Devotees visiting the Our Lady of Madhu Shrine after its revered Marian statue was recently returned, say they are prevented from reaching Madhu shrine. An army roadblock on the road to the Madhu shrine is preventing us from reaching the place, said Oawald.

The army is not allowing civilians to travel the last 50 kilometers to the shrine. Carloads of hopeful pilgrims, about 100 thus far, are being kept waiting at St. Joseph's Church in Medawachchiya village, said Father Kelum Dias who heads the St. Joseph's Church. His church is 190 kilometers northeast of Colombo.

When the statue was removed from the shrine on 3 April due to fighting in the area between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE, Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar said he would return it to the shrine once the army allowed. Bishop Joseph took the statue back to the shrine on the evening of 9 August.

He also said the military escorted the vehicle taking the statue with the bishop and priests to Madhu, but civilians were not allowed to accompany them.

"Since the feast is on 15 August," Father Dias pointed out, "people are coming from all over the country. They felt encouraged by media reports to visit Madhu once the area was cleared, but they were denied permission by the army to go beyond Medawachchiya.

About 50 pilgrims are staying in Medawachchiya convent, next to the church, while the others are using tents in the church gardens. Father Dias said they cook their own meals, and the church provides water and sanitation facilities.

"The pilgrims say they will remain here until security personnel grant them permission to enter the Madhu area," the priest added.

Controversy has surrounded the statue's removal from the shrine on 3 April when the shrine's administrator, Father Santhiapillai Emilianuspillai, took it to a safe location at Thevanpiddy  Church, which is a Tamil-rebel-controlled area on the northern coast.

It was moved to the Mannar bishop's house on 22 July. According to Brother Sathaskar, thousands of people in Mannar diocese visited the statue when it was at the bishop's house, before it was taken back to the shrine.

Bishop Joseph announced in a statement issued on 7 August that the traditional celebration at the shrine for the feast on 15 August has been cancelled because the government and the LTTE have failed to recognize the area as a "peace zone" and cannot provide basic facilities for pilgrims.