Volunteers taking part met at Chalong Pier on Saturday morning for the voyage to waters around Koh Mai Thon, a one-hour boat trip from Phuket. Before initiated the cleanup they received briefing at the dive site concerning safety procedures of cleaning the reef. Meanwhile, divers took to the water, where they had no problem finding work to do.

“Once the cleanup began, there was a steady stream of divers returning to the surface with full loads – almost every five minutes another net-bag appeared filled with beverage cans, nets, plastic bottles, shoes, and so on,” Sea Bees Public Relations Manager Frank Mueller told the Gazette.

On the way back to Phuket, every participant received a Certificate of Recognition for their involvement in International Coastal Cleanup Day, he said. After arriving back at the pier, volunteers were treated to a drink at the Anchor Inn in Chalong.

“All participants could clearly see the importance of the cleanup and were very satisfied with the good work done on the day. The event was a great success, so thank you again to all participants – the environment will thank you for it on your next dive,” Mr Mueller said.

Other activities marking the day were a two-day cleanup at Koh Racha Yai organized by ScubaCat and a beach cleanup at Nai Yang Beach organized by the Indigo Pearl Resort as part of an ‘eco-tourism’ discount package.

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Some of the uprooted trees were planted by Chalong Tambon Administration, government officers and villagers in honour of HM The Queen’s birthday, he said. Mr Sinchai went to Chalong Police Station to inform officers that four men had been seen clearing the area, part of a mangrove forest covering many tens of rai.
Mr Sinchai purely wanted the authorities to protect the forest since the remaining mangrove in Palai Village highly cherished by the local villagers, thus marked his immediate action alerted the police about the illegal lodging.

The most important thing was that the forest had been planted in honour of the Queen’s birthday, he said.

It was hoped that planting the forest would encourage villagers to cherish the natural resources of the village. Despite this, villagers failed to alert police when the four men began clearing the trees, he said.

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Jet-ski operators were using life jackets to support the animal’s body in the shallows when the PMBC team arrived. The decision was make to treat the dolphin at the PMBC, but the animal died shortly after making the long trip to Cape Panwa in the back of a pick-up truck. During initial examination, Ms Patcharaporn found festering wounds on its dorsal and pectoral fins.

“I cannot say whether the wounds were from fishing equipment, as running aground can also cause similar wounds. Moreover, it was already in a weak state before it died.

“Some teeth were worn away or broken, so I assume it was fully mature. For its age, the animal was quite thin. Its bones were clearly visible,” she said.

She estimated the dolphin to be over 25 years old.

The spotted dolphin’s typical lifespan is thought to be about 40 years.

“I will do an autopsy to try and find out the cause of death and its bones will be kept for further study,” Ms Patcharaporn said.

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Abducted when in the middle of deforestation in a develop protected forest land area in Phuket, two men on March 19 were arrested. The abduction conducted when there are officials partorl the area near Kata viewpoint along Kata-Sai Yuan road, Karon Sub-district Chief (Kamnan) Winai Chitcheiw who discovered around five rai of deforested land.

Although most of the trees cut down were ubiquitous rubber trees, some of them were protected species, such as the Malabar Ironwood (Takian).

At the scene, those two men with a backhoe and chainsaw were arrested and taken for questioning to Chalong Police Station where they denied any involvement in the deforestation. They claimed they had been hired to cut down one tree, amid a broad swath of deforested land that it would not fall over as it was leaning against another. They claimed they had arrived at the scene only minutes before being spotted by Kamnan Winai.

Chalong Police Inspector Boonlert Ongklang said the two Rawai men were charged with ‘converting wood’ without permission from the Phuket Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment (PPONRE). After discovering the first plot, Kamnan Winai came upon another, much larger swath of deforestation, below the Kata viewpoint. The second area is off Laem Mumnai Road, about 100 meters from the Kata viewpoint, on the hillside of Laem Pha which until recently was inaccessible.

Kamnan Winai noted that this had been changed because a rough, 500-meter track had been cut by a backhoe along the hillside, granting access to the deforested area.

Kamnan Winai explained that the majority of this 100-rai forest area, where the developments are taking place, is either Forest Department land or part of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s land reform program, which sets aside land for agricultural use only. Permission must be granted for a lease on the land and no deeds are issued.

Only one 30-rai plot out of the 100-rai area is privately owned, while an adjacent 39 rai are in the hands of a large Bangkok-based real-estate developer.

However, a deed has yet to be granted for the second plot, as rights to the land were granted under the land reform program.

