Isn’t Koh Tao a forest reserve?
I may be missing something but my understanding is that the land on Koh Tao is all owned by the state and is either designated forest reserve or Por Tor 5 land that can used by local taxpayers only for the purposes of agriculture and fisheries – and that temporary shelters, but no permanent structures, may be erected.
If this is the case, and please correct me if I am wrong, I am puzzled as to why the governor of Surat Thani should be attempting to sue a UK-based website, The Samui Times, that is at any rate beyond the jurisdiction of Thai courts for criminal defamation to protect a tourism industry that should not be there in the first place.
Shouldn’t the governor be taking vigorous steps to enforce the law and protect the country’s natural resources by ordering the demolition of resorts and other permanent structures encroaching on the island? I am not suggesting that the island should revert to its original use as a prison for political dissidents, but I see a bright future for it as an uninhabited nature reserve that could become a major eco-tourism attraction strictly for day-trippers only. This would also put an end to the mysterious tourist suicides and accidental deaths, as well as the trade in illicit drugs and untaxed alcohol on the island. I look forward to seeing Koh Tao renamed as Eco Island.
George Morgan
