Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
STAYING SAFE
Foreigners visiting the north and the towns of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaittivu, Mannar and
Vavuniya no longer need to get permission from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence.
Travellers will encounter the odd army checkpoint and road closure and there are sev-
eral High Security Zones, including the area around Jaffna airport where access is tightly
controlled.
At the time of research the situation on the ground was calm, but politically active loc-
als (and foreigners) still face state intimidation. Harassment, detentions and occasional
disappearances continue, and the root reasons for the civil unrest are far from resolved.
Keep an eye on regional news and politics.
Although NGOs have made enormous progress clearing land mines, some remain,
along with tonnes of unexploded ordnance. Walk only on roads or very well-trodden
paths. Do not wander on deserted beaches.
Locals may not want to speak openly about politics or the war; use sensitivity and tact.
Also be careful not to take photographs of soldiers, military posts or potentially strategic
sites like ports and bridges.
For two very different perspectives, try
www.defence.lk
and
www.tamilnet.com
.
History
For centuries Jaffna has been Sri Lanka's Hindu-Tamil cultural and religious centre - espe-
cially during the Jaffna kingdom, the powerful Tamil dynasty that ruled from Nallur for
400 years beginning in the 13th century. But the Portuguese tried hard to change that. In
1620 they captured Cankili II, the last king (his horseback statue stands on Point Pedro Rd,
near the Royal Palace ruins), then set about systematically demolishing the city's Hindu
temples. A wave of mass Christian conversions followed.
Following a bitter three-month siege, the Portuguese surrendered their 'Jaffnapattao' to
the more tolerant Dutch a few decades later, and Dutch Jaffna, which lasted for almost 140
years, became a major trade centre. Jaffna continued to prosper under the British, who
took over in 1795 and sowed the seeds of future inter-ethnic unrest by 'favouring' the
Jaffna Tamils.
The city played a crucial role in the lead-up to the war, and by the early 1980s escalating
tensions overwhelmed Jaffna; for two decades the city was a no-go war zone. Variously
