Special Assignment

23rd May 1998

Mafia killing golden beaches

Big tour operators to pull out

By Frederica Jansz

Mafia killing golden beaches

The first blow stunned Neil Brohier, resident manager of a southern hotel. Before he could realise what was happening, he suffered more blows, one of them being with a blunt object. It was a case of one man being attacked by four. Mr. Brohier was soon lying on the beach, bruised and bleeding as his attackers now verbally assaulted him.

They told him he was being attacked for "giving a tip-off" to the Kalutara police and spoiling their business with the 'suddhas.' Mr. Brohier was so badly hurt he could not even utter a denial.

Kalutara police had the day before this incident raided some of the restaurants run by local youths on a tip off that they were selling illicit liquor. These places The Sunday Times was told, entice foreigners by selling liquor and other items at about half the price at nearby tourist hotels.

Mr. Brohier who has been a hotel manager for the past nine years was not immune to the tension that existed between hoteliers and the dreaded 'Beach Mafia.'

He was walking on the beach as usual soon after dawn, when he was attacked. Watching the sunrise, Mr. Brohier strolled leisurely listening to the soothing sounds of the surf lapping the sand, as his feet made deep indentures in the wet soil. He had little on his mind except the day's work which revolved around satisfying a foreign clientele who were out in Sri Lanka to enjoy the sun, sea and sand.

Having given the beach touts a wide berth, Mr. Brohier and his staff however had warned foreign clients against consorting and mixing with these unruly elements.

The vicious attack on him lent a whole new dimension to the menace of the beach thugs.

A Sunday Times investigation reveals that on Sri Lanka's southern beaches a network of beach thugs, consisting of more than 1000 local youth, operates in true mafia style, carrying out assaults, rapes, extortions, and the illegal sale of liquor and drugs.

An equally stunning admission came from Deputy Inspector General H.M.G.B. Kotakadeniya, and Kalutara's Senior Superintendent Lionel Caldera who said the police were helpless in some instances as many of these "local thugs" had political protection. SSP Caldera said that in many instances what was done to smash the racket was undone by politicians.

None of the hotels down south own a private beach. Hoteliers complain that it is a virtually impossible task to rid the area of thugs, haunting the sand watching for lucrative, easy bait. Similar to vultures waiting to scrounge, this menace is out on the sands by about 8 a.m. daily, watching for unsuspecting foreigners.

French, German, Austrian and Swiss authorities have already advised their citizens travelling to Sri Lanka on holiday tours to beware of the beach mafia.

Recently, beach thugs and hotel drivers got into a fight over handling foreign clients. Two vehicles were burnt in the clash while the drivers of two tourist cars were stabbed at a hotel in Wadduwa.

We visited some of the southern hotels and were told by resident managers that harassment of hotel staff and tourists by the beach mafia was a regular if not daily occurrence. Some managers were apparently afraid even to speak to us while others wanted the cover of anonymity for themselves and the hotels.

In one case, we found that a hotel at Wadduwa had compromised with the thugs to the extent of allowing them run a taxi service from the main gate of the hotel. This was after the hotel signboards were smashed by angry beach thugs who even went so far as to threaten hotel security, when they felt their sideline businesses was under threat. The general manager of this hotel said he was forced to reach a compromise to protect his staff and hotel premises.

Somak Holidays, a travel agency in Middlesex, Britain, has sent a letter to a southern hotel, saying that many of the clientele were harassed by 'local youth.' In one incident, English women taking a sea bath were surrounded by four local youth, who tried to take their bikini bottoms off and sexually assault them.

The saga is never ending. The bigger picture of this vicious scenario works methodically, promoting sex, gambling and other vices. In one case two Britons, who came here on holiday and stayed at a leading hotel in Wadduwa were later nabbed on a porn charge. On their return to London, Customs officials there found in their possession a video film which showed them playing on the beach in the nude along with a number of young Sri Lankan boys also naked.

This incident prompted the international police INTERPOL to ask Sri Lankan police to probe possible sexual abuse of local children in the Wadduwa area.

A foreign tourist told The Sunday Times he had been offered a variety of 'badu' by beach boys — ranging from humans to drugs. He laughed as he acknowledged what was available on the southern beaches of Sri Lanka indeed proved that variety including the perverted type was 'the spice of life.' The experience is similar to taking a drug, he said, "exhilarating with devastating after effects."