Both plots on Laem Pha are surrounded by protected land, preventing access.

After speaking with villagers in the area, Kamnan Winai believes that the deforestation and illegal road construction have been undertaken by a group of business operators to add value to seaside plots – incentives for construction or sale in the future.

He said, “The view from this point is stunning and Laem Pha is a beautiful diving area where one can see Kata Noi Beach on the right. No wonder someone has deforested this area for their own benefit.”

“As a community leader and defender against deforestation, I am ashamed of what is happening here. Environmental and anti-deforestation campaigns are growing around the world, yet Phuket is still having problems, specifically in the area under my charge. How can we keep Phuket green?” he added.

Kamnan Winai is particularly concerned about the damaging effects of deforestation after rainfall.

“Rain will erode the land surface causing sediment to accumulate in the sea, covering underwater coral and destroying the scenery that makes this place so beautiful,” he said.

Kamnan Winai has sent a report to the Muang District and Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, and is awaiting further investigation by the Phuket Provincial Office.

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Shrimp farms in Ban Tha Rua in Phuket get compaine from the villagers since the farm poisoning the canal where their livelihoods depend on. Ten Bang La local villagers said that last week that shrimp farm operators were letting chemical wastewater into Klong Pak Ka and killing lots of marine life.

Surasak Wahlum, a 55-year-old fisherman, said, “The waste kills shellfish and other marine life in canal, so it hard for us to do our jobs properly.”

Wirot Suksamrit, also 55, said wastewater was released into the canal twice a year. “It takes a long time for the water to return to normal and for fish to return to the canal,” he said.

President of Pa Khlok Tambon Administration Organization (TAO) Athipong Kongnam said the TAO had warned the shrimp farmers about the practice before.

“They promised to clean the water before they released it into the canal, but they still do it secretly,” he said.

Mr Athipong said there was nothing much the TAO could do to stop the operators. “The farms are located in Tambon Srisoonthorn and at that place, no organizations there taking for the responsibility,” he said.

“We’ll just have to report it to the police,” he added.

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There are 1.310 concrete blocks as it were an artificial reef has sunk by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resource in order to protect the marine life at Sirinath National Park. Deep down under 3.000 meters from the coast marked this area as a forbidden fishing sea area. It extends from Sarasin Bridge in Mai Khao in the North of Phuket 20 kilometers South to Nai Yang Bay.

Besides hoping for the artificial reef as protection and restorer of marine life in the sea, a future wish for that sea area will become a dive site in years to come also become another intention of this act. The project cost 5,694,000 baht as it was The Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) has funded.

On Tuesday PPAO President Paiboon Upatising chaired the opening ceremony for the project, which is officially named ‘Artificial Coral for Her Majesty The Queen’.

Charuay Inchan, chief of Sirinath National Park, said coral reefs, which were important for the ecology of the coastline, had been destroyed.

“The blocks of concrete will protect and mark the 3,000 meter forbidden zone from those fishermen who use otter trawls or seines, which destroy the ecosystem,” he said.

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The mysterious felling of eight pine trees near the West Sands resort project in Mai Khao has undergone police investigation still it does not produce any suspect. Members of a panel set up to investigate the matter met at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday to discuss developments in the case. The felling of the ‘ton son’ pine trees caused local residents to set up a roadblock and issue a number of demands to the provincial government in early December.

Wednesday meeting chaired by Phuket Deputy Governor, (Palad) Chaiwat Tephee. Also attending were Phuket Provincial Land Office chief Phaitoon Lertkrai, Thalang District Land Office Chief Somboon Santi-Amontat, two Thai representatives of the West Sands development company, Mai Khao Village 4 Headman Manoch Saithong and Sirinart National Park deputy director Wichart Pankong.

Although the party responsible for felling the trees by chainsaw remains at-large, Tah Chat Chai District police are still questioning suspects in the case, the committee was told.

Several of the villagers’ other demands have been successfully addressed, the panel learned.

Mr Manoch said villagers feared the resort would restrict the use of a six-meter-wide stretch of road that runs for 550 meters along the beachfront, near where the pine trees were felled.

“Some sections of that road now belong to West Sands. Though we have never had access problems in the past, we were afraid they would restrict access in the future. So we asked that they agree to designate that road as open to the public, and they have already signed a document to that effect,” he said.

In another development, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by West Sands management and Sirinart National Park has been scrapped.

Sirinart National Park chief Nonthawit Jaturabandit said the hotel had been informed that the document was declared null and void a week after the protest, as demanded by the protesters.

