Arugam.info is happy to confirm that all is well and quiet in sunny Arugambay.
We are lucky to report that the entire area is in NO Way affected by recent events in the North and West.
We are happy; No! Indeed we are: Overwhelmed! to see, suddenly, many new visitors coming to us from Colombo to celebrate relaxed Vesak this week in our peaceful Bay.
Sadly, in these troubled days we have to admit that our friends in the distant capital city are not as happy as we are here in the remote, but totally safe & sleepy AbaY……
However, let us pray & hope for Peace, island wide, one day. Together.

The Siam View Hotel

The facade appears rather ramshackle and unattractive, but this hotel has the honour of being the oldest wooden construction on the east coast of Sri Lanka and as such is on the National Heritage list of protected buildings. Go behind the facade and you will make a few interesting discoveries, not least of which has to be the excellent food served on the terrace and a wide selection of draft beers brewed in accordance with an old German tradition which allows only the use of the purist ingredients. You will also discover a special breed of people, an important piece of local history and a vast number of brilliant innovations. Without the Siam View Hotel, which opened in 1979, Arugam Bay would not be what it is today. Dr. Fred Netzband-Miller, an engineer of Dutch/German – English extraction and a handful of friends built this unpretentious landmark on what was, in the late 1970’s, a deserted stretch of beach. Since then, it has served its visitors in many ways: during the worst phases of the civil war it was declared a weapon free zone respected by all parties. It has always been and still is: a haven for homesick ex-patriots and for adventurers of all nationalities, a meeting point for surfers and a place where NGO workers can come to discuss their ideas, exchange information and work on plans for future projects to benefit the local population.

“We’re not here because we want to get rich, we’re here because we enjoy it”, emphasises Fred, who does not, even these days, have a brochure or visiting card for his hotel.

“The name Siam View is intended to suggest that theoretically it would be possible (if the earth were flat) to see Thailand”, explains the 56 year old, who lived there for many years and as the son of a diplomat grew up in Africa and feels that the whole world is home. It is one of his dreams to cross the 2000 km stretch of ocean on a jetski. That is not necessarily as unrealistic as it may sound: in 1977 Fred left the Isle of Man on a motorbike and succeeded in travelling the entire distance to India by land, then finally crossing to Sri Lanka by ferry. There is probably no one with a better knowledge of this corner of the world. Fred has counted 63 bays on the way to Hambantota. At one time, Fred served as a Liaison Officer for the British Army and was stationed in Potsdam. He has already twice negotiated the dense jungle and crossed the rivers of the Yala East National Park on a Unimog with a specially adapted and waterproof motor. His intention was to reach Colombo and as he says: “That was the shortest way”.

It is therefore not surprising that, at least until the Tsunami struck, the Siam View Hotel offered its guests the use of six ATV (All Terrain Vehicles) and during the specially conceived “Full Moon” parties massive 1800 watt loudspeakers created an unforgettable atmosphere as the disco played music from the hotel’s 8000 CD library.

Now 4 satellite dishes feed in television channels from around the world and provide an international telephone connection. In January 2004 a permanent high speed internet connection was installed and is still the only one on the entire east coast.

Although this costs nearly $1000 a month to run, locals are able to surf the net without charge. Everyone in the immediate vicinity also benefits from the 180 hp Mitsubishi Generator, which provides a standby source of electricity in the event of power cuts and there are very good reasons to believe that it once stood in Saddam Hussein’s Republican Gardens.

This generator, which uses between 7 – 9 litres of fuel per hour, initially saw service in Siam View in 1990 to provide a power source for the first air conditioning units. The hotel is particularly proud of a number of environmentally friendly innovations. One of these is the hotels own very efficient and clean sewage treatment system. Plastic bottles are collected and re-cycled to be used roof insulation.

The Tsunami left only the shell of the main building standing and of the original 26 rooms only 4 now remain. But, the disaster served to further enhance the hotel’s legend. At about 08:45 on the morning of 26 December, the gardener persisted in waking up all the guests; not an easy task as most people had only just gone to bed after the previous night’s lively Christmas party. The old man had noticed that the ocean was behaving strangely and he was convinced that a terrible catastrophe was about to happen. The disaster was not long in coming and within a few minutes, a gigantic 15 metre wave struck the small town. Thanks to the timely warning, all 165 guests survived, but everywhere else the retreating flood left behind horrific scenes of death and devastation. In this apocalyptic world, the Siam View became a symbol of survival, hope and regeneration. From the recovered food stores over 500 free meals were distributed to survivors in the first few days. “More importantly, were the stocks of alcohol and cigarettes”, remembers Fred and adds that in the middle of this chaos, his hotel managed to put on a modest New Year’s party.

