CLARIFICATION – Thailand’s Mu Koh Chang partially closed

[webfact]

 

 

Mu Koh Chang national park, a popular resort destination for both Thai and foreign tourists, is only partially closed.

 

On Sunday, the park’s chief issued an order closing “all tourism-related activities”, which was interpreted to include hotels. It is now clear, however, that the closure only affects camp sites and other tourism-related activities in the park until further notice, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

 

In 1982, Mu Koh Chang was declared a national park. It consists of 52 islands, including the main island of Koh Chang and parts of Koh Kood, covering a total area of 650 square kilometres. 70% of the park’s area is sea.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/clarification-thailands-mu-koh-chang-partially-closed/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-01-10

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

[RichardColeman]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

All hotels, resorts, hostels and camping sites have been informed that the provision of tourism-related accommodation services is also suspended until further notice.

Wonder how many of the advanced bookings will get their money back ? 

[kwilco]

Some people are claiming the island not to be closed at all...just the National Park parts...... so why would the tourist facilities be  told.....I think some of the hoteliers might get their <deleted> together and make an announcement

[kwilco]

I must say it isn't clear what is and what isn't  National Park on Samui.

[MasterBaker]

visitors mostly stay at resorts where all staff is waccinated to comply with SHA+. what's the point banning visitors if infection is on the island already?

[supersomchai]

According to Richard Barrow on twitter:

ko chang is open its only the national park parts that are shut.

[overherebc]

So is it just the one area closed or is it the whole island?

Clear as mud.

[kwilco]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

All hotels, resorts, hostels and camping sites have been informed that the provision of tourism-related accommodation services is also suspended until further notice.

 

35 minutes ago, overherebc said:

So is it just the one area closed or is it the whole island?

Clear as mud.

Icant see they can close the whole island but you can't have a resort ina national park.

So what does the quote from the papers mean?.

I can't contact anyone on the island....can anyone else?

[webfact]

CLARIFICATION – Thailand’s Mu Koh Chang partially closed

 

 

Mu Koh Chang national park, a popular resort destination for both Thai and foreign tourists, is only partially closed.

 

On Sunday, the park’s chief issued an order closing “all tourism-related activities”, which was interpreted to include hotels. It is now clear, however, that the closure only affects camp sites and other tourism-related activities in the park until further notice, in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

 

In 1982, Mu Koh Chang was declared a national park. It consists of 52 islands, including the main island of Koh Chang and parts of Koh Kood, covering a total area of 650 square kilometres. 70% of the park’s area is sea.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/clarification-thailands-mu-koh-chang-partially-closed/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-01-10

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[kwilco]

Looks like PBS have taken down the article.

[bradiston]

 

According to the Mu Koh Chang National Park website:

 

"Do Visitors Have to Pay to Come onto Koh Chang?

No. Entrance fees for the national park are only collected at Klong Plu and Than Mayom waterfalls. In addition, anyone taking a scuba diving or snorkeling trip to Koh Rang and nearby islands, also has to pay the entrance fee for the marine national park."

 

https://mukochangnationalpark.com/

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

Icant see they can close the whole island but you can't have a resort ina national park.

So what does the quote from the papers mean?.

I can't contact anyone on the island....can anyone else?

There is some confusion as unusually you have a national park within a national park. The marine national park starts when you board the ferry and covers the complete Koh Chang archipelago, a multitude of islands.

The onshore national park is an area on the main island of Koh Chang and normally closes every year from beginning of June until end of August.

[bradiston]

4 hours ago, sandyf said:

There is some confusion as unusually you have a national park within a national park. The marine national park starts when you board the ferry and covers the complete Koh Chang archipelago, a multitude of islands.

The onshore national park is an area on the main island of Koh Chang and normally closes every year from beginning of June until end of August.

Not quite. Koh Mak and it's environs are outside the NP. The same goes for Koh Kood, and for almost all the outlying islands. You'll know when the park rangers show up asking for 200 THB from foreigners, and I think 40 from Thais, eg at Koh Rang. There was a move to rope in some of the very pretty less visited islands. Not sure where that went.

[kwilco]

I was told that there is no public access to the National Park on kph Chang itself....except for the waterfalls where you pay the NP fee. This would explain why people aren't charged to enter the island unlike Koh Samed.

This is of concern as there is continual encroachment into the park by hikers.

Google as I might, I still can't find a map of the land area covered by the national park.

