Our Lady of Velankanni Church on Puvaransanthivu Island in the Jaffna Lagoon has reopened after two decades of closure, as the HALO Trust completed the painstaking removal of landmines laid during Sri Lanka’s civil war.
The church, built in the 1970s by local fishing communities as a shelter and place of worship, was cut off when mines were strategically placed during the final years of the conflict to block access to the island, which sits between the mainland and Jaffna peninsula.
The HALO Trust, the world’s largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation, spent 20 years clearing the island. Deminers initially worked from boats, mapping the shoreline before creating safe ground strips. Challenges included flooding, saltwater interference with detection equipment, dense mangroves, and toxic vegetation — all while preserving the fragile ecosystem.
On March 14, approximately 150 people travelled by fishing boat for the first full Feast Day celebration in two decades. Rev. Fr. Jero Selvanayagam, who celebrated the Mass, described it as “a very emotional scene” where “families came together.”
Matthieu Guillier of the HALO Trust said: “Demining is enabling development,” allowing people “to return, to work, and to rebuild.”
The reopening coincides with Easter Sunday, marking a moment of renewal for northern Sri Lanka’s post-war communities.
