Tigers Do another “Vakare” on Mullaittivu Hospital

TIGER (LTTE) propaganda lobbyists appear to be once again doing overtime to tarnish the image of advancing Sri Lanka Army troops in MULLAITTIVU district, as fall of Tiger strongholds is imminent in the near future. This time it was MULLAITTIVU hospital.

The latest ruse by the Tigers has come to the fore with the publication of a story in their mouthpieces Friday (8) morning, claiming that troops in MULLAITIVU have fired artillery on MULLAITTIVU district hospital.

The Army categorically denies having fired any artillery rounds and contents of the LTTE canard. It also wishes to remind that Tiger terrorists in the same manner used the same tactic in VAKARE and MADHU when the troops were reaching VAKARE and MADHU areas. Terrorists in both those instances damaged the VAKARE hospital and most recently the sacred MADHU Shrine, just before the troops rolled in.

As of Friday (8), troops of the 59 Division are deployed in NITHKAYKULAM, about 15 km, south of MULLAITTIVU center and have in no way directed any artillery fire towards MULLAITTIVU or its suburbs, as stated in those false reports.

Extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=15198

Wanni operation 30 th July 2008

Source,
SLRC

Wanni operation 24 th July 2008

Source,
SLRC

Holy Madhu Statue Returns; Army Takes over Renovations to the Shrine

MANNAR: THE MOST SACRED STATUE of Our Lady of MADHU which was taken away by Catholic Priests attached to the MANNAR diocese several months ago was brought back to MANNAR Bishop House Tuesday (22) across OMANTHE Entry / Exit point.

Removal of the Holy Statue and its arrival in a church in WELLANKULAM, further north of MANNAR, caused concerns among the Catholic faith and all Sri Lankans at that point of time.

The MADHU church premises was recaptured from grips of Tiger terrorism after laps of ten years on 25th April 2008 but Tiger terrorists after straying into the premises went on pounding the holy compound in order to chase the troops away.

Terrorists caused damages to a section of the church buildings where priests used to live.

The Holy Statue is to be placed back in its original position at the MADHU shrine once the renovations of the LTTE-damaged buildings are completed. Sri Lanka Army has undertaken repairs and renovations which cost around Rs 1.5 million following a directive given by Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka.

Troops in the meantime have intensified their humanitarian de-mining work in and around the compound in order to completely clear the area before the Holy Statue is returned to the MADHU shrine.

The holy annual feast is expected in August this year.

Extracted from,
MCNS
Video,
SLRC

Troops capture Periyamadu Tank

The army troops captured the PERIYAMADU LAKE area completely today (14). Before this the Army had dominated three areas.

But a stretch 2.50 Km along the bund was under tiger domination.

A large number of tiger terrorists were killed and wounded in the confrontations today but exact figures were not confirmed.

Seven soldiers were injured and hospitalized

57 Brigade engaged the tigers in the lake area, which is 16 KM Northwards of MADU CHURCH

News and photo,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=13180

Soldiers guarding Madhu church fear LTTE mines

Soldiers guarding the historic church of Madhu, which was liberated by Sri Lankan army recently, still fear attacks from LTTE militants, who have reportedly planted mines around the vandalised complex.

The Sri Lankan army, which took a media team from Colombo, did not allow the journalists to stay for long in the Church as they feared attack from the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The media team was asked by a brigade commander to cut short the queries and leave the place to avoid any problems.

"They (the LTTE) must have got aware of the presence of this meeting. We should not take any chances. Let us leave the place," the official said.

Though the LTTE fighters have abandoned the place and have moved way ahead, the military says it is taking no chance due to the guerrilla instinct of the tiger rebels.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200804281655.htm

Government handed over Madhu Church to trustees

Sri Lanka Army opened Madhu Church for its trustees in this evening. Area Army commander and senior officials along with the trustees of the Madhu church attended this simple ceremony, our reports said.

The government said liberation of the Madhu Church precincts from the terrorists marks a watershed in the Northern war theatre. The troops trod with utmost caution in the sacred area, honoring a No Fire Zone arrangement, which the LTTE unfortunately violated. The soldiers ensured that no harm was caused to the Sacred Shrine, renowned throughout Asia.

