20-year-old ban on Palaithivu church festival lifted

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 March 2003, 15:17 GMT]
Agreeing to a request by the Jaffna Bishop House, the Sri Lanka Army has lifted the twenty-year-old ban on visiting Palaithivu, an islet located in the Jaffna lagoon, to hold the annual festival of the St.Anthony's Church located there, sources in Jaffna said.

Following the removal of the ban, the Bishop House has taken steps to hold the annual festival at the St. Anthony's Church on March 23, the sources said.

However, devotees will still need permission from the SLA, which has said they could obtain the permission to attend the Palaithivu festival from the 512 Brigade of the army located in Jaffna town, sources said.