Monthly Archive for December, 2008

Page 2 of 2

Promoting Arugam Bay & homestays in the East

Published on 09/12/2008 in Blogs, Ideas, Money Matters, guesthouse, hotels, press coverage and the bay. 0 Comments

Sri Lanka set to develop tourism in the East 4 Hoteliers
We want a people based tourism to flourish in the East!

Sri Lanka Tourism in its attempt to develop the East, now liberated after the 22 years of war in the region has set in place a process to fast track development. Regions listed are: of Pasikudah, Arugambay,
Trincomalee, Nilaveli, Waakarai, Verugal and Kalkudah.

The appointment of the Eastern Province Tourism Development Committee was officially announced last week at a press conference held at the Ministry of Tourism under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Tourism, Faiszer Musthapha who handed over the letter of appointment to Eastern Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan as the member of the committee, to take forward the development work to empower the tourism sector of the East. Leading business persons were also appointed as members of the committee to fast track activities.

Stressing the importance of the committee, Deputy Minister said, ?We need the East, since it has lots to offer for the tourism sector and we have focused on accelerating the development of the Eastern Province within a specific time frame. East, ravaged by the war for 22 years, is now freed and we have a vision to develop the East under the guidance of Tourism Minister, Milinda Moragoda. In a similar manner we intend to work along with other provinces with the help of chief ministers in encouraging tourism development. Sri Lanka Tourism is glad to have the Chief Minister of East, working towards achieving this goal.

Secretary to the Ministry, George Michael in his address said, “We will be taking a lead role in development sharing the power and resources with all provinces and an event like the JATA Fair in Tokyo, where the Eastern Chief Minister attended, set the path to tell the country the model of sharing power and resources”.

Eastern Chief Minister said, “We are prepared to work in unity towards our future goals. Development of the East will surely improve the living condition of the people. To begin with, we will work on the development of areas like Kalkudah, Pasikudah,
Arugam Bay and Nilaveli . As we all know East is blessed with many touristic attractions and it will enable us to reestablish those areas to bring direct benefit to the community, that will make the area more attractive for international vistiors to Sri Lanka.”

Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Renton de Alwis, spoke of the need for a new approach in ensuring wider benefits to the people of the area. He said that already the concept of establishing rooms in homes in the East, a concept where homes can accommodate guests has got the nod from several donor agencies. This will be a way to develop a truly community based tourism in the east, which ideally fits the new tourism demand, where visitors seek interaction with people and want to learn of their lifestyles, he said.

Director General, Tourism Authority and Managing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau also spoke at the press briefing.

source:
 http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_nshw.php?mwi=5207

Arugam’s new pages on Facebook

Published on 09/12/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, Ideas, front page, parties, people, press coverage, surf, the bay and wild life. 1 Comment
New!
Arugam Sunrise
Arugam
Is now fully featured on Facebook.
Stay in touch with events. Watch the latest video clips and photos.
Anyone can comment and upload own content incl. video clips.
It’s good to share your experience with other friends of our famous Bay.
Soon you will be able to listen to the new ABaY Surf Anthem by Julian of Vienna.
Just one click and you will also be a fan of the Bay!
Try it!
Even Obama is an old fan of Arugam Surf!
Check it out:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Arugam-Surf/34935689893

Flood Warning from Arugam Bay

Published on 06/12/2008 in Security & Safety, press coverage and the bay. 0 Comments

Heavy rains, floods expected

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

COLOMBO: The Disaster Managegement Centre of Sri Lanka yesterday warned that spells of heavy rains could be expected in the Northern and Southern regions within the next couple of days influenced by a forming “depression” in the Bay of Bengal.

The Centre’s director Major Gen. Gamini Hettiarachchi said the Jaffna, Mulativu, Killinochchi , Vavuniya, Mannar, Batticaloe, Ampara and Trincomalee districts could experience floods if the depression forming in the low pressure areas over the Bay of Bengal intensifies.

Continuous rains and thundershowers are forecast for the region with the winds of Bay of Bengal in the Northeasterly regions influenced by the forming depression, he explained.

Hettiarachchi said, the Disaster Management Centre has taken steps the for necessary evacuation of people from areas most prone to floods in the districts by now as an emergency measure.

“People have been evacuated from several villages in the Batticaloa district as well,” he said.

Asked if the Centre had dispatched life saving boats to these areas, he said they have sent but a limited number of boats, a number enough to handle initial flood stages.

‘We have carried out the necessary drills, educated the public in villages on how they should act in an emergency. We are prepared to face any situation that could arise from floods,” he said.

The Disaster management Centre has placed its co-coordinators in the North and East to deal with the situation at its first signs, he added.