The Army faced a formidable task vis-a-vis Madhu. The LTTE had heavily mined the area. The slightest propaganda by the troops and any damage to the Church would have sent the LTTE misinformation network into hyper drive. It is to their credit that they managed this feat without literally falling into the traps laid by the LTTE, physically and metaphorically.

Extracted from,
http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/10764
photo,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/26/z_new350.jpg

Army liberates sacred Madhu shrine from terror clutches

Sri Lanka army has liberated the sacred Madhu shrine by beating off the occupying LTTE terrorists today morning (April 25). The soldiers of 8 Sri Lanka Light Infantry reached the shrine as the terrorists beat a retreat unable to withstand the army advance.

The centuries old Catholic shrine is held sacred and respected by all Sri Lankans irrespective of religion and ethnicity. Thousands of pilgrims used to visit the shrine, especially during the church feast in August, before the terrorists took control of the area in 1999.

As LTTE terrorists unleashed their "Final War" in 2006, the church became a sanctuary for thousands of civilians who wanted to avoid their children being conscripted by the terror outfit. Later, LTTE agents acting under religious fa‡ades, evicted these civilians and unashamedly made many of them to fall prey to the terrorists.

Gradually, the terrorists almost turned the shrine into a terror base by positioning its heavy guns around the church and using it as a barrack for its cadres. Though this desecration has been carried out for last few months the fact was kept secret from the general public until the sacred statue of Our Lady of Madhu was shifted two weeks ago.

Read more,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080424_07

Madhu church captured

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) formations deployed in the Mannar district captured the Madhu Church today evening. The holy shrine and the surrounding area are now under the complete control of the army.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters who had camped inside the no-war-zone departed the area in face of the army advance. It was initially feared that the tigers would blow the church before the army captured it. According to our sources the church has not been seriously damaged in the countless artillery duels which took place in the past several months.

Read more,
http://defencenet.blogspot.com/2008/04/madhu-church-captured.html,

http://defencewire.blogspot.com/2008/04/breaking-news-army-captures-madhu.html and

http://www.lakbima.lk/articles/news1.htm

Catholic Bishops ask LTTE to vacate Madhu precincts

The Security Forces have not engaged in any offensive within the area of the sacred Madhu shrine but the LTTE had taken control of the Madhu church and removed the statue of Our Lady of Madhu into an uncleared area.

The Security Forces’ operations map to liberate the Wanni front does not include the sacred Madhu area considering the security of the Madhu Shrine, Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

He was responding to a statement by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CBC) requesting the Forces not to enter into the sacred area of the Madhu shrine.

The CBC in a press release appealed to the LTTE to adhere strictly and observe International Law regarding sacred places of worship and asked the outfit occupying the sacred precincts to vacate the premises forthwith.

“We, the Catholic Bishops of Sri Lanka are concerned about the grave situation prevailing in the Madhu sanctuary and in its sacred area, where the LTTE and the Security Forces are engaged presently in military operations and demand that both parties adhere strictly and observe the International Law regarding the sacred places of worship,” the statement said.

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/04/22/sec02.asp

'Our Lady of Madu' spirited away to bring govt into disrepute internationally – Defence Spokesman

Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that shifting the holy shrine of 'Our Lady Madhu' to an LTTE controlled area at a time when the Security Forces are engaged in a humanitarian mission to liberate the area from the clutches of terrorism, poses a great threat.

Minister Rambukwella added that the LTTE's decision to move the holy shrine might have been prompted by factors such as diverting the attention of the international community from the ongoing military operations against the LTTE terrorists and deliberately creating a negative image of the Government and the good work done by the security personnel.

The Minister made these comments at a media briefing held in Colombo today (17). While categorically denying the fact that security forces attacked the Madhu Church, Minister Rambukwella said 'Madhu Church never attacked by and was never a target of the security forces,'

Read more,
http://www.news.lk/index.php?

Vatican informed of LTTE presence in Madhu church

The Mannar diocese has expressed concern over the heavy LTTE presence in the Madhu church sanctuary and the church premises and brought to the notice of the Vatican the overall situation in the sacred area, Vicar General of the Mannar diocese Rev. Fr. Victor Sosai said.

