The Sri Lankan army announced that if had expanded its military-run holiday resort in Jaffna this week, as it continues to consolidate its presence in the Tamil homeland.
The Thalsevana resort in Palaly, located inside a High Security Zone and staffed entirely by Sri Lankan soldiers, now has a children’s park which was opened by the commander of the Sri Lankan military in Jaffna Dharshana Hettiarrachchi on Monday.
In addition, the military added an electric passenger go-kart to its fleet at the resort.
Despite almost a decade since the end of the armed conflict on the island, the Sri Lankan military continues to occupy vast swathes of land in the Tamil North-East, where intense militarisation continues to be a pressing issue for locals. Though there have been calls for the region to be demilitarised, and pledges by the government to do so, the military remains a heavy presence.
In particular the armed forces have set up and continue to run several civilian businesses in the region, including holiday resorts for tourists.
See more from the Sri Lanka Campaign here on ethical tourism in the Tamil homeland here.
