Diaspora Tamils contributing towards tourism boom in Sri Lanka

"The views of those returned are mixed. Some are aghast, and said ‘nothing like the mother land!’ Some had undergone bad experience with the paramilitary groups and some Sinhala tourist from the south. Everyone says army is everywhere with the guns."

(October 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Large influx of Diaspora Tamils post defeat of the LTTE is contributing towards tourism boom in Sri Lanka.

The Diaspora Tamils are visiting Sri Lanka for various reasons. Some are visiting to see their kith and kin and some to deal with their property matters.

The Hindu temples festival season also has attracted large numbers of Tamils to the north. The infamous Nallur annual festival has attracted thousands who were longing to attend the festival since they departed from the island some years ago.

The influx is similar to the one post the peace agreement with the LTTE in 2002.

Many of those visiting the north also have undertaken tours in the south.

The views of those returned are mixed. Some are aghast, and said ‘nothing like the mother land!’ Some had undergone bad experience with the paramilitary groups and some Sinhala tourist from the south. Everyone says army is everywhere with the guns. So far there is some semblance of normalcy, but they are worried of the guns of the army if there is a violent act by disgruntled chaps.

A mother who went to Jaffna with her two sons who were born in the UK told, her experience in some instances was worrying. When she went to the Maviddapuram temple, she feared something may happen to her sons. The army standing outside the temple and those inside gave strange looks at my sons. ‘Of course my children were dressed strangely with their hair westernised with studs in the ears. She quickly left the temple. She also had gone to Keerimalai and was upset that road names and direction in the area were only in Tamil. She had experienced a rowdy scene with the Sinalsese visitors.

Another coupe who went to Jaffna after nineteen years to see their parents encountered a nasty experience when balaclava wearing paramilitary group men entered their parent’s house, threatened and intimidated the occupiers to handover a youngster who was not living there. When the men realised they had come to the wrong house they apologised and went to the neighbour’s house, where they had snatched a youngster and hand taken him away in a motor bike. The couple since leaving Sri Lanka seems traumatised and said ‘We will never or ever would go back to Sri Lanka’.