As the beach mafia extends its tentacles across the southern beaches, a presidential task force appointed to recommend ways of providing more security to tourists does not appear to have made much progress. DIG Kotakadeniya who co-ordinated with this task force said the beach mafia menace was so serious that hotels down south had erected fences between the beach and the hotel.

He said that many tourists no longer sun bathe on the beach as they were regularly harassed by local youth.

The DIG said that another problem in fighting this menace was political protection for the criminals. He said in one instance a well known politico in Beruwela had openly interfered and assured the beach boys he would protect them.

He said such offences were punishable under the penal code. But the politician had boasted that he could over-ride such laws and the police. According to him, three or four gang leaders control some 1000 beach boys, including schoolboys in Beruwela — a well known tourist resort centre with some 1200 rooms.

DIG Kotakadeniya said they were now seeking help directly from President Chandrika Kumaratunga to tackle this crime wave which had gone out of control and was ruining Sri Lanka's image as a country of golden beaches.

He said the beach mafia was known to offer tours, meals, gems, liquor, and drugs among other items. There have also been cases of assault and rape of foreign women.

While the police say they are helpless, one Wadduwa hotel manager hit out at them. He said the hoteliers could not depend on the police and there were allegations that some corrupt policemen were themselves patrons of the beach mafia, visiting even restaurants and bars run by them.

He said police were making no real effort to stop the harassment and extortion of money from tourists while politicians were also offering protection to the beach mafia. The politicians tend to see the vices also as job opportunities and every job could mean a large number of votes.

A week ago, a beach thug heavily under the influence of liquor beat up a security guard at a hotel in Wadduwa. An entry made at the Wadduwa police brought no results. Hotel managers say some local policemen collude with the beach thugs and are suspected to incite unruly behaviour.

A recommendation by the Presidential Task Force for the hotels to pay Rs. 200 for two policemen for a shift of four hours at each hotel, has not proved effective.

Walking by the fences erected by hotels to guard their premises, the beach boys not only lure and offer guided tours to foreigners but also taunt local staff working in the hotel.

An official of the Sinbad Hotel at Kalutara reported that an animator who conducted exercise classes for foreign tourists was threatened by beach thugs.

In another bid to counter the beach mafia, some hotels are offering an all inclusive package to tourists. The deal provides every thing so that the tourists need not leave the hotel for any kind of food or drink he or she might want. This is known to have hit the beach mafia and tension has risen as a result of this.

Many of the plush hotels down south are surrounded, by fishing villages. Some of the local families in the area claimed that fishermen have now got used to 'big dollar money' and they are unwilling to go back to their traditional fishing.

By way of a solution, a resident manager of a Beruwela hotel proposed if the country has any real interest in promoting tourism then some beach areas must be declared private to restore Sri Lanka's image as a beach paradise for tourists.

Big tour operators to pull out

Foreign tour operators are threatening to pull out of Sri Lanka because of the increasing danger from the beach mafia, a top hotelier warned.

Prema Cooray, head of the Hoteliers' Association and member of the Presidential Task Force, said the danger had grown to the magnitude of a mafia operation politicized at local council level.

Citing one case, Mr. Cooray said that Neptune Hotel at Beruwela had taken tough steps to keep beach thugs away because of complaints by tourists. But the chief thug, however, refused to budge and kept on harassing the tourists. As tension mounted, a well known local politician intervened not to settle the dispute but to support the thug. He even erected a tent and told the thug to stay on.

According to Mr. Cooray, the areas worst hit by this menace are Kalutara, Beruwela and Hikkaduwa.

He revealed that at the height of the tourist season more than one thousand beach thugs were known to be operating on the Beruwela beach alone.

He said some hotels were compelled to put up fences to keep the thugs away but this proved to be negative for the tourists who came here to enjoy unrestricted access to the beach.

Mr. Cooray said some members of this mafia network had become very rich on money extorted from tourists. Some of the main thugs even clothe themselves in decent garb, speaking several foreign languages and looking like trained tour guides.

He said that beside foreign tour operators, the German Ambassador also had warned that tourism might be affected if tough steps were not taken to check the beach mafia.

He said the Presidential Task Force was making several proposals and he hoped President Kumaratunga would implement them urgently.

He said they were proposing resort status for beach hotels to prevent outsiders from entering them or harassing tourists, while tourist police would maintain a regular vigilance.

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