The Sri Lankan navy will “assist in the conducting” of the annual St Anthony’s Church festival in the North of the island, reported the Ministry of Defence.
The annual St Anthony’s Church feast is scheduled to be held in Kachchatheevu on 29 Feb.
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence said that under the “the direction of the Defence Ministry and supervision of Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera” the navy would be assisting in the festivities.
The festival draws thousands of people from across the North-East of the island and India.
The military's ongoing involvement in Tamil affairs almost 6 years after the end of the armed conflict has been widely condemned with numerous calls for the new president, Maithripala Sirisena to demilitarise the North-East.
See our earlier posts:
Sri Lankan military hold prayer service during Jaffna temple festival (14 Feb 2015)
Sri Lankan army recruits Tamil youth as military tradesmen (31 Jan 2015)
Sri Lankan military must be removed from North, Wigneswaran tells UK minister (29 Jan 2015)
Sri Lankan military taking livelihoods of Tamils says North's chief minister (27 Jan 2015)
Sri Lanka military hands out chickens in Kilinochchi (14 Jan 2015)
Military recruits Tamil youths to work in army farm (14 Jan 2015)
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