• DG claims tourist in question manipulated by unregistered/unlicensed boat tour operator to defame DWC

The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) said that while it has no connection with the recent incident in which a German tourist and local officers were seen having a heated exchange of words over the refund of a ticket issued by the DWC for a boat ride to the Pigeon Island Marine National Park, legal action has already been taken against the parties who were involved in the said incident.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (29), DWC Director General (DG) Chandana Sooriyabandara said that a dispute between a society of boat owners and an individual had resulted in the said incident and that the particular tourist had been used by the said individual intentionally in order to defame the Department. He also said that the permit shown by the tourist did not belong to her and that she had been motivated by the said individual who owns a boat to seek the refund of the amount that she paid for the ticket. He also said that the said incident is not relevant to the DWC as it had not taken place inside the National Park.

Meanwhile, when contacted by The Daily Morning, Pigeon Island Marine National Park’s Park Warden Manjula Morathenna said that the individual who came with the tourist was a former labourer who had been fired from the Department due to previous disciplinary issues concerning him. He also said that the particular person does not have the membership of the society of boat owners which has been permitted to run boat trips in the said National Park. Morathenna said that legal actions have already been taken against him, and that the tourist had also promised to remove the relevant videos from her social media accounts. According to him, the society will also take legal action against the said individual. “There is a quarrel between this individual who has not had the membership of the society of licensed boat owners for some time. He was a former labourer at the DWC so he knows what the law is. When it comes to the recent incident, this individual has used this German lady to create chaos in the media. The innocent lady who did not know who this person was ended up being entrapped by him. After the incident, I personally met that lady and explained the story, and she later accepted it and agreed to remove the controversial footage from her social media,” he said. 

He further noted that according to the rules and regulations, they do not have the power to refund the money that they receive as that is public money. He also said that the DWC has no power to take action in this regard as the incident had taken place in a public beach which is not considered as being within the National Park premises. He said that they can act only on concerning incidents that occur within the National Park. However, he said that visitors should be responsible when it comes to hiring a registered or licensed boat to travel.