Mon, Aug 31, 2009, 08:38 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Aug 31, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights will be testing the pre-tsunami danger warning tower system Tuesday, September 1st.

The government has recently installed fifty Tsunami Towers through out the country.

S.L. Government Tsunami Warning Tower situated on a hill overlooking Arugam Bay

The Towers are expected to provide early warning messages to coastal communities who are vulnerable to tsunamis.

Several sirens are fixed at the towers and warnings will be issued once information of a tsunami threat has been received. Danger warning messages will be issued in several languages and a danger warning alarm will also be sounded soon after receiving the tsunami alert.

The warning towers are incorporated into the national tsunami warning system and work in conjunction with existing infrastructure operated by the Disaster Management Center (DMC) in Colombo and the Department of Meteorology.

According to the Ministry, the testing of the pre-tsunami danger warning towers in the Kalutara district will be conducted from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.

The testing of towers in the districts of the Colombo, Gampaha, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Hambantota, Matara and Galle will take place on the 19th.

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_091/Aug1251731334CH.html

At the 4 th time this season and the wind looks good in Arugam Bay! Even if Windguru is wrong, at least we will have some nice waves to surf on. Either way, the long weekend is set to be a blast! You’d probably see us if you are there – come say hi! Perhaps you can have a go kitesurfing – not, haha.

September '09: A Stormy long weekend?

Next week is Poya – a very Looooong weekend.
It’s the Height of this year’s season!
Arugam.info has been flooded with requests.
When will the next FMP at Arugam Bay take place?
Where and when is it going to be?
Will there be live music and entertainers?

Arugam's traditional Full Moon Party

Frankly, we don’t know what we can do, say or answer! Continue reading ‘A Dead End: Arugam Bay’

Sri Lanka – Arugam Bay

Dear Moll diary,

As mr Bodyboard and I sat at the aptly named ‘Riptide’ restaurant ( Non molls – Riptide is a magazine, Cosmo for body boarders) which is on the main street of Arugam Bay (note – I use the term ‘main street’ loosely, it’s a red, dusty, dirt road with less than 20 shops and the occasional goat) I had an epiphany. Molls are the ideal journalists for the surfing world. We travel to distant & inaccessible locations to observe and discuss the surfing culture (and maybe get a little reading/sunbaking in, it can’t be all work!! We are not machines damn it!!) and as non-participators we are objective observers, able to distance ourselves and report back without bias.

Riptide Restaurant Arugam Bay

I don’t know why the surfing press hasn’t realized all of this. Continue reading ‘Diary of a Surfer Moll’

Tucked away on the South Eastern coast of Sri Lanka – about 300 kms. from Colombo, is the lazy little fishing village of Arugambay – richly endowed with a beautiful stretch of ocean and vast expanses of deserted beach. For many years a popular sea side holiday resort for local travellers, Arugambay has grown in the last twenty years, into a big attraction for lovers of the surf, who coverage on it in numbers from different parts of the world, to indulge in their favourite hobby of surfing and enjoy the bonus of a cheap, easy going, hassle-free lifestyle, among friendly Sri Lankan people.
Arugambay is unique, in that it enjoys the distinct advantage of being unaffected by the ravages of two monsoons which hit the Island each year from opposite directions – the South West and North East. A phenomenon which makes Arugambay a “year round” destination with excellent weather and ideal conditions for a nice, relaxed holiday away from it all.

Another rare phenomenon which sets Arugambay apart from other tourist destination is that, despite its popularity among visitors it managed to retain its natural beauty, charm, simplicity and above all, a tranquil atmosphere which makes it an ‘unspoilt’ holiday resort, offering low budget trailers a perfect ‘getaway’.

Away from the sea and sands, Arugambay has a wealth of magnificent inland landscapes for the nature lover, a sleepy lagoon which comes alive with an abundance of indigenous and migratory bird life in the European winter, plus the remains of an ancient heritage in the form of temples and monasteries. Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife sanctuary the Yala National Park and one of the most venerated Hindu shrines in the country – Kataragama, are also easily accessible from Arugambay.

Accommodation is as modest as the village itself, with very basic facilities available in several small hotels or guest houses which continue to provide unpretentious ‘homely’ accommodation, with no such luxuries as air conditioning, for instance. However, there are also a few hotels which are star class and provide up to date luxuries/facilities.

	source: http://madhu-styles.blogspot.com/2009/08/arugambay.html

PADDLE4Relief holds another fundraising gig at The Aggi, Braunton.

