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Disgusting discriminatory practices at Lanka’s apartheid hotels
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Mirissa: The picture says it all. Pic by Dilantha Dissanayake
A growing and worrying trend seen at restaurants and hotels along the south coast is causing concern among Sri Lankan visitors.
Segregation of visitors on the basis of foreign tourists and locals is real and apparent. Restaurants refuse to serve locals while hotels refuse to take bookings from locals.
If you look South Asian and walk into Central Beach Inn on Mirissa beach, you are likely to be asked, “Where are you from? Are you Sri Lankan?” If you say “yes” they will refuse to show you the menu.
If you then ask why, they will tell you, “It is because we have had unruly locals stay previously.” The staff would say that it is not their doing but their employer’s decision.
Some hotels and restaurants have even placed “foreigners only” signs in front of toilets while others have openly displayed their apartheid message on the name board, as seen at Ram’s Surfing Beach.
Tourists claim to have seen flyers advertising parties exclusively for foreigners during the Poya weekend.
The trend is so disturbing and disgusting that it is sure to make every Sri Lankan who experiences the taste of discrimination at these hotels and restaurants a Rosa Park, who in 1955 triggered a civic rights campaign throughout America after she was thrown out of a bus because of her skin colour.
In an anonymous comment on the Trip Advisor travel website, a Sri Lankan born man, married to a Caucasian Australian woman and living in Australia, spoke about the disgusting experience he underwent
He said he went to Central Beach Inn and ordered coffee for him and his in-laws. When he asked for the menu he was told “we do not serve the locals”. But they said they could serve coffee to his white-skinned Australian in-laws.
Central Beach Inn: Where they will serve foreigners but not locals
During our visit to down south to verify the complaints we found a restaurant named Surf Shack refusing to serve groups that included locals. At Ram’s Surfing Beach at Midigama, the staff refused to book a triple room for two locals and a tourist.
When asked, they said the reason for this was Sri Lankans had destroyed property and stolen towels.
Hotel Association president Hiran Cooray said these inns were not members of their association. He said association members would not resort to discriminatory practices as Sri Lankan visitors accounted for 25 percent of their business.
He said that while the association did not have any legal power to stop this practice, the Tourist Board could take punitive measures by revoking their licences.