Fred is convinced that the terrible Tsunami disaster taught him more about physics than all the years he spent at university. And it is this knowledge, which he has put to practical use in rebuilding the hotel. The new supporting concrete pillars are triangular in shape in order to deflect boats and other debris which would be swept against the structure should another tidal wave occur. The water tower has been fitted with three large sirens with a range of 700m. Other features of the Tsunami Early Warning System are three computers permanently connected to seismological monitoring stations in Alaska, Hawaii and Bangkok. Even the matter of emancipation is one which has been given consideration at the Siam View Hotel. The new beach bar, which has been constructed entirely from natural materials, has a second floor which bears the name “Ladies Lounge”. It is available to female guests only, but men may be allowed to enter on rare occasions, if specially invited.

Source: Du Mont Loose Reisefuehrer – German Travel Guide
Translation by: Alf Docherty, Rheindahlen

Arugam Bay – A Paradise for Surfer

Anyone crossing the old bridge will realise immediately that Arugam Bay, if only because of its unique weather conditions, is an ideal holiday location. This particular corner of the island is protected from the west monsoon by the natural barrier of the mountain ridge around Monaragala and the great Pottuvil Lagoon acts just as effectively as a shield against the east monsoon. These factors working together explain why this particular region enjoys an average of 330 days of sunshine each year – something which will not be found anywhere else in Asia.

The region is favoured with two major rivers and is therefore never in danger of becoming too arid.

These unusual geographic conditions together with the winds and currents around the coast were first discovered and recognised by surfers in the 1960s and the region quickly became one of the top ten most popular surfing venues in the world. From the end of March until the beginning of October and even for a few days in November, water temperatures range from between 24 and 28 degrees (no need for neoprene suits) and with waves reaching 5 metres the conditions are ideal for surfing. No sharks have ever been sighted in these waters, but occasionally wild elephants from the neighbouring national park have been observed in close proximity to the beaches.

After the discovery of the ideal “right hand” surf break at Surf Points, a number of other equally attractive surfing locations became popular.

Arugam Bay seems to work like a magnet and there are many visitors who come back year after year.

The last 20 years of bitter civil war have not stopped dedicated surfers from returning every year and it is this community that has kept the small coastal town alive. The hippies of the past have now all gone a little grey and mutated to a respectable regular clientele, but they add in their own special way to the fascinating atmosphere of this place. These days, they still join in with about a thousand or so happy visitors who come to take part in the 48 hour Arugam Bay “Full Moon Parties” that provide a more spontaneous alternative to the now stage managed so-called “Happenings” in Koh Phangan or Goa.

And who would be surprised to learn that, in spite of the worst Tsunami disaster on record, an International Surf Championship took place here in July 2005 with competitors from Australia, England, South Africa and Israel. Many locations now have shops specialising in providing equipment for water sports and a complete outfit can be hired for as little as 500 Rs per day.

It is not only the ocean that provides opportunities for surfing, you can also surf the internet and here you will find more discussion groups and visitor communities dealing with Arugam Bay than any other place in Sri Lanka. Some examples are: www.arugam.info, www.arugam.isthier or www.sri-lanka-board.de

source: Du Mont Reisefuehrer (German Travel Guide) – Loose Verlag, Germany
Translation by: Alf Docherty, Rheindahlen

Archive for the ‘Arugam Bay-East Coast-Sri Lanka – Safety’ Category

This is what we call a true Landmark bridge, here in France:

 

Of course one cannot compare Sir Norman Foster’s great work of Engineering Art with the low budget, simple and very short span Arugam Bay USAid  bridge construction effort.
Is this,above, a not a careful blend between nature and progress?
Was it yet another BIG chance the Bay seems to have missed out upon?
The creation of something memorable.

Philip Nicholas

An entrepreneur in Sri Lanka

John Pollock
Friday December 31, 2004
The Guardian

Four years ago Philip Nicholas, who has died, aged 53, in the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka’s remote, beautiful east coast, visited Arugam bay on that shore.Because of that Millenmium visit, the York University philosophy graduate, sometime Middle Temple barrister, and onetime jail inmate, decided to set up a computer business in Colombo, to mirror the one that he ran in Britain.

