BREAKING NEWS Mob Rule As Thailand's Second Largest Island Faces

Posted: 12 Nov 2009 | 10:50 am

The island of Koh Chang which is Thailand's second largest island after Phuket has been threated with closure to tourist's on Friday November 13th back of an ongoing dispute between locals including reportedly local politicians against the Navy. At the heart of the dispute are the islanders asking for revocation of the land held by the Navy and cancellation of National Park status. Travel agents are currently advising travelers to consider moving bookings to other destination for the moment.

(UPDATE- Local news sources are now reporting that the Minister of Culture has intervened and a postponement of actions to December 18 remains in tact. Travel agents are reported a significant level of cancellations back of the issue.)

Local business interests want National Park areas rescinded in order that development of hotels and tourism businesses can be done legally; which has been strongly supported by locals and Government officials on the island. Reports in local media are now unclear whether the planned blockade will be enacted tomorrow or moved back of a revised deadline of December 18th.

The news which is being picked up overseas remains a negative as it increases concerns by foreign travelers and travel agents on political stability which is currently becoming a widespread issue again after the recent Thaksin-Cambodia alliance and ongoing dispute with the Democrat led Government. For both of these countries which rely heavily on tourism as components of GDP, its clear that term term gyrations and concerns will have to take a back seat to what continues to be domestic political crisis in action.

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