Tourism plan called off for Phi Phi island in Thailand

Thailand's tsunami-ravaged Phi Phi island will not be redeveloped as a special, high-end tourism spot and its rehabilitation will be taken over by government agencies, local press reported Friday.

The decision, reached Thursday at a meeting involving Krabi Governor Sonthi Techarat, Prime Minister's Office inspector- general Nathi Premrassamiand, officials of the Interior Ministry's Public Works and Town and Country Planning Department was hailed by local residents and business people.

It is agreed that Koh Phi Phi will not be put under the Designated Area for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Dasta) as earlier planned. Instead, government agencies would take up the rebuilding work of public utilities wrecked by tsunami, reported Bangkok Post newspaper.

Local people finally allowed government officials to use their land for development work on condition that the land must not be expropriated.

A land use agreement between land owners and various government officials is scheduled to be inked on Feb. 22.

Phi Phi was one of the most severely damaged areas by the tsunami in Dec. 26, 2004. Over the past more than one year after the disaster, little progress has been made in its rehabilitation other than for clearing wrecked buildings, although the Public Works and Town and Country Planning Department has set up a new town plan.

Local people were opposed to the government's plan to upgrade Phi Phi to a world-class tourist designation under Dasta, a public organization having links with the natural resources and the environment. They feared it would help only business groups close to the government.

Source: Xinhua