Thai Tourism To Jet-ski Into India's Andamans

[george]

Thai tourism wants to jet-ski into India's Andamans

BANGKOK: -- Tourism in Thailand appears to be going places, and that too in jet-setting mode.

According to a report in Singapore's The Strait Times, officials of Thailand's foreign and tourism ministries have actively set their sights on promoting a possible tourism link between the country's Phuket Island and Port Blair, the capital of India's pristine Andaman Islands.

Plans include the introduction of jet skis, adventure sports like parasailing, water safaris and establishment of treetop houses in protected forests. There is also a proposal in the pipeline to relax Indian environment laws to allow development within 50m of the sea rather than the present 200m.

The paper quoted Senior Thai Foreign Ministry official Snanchart Devahastin as saying last week that prospects for economic links between Phuket and Port Blair, particularly for tourism and fishing, were quite bright.

He confirmed that a formal twin-city agreement was being drafted, but added that the proposal still had to go through various stages before the governments of the two countries gave their final approval.

Meanwhile, Thai airline PB Air is already running charter flights between Phuket and the Andamans, and officials here hope this will be a regular feature by next year.

Environmental groups in both countries, however, are a bit skeptical about this proposal, saying that it could sound the death knell of indigenous tribes in the Andamans like the Jarawa tribe, which belongs to the Negrito group of tribes, the report adds.

Pankaj Sekhsaria, the author of the book, Troubled Islands, which deals with the Andamans, however, has sounded a note of caution.

While Phuket is famous for its tourism, it is also infamous for the ills that come with the kind of intensive tourism that has been developed there," he told The Straits Times.

"How will it be assured that the problems related to sex and drug-related tourism do not creep into the islands? He asked.

--ANI 2004-05-24

[KevinN]

Be pretty hard to stop any of that if tourism is allowed,specially if they are going to depend on Thailand to stop it.

Just look at what happens here,99% of the tourists come here just for the SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL.

[Khun ?]

Soon as they can figure out how to get a billion tailor shops set up.

It will end up worse than Bali where return tourist are few.

[mitmig]

I have been a couple of times in port blair and havelock. Readiding this news worries me and makes me angry, because the andamans don't need this bull shit.

The ###### tourist distroy everything over there. But the andamans is hard core country nothing for the bloody stupid tourist that thailand visitis, the andamans are for real travellers.

stay away mother######ers

[Khun Larry]

Just look at what happens here,99% of the tourists come here just for the  SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL.

You have anything to back up that estimate.

Looks a little low to me

Chookdee

[maerim]

the andamans are for real travellers.

stay away mother######ers

It is obvious that you are a real traveller and not one of them soft poxy tourist types.

How did you get there?

Did you walk?

[snoophound]

Drugs,Sex Sure Thailand has a name for sex.

Why?

Perhaps wining the war on poverty might help,along with paying the police force members a decent salary and kicking out the incompetents.

Thailand has it all.

They need to stop making excuses for inefficient governance.

[roamer]

"Real Travellers"..Yawn; its been easy since Livingstone et al:

I'm all in favour of this, bring on the jet-skis. if you do so you might develop an economic alternative to the tree felling that is decimating the islands. A lot of islands there, India determined to exploit its resources. Far, far better that an alternative economy grows up that leaves the islands with indigenous tribes strictly isolated. Sadly this is only likely to happen under the glare of tourism, if you leave them as they are then the exploiters of the natural resources move in silently and turn these islands into wastelands.

There is a good example to follow; The Maldives. You allow tourism in some islands, absolutely prohibit it in others. Its not an ideal situation but in the world we live in its probably the only alternative. Its managed tourism...yeah I know, maybe badly managed but at the moment these islands are the the Oceanic version of the Amazon jungle, literally ripe for rape of their resources...and its happening at an ever increasing rate.

I actually find it quite scary being told this is only for "Real Travellers", mainly because travelling around the places where you are allowed to go is a piece of piss, Legoland is more challenging, but people of that ilk always bother me..they are "real" so its ok for them......

[Scalawag]

Sex is ok but jet skis? All sailors hate the ###### things..............

[Up2U]

Sex is ok but jet skis? All sailors hate the ###### things..............

And swimmers, divers, snorkellers.

Develop eco-tourism, sure, but jet-skisshould be banned from the water everywhere - rowdy oicks with no consideration for anyone.

Only use I see for them is for Pamela Andersson to dive off, in Baywatch.

[john b good]

Why not (why not let it all hang out and just go for it) their reputation can't sink any lower anyway "can it"

[NedKelly]

Have to agree with Mitmig on this one. There can be only one reason why Thailand wants to enter a partnership with a place like the Andamans and that is to exploit the sit out of the place.

We all know that Thailand tourism development has been nothing short of incredible. The lack of planning, environmental destruction, greed and outright closed mind closed eyes attitude is not needed in the Andamans.

Already the Indian's have control measures in place to protect the environment such as the 200 metre rule from the beachs. But look at what the Thai want to do already........cut this to 50m and too also build accommodation in the top of protected trees/forests.........come on open your eyes........this is ###### amazing and should not be allowed. In some peoples eyes Thailand style tourism means nothing but destruction.

I hope the Indian government and the administration of Andaman Islands cannot be strayed by bribes and other such promises. Open your eyes guys. Tourism in this case MUST be controlled for the better of the peoples who inhabit the islands. Not for mass toursists who dont give a shit about locals or the environment.