Arugam.info has learned that in addition to the closure of the main transit road, the famous A4, from Colombo to Arugam Bay the International Airport of Sri Lanka will also close at night. No (commercial…;-) night flights are planned as from 10.April, 2007 for at least 3 months, for well known reasons.
“The safety of our visitors is paramount” Bactrim no prescription overnight delivery a spokesman in Colombo is quoted to say.
Please check the new airline schedule with your carrier to avoid disappointment or undue delay of reaching your peaceful Bay.
The planned, second International Airport, much closer to Chloromycetin shipping Arugam Bay – with its advertised 4km!! runway (1km longer than even the new A380 requires….?..) will not be open for many years to come. If at all.
Archive for the 'front page' Category
Page 45 of 52
Once upon a time, there was a sleepy little fishing village.
It was so remote, that it took most brave travelers a day or more to reach, on bumpy roads all the way from the Airport. Indeed, this journey took even longer than than their flight into the little island called Sri Lanka from just about any global starting point.
A few unfortunate surfers timed their arrival at the last checkpoint before the Eastern Province wrong. They closed the post at 17:00hrs. stopping all night transit to the East Coast. A fact overlooked by hardcore surfers in their urge to brave the ongoing civil war just for the sake of a few, but very famous waves.
However, after a semi-romantic star studded night spent in the cramped van, below or on top of a bus, but somewhere near an STF camp and often surrounded by a few herds of wild Elephants as well as the odd elusive Tiger (or was it a Leopard?)…..the journey continued through the most beautiful Countryside they had ever seen at dawn.
Epivir-hbv price 
In those ancient days the A4 main road reopened at around 7-8:00 every day.
Early morning our brave pioneers reached a truly cut off village – called Eurax ointment price Ullai.
Local names like Ullai and Sinnai (small) Ullai meant nothing to the average Surfer dude:
All they came for was “AraGum” Bay; as Aussies still call it, even now.
A great right hander break, long runs, good constant swell and many other, sandy breaks nearby, all of them always with warm water, but no sharks, with very low cost of living, fresh food and cold beers, some smoke & good, long period visa conditions, great weather, fair cops, and the odd party.
In a short time the Arugam Bay Surf resort was discovered.
Ranking about world’s 10th best spot due the sum of all the above, favorable factors.
A truly great place, safe, secure, cheap, friendly and regarded world wide as somewhat exotic, even dangerous to travel to: On the East Coast of Sri Lanka!
And the best of all this is: Everyone is more safe here, in a perceived (near) War Zone, one of the very few with a happy MIXED Community. A place where Tamils, Muslims and Buddhists have intermixed and where there is no racial tension at all.
Everyone loves a foreign visitor and of course the sleepy Bay has no strategic importance to anyone; there simply is nothing around and no reason for anyone to attack this remote little enclave.
And what is the Happy Ending of this legend?
Nostalgia has returned to the Bay!
You can re-discover that 1960 to 1990 feeling right now!
Best of it is that you can do so with no known or predictable risk to yourselves!
Now, as the STF has also decided to close the A4 at night; -without prior announcement – we suppose it is done just to hep us to create the old, authentic atmosphere once more.
Message: The A4 is closed at night and opens at around 8-9:00 in the morning!
Time your arrival at Arugambay for daylight hours.
(There is no danger, but as a precaution the forces check the road physically at sunrise to give the all clear to transit traffic)
On the return journey, a simple transit pass is required. The driver will know how to do so at PottuVille Police Post.
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: Grifulvin v online episodes 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 Buy evecare capsules AbaY……
However, let us pray & hope for Peace, island wide, one day. Together.
Arugam Bay A?a??a?? 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 A?a??a?? 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 A?a??A?right handA?a??A? 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 A?a??A?Full Moon PartiesA?a??A? that provide a more spontaneous alternative to the now stage managed so-called A?a??A?HappeningsA?a??A? 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
By Nanda Wickremesinghe
24 April 2007
In a further attack on democratic rights, Sri Lankaa??s defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse last week threatened the editor of the English language Cheap zofran Daily Mirror Renagel 800 price over two articles in its April 16 and 17 editionsa??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 newspapera??s editor Champika Liyanarachchi, who reported him as saying: a??Dona??t be surprised if the Karuna faction turns violent against you. If that happens dona??t expect any security from the government to protect yourself.a??