Edited January 10, 2022 by kwilco

[sandyf]

5 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Not quite. Koh Mak and it's environs are outside the NP. The same goes for Koh Kood, and for almost all the outlying islands. You'll know when the park rangers show up asking for 200 THB from foreigners, and I think 40 from Thais, eg at Koh Rang. There was a move to rope in some of the very pretty less visited islands. Not sure where that went.

So you dispute the existence of the marine national park.

 

Mu Ko Chang National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะช้าง) is in Trat Province, eastern Thailand. It spans several provincial districts.^[1] It is a marine national park^[2] with an area of 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi), including 52 islands.^[1] The most notable island within the archipelago is Ko Chang. Ko Chang covers an area of 212.947 km² and is the major island in the Mu Ko Chang National Park, which became Thailand's 45th National Park in 1982. The park is an IUCN Category II protected area with coral reefs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_Ko_Chang_National_Park

[sandyf]

7 minutes ago, kwilco said:

I was told that there is no public access to the National Park on kph Chang itself....except for the waterfalls where you pay the NP fee. This would explain why people aren't charged to enter the island unlike Koh Samed.

This is of concern as there is continual encroachment into the park by hikers.

Google as I might, I still can't find a map of the land area covered by the national park.

Not quite true, about 75% of the land area on Koh Chang is said to be the onshore national park, it is just that there are very few roads and no border markings. I have been a few times and once we went up to the Khlong Chao Lueam waterfall and the road takes you well inside the park area before you have to park and walk the rest of the way. When we went there was no charge, only a box for donations. There was a seating area where you could buy drinks and the woman there showed us how to find the footpath.

They close the park annually but it would just be the footpath that is closed off, not the road, which as you say makes encroachment fairly easy.

 

[The Hammer2021]

12 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Wonder how many of the advanced bookings will get their money back ? 

Depends on their booking agent and the contractual arrangement they had. How many of the places closed will get compensation  is the important  question

[bradiston]

เกาะช้าง ไม่ได้ปิด ปิดเฉพาะพื้นที่อุทยานฯ !

 

 นิพนธ์ ภิญโญ เจ้าพนักงานป่าไม้อาวุโส

 ทำหน้าที่หัวหน้าอุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะช้าง จ.ตราด

 

 ออกประกาศอุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะช้าง

 เรื่อง ปิดให้บริการพักค้างแรม สถานที่กางเต็นท์ และงดการทำกิจกรรมการท่องเที่ยวทุกประเภทในเขตอุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะช้าง จ.ตราด ดังนี้

 

 1.น้ำตกคลองพลู

 2.น้ำตกธารมะยม

 3.จุดชมวิวไก่แบ้

 4.เกาะทรายขาว

 5.จุดดำน้ำหมู่เกาะรัง

 

 ตั้งแต่วันที่ 9 มกราคม 2565 เป็นต้นไป หรือจนกว่าสถานการณ์จะเข้าสู่สภาวะปกติ ติดต่อสอบถามข้อมูลได้ที่ที่ทำการอุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะช้าง ทางอีเมล [email protected] หรือหมายเลขโทรศัพท์ 039-510928

 

 ส่วนพื้นที่ท่องเที่ยว อ.เกาะช้าง ยังสามารถเที่ยวได้ตามปกติ และต้องปฏิบัติตามมาตรการด้านสาธารณสุข อย่างเคร่งครัด

 

Koh Chang is not closed, closed only in the park area!

 

 Niphon Pinyo, Senior Forest Officer

 Serves as the chief of Mu Ko Chang National Park, Trat Province

 

 Announcement of Mu Ko Chang National Park

 Subject: Closing of hotel accommodation tent site and refrain from doing all types of tourism activities in the Mu Koh Chang National Park, Trat Province as follows:

 

 1. Khlong Phlu Waterfall

 2. Than Mayom Waterfall

 3. Kai Bae Viewpoint

 4. White Sand Island

 5. Koh Rang diving point

 

 From 9 January 2022 onwards or until the situation returns to normal For more information, please contact the Mu Ko Chang National Park Office via email [email protected]. or phone number 039-510928

 

 As for the tourist area, Koh Chang can still travel as usual. and must comply with public health measures strictly

[bradiston]

16 hours ago, sandyf said:

So you dispute the existence of the marine national park.

