Access Forbidden. The measure has no misunderstanding. Ko Tachai, one of the Thai pearls, a small paradisiac island of white sand, turquoise waters and tropical forest, is since May 16th simply closed to the public, a decision that will be reconsidered from Oct. 15th, and then, for an indefinite period.
This small piece of land, 70 km North of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, has been declared a prohibited area by the Thai authorities to preserve the fragile environment endangered by the regular influx and mass of tourists that come from the whole world. A measure approved by the teacher, Atún Thamrongnawasawat, vice-dean of the Faculty of Fisheries of the University of Kasetsart, who defended in the columns of Bangkok Post, the urgency and the necessity of such decision. “The island of Ko Tachai is a primitive area, he said, the beach can accommodate up to 70 people. But sometimes, the number of tourists exceeded 1000 on the beach, which was already crowded with food stands and excursion boats. If we do not close it now, we risk losing it permanently “.
According to local media, the authorities want to give a time of truce to this island in order to allow it to regenerate the level of its flora. The coral reef has been quite battered. Some corals are bleaching, therefore dying.
Ko Tachai is part of the protected area of Mu Ko Similan National Park, an archipelago that every year closes its eleven islands since May 15th to October 15th, during the rainy season. The measure is original and will be extended beyond October 15th for this island.
A decision that could be an example and spread to other small natural paradises like Maya Bay, the beach of Leonardo DiCaprio, where they filmed scenes for his movie The Beach, released in 2000. After this, hordes of tourists flock each day and confuse the beach with a trash can and dump tons of waste at sea or on the beach, damaging the natural environment. The biologists at sea who checked the poor state of the corals already alerted the authorities asking them to close the area since June to avoid waiting until it is too late. The continuation will tell us if they will be heard. Meanwhile, the message of the island Ko Tachai being closed, is still struggling to reach the ears of tour operators. Professor Atún Thamrongnawasawat declared in the Bangkok Post having seen still this week, fifteen agencies proposing visits always to Ko Tachai, at a trade show organized by the tourist office of … Thailand!
ALFA