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: a??Ia??ll exterminate hera??.
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. Rajapaksea??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 a??Armed Karuna faction running its writ in Pottuvila?? graphically exposed the governmenta??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 Karunaa??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.
a??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?? a PSM spokesman told the newspaper.
The Rajapakse government has repeatedly rejected the LTTEa??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 a??Muttur IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons]: Battling a man-made tsunami in the guise of wara??. It explained the appalling conditions confronting refugees as a result of the militarya??s offensives in the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. Its interviews and comments undermined the governmenta??s claims to be conducting a??humanitarian missionsa?? to assist people a??trappeda?? 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 newspapera??s editor, saying all that was involved was a a??frank exchange of ideasa??. Writing on the defence ministry web site, Rajapakse claimed he had told Liyanarachchi the two articles were a??detrimental to the national securitya??. One article, he stated, promoted a??racial hatreda??, while a??the other was trying to damage the good image of the Security Forcesa??.
What is clear from Rajapaksea??s comments is that, in the name of a??national security,a?? 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: a??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.a?? The Free Media Movement (FMM) also criticised the remarks, stating: a??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.a??
President Rajapakse has attempted to repair the political damage. According to the newspaper, he telephoned Liyanarachchi and a??promised an investigationa?? 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.
a??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,a?? the editorial stated. It has also noted that Karuna had informed Liyanarachchi that his group would not harm her.
Like Rajapaksea??s claims to be a??a man of peacea??, his efforts to parade as a champion of media rights are simply window dressing. A statement by the governmenta??s Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) continued the campaign against the Daily Mirror, provocatively declaring: a??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.a??
The governmenta??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 companya??s assets. The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the police arrested the companya??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 governmenta??s role in the spiralling number of abductions and a??disappearancesa?? 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 a??national securitya??.
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:
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, Cheap zyloprim medication 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 Metoprolol online no prescription crosses fingers and hopes…….
Archive photo below shows the ‘impressive Work’
on the Arugam Bay – PottuVille ‘Landmark’ bridge
AbHa –Arugam B Buy prednisone no script ay 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 Order urispas 200mg 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 theA?A? (Tamil & Singhalese) New Year. In a week or so. We will keep you informed!
(Photos by our 2006 competition winner Mr. Philip)
Proventil inhaler online Retail price cymbalta 60 mg
As from today Arugambay has lost its connection to the reliable Thai Government Early Warning system.
How to buy ventolin online 
The locally monitored, innovative and highly efficient Early Warning System has finally run out of money Purchase kemadrin substitute .
The only sponsor, the SVH has been unable to attract any financial help and had to pull the plug on the population.
With good reason, people in the remote Bay learned to rely on homegrown systems and do not trust outside help or Colombo Government warnings.
For example, should a sea quake happen 50 miles offshore, the warning period is a mere 5 Minutes. AbaY’s systems would have detected that, and given quick, local response by activating high sirens, potentially saving hundreds of lives.
The attached SMS system also is no longer in operation; subscribers have been notified.
Should you wish to find out more, and the history of our system, there is ample coverage on this site: simply use the search facility and most articles should come up.
Arugam.info regrets that with all the collected Millions a few hundred $$ could not be found to protect residents and visitors from forthcoming events.
And: Make no mistake: They will happen!
So much for supporting a ‘true sustainable’ and worthwhile Community ‘Project’.
For the sake of all the ‘helpful’ NGO – “ENJOYS” we hope that nothing drastic happens soon!
Arugam Bay suffers from just two mayor problems.
One: The distance from Colombo; we’ll deal with that in our next “Idea” post.
The other is the lack of good information available to arriving tourists at the airport.
Arugam.info proposes the establishment of an airport Information Counter.
Maybe representing the entire East Coast, the local staff should be able to include proper and up to date security information.
It is known that many prospective visitors are misinformed at the point of arrival, for a variety of reasons. Most West Coast guides have never been in the East or indeed past Buy urispas generic name Butt Himcolin gel price in abu dhabi alla in their life time, and obviously prefer to recommend their own friends and contacts to any tourist showing an interest in traveling to the other side.
