Govt bulldozing small beachfront resorts in Unawatuna: Report

Hoteliers and human rights groups have accused the Sri Lankan government of bulldozing dozens of occupied, independent guesthouses – putting livelihoods at risk – to make way for new holiday resorts, a media report said.

According to UK’S The Telegraph newspaper, last month, about 40 properties on the beachfront in Unawatuna were left in disrepair after being earmarked for removal by the country’s Coast Conservation Department (CCD).

According to the CCD, the buildings were illegally encroaching upon the beach, under a 1981 conservation law, the media report said.

“The majority of the hotels were only partially destroyed, with a number of sea-facing restaurants razed, but the financial implications are expected to be considerable, and there are concerns that further development could follow.”

The Tartaruga guesthouse, which was fully occupied when the bulldozers arrived, had its bar and restaurant demolished. Neil Pryantha, the owner said that although a warning was given by the CCD, no deadline was imposed and no compensation offered. “I still don’t understand why they demolished my place,” he said. “Other hotels the same distance from the sea have been left standing.” He estimated that the destruction could cost him £50,000.

Other hoteliers claimed the incident was a ploy to push tourists into larger resort hotels – a claim supported by human rights groups, but denied by the Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry. Last September, dozens of hotels on the beachfront in Arugam Bay, a surfers’ haven on Sri Lanka’s east coast, were bulldozed in a similar incident.

Criticism of the government’s strategy for developing the island’s tourism infrastructure has grown since the end of the civil war in 2009. Visitor numbers have soared since then, with much of the island only now safe to foreign visitors.

A spokesman for Sri Lanka Tourism was quoted as saying that no hotels in Unawatuna were completely demolished and denied that any applications for new hotels had been received. “The government has a policy for development of tourism as it is an industry which can provide quick economic benefits. All work is done in accordance with existing regulations.”

“Sri Lanka is one of those countries where there are strict environmental regulations for all kinds of development. As a result, several hotel projects have been rejected due to environmental concerns. People in those areas where development has taken place now have an opportunity to make a livelihood from tourism.”