Commenting on the present situation in the Madhu church premises Rev. Victor Sosai told the Sunday Observer since the statue of Our Lady of Madhu was removed for safety to St. Francis Xavier’s Church in Thevanpiddy in the Mannar region, the church zone was more like a battle zone with the heavy presence of LTTE cadres.

“The Mannar diocese has even informed the LTTE hierarchy in Killinochchi over the presence of LTTE cadres with heavy weapons in the church premises.

However, there was hardly any sign of armed cadres leaving the premises. Almost all the important buildings including the meditation centre which is currently being built with around sixty rooms with assistance from the Vatican and Germany has also been occupied by the cadres.

The Mannar diocese has also asked the Security Forces to keep away from the church region as much as possible.

“We do not want a chaotic situation in the sacred area with a big human disaster. The response from the Armed Forces so far is positive,” Rev. Victor Sosai said.

Read more,
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/04/13/sec01.asp

LTTE loose respect from Catholics

MINISTER JEYARAJ Fernandopulle’s untimely death has convinced many hristians living outside Sri Lanka that LTTE has no respect for religion and religious places. They are also completely baffled by the nonchalant attitude of the Catholic Bishop Conference in Sri Lanka on LTTE’s guile masquerading as defenders of the sacred Madhu premises.

I read the Asian Tribune reader from LA, Stephen Long’s article yesterday posing the question why the spiritual leadership of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka got duped by the LTTE to push through their evil designs. Many others I know have voiced their disbelief at the inaction of the Sri Lankan Catholic Bishop Conference. Their neutrality in the midst of an openly treacherous path taken by the LTTE is completely inexplicable.

In a nutshell these are the issues now confronting the Catholic Bishops: They cannot take the side of the LTTE terrorists. They should seriously re-think their role in the civil conflict, and decide once and for all which side they are morally bound to take. The Bishop of Mannar by allowing the LTTE to continuously act with impunity has made the Tamils in the North pawns in this apparent and dubious scheme of the LTTE trying to make the Christians look completely unpatriotic.

The LTTE had moved the statue of Madhu to a church well inside their lines of control. A neutral place would have been the ideal thing to do. Declaring protective motives, they moved the sacred statue of the Virgin Mary from the shrine at Madhu to the church at Thevanpitti, which is in the LTTE zone. By choosing this site rather than someplace in an area, they have made the statue a symbol and rallying point for the LTTE.

Read more,
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?

Tamil rebels seek Norway help to stop Sri Lanka offensive

Tamil Tiger rebels asked peace-broker Norway on Tuesday to pressure Sri Lanka's government to stop a military offensive in the island's north, saying a venerated Catholic church was at risk.

Government forces backed by artillery are pushaing into territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Wanni region, and the guerrillas said the Roman Catholic church of Madhu was in the line of fire.

The Tigers asked Norway's International Development Minister, Erik Solheim, who was also the top envoy involved in the failed peace efforts, to pressure Colombo to halt the offensive.

"We would like to place a request through you ... to the Norwegian government to take steps to immediately end the military assault of the holy Madhu shrine," the LTTE's political wing leader, B. Nadesan, wrote to Solheim.

Sri Lanka's military has denied engaging in operations in the Madhu church area, but security forces have maintained that they want to push into the Wanni region where the guerrillas maintain a de facto mini state.

Read more,
http://afp.google.com/article/

Madhu Church becomes tigers’ operational centre! Human rights organizations in deep slumber!

As soon as the statue of Our Lady of Madhu was removed from Madhu Church on instructions by Mannar Bishop Rassiah Joseph, tiger terrorists have broken into the church and have made it their operational centre for the area reveal intelligence sections of Security Forces.

According to Army spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara tiger terrorists are engaged in placing land mines around Madhu Church and adjoining areas.
Security sections point out that Madhu area that had been declared a ‘no war zone’ and the Madhu Church venerated by millions of Sri Lankans have been utilized by tiger terrorists for their terrorist activities displaying their brutality and their disregard for human values.

They point out human rights organizations that make a big hue and cry even at a minor incident involving Security Forces have not made any comment regarding the atrocious act of the tiger terrorists revealing their pro-tiger attitude.

Brig. Nanayakkara says Madhu Church and the adjacent areas would be liberated soon and Security Forces are dedicating themselves to create a situation for the devotees to be able to engage in their religious activities without any hindrance.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankatruth.com/index.php?