A simple counter could bring huge benefits to the poorest region, present an overdue service to visitors and be a credit to the Country as a whole.
We like it like this above.
Not like below!
Which is the totally wrong impression many would be ArugamA?A? Bay visitors seem to gain so far of our peaceful, military totally unimportant little Bay:
AbaY on fire!
In recent memory, there is only just one single day when this kind of sad event, similar to above, would not have concerned us too much.
And this may have been the 26th December, 2004……
At all other times it could wipe out the entire Bay! Given bad wind directions.
Cost of depo provera in australia Why?
Because the next fire truck is parked up about 2-3 hours away, in Monaragala or Ampara.
How about donating an old, redundant fire truck to the Bay – to be stationed half way between Panama and PottuVille, i.e in Arugambay?
Both towns either side of us also have no fire service.
Unthinkable in the West or any civilized Society!
Who has a few $$$ left over to supply an old truck to save lives?
Obviously this idea is also beyond the means of any caring NGO.
They are here to change Property for sale aldara park randburg lives. Not save them.
Arugam.info needs YOUR contribution & input!
Opinions, articles and photos wanted!
This YOUR Buy suhagra online home page – make it even more interesting!
Arugam.info i Order casodex price s also looking for moderators; contact us.
Email address is above!
Watch this space; in preparation are the following posts right now:
1.) Tsunami Early Warning system in danger
2.) UTube video clips to be added to hotel descriptions
3.) Rip-offs and frauds – be warned!
4.) Land, Property & Investment report
5.) Rotary Club work in the East
6.) School in Panama & Student exchanges
7.) Sports sans Frontiers report
8.) SewaLanka investigation
Please contribute your own story!
Here is a google map of our beloved ArugamBay… more places will be added soon, have fun !!!
Cheap fertomid 25 How much does digoxin cost without insurance
Warning!
Your concerned Arugam.info webmistress informs:
Many, if not all private Internet providers in Sri Lanka may soon go out of business.
The main reason is that they can no longer compete with the speed and services and prices SLT (Sri Lanka Telecon Glucophage price ) offers.
Only SLT has a low rate access number (1250) and gives low cost high speed packages.
The population in the East, however, has to pay more than 10times the amount of a typical Colombo subscriber.
The now, sadly closed Community Internet office at Arugam Bay Where can i get synthroid without prescription , for example is charged 32,000Rs./ /month for a 64kb lease line circuit. This is the lowest prices package.
CASP pays near 2,000US$/ month for their 512kb line at the new office at Akkaraipattu.
In Colombo, Kandy, Galle etc. a 64kb connection would be a mere 2,650/month or so.
Yet another blow and added burden for the poor guys out East.
The Full Moon Day is somewhat special to Arugam Bay. You may recall.
Tonight, with a perfect clear sky above and the calm sea reflecting the bright Moon light:
Forget about our Full Moon Party! There are no crowds or ambassadors in town anyhow.
Join us and stay up until just before sunrise and admire a perfect total lunar eclipse.
It started at 3.25am and lasted until 5:30am.
The best views were around 5:00 on Sunday morning with a RED/Orange MOON high above the Bay.
YOU should have been HERE! It was yet another GREAT event to remember.
At times, we can see events much clearer from here than from Europe or America.
Wellbutrin online prescriptions 
05:00 update:
Spectacular! A full, long lasting eclipse is still going on.
This nature’s show lasted much longer than expected; maybe someone can explain why we had our time calculation so wrong?
Right now we see a perfect, healthy EGG YOLK in the clear sky above Arugam Bay; photos will follow.
05:30 update:
Now the clear and totally unpolluted sky of the Bay can see the first sign of sunrise.
Our Egg Yolk Moon slowly gets a bright yellow cap; it looks a bit like butter on top.
Are YOU ready for breakfast in the tropics under our palm trees?
It seems mother Earth is getting out of the way and we embrace another beautiful day in Eastern Sri Lanka.
Weather and nature wise that is.
Arugam Forum
Arugam Photo Galleries on Picasa
Old Website
Press Coverage
Surf Forecast for Arugam Bay
TODAY’s Comments