He also did pro-bono legal work in Arugam bay, a surfer’s paradise in a region that had suffered enormous deprivation during the Sri Lankan civil war. Phil helped stimulate a renaissance in the region; the website that he created brought many new tourists to the area.

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In 1984, Phil had been sentenced to eight years in prison for drug offences. While incarcerated, he had used his training to help other prisoners, and also set up a jail rock band. Thoughtful and extremely well-read, he despised the waste of talent that he saw in prison, deciding that criminal endeavour was often an entrepreneurial choice for those without the means, contacts or knowledge to prosper in the legitimate economy. This generated an anger that fuelled what became his life’s work.On release, after serving nearly six years, he began to build a business in London’s east end that, as he said, employed the unemployable, and showed that almost anyone could thrive, provided that they had encouragement. His multi-million pound turnover computer operation gave a real chance to dozens of local kids, all of whom had failed at school.

Phil was a radical; he saw the main benefit of success as providing a platform from which to castigate other companies for their failure to invest in people at the bottom of the heap. After a successful five years, a complex fraud by a business partner bankrupted the enterprise. But soon after that, Phil started a new computer business.

Born in Guildford, Phil graduated from York University in the early 1970s. He entered the Middle Temple to become a barrister. His outstanding mind was evident in his grasp of the notoriously difficult tort laws, but his restless spirit sent him in to cab driving, which he relished for its supply of entertaining stories. These he subsequently exaggerated to superb comic effect. Then came prison.

When Phil started his new computer enterprise, it was soon supplemented by the Sri Lankan element. He was most keen to employ Sri Lankans who, like his Londoners, had no qualifications but plenty of enthusiasm.

Dozens benefited from this approach and his company expanded rapidly. He was also generous in helping others, privately funding several people to create micro-businesses.

Phil was an optimist with a passion for living. He was happiest at Arugam bay, which is where he died.

His sister survives him.

· Philip Ralph Nicholas, entrepreneur, born November 28 1951; died December 26 2004

source:
sent in by Google alerts April, 2007 for some reason

By Nanda Wickremesinghe
24 April 2007

In a further attack on democratic rights, Sri Lanka’s defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse last week threatened the editor of the English language Daily Mirror over two articles in its April 16 and 17 editions—the first dealing the activities of a pro-government militia, known as the Karuna group, and the second with the appalling conditions facing Tamil refugees in the East.

The threat is the latest in a long line of steps by the government to suppress any criticism of the military and its offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The defence secretary is the brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who has plunged the island back to war since winning office in November 2005.

After the articles were published, an enraged Gotabhaya Rajapakse telephoned the newspaper’s editor Champika Liyanarachchi, who reported him as saying: “Don’t be surprised if the Karuna faction turns violent against you. If that happens don’t expect any security from the government to protect yourself.”

Rajapakse then demanded that the editor resign or he would force management to dismiss her on the grounds of preventing a reprisal against the newspaper. Referring to journalist Uditha Jayasinghe, who wrote one of the articles, the defence secretary bluntly told Liyanarachchi: “I’ll exterminate her”.

In Sri Lanka, such comments cannot be regarded as idle threats. Over the past year, nine media workers, mostly Tamil journalists, have been murdered in circumstances that strongly suggest the involvement of the military or associated paramilitaries such as the Karuna group. Rajapakse’s refusal to provide protection is tantamount to an invitation for a physical attack on the newspaper and its editor.

The article on April 16 entitled “Armed Karuna faction running its writ in Pottuvil” graphically exposed the government’s lie that the security forces are not cooperating with the Karuna group. Muslims in the eastern town of Pottuvil angrily told the Daily Mirror that Karuna’s armed thugs move around freely, threatening people and extorting money. A coalition known as the Peace Secretariat for Muslims (PSM) had protested to the government and the international co-chairs of the peace process to no avail.

“Maintaining law and order is the duty of the police, and in special cases the army has a role to play. But in Pottuvil the police, including the STF (police commandos) and the army have become mere bystanders while the Karuna group is running the writ through the town,” a PSM spokesman told the newspaper.