Paddle4Relief Circle

The night will feature headline band The Artists fronted by the charismatic Pascal on lead guitar and vocals; covers and originals from five-piece Tied Lose; a set from 19-year-old singer songwriter Jim Heard as Ashbeck Goes Acoustic; and the acoustic Americana sounds of Douglas E Powell.

Braunton charity Paddle4Relief is helping to rebuild tsunami affected areas of Sri Lanka. The charity, founded by Tim Tanton, was formed shortly after the 2004 Asian tsunami, and works in the Arugam Bay area of Sri Lanka. Founder, Tim Tanton is heading back to Sri Lanka in September, for three months, to complete a number of projects before the East Coast Monsoon Season hits. This gig will help raise funds for further well projects.

Donation on the door: £3.50.
The Aggi, Braunton

www.paddle4relief.co.uk

Angry Elephant. (Unknown file photo)

The three Brave (?) Boys and the Elephants

Dear Arugam Bay residents, surfers and visitors,

On August 11th, 2009, at 01:55 AM local time (August 10th, 2009, at 07:55 PM UTC) an earthquake occurred near the Andaman Islands, with a magnitude Mw 7.6 in a depth of about 33 kilometres. Because of the earthquake magnitude and the relatively shallow location of the epicentre, there was a concrete danger of a destructive tsunami.
(With a possible severe impact on Arugam Bay, directly opposite)
Therefore, the subscribers of the Tsunami Alarm System (…like arugam.info…) were informed of the event immediately after the earthquake. After approximately two hours, additional data and information was available, indicating that there was no danger of a destructive tsunami. Continue reading ‘Q: When (not ‘If’) will the next Tsu hit Arugambay?’

Bank of Ceylon limits ATM transactions in PottuVille to 20K Rs./

Automatic Teller Machine @ BoC PottuVille

Bank of Ceylon opened the refurbished PottuVille branch this morning
Good news for the nearby resort of Arugam Bay!
The first ever ATM machine in the South East! Better still:

It even seems to be working!

More photos from the opening ceremony and same same afternoon, see below:

related articles:
Uptown Top Banking. The Bank of Ceylon’s old, original BoC branch in PottuVille
Take a look at the old, historic ledger photos:

http://www.arugam.info/2006/11/18/uptown-top-banking/

Did YOU know?
The Bank of Ceylon actually HAD one Branch at Arugam Bay. Until 2004. When they simply ‘checked out’ without paying for outstanding rent and damages. Tsunami affected reported at the time, Asian Tribune etc. carried the story:

http://www.arugam.info/2007/05/14/no-more-abay-bank/

British High Commission Colombo

Following the UK’s decision to remove advice against travel to Yala, Arugam Bay and Trincomalee in early July the British High Commissioner with his family visited Yala National Park in the East (block 1) to observe the wild elephants and leopards.

“We no longer discourage British holidaymakers from enjoying leopard-spotting at Yala National Park, surfing at Arugam Bay or admiring Trincomalee harbour, one of the world’s deepest natural ports. We’ve taken this decision based on our assessment of the improving security situation in these parts of Sri Lanka,” said the British High Commissioner, Dr Peter Hayes commenting on Travel Advice to Sri Lanka, in the British High Commission website.

There is increased interest in Tourism in Sri Lanka following the end of the armed conflict with the LTTE in May this year. The UK is among several countries that have reviewed and relaxed Travel Advisories, continuing their citizens from travelling to Sri Lanka since the improvement of the security situation.

source & feed back:

priu@presidentsoffice.lk

Not our new web cam, but this is what AbaY beach looks like today:

2nd August 2009, 13:00hrs.

The British Government has issued a new travel advice to British nationals visiting Sri Lanka. It advices British on increased anti-Western (particularly anti-British) rhetoric in Sri Lanka due to the upsurge of Sinhala extremism. The travel advice said: “The end of the military conflict has seen an upsurge of nationalism in Sri Lanka.

As a result,anti-Western (particularly anti-British) rhetoric has increased, including from senior Government figures. This has led to violent protests against the British High Commission and other diplomatic premises.”

The summary of travel advice: Continue reading ‘BFO: We do not advise against travel to Arugam Bay’