Arugam Bay Information

Producer Marijke van der Meer was holidaying in Sri Lanka when disaster struck in December 2004. Her personal report from one of the country’s devastated towns told of the harrowing situation there and the desperate need for aid.

Award winning (Re-) Broadcast on 1st March, 2010
In the southeastern Sri Lankan coastal town of Pottovil – a town with an ethnic mix of Singhalese and Tamils, Muslims and Buddhists – a golden statue of Buddha stares serenely over Arugam Bay. The bay was a Mecca for surfers, who stayed in guesthouses with names such as Chill Space Surf, Hideaway, Aloha and even the Tsunami Beach Hotel. The statue of Buddha is one of the few fully intact constructions in this demolished town where a thick layer of muddy dirt covers the ground.

Destruction and death

Arugam Bay after Tsunami 2004

Soldiers look on as bulldozers shove aside trees and bricks from destroyed dwellings. The bodies of some 1,000 people – killed within a few seconds of the tsunami – have been recovered. But there are many others missing and many families who have no roofs over their heads and are in so-called ‘collection centres’.

The medical situation is critical in this isolated district, where several people are saying that they feel neglected by the authorities because Continue reading ‘Classic Dox – Adrift in Sri Lanka On air: 5 February 2010 13:20 – 1 March 2010 13:20′

The nineth in a series entitled ‘Scribblings from the Surf’ for Devon Life. To read the article see the text below or click to enlarge the pictures of the original article below that. To see the whole series, click here.

SURFERS SAVING THE WORLD

Barrister and writer Tim Kevan meets two surfers helping to save the world.

Many people might have the impression of the standard surfer as a flaky, spaced out Californian dude who doesn’t actually get much done other than stare out to sea and catch the odd wave. But that image couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to those who surf the English waters since you’ve got to have just a modicum of fortitude just to paddle out in freezing mid-Winter swell. Such strength of character also comes through in the activities that many surfers get up to out of the water as well. Two such surfers who are inspiring others are aid worker Tim Tanton and environmentalist Mikey Corker.

Paddle4Relief UK

Tim Tanton: The Aid Worker
When the terrible tsunami hit on Boxing Day 2004 the world mourned. But for Braunton’s Tim Tanton who had been surfing in Sri Lanka since the mid-1990s the tragedy was closer to home as he had friends out there who lost family members, homes and businesses. He visited three times in the following year in an effort to help the local community next to one of the area’s famous surf spots of Arugam Bay. During the same year Tim and local paramedic and surfer Paul Martin conceived the idea of Paddle4Relief (www.paddle4relief.co.uk), a fundraising body which would provide a bridge between English surfers wanting to help in some way and the disaster’s victims. Continue reading ‘‘Scribblings from the Surf’ – : Surfers Saving the World’

A new project is under construction near PottuVille Point.

PottuVille Point is being developed

It seems that a new hotel/restaurant is being build on this beautiful coconut estate.
Overlooking the Indian Ocean, facing the Bay of Arugam.
According to local contractors and workers, #01 Stardust owners are branching out to this new location. Other say, an English family are behind this development.
Great spot! Where else on this island could such a fine, unspoiled location be found?

During long weekends, Arugam Bay attracts many local tourists. Day Trippers, who have never been on the East Coast before.

Paddle4Relief update, published 19thJanuary, 2010:

UK Fund Raising Group

The surfers of Arugam Bay, members of the Arugam Bay Surf Club, have managed to fund a project where they took the initiative and made and erected signs for their beach. Since the end of the civil war, back in May 2009, the beach in Arugam Bay has seen countless more visitors, and with it, rubbish!

AbaY Surf Club members & Paddle4Relief erected four signs on Arugam Bay beach

The young surfers are very much aware of the importance of protecting their natural playground. The sea and beach is not just a playground though, its a way of life, its where they fish to earn the money to support their families.
So with the help of travelling surfers and Paddle4Relief, the boys raised enough money to purchase materials to make four signs. The local surfers were concerned Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay Beach Litter signs!’

Steve Lendmann looks at Haiti, Arugam Bay and various backgrounds.
His personal view.

Steve Lendman's Blog and views

…… For the moment, their focus is Haiti, ripe for plunder, like the second tsunami that hit coastal Sri Lankans. The December 2004 one took 250,000 lives and left 2.5 million homeless throughout the region. Klein explained the aftermath at Arugam Bay, “a fishing and faded resort village” on Sri Lanka’s east coast that was showcased to “build back better.” Not for villagers, for developers, hoteliers, and other business interests to exploit. After the disaster, they had a blank slate for what the tourist industry long wanted – “a pristine beach (on prime real estate), scrubbed clean of all the messy signs of people working, a vacation Eden. It was the same up and down the coast once rubble was cleared….paradise” given the profit potential……

Disaster Capitalism Headed to Haiti – by Stephen Lendman

In her book, “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” Naomi Klein explores the myth of free market democracy, explaining how Continue reading ‘Haiti, Arugambay Thoughts’

Saturday, January 16, 2010

ARUGAM BAY- SRI LANKA

Arugam Bay is located 220 km due East of Colombo. It is a popular surfing and tourist destination in Sri Lanka. I’ve been to Arugam Bay before in its tourist season and it’s an absolute beauty. The waves the wind and everything was so perfect. However in the raining season it’s not the case; you cannot even go out because of the rain. In the raining season it’s very hard to find a day without any rain. Thanks to a weather forecasting website I was able to find a day without any rain. It was June 2009 nearly four and a half years after Sri Lanka was hit by the Tsunami in 2004, and surprisingly Arugam Bay is one of the very first coasts to get hit by the Tsunami in Sri Lanka.This time I visited the place to see how it progress after Tsunami.