Land Department lawyers have also been asked to review the terms of the document to see what obligations to the park it contains. The scrapping follows the recommendation of a Senate panel that came to investigate the case in December. As with many land disputes in Phuket, poorly delineated boundary lines are a key issue.

Phuket Land Department officials and the West Sands management are reviewing all the land title deeds and related documents and will meet at the site on Tuesday to agree upon and mark out the exact boundary between park land and resort property, the panel was told.

The West Sands case is only the latest in a number of disputes between resort developers and local residents over land rights in coastal areas of Phuket. In some cases, including the stretch of Bang Tao Bay in front of Laguna Beach Resort in Cherng Talay, local residents continue to run small beach businesses that block sea views for resort guests and offer tourists much cheaper food and beverage services than those offered by the resort.

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Memorandum of Understanding that is an agreement to charge the constumers for plastic bag is agreed to be done by several retailers in Phuket. Among them, Tesco-Lotus and 7-Eleven remain among the few major of Phuket retailers yet to sign an agreement to begin charging customers a nominal fee for plastic bags. The memorandum was announced during a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Friday, chaired by Phuket Vice Gov Teerayut Eimtrakul and three of the project leaders, was attended by representatives of island retailers that have already signed on.

Villa Market is the latest Phuket retailer to sign the MOU agreeing to charge customers for plastic bags: two baht for plastic bags over five liters in volume and one baht for smaller ones.

Phuket Energy Office Director Jirasuk Tummawetch said he was pleased Villa Market signed on voluntarily, without a request from his office.

Store manager Udom Chiangyos said, “We signed the MOU ourselves because we always campaign for reduction in the number of plastic bags. We have always produced cloth bags and made them available to our customers, but not many bring them back when they come shopping again…. I admit that a lot of plastic bags are used in the supermarket. I think this scheme will be good for Phuket.”

It is understood that Villa Market is independently planning to start charging customers at its branches in Bangkok for plastic bags.

Villa Market’s addition to the MOU increases to 24 the number of retailers who have signed up thus far are:
Big C; Robinson Ocean; Robinson Ocean Jungceylon; Robinson Ocean Central; Ocean Shopping Mall Phuket; Ocean Plaza Patong; Big One; Supercheap; Siam Family Mart; Phuket Grocery; Index Living Mall; SB Furniture; 108 Shops; CP Fresh Mart; Central Festival; Central Department Store; Power Buy; Super Sport; B2S; Office Depot; Tops Supermarket; HomeWorks; Jungceylon; Villa Market.

HomePro and the Premium Outlet Mall are expected to sign soon. Meanwhile, Tesco-Lotus, Carrefour and 7-Eleven have yet to sign on.

The Gazette understands that Carrefour is carefully considering signing the MOU, but first wants to see what action Tesco-Lotus takes. Project leader Nick Anthony said there was no reason for the retailers not to go along with the project. Having all the retailers on board for the project launch would give it additional strength on launch day, he said.

Organizers attended a three-hour meeting this morning to discuss preparations that will feature a three-day launch exhibit February 13 to 15 at Central Festival Phuket. Some 40 to 50 organizations are expected to take part.

The Phuket Provincial Office will issue a press release soon, listing all retailers who have yet to sign the MOU, he said. It will get the formal launch on February 14 with a speech by Phuket Governor Preecha Phraisa-ngop. The organizers hope that the plastic bag charge will lead to a reduction in the number of plastic bags entering the waste stream and needing to be ‘landfilled’ behind the incinerator at Saphan Hin, where the pile of garbage continues to increase at a rate of about 300 hundred tonnes daily. They also hope it will be the first in a number of steps aimed at reducing the amount of solid waste at the source and promoting re-use and recycling.

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The CEO of the Katathani Beach Resort, Sombat Atiset, said it was the first time the public had been involved in activities. About 350 people turned up. But Khun Sombat added that the resort was already environmentally aware to the extent that it produced its own all-purpose cleaning liquid from food scraps. The resort has a comprehensive recycle system, he said. Ring-tops from water bottles even go towards prosthetic limbs.

Phuket’s Governor, Wichai Praisa-nob, formally opened proceedings at a small exhibition of the work the resort has done for the environment. Guest numbers are down about 30 percent on what they were in April, Khun Sombat said. But there had been no retrenchments among the 556 staff at the 475-room resort, which runs almost the entire length of the beach.

The Katathani has had several enlargements and refits since opening two decades ago and has a high rate of returning guests.

Written by Apinya Saksri
Published on Phuket Wan – phuketwan.com