group of Catholic priests from the Thevankutti parish have taken the Our Lady of Madhu statue to Vellankulam, 50-60km from Madhu Church claiming that they had no alternative but to escape through the LTTE checkpoint in Vauniya last evening. The Mannar Bishop, Rayappu Joseph has claimed that the statue would be returned to Madhu after the fighting is over.

The Bishop has also confirmed that the Sri Lanka Army was less than 1km from Madhu Church at Pandivirichchian. His statement indicates that Tigers infiltrating the church premises were attempting to engage the Army in a fight. The Tigers, according to the Bishop, had informed that they are not to be disturbed as they are trying to prevent the Army from entering Madhu Church.

The Army also confirmed that the LTTE was shelling Army units in the Madhu church area incessantly and planting booby traps trying to delay the Army's advance. As the Army closes in, Tiger units will soon have to abandon or destroy their artillery and escape, just like the parish priests did through the LTTE's Vavuniya checkpoint.

The Army says it is in no way responsible for the shelling, as some media have indicated and will not be responsible for any damages caused to the Church.

Senior officers of the Army told DefenceWire that it is amusing to note Bishop Joseph not taking the trouble to take the statue to Army areas even after they came so close to the church last evening. "If the Tigers told the Bishop to leave them alone, shouldn't he have asked for our help to protect the statue?" they queried.

They claimed the Bishop was aware of strict instructions given by Task Force I Commander Gen. Jayasooriya not to shell the area or damage the church with own artillery . The fact that the Bishop still moved the statue to LTTE areas clearly indicates his bias, military analysts pointed out.