He also said , the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief, UN Agencies , UNICEF and UNCHR , will be there to assist the flood victims with food and medicine and other non-food relief items.

source:
 http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/12/05/news12.asp

PottuVille Hospital

Published on 06/12/2008 in front page. 0 Comments

Better Health Services for Sri Lankans Displaced by the Tsunami

Mercy Corpse sells its AbaY ‘Investments’

Published on 05/12/2008 in front page. 0 Comments

Abstract:

Tourism is highly vulnerable to external, non-controllable events. A natural disaster can affect the local tourism industry in numerous ways, and such events are particularly devastating for small communities whose local economy is heavily dependent on the sector. Loss of infrastructure plus negative media stories can have long-term ramifications for the destination. In spite of the economic importance of tourism, post-disaster recovery efforts in this sector are often overlooked by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which focus on more traditional livelihoods such as agriculture or fishing.
This paper describes Mercy Corps’ support of tourism recovery activities in Arugam Bay, a remote village on the east coast of Sri Lanka, following the 2004 tsunami. The local economic base is built largely on two sectors: community tourism and fishing. As many other actors were supporting recovery in the local fishing industry, Mercy Corps concentrated on revitalising the tourism sector.

Keywords: Arugam Bay; livelihood recovery; Sri Lanka; tourism; tsunami

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01058.x

Affiliations: 1: Tourism Advisor, Mercy Corps Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka 2: Director, Climate Change, Environment, and Natural Resources, Mercy Corps, Italy

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$35.34 plus tax



source:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bpl/disa/2008/00000032/00000004/art00007

Dr. Hans and HBO in Arugam Bay

Published on 04/12/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, people and press coverage. 0 Comments

Dr. Hans named Sri Lankan of the year

The Dialog Blog Reports: Dr. Hans and Dialog

indi 10:39:00 pm on December 3, 2008 | # |
Tags: , ,

By LMD. He deserves it. Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya is definitely one of the most inspiring, intelligent and sincerely good people I’ve ever met. He has a 5, 10 year vision for Dialog and Sri Lanka and it’s very ambitious and very hopeful.

Right now is a tough time both economically, and also because the company is investing in new businesses. However, the long-term vision is incredibly sound. Dialog is slowly becoming a company that delivers Mobile, Internet, TV and Fixed Line technology to Sri Lanka which, when you think about it, is pretty cool. Like, I’m in a third world country using mobile broadband, and checking my email on my phone.
Someone in Arugam Bay is watching HBO. Someone is calling their mother in the Middle East on a CDMA from somewhere fixed lines never reached. And Dr brought all that technology to Sri Lanka, and made Dialog one of the most successful businesses in the region. And respected. If you step back and think about it, it’s pretty cool.

source:
http://www.dialogblogs.com/2008/12/dr-hans-named-sri-lankan-of-the-year/

Panama Point: 17km South of Arugam Bay

Published on 02/12/2008 in From our own Correspondent, front page, press coverage, the bay and weddings. 1 Comment
A beautiful spot just south of the Bay:
Panama

Also note the fine weather. Photos taken December, 2008
In the “rainy” Season.
Panama PointPanama Point approach Road

Tribute to a real tracker & guide. Kumana is near Arugam Bay

Published on 02/12/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, people, press coverage and wild life. 0 Comments

Leopard by RukshanLeopard at OkandaLeopard at Kumana

Monday, December 1, 2008

A DEDICATION TO KUMARA BANDA OF KUMANA.

An extraordinary human being.

I dedicate this exhibition to the memory of Kumara Banda, who I first met at the beginning of 2000. He was, at the time, working as a game guard (effectively a tracker), in Yala.
My friend Ashan and I were staying in the Mahaseelawa Bungalow, and he was assigned to us for the duration of our stay.
He was quiet, and reserved, but seemed to take in everything that happened around us, as we travelled through the Park. When he realized that I had a special interest in leopards, and photographing them, he said that he would like to accompany me as often as possible on my frequent visits to the Park. Thus began the most curious love/hate relationship, that became a source of constant amusement to my friends. Two stubborn men, trying to reach a compromise on something as simple as which road to take, most often ending up at loggerheads, with neither wanting to concede victory.
Over the years, on numerous occasions, he revealed his enormous knowledge of the wilderness. He could read the forest like a book. Every animal print and call meant something to him, and had its story to tell. He could tell, if the recently flattened grass imprint was from a deer having rested, or a leopard lying up, even when there were no footprints to decipher.
He taught me how to listen to the sounds of the forest, and make sense of it all, and I improved my own field craft immeasurably, learning how to decode signs and impressions left behind by different animals, just from their body impressions.
Kumara Banda was born and bred in the ancient village of Kumana, and a kinsman of the famous tracker Menika, of the days when Yala was reserved for ‘sportsmen’. His knowledge and feel for the ways of the wild obviously ran in his blood. His instinctive knowledge of what a leopard would do was uncanny, and had to be experienced to be believed. Reading the signs that leopards left behind, and be able to age them precisely came naturally to him
Kumara Banda was once washed out to sea while cutting a breach in the Kumbukkan Oya sand bar. Given up for lost, he had managed to swim all the way back to Okanda, exhausted but very much alive. Immediately following the Tsunami of 2004, he alone among all the staff of the Dept. of Wildlife, swam in the raging sea, and the vastly expanded Palatupana lagoon, rescuing stranded survivors. In most other countries, his bravery, above and beyond the call of duty would have been rewarded by the state, but unfortunately, not in ours.
The end came quite suddenly while on duty in Maduru Oya National Park, where he was stationed since 2005, when he died of a silent heart attack.I owe Kumara Banda a deep debt of gratitude, and will always miss his unique companionship.
Rukshan

Posted by Email: rukshanjay@gmail.com
at 6:25 PM