Maathakal St. Thomas Church plundered

[TamilNet, Thursday, 07 May 2009, 16:27 GMT]
Persons alleged to be Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers entering St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church in Maathakal, Jaffna, during curfew hours on a night last week, had broken the holy statues and other properties in an attempt to find gold jewelry beneath the statues, residents of Maathakal said. Christian organizations in Maathakal have brought this incident to the attention of SLN Northern region high command, sources in Maathakal said.

Maathakal St. Thomas Church is one of the many Roman Catholic churches in the area where most of the residents of Maathakal worship regularly.

SLN is in occupation of the entire Maathakal coastal area and the incident during curfew hours could not have taken place without the knowledge and involvement of SLN soldiers, the residents said.