PHUKET began the welcome for Kuan Yim today with a ceremony at Phuket City's Saphan Hin public park.

The Governor Wichai Praisa-nob and about 200 dignitaries dressed in white. The sun shone brightly but a breeze made the lighting of candles and paper offerings a little difficult.

Kuan Yim, a special female deity, is to be the centrepiece of a man-made island-temple to be built in the sea off Saphan Hin.

The 190-million baht island will be in the shape of an elaborate modern lotus flower, accessed along a walkway jetty.

Made from white jade, the five-metre statue will be visible day and night and bathed in purple, green, yellow and red lights.

With three profiles, the statue will look out over Phuket Bay with expressions of Mercy, Intellect and Peace.

Architects have presented scaled down models of the island to the Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, and investors.

Work will be overseen by Phuket's Office of Public Works and Town Planning.

Phuket's Big Buddha, at 45-metres the tallest sitting buddha in Thailand, is already attracting hundreds of tourists each day and expected to draw as many as one million visitors a year after completion late this year or early in 2010.


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