A Double Edged Sword

By Raisa Wickrematunge in Mirissa

Mirissa is a town just beginning to benefit from the tourist boom following the end of the war. Offering calm, relatively unspoiled beaches, not to mention dolphin and whale watching, foreign tourists dot the beach at Mirissa Bay. The slow trickle of tourists brings the possibility of a lucrative source of income. However, conflict has sprung up between hoteliers in the bay and locals in the area who are trying to make a living.
Sunimal is the manager at Giragala Village, a hotel strategically located on the bay. Its website claims that it boasts the ‘finest unobstructed view of the entire bay.’ Unfortunately, Sunimal says this no longer holds true. Unauthorised constructions have been made on Mirissa beach, marring its air of untouched beauty, and spoiling the view, he said. What’s more, Sunimal said that the people there sold alcohol without permits. He claimed that some even sold drugs on the sly. “It’s bad for tourism. It gives a bad image of the country,” Sunimal said.
Nissanka, the owner of Giragala chimed in to agree with Sunimal. “They have no water. They use generators for electricity,” he said, speaking of the insanitary conditions. He added that they had appealed to the authorities, to no avail. “No one, not even the Health Department, seems to care,” he complained. He added “What they are doing is completely illegal.”
A few steps to the left of Giragala Village is an unassuming wooden hut. A few beach boys are sitting around one of the wooden tables. On a shelf stand bottles of vodka and rum, prominently displayed. Kasun, the apparent head of this group, said this bar was a collective enterprise. He admitted that they had no permission to set up in that particular spot. Neither did they have a liquor license. Kasun said that around this time of year, tourists flocked to Mirissa to go whale watching. “We offer food and we run a bar here too,” he said. Kasun explained that they were simply trying to earn an income during the season. However, he said that they did have problems with the Coast Guard, who were not happy with them squatting on the land.
Further down the beach, a woman running a clothes shop said that she could only sell her wares during the tourist season. “The rest of the time the clothes are just at home. I can’t dispose of them,” she said. She explained that this was because the colourful beach wear she sold was only attractive to foreign customers. This could have been due to the price — some of the beach shorts sold for as much as Rs. 1200. She too said that she had had issues with the Coast Guard, as she presumably did not have a permit to set up shop on the beach. The occupants of other huts were more reluctant to talk, claiming that ‘the owner’ was not in.
Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Member, Susantha Jayalath spoke to The Sunday Leader on the issue. “There are lots of places like these. Many don’t have a liquor permit,” he confirmed. However he said he had not heard of any places selling drugs. He said that for around six months of the year tourists would visit the town of Mirissa. “When they come, they often want to have bottles of beer. These people too need to make a living,” he said of the local beach boys.
It is a double edged sword. Once areas become more frequented by tourists, shops spring up. Unfortunately their activities are often illegal, and they cheerfully acknowledge this fact. Hoteliers lose out on the unspoiled views. The idea of tourists visiting a completely secluded area is somewhat shattered by the huts dotting the beach. On the other hand, these people are simply trying to make a little additional income. The question is why they feel they cannot rely on the system to get the necessary permits. As evidenced by Jayalath’s statement, it appears that the government will not be taking any action to stop the illegal construction. And there the matter stands.