The Rajapakse government has repeatedly rejected the LTTE’s demands to disarm paramilitaries such as the Karuna group as required by the 2002 ceasefire agreement, claiming that they were not operating in areas under government control. The Daily Mirror confirmed the security forces are allowing the Karuna group and other militias to openly threaten and extort. Behind the scenes, they undoubtedly operate with sections of the military in carrying out far greater crimes, including abduction and murder.

The second article, written on April 17 by Uditha Jayasinghe, was titled “Muttur IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons]: Battling a man-made tsunami in the guise of war”. It explained the appalling conditions confronting refugees as a result of the military’s offensives in the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. Its interviews and comments undermined the government’s claims to be conducting “humanitarian missions” to assist people “trapped” in LTTE-areas.

The reality is that since last July the army has conducted a series of aggressive operations to seize LTTE territory in open breach of the 2002 ceasefire. To stampede the local population, the military has deliberately shelled and bombed civilian areas, resulting in hundreds of deaths and driving hundreds of thousands to flee. These refugees are now living from hand to mouth without adequate food, shelter and medicine in camps throughout the East. Those displaced from Muttur have been living in such conditions since last August.

After the Daily Mirror made his comments public, the defence secretary lamely denied threatening the newspaper’s editor, saying all that was involved was a “frank exchange of ideas”. Writing on the defence ministry web site, Rajapakse claimed he had told Liyanarachchi the two articles were “detrimental to the national security”. One article, he stated, promoted “racial hatred”, while “the other was trying to damage the good image of the Security Forces”.

What is clear from Rajapakse’s comments is that, in the name of “national security,” the government and the military are demanding an end to all, even the most limited, criticism of the war. The threats against the Daily Mirror are a further warning of the methods being used. Under the current state of emergency, President Rajapakse has extensive powers to muzzle the media, but has refrained from using them to avoid provoking further political opposition.

The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka issued a statement, declaring: “We consider this a serious threat to media freedom and also to editorial independence…. The Guild totally condemns the behaviour of a senior government official.” The Free Media Movement (FMM) also criticised the remarks, stating: “Given the volatile situation in the country, the FMM also fears that this threat sends a chilling message to the media community at large in Sri Lanka.”

President Rajapakse has attempted to repair the political damage. According to the newspaper, he telephoned Liyanarachchi and “promised an investigation” into the threats. The Daily Mirror responded by hailing the initiative and promoting the illusion that the president, unlike his brother and other officials, was seriously interested in peace.

“At a time when President Rajapakse is engaged in the arduous task of uniting the country to bring much desired peace, the behaviour of this nature on the part of his trusted lieutenants, could be condemned as attempts at cutting ground from under his feet,” the editorial stated. It has also noted that Karuna had informed Liyanarachchi that his group would not harm her.

Like Rajapakse’s claims to be “a man of peace”, his efforts to parade as a champion of media rights are simply window dressing. A statement by the government’s Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) continued the campaign against the Daily Mirror, provocatively declaring: “The government believes that the latest allegation against the defence secretary is part of a wide plan to remove him from office to satisfy the aims of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.”

The government’s assault on the media is in fact intensifying. Just one day before Liyanarachchi was threatened, Subash Chandrabose, editor of the magazine Nilam and a contributor to other Tamil news media, was killed in the northern border town of Vavuniya.

Standard Newspapers, which published a leading Sinhalese-language weekly Mawbima and the English-language weekly Sunday Standard, was forced to cease operations on March 29 after the government froze the company’s assets. The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the police arrested the company’s spokesman and financial director, Dushyantha Basnayake, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and has detained him without charge since February 27.

During the past year, Mawbima reported on government corruption and human rights violations. Its journalists questioned the government’s role in the spiralling number of abductions and “disappearances” as fighting between the military and the LTTE escalated. The media group belongs to a friend of former senior minister Mangala Samaraweera who was sacked in February after falling out with the President Rajapakse. Both the president and the defence secretary accused Mawbima of supporting the LTTE and undermining “national security”.

These measures against the media are part of a wider attack on the democratic rights of ordinary working people. As it intensifies the war and the accompanying assault on living standards, the Rajapakse government cannot tolerate any criticism or exposure of its lies.

source:

http://www3.wsws.org/articles/2007/apr2007/sri-a24.shtml

Arugam.info has received this update from our resident Civil Engineer:

“I inspected the site on15th April and it appears that no work in progress. Excavators have gone and no more local labourers are seen to be filling ’sand’ bags.
On the East to the existing bridge a landfill dam has been completed. It appears that the USAid engineers are planning to construct concrete piers at this location.”

