Kachchativu festival a good opportunity to build harmony, says Navy Commander

The annual two day St. Antony’s festival on the island of Kachchativu, that brings together pilgrims, mainly from the fisher communities of both India and Sri Lanka, drew to a close last Sunday.

Jaffna’s Vicar General Justin Gnanapragasam conducted holy mass at St Antony’s church.

“We believe that our saint listens to our prayers and conveys them to God. That’s why we came here,’’ said Jesurasa a fisherman from Rameshwaram who was attending the festival with his family.The feast attracted not only pilgrims but also business vendors from both countries, although Indian authorities had warned Indian fisherfolk to refrain from engaging in trade this year. Vendors were seen selling items varying from fancy goods to fabrics and trading in both local and Indian currency in makeshift stalls that lined the path to the Church.

Some pilgrims had brought cooked food while others were seen preparing their meals.

Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayantha Colombage commenting on the occasion said that the festival was a bridge of friendship between the people of India and Sri Lanka. “They worship together without any differences. This is a good opportunity to build on mutual trust and understanding,” he said.

“The Sri Lanka Navy has been hosting this festival since the end of the war and this year we worked together with the Army to provide drinking water, electricity and sanitary facilities to the devotees,” the Navy Commander added.

Father James, a parish priest who represented the Indian delegation said 125 priests and 75 nuns participated in the feast. 

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140323/news/kachchativu-festival-a-good-opportunity-to-build-harmony-says-navy-commander-90173.html

Annual Katchatheevu feast begins today

The Annual Katchatheevu feast will begin today (Saturday) with the participation of a large number of devotees from India and Sri Lanka. The shores of Katchatheevu islet on the Palk Strait will be opened for Indian Fishermen enabling them to attend the three-day St Antony’s Church festival.

The Sri Lanka Navy has made provisions for the required facilities and security for devotees attending the event. Accommodation, sanitary facilities and drinking water will also be provided by the Sri Lanka Navy. Life saving and medical teams are also expected to be deployed of the benefit for the devotees arriving on the island.

Last year feast saw 2,814 devotees arrived from India, who came in 100 boats, and 2,381 Sri Lankan devotees in 208 boats to attend the St Antony’s Church festivities.  St Antony’s Catholic Shrine on the island was built by an Indian Catholic called Srinivasa Padaiyachi and named after St Antony, patron-saint of seafarers, to whom the feast is dedicated

- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/news-online/item/27027-annual-katchatheevu-feast-begins-today-navy-provides-necessary-facilities-to-pilgrims.html#sthash.z9xw093u.dpuf

Train service to Jaffna on Sri Lanka's northern track to commence in April

People in the south will once again be able to travel to Jaffna by train, the General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways B.A.P Ariyaratne has said.

Reconstruction of the Northern Railway Line to Kankasanthurai in Jaffna peninsula will be completed by April this year and the service will resume by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the official told the state-run radio.

The 146-km long track with a design speed of 120km/h was constructed in two phases - from Omanthai to Pallai and Pallai to Kankasanthurai.

The 63-km long first segment of the reconstructed railway track from Omanthai to Kilinochchi was opened for train traffic in September 2013.

The train service on the next segment of 40 km from Kilinochchi to Pallai is scheduled to commence from the first week of February allowing the train service to operate from Colombo to Pallai.

Sri Lanka Railways also completed the reconstruction of first 43 km section of the Thalaimannar Line from Medawchchiya to Madhu Road. The next 65 km section from Madhu to Thalaimannar is also scheduled to be completed soon and the train service will commence before April, the official said.

Ariyaratne said the northern track will be used for the transportation of fuel and the Railway Department hopes to import several more power sets and compartments.

The Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) is carrying out the construction work of both projects which is being financed under a US$ 425 million credit facility from India.

Sri Lanka's Northern Line from Vavuniya to Kankasanthurai in the northernmost tip of the island was completely destroyed by the Tamil Tiger terrorists during the three-decade long war. The rebels uprooted the rail tracks to build reinforced underground bunkers.

Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14A/Jan11_1389424541CH.php

We need to move forward and rebuild the North - Jaffna University VC

Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) C.V. Wineswaran had to take a dose of his own medicine at the National conference on Post-terrorism Socio-Economic Development of the Northern and the Eastern Provinces organised by the University Grants Commission under the patronage of its Chairperson Prof. Kshanika Hiriburegama at Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo on Thursday.

Vice Chancellors of the University of Jaffna and the Eastern University countered baseless allegations made by the NPC Chief Minister who was the chief guest at the conference. Wigneswaran said the powers vested with the NPC was inadequate, the Northern province has not been developed after the end of terrorism, inadequate living standards of the people and the presence of the Security Forces. Vice Chancellor, Jaffna University Prof Vasanthy Arasaratnam and the Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University Dr. K. Kobindarajah shot down wild allegations made by Chief Minister Wigneswaran with statistical and research data.

The findings of the two Vice Chancellors is a setback for Wingeswaran as the two eminent academics have been with the people in the North and the East and have first-hand experience on the situation whereas Wigneswaran, living in Colombo 7, is a political parachute.

Jaffna University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Arasaratnam spoke at length about her personal experience and said that when infrastructure development is taking place, they should move forward. We as academics will give our fullest collaboration in livelihood development of the Northern people,” she said adding that she and the people in the North had suffered enough due to LTTE terrorism. We need to move forward, try to forget the past and rebuild the North, like I have rebuilt my home that was destroyed due to terrorism,she said.

Eastern University Vice Chancellor Dr. Kobindarajah suggested forming a committee of academics to work with President Mahinda Rajapaksa with the support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). All parties concerned should address the real cause and genuinely work hard.

I firmly believe that if you work with an open heart we could definitely sort out whatever the problems we have. We as the academics are ready to play a key role to promote ethnic harmony and reconciliation,he said.

Source:http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2014/02/16/new05.asp