Jaffna pilgrims from Madhu stay in Mannar welfare centers

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 15 November 2006, 10:58 GMT]
More than 700 Jaffna pilgrims who returned from Madhu church after three months to go to their own villages in peninsula have been sheltered in two places in the government controlled areas in Mannar town till transport arrangements are made, civil sources said.

Of them 647 persons are sheltered in Fisheries Corporation building and cultural hall building and the rest are in Vankalai rural development society building. Non-governmental organizations have been providing them with dry rations and cooked meals.

As steps taken by Mannar civil authorities to send these pilgrims directly to Jaffna from Mannar by ship failed, now action is being taken to send them to Jaffna by ship via Trincomalee harbor.

The pilgrims were stranded in Madhu church after the August feast following the closure of entry and exit points from LTTE held Madhu area on 11 August.

After about three months due to the efforts taken by Mannar district secretariat they were allowed to return to the government controlled territory in Mannar.

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