Our correspondent is concerned that a ‘traditional’ if not to say: ‘outdated’ and potentially environmentally damaging method is used to construct bridge piers. In his report he mentioned that any modern Company would have used simple Cofferdams or Caissons instead of polluting the natural lagoon with hundred of Thousands of non- degradable PVC/Nylon bags.

Overall, Arugam Bay seems to be ending up with:

1.) A bridge nobody really needs
2.) A simple, cheap, unimpressive design
3.) A lagoon full of polluting Nylon fiber strands and bags for years to come

However, we remain vigilant and may be proven wrong.
Arugam.info crosses fingers and hopes…….

Archive photo below shows the ‘impressive Work’

on the Arugam Bay – PottuVille ‘Landmark’ bridge

AbHa -Arugam Bay Hotel Association (est. 1999) usually publishes its annual report on 31st March.
This year, 2007, we dismissed the more appropriate idea of posting our views and experiences on the troubled Eastern Coast on April Fools Day, 1st April, 2007.
Following the impressive WW1 style air show at our int. airport recently, that is.
And the ongoing saga with useless organizations wasting donor’s cash where they can on doubtful ‘projects’.
Nobody could possibly believe what we are going through right now, in any event.
The situation here, locally, is far worse than after the natural disaster of 2004.
We are facing a huge man made problem, for some time to come as it seems.
It has been made worse, because this time round nobody seems to care, worldwide.
But most of all: Because all our hope of sanity returning one fine day has nearby gone.

AbHa has now, sadly, lost its only sponsor, the SVH at Arugam Bay.
The Siam View Hotel, itself a very badly affected Tsu. victim, has always been the only source of AbHa’s moderate income.
AbHa itself never received a single rupee from anyone else – and all our services were provided totally FREE to everyone. AbHa never charged anyone for anything.

Looking back, we are proud to recall how much we managed to achieve with so few funds!
Now the little SV Hotel is itself as good as bankrupt, and fighting for its own survival.
In short, all home grown and our true Community based projects are shelved – the ENJOY’s with all their financial might have won this particular round.
By ignoring and even obstructing AbHa.
AbHa will remain active just on this web site, and may gain strength to fight for the poor people in the East once again – if someone comes forward to trust us with a few rupees to carry out any given ‘Project’ for the Common good.
Meanwhile we just continue to sit back, watch and report what is going on around your famous Bay.
Don’t expect any huge progress from any of the so-called ‘active’ NGO’s:
Most of them are busy in Berlin, London, New York or Bangkok – and of course they are always ready to be seen at the Happy Hours at our top hotels in Colombo!

…well, but not the VERY big one a la 2004…… of course.

Arugam Bay’s surfing season has a slow, late start this year.

The political situation does not exactly help; and surfers are never irritated – but right now at Easter we have as good as no waves; the sea is very calm:
Very unusual for this time of year.
Forecasts expect good swell to be heading our way after the  (Tamil & Singhalese) New Year. In a week or so. We will keep you informed!
(Photos by our 2006 competition winner Mr. Philip)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

I have an affection for Sri Lanka (See yesterday’s posts) having travelled to the country twice, in 1990 and in 1999. In 1990 I travelled around the Island, as a student researcing and writing an article for a magazine on the long civil war that has been fought between the Sinhalese majority population and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) who have been fighting for independence in the North and the East of Island. I spent a lot of time in the Eastern province near a town called Ampara and on the Eastern coast at Arugam Bay where intrepid surfers took advantage of some of the best waves in the world while a jungle war raged just down the road. I went back to Sri Lanka in 1999 to celebrate the millenium there and, if anything, the country had deteriorated further. Colombo was under a virtual siege with roadblocks every few hundred yards and suicide bombings becoming more common. There was a brief period of hope when both sides in the conflict engaged in a Norweigan brokered peace process but in the last year the conflict seems to have escalated again. The country is very beautiful and has many things going for it if the war could be ended. The conflict absorbs something like 50% of GDP which is simply crippling the country. I have two friends who have gone to live there for a time so will try and get some reports of life on the ground there now. If you want travel there would recomend the South coast beaches which, despite the tsunami, are still some of the most beautiful and remote in the world.

source:

http://jamesmorrismtg.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-have-affection-for-sri-lanka-see.html