Vice on the rise in Unawatuna

Friday, 19 September 2014 01:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Text and pix by P.D. De Silva

Tourists, hoteliers and residents claim that incidents of mugging, peddling of narcotics and touting are

seeing a sharp increase along Unawatuna Beach. Most of these incidents are not officially unreported but are instead shared informally by victims. The claims pose a risk to tourism in the area, which is known for its rich corral life and biodiversity as well as being a safe bathing spot which attracts thousands of visitors each year. Unawatuna is also commonly believed to be the site where the deity Devol Deviyo first set foot in Sri Lanka. Due to this fact, hundreds of pilgrims travel there daily to pay homage to the deity at the Welle Devalya. Additionally, the annual Esala pageant adds to the volume of religious visitors by drawing thousands of pilgrims. Many tourists say that the many touts and drug peddlers present along the beach are a huge nuisance to them. One tourist having his dinner at a popular beach restaurant complained that a drug-pusher bothered him on more than ten instances on a single night and finally walked off with his pack of cigarettes. The proprietor of the restaurant confirmed the incident and said that a proper police post was needed at Unawatuna. “Such incidents are bad publicity for the tourist trade on the whole and especially for Unawatuna,” he said. “There is a police post at Unawatuna but it is only operational during the “Welle

Devalaya” pageant. The police should patrol the area more frequently,” a resident revealed.