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On Racha, where the rubbish piles up or is buried on the island

Phuket's Racha 'Needs Protecting,' Says Enviro Chief

Saturday, June 2, 2012
PHUKET: Saving Phuket's popular Racha island was ''very important'' for Phuket tourism's future, the Director of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, Boomchob Sudtamanatsawong, said yesterday.

He was speaking after his speedboat trip to see the troubled island for himself had to be aborted because of Phuket's spate of storms.

Racha resorts in one of Phuket's most environmentally sensitive destinations were accused this week of feeding a toxic time bomb of bad water and buried rubbish.

The pollution is said to be taking place on a daily basis even though Racha has long been a favorite ''natural Andaman'' destination for Phuket day-trippers and divers.

While Racha is not the only island being destroyed by profit-seekers with no thought for future generations, Khun Boomchob said yesterday that it represented the chance for a changed approach.

''In the future I believe every sector - residents, visitors and business-people - will join together and stop water pollution,'' he said. ''We must treat the sea properly and avoid contamination.''

He said reports were that the coral reefs around Racha - which are close to the coast and likely to be affected by garbage and bad water on land - were still in good condition but needed constant protection.

This had become even more important after damage inflicted by the coral bleaching phenomenon two years ago, he said.

It's believed divers and dive companies engaged in a regular reef clean-up yesterday and today were urged at one stage to abandon the project because of the lack of care shown by all eight resorts on Racha.

The resort managements were invited to a meeting on Phuket this week to discuss accusations that they are polluting the island, but none turned up. Vice Governor Dr Sommai Preechasin is insisting that they join the next meeting, in July.

Resorts on Racha are expected to suffer the consequences of the bad publicity until the island's pollution problems are resolved.

Comments

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8 resorts? How many are legal, more than 2 of them?
"The resort managements were invited to a meeting on Phuket this week to discuss accusations that they are polluting the island, but none turned up. Vice Governor Dr Sommai Preechasin is insisting that they join the next meeting, in July. "
Inviting? Insisting?
What about, to summon 'em? Amazing Thailand, illegal managers of illegal resorts get asked to come to a small talk.
Or closing all the resorts. Some b/c of illegality, the others b/c of complicity. 'It isn't believable, that one resort on Racha island isn't knowing/worrying about the other resorts (under construction) on that island. This smells very fishy! Who are the people behind this?

Posted by ??? on June 2, 2012 10:55

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The resorts at Racha are a part of the problem but not the whole problem .. when it was permitted to build resorts or other housing at Racha a part of the permit should have described how to get rid of garbage and poluted water..if that was not done then giving the permits were just accidents waiting to happen. What Thailand need is a general education of the population on the subject of polution so that Mr and Mrs Somsak understands that plastic etc cannot just be thrown in the nature....what Racha need is a clean up and a plan for the future which involves both resorts and habitants and other stakeholders so as the tour companies and dive companies, everyone need to participate else the problem will not be resolved.

Posted by Bjarne on June 2, 2012 11:22

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"when it was permitted to build resorts or other housing at Racha a part of the permit should have described how to get rid of garbage and poluted water."
Like the law, saying 'new resorts have to build waste water treatment facilities? But not have to run them, b/c that's not written in the law? Or like "3 people on a motorcycles isn't permitted, but nothing mentioned, for 4 or more? Or other descriptions in the Land Traffic Act, that not even the brown force cares? I guess, exactly something like this happened, out there!

Posted by ??? on June 2, 2012 11:48

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Why we have to care? There are other islands more sensitive about the environmental..

Posted by Dave on June 2, 2012 12:45

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Yep. That pretty much covers it. If education and law enforcement don't work (are there any laws about detroying Racha ?) then I guess "we're" buggered. Well done Mr. Boonchop for speaking out. Just goes to show how comitted these resorts are that they didn't send even one person to meet him.

Posted by James on June 2, 2012 18:06


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