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Galle, Sri LankaOn 26 December 2004 Galle was devastated by the massive 'Boxing Day' Tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred in Indonesia a thousand miles away. Thousands were killed in this Sri Lankan city alone. A new Tsunami warning system is now in operation to help prevent a similar occurrence again.
Galle is a town situated on the southwestern 'corner' of Sri Lanka, originally it was the main port until the British developed the more sheltered natural harbour of Colombo. Galle had reached the height of its early development during the 18th century. Galle is the bustling provincial capital and administrative centre of the south, with a few places of interest to tourists: The old Dutch ‘Star’ fort, a UNESCO World Heritages Site that covers over 35ha; A well-preserved Dutch Groote Kerk, The old Dutch Government House; The New Oriental Hotel, dating from 1684; The old bell tower and believe it or not a tide-based Sewage-System (Hmmmm...), also designed by the Dutch.
As a holiday spot it is famous for the beautiful Unawatuna Bay, where a long coral reef protects the coast from strong tides and waves and therefore safer for swimming for most of the year. The Rumassala Kanda is a large rounded hill, which forms the eastern protective harbour barrier. Local legend associates this hill with some events of the great Hindu epic the Ramayana. The Galle lighthouse close by is a well known landmark. We apologise for the repetition of some place or proper names with different spellings, but there is no definitive spelling translation of these words. We welcome reviews of any Sri Lanka resorts, hotels or visitor attractions. Please see our contributing writer's guidelines.
The conflict between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, commonly known as “the Tamil Tigers”) ended in May 2009. Although the conflict is over, the LTTE are believed to retain some capability to mount terrorist attacks such as grenade or explosive device attacks and shootings. The Government has relaxed the State of Emergency, under which it has extensive anti-terrorism powers but there are still heightened levels of security (e.g. checkpoints, road blocks) throughout the country. You should exercise a high level of vigilance. The risk for the most part is one of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. In order to minimise this, you should avoid military, government and paramilitary locations. Always carry formal photographic identification with you. Stop and show your ID when asked to do so. If you are detained, you should ask the authorities to contact the British High Commission. Fatal attacks linked to the LTTE occurred throughout the country into 2009.
Most attacks have been directed against Government and military targets though
a number have been focussed on civilian targets such as crowded public places,
public transport and market areas. Some of the most significant attacks included
a suicide bomb at a political gathering in March 2009 and an air raid on military
targets in Colombo in February 2009. JeGraNet.com statement - 15 October 2008 - Quote from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: "There is a high threat from terrorism in Sri Lanka. Fatal attacks have become more frequent. They have occurred in Colombo and throughout Sri Lanka, including places frequented by expatriate and foreign travellers. Further attacks may occur at any time. There is an increasing risk of British nationals being caught up in an attack". As independent travellers we left Colombo after just 9 days into our planned 6 month stay as a result of a feeling of insecurity, however we are sure that 'package tour' travellers to tourist resorts will probably enjoy a worry free holiday. |
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Parks, Reserves and Protected Areas Contributing Writer's Guidelines
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Galle, Sri Lanka is just under 120km from 
Gale is famous across central Asia for the Dutch ‘pillo-lace’, fine ebony-carving and gemstone cutting and polishing.