• Jeep owners call off strike

The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) yesterday (30) stated that steps have been taken to prevent tourists from being inconvenienced due to a conflict between owners of registered and unregistered safari vehicles that service the Yala National Park.

A disagreement has arisen between registered and unregistered safari jeep owners in front of Yala National Park recently, over the registration process for new safari jeeps. The dispute led to a strike by safari jeep operators, causing inconvenience to both local and foreign tourists who had arrived at the location to sightsee within the park.

"When contacted by The Daily Morning, Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Chaminda Ranasinghe said that the ministry had already assigned a team to study the issue. "We have taken steps to ensure that tourists are not inconvenienced by this situation. The safari jeep owners have also called off the strike. However, if there are any issues regarding the registration of safari jeeps, we are working with the Wildlife Department to resolve them, as they are responsible for the process."

According to reports, a total of 551 safari jeeps have been registered with the Wildlife Department, and plans are in place to register 40 more. However, it was reported that there is currently a shortage of guards to be assigned to jeeps to be registered. This shortage led to a heated dispute between owners of the jeeps to be registered and those who are already registered. According to regulations, safari jeeps with drivers who don't have adequate training must have a wildlife guard on board.