Many of the buildings were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. The post Tsunami recovery has by and large been very quick despite the remoteness of the area. Many NGO’s and private organisations have help rebuild the area and some of the guest houses are now much better than before the wave. Both north and south of Arugam Bay there are undoubtedly some of the most beautiful beaches in the whole of Sri Lanka.Due to its popularity among tourists they are managed a slow recovery by private initiatives only.

The main beach is Clean now, it was bit dirty as it is used as a garbage dump by some Continue reading ‘The Young hoteliers. Arugam.info’

New Year's fire at Arugam Bay beach

Arugam Bay New Year’s celebrations were peaceful, quiet and romantic.
However, residents and visitors were shaken by a totally unexpected fireworks display late on New Year’s day.
The fire started in some fishing huts in the middle of the Bay.
The popular “#38 Cafe del Mar” next door was engulfed soon and the blaze looked like Continue reading ‘New Year’s Blast at Arugambay’

Promo file photo

(Colombo Lankapuvath December 03) –Arugambay Travels and Tours (Pvt) Ltd have opened a new office at a prime location in the heart of Colombo’s commercial area yesterday (02). Since the operations started in 2004 the company was involved in promoting Tourism to the East which is the prime intention.

Although the plans were delayed due to the situation of the country during the past few years now they are pleased to have been able pursue with the targets.

They are fully geared to serve from the new location at Deal Place Colombo 03. May it be local or foreign tourists; Arugambay will serve all of them with more emphasis on introducing new and exotic locations to visitors.  Continue reading ‘Arugambay Travels and Tours in Colombo’

Daily Mirror Business News

The new office of Arugambay Travels and Tour was declared open on Wednesday by Minister of Tourism Promotion Faiszer Musthapha  at No. 20,Deal Place, Colombo 3.Deputy Minister of Higher Education Minister M.M. Musthoha Advisor to the President A.H.M.Aswer, Secretary Ministry of Tourism Promotion George Michael, President Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sri Lanka Kosala Wickramanayake, Partner Arugambay Travels and Tours and Arugambay Travels Hotels Mark John Scannell, Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Bernard Goonetilleke and members of the business community were present at the inauguration. Continue reading ‘ARUGAMBAY’s NEW OFFICE’

Paddle 4 relief fundraisers

visited Pottuvil Temples, worked on School Book Project, went fishing and ate Banana Rice Pudding!
source:

http://www.paddle4relief.co.uk/blog/index.php/2009/11/visited-pottuvil-temples-work/

……Fonseka said government and industry should promote focused events such as surfing contests in Arugam Bay…….

Lanka Business online

Nov 17, 2009 (LBO) – Post-war Sri Lanka has an opportunity to generate employment quickly by developing tourism to ensure employment for youth especially in conflict-affected areas, a new report said. Continue reading ‘Tourism Prospects’

…….The project’s initial tranche of work focussed on forests, finding that the ongoing loss of forest comes with an annual pricetag of US $2-5 trillion, dwarfing the banking crisis.

The new analysis takes the economists to the undersea realms of fisheries and coral reefs…………

Societies gain financially from leaving forests intact rather than clearing them

Money invested in protecting nature can bring huge financial returns, according to a major investigation into the costs and benefits of the natural world.

It says money ploughed into protecting wetlands, coral reefs and forests can bring a hundredfold return on capital.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study (Teeb) is Continue reading ‘Big profit from nature protection’

CID detectives said they were investigating an incident where two Sri Lankans had allegedly cheated a British citizen Steven James Klive of pounds sterling 253,586.62 on the promise they would provide him land from several parts of Sri Lanka.

...& Two faced people

In his complaint to police, Mr. Klive said he had remitted the money to a private bank between July 31 and December 31, 2004.

He said the suspects had promised to get him 50 acres from the Arugambay area in the Eastern Province, nine acres from Kandy and one acre from Tangalle.

LS

source:

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=67756

Rattle and roll on the Lanka Challenge tuk-tuk race

What do you get when you put 70 foreigners in charge of 25 tuk-tuks? Charles Starmer-Smith finds out as he leads Team Telegraph on a wild and wonderful 10-day ride across a devastated land that’s slowly regaining its tourism feet – and its winning smile.

Night had well and truly set in by the time we reached the village of Dambana, 150 miles east of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. With just a single flickering beam from our tuk-tuk – a motorised rickshaw – to guide us, we could barely make out the potholed road ahead. But for a few gaslights hanging from the corrugated shacks clustered along the forest edge, the village was cloaked in darkness. People appeared to lurch forward out of the gloom, their faces momentarily illuminated but their shouts drowned by the whine of the engine. My two team-mates had fallen silent in the back as my grip tightened on the wheel. We were lost. Continue reading ‘UK Tuk-Tuk Tours’