Samet businesses demand payout talks with PTT

No top executives from PTTGC have yet met with tourism-business owners to hear from them about losses caused by the oil spill.

“PTTGC must set up the meeting as soon as possible to talk about compensation for those business-owners affected by this situation,” Chairat Trirattanajarasporn, president of the Rayong Tourist Association, said yesterday.

Not only Samet’s tourism industry, but also that in Rayong has been affected by the oil spill.

Small business owners should be the first group to be compensated, Chairat said.

Since the crude-oil spill reached the shore of Ao Phrao on the southern end of Samet Island on Sunday night, all tourism businesses and related activities such as resorts, hotels, restaurants, motorcycle rentals, scuba-diving services, and even seafood street vendors have been unable to sell their wares and services to tourists.

“No tourist has ordered seafood from my restaurant. Because of the news reports on the situation here on this island, they are afraid to eat seafood,” Pimsila Thongmanee, the owner of Nong Neung Seafood, said with a trembling voice.

She was speaking during a two-hour meeting with Tourism Ministry officials at Hat Sai Kaew Beach Resort.

In the low tourism season from August-September, she could earn more than Bt10,000 per day by selling seafood to tourists, but since reports were published about the oil problem and contamination on the western side of the island, she could take in only Bt1,000 a day.

“This is the worst situation in my life since I have run this business for 10 years on this island,” she added. Her restaurant in located in front of Kohkheaw Pissadan School, which is far from the affected site.

Another restaurant owner suddenly raised her hand and shouted in the meeting that her restaurant has been affected by visitors’ fear of contaminated seafood.

“I used to get Bt40,000 a day from selling seafood to visitors, but now it’s only Bt8,000 a day,” said the restaurant owner, who wanted to be unnamed. Scuba-diving shops are also victims of the oil leak.

“Can somebody tell us that the crude-oil spill or even the oil film that is spreading on the sea surface is safe for humans?” said Pitchsinikorn Wonglamduan, the owner of a scuba-diving shop. Her concerns came after a report that the oil slick had reached Pla Tom Bay, which is a prize destination for divers wishing to see coral reefs in this area.

But since the reports of the oil spill have spread through the media, at least three groups of customers have cancelled their dive trips.

“There is not only no place to dive, but also no one to come and go diving,” she said with tears in her eyes. She said she really wanted PTTGC to tell them the truth about what is happening.

Sithikorn Paetpiboon, president of the Motorcycle Rental Shop Club, said the motorcycle rental business has been devastated by the reports on the oil spill.

Generally, each shop can ring up Bt2,000-Bt3,000 per day, but now they are seeing only 20 per cent of this amount. 

Porvisa Khemthong, a manager of Ban Thai Sang Thian Resort, said at least 10 groups of tourists had called her and cancelled bookings. She estimates that she will lose about Bt100,000 from the cancellations.

“Some of them asked me to send certification approved by the government to show that the situation on the island is safe,” she said.

According to PTTGC’s communications division, the top executive of the company will today meet affected business owners and show them a rehabilitation plan for the oil problem.

Regarding the cancellation of rooms on Ao Phrao and nearby beaches following the oil spill, Tourism Minister Somsak Pureesrisak said Samet still has 20 beaches that are safe from the oil spill. The booking rate on the island is currently about 2,000 rooms, representing 70 per cent of all rooms on the island.