Phuket News | The Phuket News

The storms that hit the Andaman coast of Thailand earlier this month are estimated to have caused erosion damage of as much as B100 million. A survey done by specialists from the Erosion Prevention on Andaman Coast (EPAC) project revealed that 15 metres of shoreline disappeared on Koh Lanta between June 6 and 9, with more than 60 beach-front hotels and homes effected. The damage in terms of loss of land and coastal natural resources is estimated on Lanta alone at round B40 million. The survey has not yet been completed for Phuket. But from damage seen on the shore, environmental experts see Phuket as one of the most worrying areas for rapid coastal erosion. Engineering expert Prof Payom Rattanamanee, who is also head of the EPAC project, said that coomparison of aerial photographs showed that around 30 metres of Phuket’s shore had been lost to the sea in just two years. “Nai Yang beach is the most worrying because of the value of its natural resources,” said Prof Payom. “When we have finished analysing the situation, we expect the results will show that coastal erosion on Phuket has been severe.” Since the Asian Tsunami of 2004, Phuket’s coast has been battered by waves that have left only a thin buffer zone to protect the shore. This has been aggravated by beach-front areas in many places being cleared for new development. Clear evidence of the loss of beachfront to erosion can be seen in the location of bungalows and a restaurant run by the Sirinat National Park office . The tropical-style buildings were wiped out by the tsunami, when they were located 30 metres inland from the sea. The location where they were is now next to the water. This year, waves and currents are reported to be unusually strong at Nai Yang, and local people told The Phuket News that around 10 metres of Nai Yang Beach have been devoured by waves in the first half of the year. In addition, trees that are valuable in containing erosion have been knocked over. One of the local fishermen earning a living in the sea off Nai Yang beach, Suwan Plodbhut, 44, said that fish catches had been falling because the coral reef off the beach, which acts as a nursery, had been damaged by erosion. “The number of fish close to shore has fallen off, so we have to sail further for our catches, which means we have to pay more for fuel,” said Mr Suwan. “We only lose.” He added that if Phuket’s shore continues to be eroded, fishermen will soon have no space to repair their boats on seafront land. An environmental expert who join EPAC project, Prof Nopparat Bamrungrak, said that there are various ways to protect coastlines from erosion protection, but they have both pros and cons. “We could build an embankment to protect the coast, but it would ruin the scenery,” said Prof Nopparat. “Or we could plant some strong-rooted plants, but we would need to wait for two years or more before the plants would be effective.” Staff of the EPAC project will meet local people on June 29 for more discussions on problems and solutions.

Saturday 16 June 2012, 07:48PM

Surat-Phuket rail study to begin this year

PHUKET: The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) is about to start a study into a new conventional rail route linking Phuket with Surat Thani via Phang Nga.

Saturday 16 June 2012, 01:29PM

Canadian sisters found dead in Phi Phi hotel room

Phuket News / Thailand

Saturday 16 June 2012, 01:20PM

The bodies of two Canadian sisters have been found in a hotel room in Phi Phi, Thai police told AFP Saturday, without revealing the suspected cause of death.

Election booze ban in Phuket City

PHUKET: The sale of alcohol in restaurants, shops and entertainment venues in Phuket City (Tambon Talad Nuea and Tambon Talad Yai), will be banned from 6pm tonight (June 15) until midnight at the end of tomorrow (June 16).

Friday 15 June 2012, 05:37PM

Rape 'victim' sentenced to 15 days in jail

PHUKET: An Australian tourist who admitted lying to authorities about being raped in Phuket has been sentenced to 15 days in prison, starting today.

Friday 15 June 2012, 03:31PM

Avista Group moves up a notch with new resort

PHUKET: The new high-end Avista Hideaway Resort, owned and run by Thai group Avista Hospitality and Investments, is scheduled to open in November.

Friday 15 June 2012, 03:02PM

1997 'crisis architect' Saxena gets 10 years

A saga spanning 17 years came to an end on Friday (June 8) when a Thai court sentenced former Indian financier Rakesh Saxena to 10 years in prison for his part in a fraud case that helped trigger the 1997 Asian crisis.

Friday 15 June 2012, 03:00PM

Govt scales down N-power plans

The National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) has scaled down plans for nuclear power plants.

Friday 15 June 2012, 02:59PM

Confidence dips after 6-mth rise

Thailand’s Consumer Confidence Index in May dipped for the first time in the six months, according to the latest monthly survey by the Economic and Business Forecasting Centre of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Friday 15 June 2012, 02:56PM

Cycling mad couple on 9,000km journey

PHUKET: A newly married couple are spending their honeymoon in a rather unconventional way – cycling 9,000 kilometres on a tandem bike around Thailand.

Friday 15 June 2012, 02:17PM

Tourist lied about rape, police say

PHUKET: A 21-year-old Australian woman who reported to Kathu police that she had been raped on Sunday by three men in a tuk-tuk, confessed last night (June 14) that she had lied about the incident, police say.

Friday 15 June 2012, 11:00AM

BIG LIST: Dietary Requirements

Don’t get too excited about those gigantic cookie glasses just yet – they’re not being made public (probably because the creators want them all to themselves). But perhaps you can try any of the following:

Friday 15 June 2012, 10:27AM

Jerusalem plans DNA dog poo database

The Jerusalem municipality is planning to compile a DNA database for dogs in the Holy City in a bid to combat the problem of dog poo by tracing droppings back to the offending pooch.

Friday 15 June 2012, 10:23AM

New goggles serve up see-food diet

Japanese scientists have developed a set of revolutionary new ‘diet goggles’ which trick over-indulgent eaters into scoffing less food.

Friday 15 June 2012, 10:21AM

A thirst to die for

People often talk about having a thirst for life, but a two-year-old boy has taken that to whole new levels.

Friday 15 June 2012, 10:19AM

Cabinet backs away from confrontation

Phuket News / Thailand

Friday 15 June 2012, 10:10AM

The Cabinet agreed this week to conclude the current session of Parliament next Tuesday (June 19), backing away from the row over the reconciliation bills that have caused the People’s Alliance for Democracy, or Yellow Shirts, to take to the streets again.

Police seek help, photos released of lost 'forest boy'

Berlin Police on Tuesday released a photograph of the mysterious “forest boy” who turned to authorities nine months ago saying he lived in a wood for five years and did not know who he was.

Friday 15 June 2012, 10:04AM

Falklands to hold referendum on political status in 2013

The Falkland Islands will hold a referendum on its political status in 2013 in a bid to end the bitter territorial dispute between Britain and Argentina, the archipelago’s government said Tuesday.

Friday 15 June 2012, 09:51AM

Obama rejects Romney's 'faulty' Twitter message

A sarcastic US President Barack Obama Tuesday said the theme of his rival Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign could fit on a tweet with letters to spare – “it’s Obama’s fault.”

Friday 15 June 2012, 09:46AM

Brilliant Asian Americans face the 'bamboo ceiling'