Army closes in on Madu

Two fighting formations of the Sri Lanka army's 57th division have surrounded the Madhu church premises after a renewed round of fighting in the area. Troops leading the advance from Pandrivichchan have already secured two smaller churches in the area.

Meanwhile the holy statue of Virgin Mary has been moved from the Church premises to Thewayampiddi (currently under LTTE control) in the Wanni after fighting erupted near Madhu church premises. According to Bishop Rayappu Joseph, the statue was moved to LTTE controlled territory to prevent it from being damaged by LTTE's own artillery fire.

The Liberation Tigers have been continuously shelling SLA positions in the region which are now situated 1KM-1.5KM from the church premises. According to military intelligence LTTE has deployed its heavy artillery guns in close proximity of Madhu shrine on a number of previous occasions, exploiting the cover of the no-war-zone. According to three LTTE cadres who surrendered to the armed forces on the 3rd, LTTE has deployed fighters from its Radha regiment, Malathi regiment (comprises entirely of women fighters) and its elite Charles Anthony regiment in the Madu sector.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Mi-24 helicopter gunships attacked an LTTE mortar launch pad in Andankulam region today afternoon. Details of any damages caused by this air raid are not yet available.

Extracted from,
http://defencenet.blogspot.com/2008/04/army-closes-in-on-madu.html

Sri Lankan bishop appeals for peace zone near prominent Marian shrine

With Sri Lankan forces closing in on the Marian shrine of Madhu in northwestern Sri Lanka, Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar, Sri Lanka, has appealed to government forces and the Tamil rebels to leave the area around the shrine a "zone of peace."

"Today as the military operations are taking place very close to the shrine, we are compelled to make an urgent appeal to both the government and the (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) to respect the Madhu shrine and (its) area as a zone of peace," Bishop Joseph said in a written appeal.

Tamil rebels had already moved into the church compound, and Sri Lankan soldiers were very close, the bishop said.

"The situation is really serious, and the shrine could be razed to the ground unless an immediate cease-fire is declared there," Bishop Joseph told Catholic News Service April 1 following his appeal.

Read more,
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801777.htm

LTTE directs mortars towards Madhu Church

Catholic priests at Madhu Church confirmed yesterday that LTTE had directed mortar fire to the Church premises twice yesterday, Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

"No casualties were reported from the incidents", the Brigadier added.

"The catholic priests confirmed that LTTE mortar fell on to the
Mission House on Wednesday around 5.30 p.m," the Brigadier added.

"The intention of the LTTE is to evict the priests at the Madhu Church
and cause damage to the sacred Madhu Church premises to tarnish the
image of the Security Forces," the Brigadier added.

The LTTE has continuously used the 'No Fire Zone' in Madhu as a cover
to direct mortar fire at the advancing troops now consolidating their
position in the south and north of Madhu.

Extracted from,
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task

Holy Church Used as LTTE’s Fighting Base

One more form of highest acts of sacrilege was reported from the newly captured PARAPPAKANDAL area when the terrorists, as all evidence pointed to, has used a Catholic Church as their base of terrorist operations against the troops.

Persuading Army troops to launch counter attacks on the Church where the terrorist fire on the Security Forces is initiated has been one of their ulterior motives enabling the LTTE to project a massive worldwide propaganda against the Sri Lankan Forces.

It was a few months ago that the LTTE using the Holy MADHU Church as a cover attacked the troops.

Again on 12 February 2008, LTTE fired artillery at the soldiers cleaning the premises of ST. SEBESTIAN’S CHURCH, TALLADY causing damages to the church.

Photos and news from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=11430

Security Forces about to reach Madhu Church!

Security Forces engaged in operations in Mannar Yodawewa area is only 1.5 km away from Madhu Church say security sources.

According to information from security sections, the 57th Brigade of S.L. Army engaged in operations from Mannar towards Wanni have seized a large territory in the jungle in Uilankulama area adjacent to Madhu Church after a fierce battle that continued from last evening to this morning.

6 terrorists were killed in the battle.

Madhu Church is only 1.5 km away from this jungle state troops engaged in the operation.

Read more,
http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/