Bangkok Post : Koh Chang protest hots up

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Koh Chang protest hots up

Published: 11/11/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

TRAT -- Leaders on Koh Chang will decide today whether to close the tourist island to visitors to pressure the government to solve a long-running land dispute with the navy.

Residents, led by local leaders and politicians, are threatening to close off the island to visitors on Friday unless their demands are met.

They want the revocation of the navy's ownership documents for land on the island and the cancellation of Koh Chang's listing as a national park.

The residents claim the land controlled by the navy and the national park infringe on their land.

The group submitted a written protest to the Trat governor on Monday.

Sophon Chanderm, a provincial councillor representing Koh Chang district, said leading protesters, including village heads, would meet today to decide whether they should go ahead with their plan to close the island on Friday.

Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch, a Trat MP, rushed to hold talks with Wanrung Khanornkul, a protest leader, on Monday night.

Mr Teera told Mr Wanrung the government was not ignoring their problems and was working to verify their land claims.

Maiyarat Pheerayakoses, president of the Association of Domestic Travel, said it would be the islanders. not travel agents or tour companies, who were hurt most if the dispute was allowed to drag on. Travel agents could always advise tourists to visit somewhere else.

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ernie

Discussion 15 : 11/11/2009 at 08:49 PM15
Turning it into a national park will not stop all the development that's going on there now, take samet island as an example, its a national park with little control on buildings regs. Basically the thais will just carry on as normal with the only change being they'll get money out of the farangs for entry fees
simple simons

Discussion 14 : 11/11/2009 at 08:17 PM14
fair play to them. Nothing wring with peaceful demonstrations for a righteous cause.
prallo

Discussion 13 : 11/11/2009 at 05:24 PM13
Yes, right, turn the island into a national park so they can get entry fees from us. Of course from us foreigners much more than from thai people. Hooray !
Shane

Discussion 12 : 11/11/2009 at 05:00 PM12
I think that by making it a national park is long term investment for Thailand cause if everything is destroyed, who would go there in the future and all the hotels would get screwed then...
Michael

Discussion 11 : 11/11/2009 at 03:44 PM11
I guess those people (ignoramuses) do not realise that the unspoiled areas which are designated as a national park or belong to the navy are what attracts people to visit the island in the first place! Without the protection that is provided by the designation as a national park, the island's nature will be destroyed as will be the desire for tourists to want to visit.
Ramet in Dallas

Discussion 10 : 11/11/2009 at 03:42 PM10
I was there for three days two years ago and I won't go back. I will not be a party to destroying that beautiful island the way Samui was destroyed (imao).
If the Navy and/or the National Government has the power, they should turn it into a national park and control ALL consessions, and limit the number of visitors there. I can visualize tourists booking years in advance to see one of the most beautiful, natural islands in the world and paying top dollar for the privilege.
Koh Chang is a National Treasure and it is quickly being exploited with no more planning than went into the development of Samui. Please stop the senseless killing of this fragile beauty.
sounder

Discussion 9 : 11/11/2009 at 03:35 PM9
Settle the claims and preserve as much as possible. Many claims have been going on for years and years with no decisions being made. Make some compromises but land use needs to be regulated. What makes this place magic is that it isn't Samui or Pattaya.
ged

Discussion 8 : 11/11/2009 at 02:49 PM8
David too

Of course there are few tourists. There never were many tourists, just local Thais and backpackers, who were unwanted and driven away. Thaksin invested in the island and spent a lot of taxpayers money developing the roads and infrastructure so that he could later build a gambling resort. He built a hotel here but denied it was his. At one time a gambling house was being built on the island but it was supposed to be a secret. Government officials arrived on the island and told the locals their land was worth a fortune and the place was to become the new Phuket. Everyone started borrowing money and building resorts. Bars were built, shopping centers thrown up, discos constructed, hookers were brought in from the mainland. Pretty soon instead of 2 restaurants at Khlong Phrao there were 29. All of them losing money and giving away free beer, and went bust. All the resorts shared so few customers, most of them went bust too. The place is a huge white elephant. It certainly is no investment, as the tourist season on Koh Chang is much too short and unsustainable. It is too wet, mold grows on everything, the maintenance costs are sky high. But still they build ... and build.

If anyone wants to buy a resort, there are hundreds of them up for grabs here. But owning a business on Koh Chang is rather like throwing your money down the toilet.
Redent

Discussion 7 : 11/11/2009 at 02:38 PM7
If the government really want this to end peacefully, they goona have to be civilize and have a relocation program ready for the island residences so they can move and live their life else where, they shouldnt just tell the residence "yeah you cant live here so jack off"..... come on this is not cool.
david

Discussion 6 : 11/11/2009 at 02:11 PM6
well actually people on the island have owned land for several generations but not chanote land
the navy in its greed is trying to take the land
hence the protests...natural park land great idea..official greed not so great

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