ACHADTAYA CHUENNIRAN

Phuket _ Many local businessmen are worried Thai Rak Thai's poor election showing in the South will hinder progress to restore tourism in the six tsunami-stricken southern provinces and development of the region, a leading hotelier said.

Pamook Achariyachai, a hotelier and former chairman of Phuket's chamber of commerce, said many feared the Democrats' sweep of the South would make Thai Rak Thai reluctant to forge ahead with the Andaman provinces' restoration plans.

But Mr Pamook said he believed the new government would implement the plan and probably do a better job now as the country had to be run to the best of its abilities with no excuses about the opposition making trouble.

Besides, he said, Thai Rak Thai won a House seat in Phangnga despite the Democrats taking control of both House seats in Phuket.

However, he expressed concern about the progress of the plan to bring order to Phuket beaches which needed cooperation from local leaders and the private sector.

Pattanapong Ekvanich, chairman of the Phuket Tourism Business Association, said he believed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra knew right from wrong.

The new government, he said, would do its best to develop the South to win over southern people's hearts by showing that it was unbiased even though most MPs in the region were not from Thai Rak Thai party.