 

Mu Ko Chang National Park (Thai: อุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะช้าง) is in Trat Province, eastern Thailand. It spans several provincial districts.^[1] It is a marine national park^[2] with an area of 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi), including 52 islands.^[1] The most notable island within the archipelago is Ko Chang. Ko Chang covers an area of 212.947 km² and is the major island in the Mu Ko Chang National Park, which became Thailand's 45th National Park in 1982. The park is an IUCN Category II protected area with coral reefs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_Ko_Chang_National_Park

Where do you get that I dispute etc etc from? What is wrong with you? I mention Koh Rang, which is the only island I know where the fee for diving etc is 200 THB, because it is in the NP. There may be others, Koh Ngarm for instance, where a similar fee was demanded on a recent visit, but legally or not we weren't able to establish, and left. There is no charge anywhere else as far as I know, except on certain venues on Koh Chang itself. Have you ever even been there? Were you charged to go to Koh Mak, Koh Kood, Koh Wai, Koh Mai Si Yai, Koh aray ko dai? And btw, you quote the Wikipedia entry. I quoted the NP's own website. 

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, sandyf said:

I can't contact anyone on the island....can anyone else?

Utter nonsense, here I am and knew nothing of this, life is normal on Koh Chang. Koh Chang is open its just the park areas closed, the sea, beaches (never closed), hotels, restaurants, shops are still open. The Park chief has no say in closing anything except the park areas.

[brianthainess]

17 hours ago, kwilco said:

I was told that there is no public access to the National Park on kph Chang itself....except for the waterfalls where you pay the NP fee. This would explain why people aren't charged to enter the island unlike Koh Samed.

This is of concern as there is continual encroachment into the park by hikers.

Google as I might, I still can't find a map of the land area covered by the national park.

You can trek anywhere in the national park, there are no restrictions or fees, fees are just for the water falls.

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, sandyf said:

The marine national park starts when you board the ferry and covers the complete Koh Chang archipelago

Yep and NO JET Skis allowed. Yippee.

[brianthainess]

On 1/10/2022 at 5:44 AM, MasterBaker said:

visitors mostly stay at resorts where all staff is waccinated to comply with SHA+. what's the point banning visitors if infection is on the island already?

They are NOT banned !

[brianthainess]

17 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Depends on their booking agent and the contractual arrangement they had. How many of the places closed will get compensation  is the important  question

NONE are closed !

[brianthainess]

I am becoming more and more dismayed, with this site as so many fail to read the articles correctly or fail to read the full stories before making comments.  

[bradiston]

4 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I am becoming more and more dismayed, with this site as so many fail to read the articles correctly or fail to read the full stories before making comments.  

So true. Every article gets twisted and mangled. Nobody bothers to read outside the article itself. So much noise, so little signal.

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, bradiston said:

So true. Every article gets twisted and mangled. Nobody bothers to read outside the article itself. So much noise, so little signal.

And many don't / can't even correctly read the article itself. 

[sandyf]

7 hours ago, bradiston said:

Where do you get that I dispute etc etc from?

Your words

"Not quite. Koh Mak and it's environs are outside the NP. The same goes for Koh Kood, and for almost all the outlying islands."

 

You are wrong, the whole of the archipelago lies within the marine national park.

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Utter nonsense, here I am and knew nothing of this, life is normal on Koh Chang. Koh Chang is open its just the park areas closed, the sea, beaches (never closed), hotels, restaurants, shops are still open. The Park chief has no say in closing anything except the park areas.

When you try and quote someone,  get the right person in future.

[bradiston]

19 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Your words

"Not quite. Koh Mak and it's environs are outside the NP. The same goes for Koh Kood, and for almost all the outlying islands."

 

You are wrong, the whole of the archipelago lies within the marine national park.

There's a map in this link that says you're wrong, but text that says you're right.

 

http://park.dnp.go.th/visitor/nationparkshow.php?PTA_CODE=1045

 

I lived on Koh Mak for 6 years and the marine park was always considered to be only operational around Koh Rang, where there was a 200 THB entrance fee for foreigners. I ran several boat trips as far as Koh Klum, Koh Laoya, Salak Phet, Had Wai Chek, Koh Ngarm and elsewhere, and to Koh Kood. We never had to pay any park entrance fees, though sometimes the resorts charged a landing fee - a private matter. Koh Ngarm seems to have been recently coopted and started charging. I never once saw a park ranger, though they maintain an active presence elsewhere.