29 April 2008

PM to act on Phuket "exploitation"

BANGKOK - Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has called for urgent Ã¢â¬ÅâœrehabilitationÃ¢â¬~ and development projects on the resort island of Phuket.

The prime minister said he had received direct complaints from local businessmen that the central government had not done enough to Ã¢â¬ÅâœrehabilitateÃ¢â¬~ the province, which has been "exploited" for tourism.

The prime minister said he would hold a meeting with government agencies to consider development projects for the province.

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Centralised Planning is not always a bad thing.

It is understandable that some business owners would criticise a lack of centralised involvement in the tourism industry. Thailand seems heavy on marketing but light on planning when it comes to Tourism. On one hand, private landowner appears to be free do almost as they wish with their land without fear of intervention from a central authority. Local authorities seem powerless to intervene also. On example is beach-front land - while most would agree it should be set aside for public use, there are some that take this idea to the Nth degree by setting up sometimes ugly makeshift business operations such as restaurants and shops selling to tourists. Unfortunately for them they cannot control the shop owners and local authorities are often powerless. If one looks to the beautiful island of Koh Chang, it is easy to see that the island is headed down the same path as Koh Samui. Building of shops and businesses has taken place almost to the roadside in some places making it impossible for two cars to pass by at the same time. The two sides of Koh Chang are like chalk and cheese - one green, the other being developed. Is this balance? While there is obvious efforts on Koh Chang through the regional planning committee, a lot more needs to be done now. Sometimes it may just be a good thing for a dose of centralised planning and intervention.

By Brian Wright, Monday, April 28, 2008