Island Wrap #66, recapping July 2023 in coastal Thailand

A month's worth of curated media from around Thai islands and coastal areas.

Welcome to the Island Wrap, a free monthly round-up of Thai island and coastal news. If you haven’t yet, feel free to subscribe to Thai Island Quest for free, or upgrade to gain access to the entire Thai Island & Coastal Directory as it’s published, and many other island-rich articles, for $5 USD per month.

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Today I have a stacked Island Wrap for you with stories on Thailand’s growing population of wild tigers, the closure of the spectacular Ko Kradan, a new TAT target to draw nearly 70 million foreign tourists to the country per year — and much more. I also briefly summarize the latest developments in a political impasse that remains tense and the subject of much speculation.

Here at Thai Island Quest I released four more sections of the Thai Island & Coastal Directory last month, diving into the Central Andaman coastal zone with an extensive intro before covering Mu Ko Phi Phi and Mu Ko Poda along with the popular parts of the Krabi coast and the lesser-known Mu Ko Si Boya and surrounds. Next up is Mu Ko Lanta before I start digging into the many isles of Phang Nga Bay.

Also, a head’s up that I might need to pause billing for a couple of weeks as I replace my fledgling 12-year-old laptop and run around preparing to return to Thailand in early September. I’ll send you an announcement if this is the case.

To those in Thailand now, I hope you enjoyed the six-day holiday week in observation of King Vajiralongkorn’s birthday on July 28th and Asanha Puja, a holiday marking the Buddha’s first sermon, on August 1st. It was a “bonanza” for Thai islands, with Ko Tao reporting an all-time single-day arrivals record as other Gulf islands — such as Ko Larn, Ko Chang and Ko Samui — also attracted the crowds.

The Andaman side was quieter due to the powerful storms that have been blowing through. A Krabi resident posted frightening footage of small speedboats recently bashing over enormous swells on the way back from Ko Phi Phi — seriously, what are these boat operators thinking? Off nearby Phuket, strong waves tragically pulled two men under while they were swimming last week. Also note that another warning about dangerous Portuguese man o war has been issued, this time from Ko Lanta after similar warnings came from Phuket and Phi Phi last month.

I always look forward to safely traveling Thailand during the rainy season, but it helps to have good info. To that end, you might be interested in a recent bulletin from TAT News listing exactly which of Thailand’s 155 national parks close, along with when and where, during the wet months. Also useful is a piece from I am Koh Chang explaining what you can expect if visiting Ko Chang during the rainy season, with many lessons that can be applied to other islands too.

Something nifty

Not a website or page this month but rather a recently published mystery novel, The Dive by Sara Ochs, which takes place on a fictional island that appears to be inspired by Ko Tao, Thailand’s so-called “death island.” I’ve not read the book yet, but in a review it sounds like a suspenseful story delving into the messy dynamics and power structures, as well as violence, that are part of some islands. The cover photo is ironically a shot of Sivalai Beach on Ko Mook, an island that is notably peaceful and has not suffered any serious violence in recent memory.

Election update

Thai political rumors are in full blast after all but 13 of the 250 military-appointed Senators blocked Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the election-winning Move Forward Party, from becoming Prime Minister. Hence the ball has been passed to the second-placed Pheu Thai Party as it looks set to nominate Srettha Thavisin, a property mogul, to be the premier of a new government that would exclude Move Forward while including relatively conservative parties that are part of the current government, namely Bhumjaithai and the Democrat Party.

One potential sticking point is whether the two blatantly military-aligned parties, each headed by one of the former generals who led the 2014 coup, will be part of the new coalition. Another is whether Pheu Thai’s de facto leader, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, will return to Thailand or remain in exile as a fugitive. If Pheu Thai partners with military parties, it will surely face a backlash.

But Pheu Thai’s recent statement of priorities resembles the reformist ideas of Move Forward, leaving Senate support unassured. An attempt at forming a government that excludes both Move Forward and Pheu Thai is within the realm of possibility, and — this being Thailand — a coup could always transpire if things devolve into a stalemate or mass protests. Tourism operators are on edge, and some 14 million people who voted for Move Forward are understandably angry.

One thing does look certain: former coup leader Prayut Chan-ocha is finally approaching the end of his nine-year stint as PM after the party he leads finished a dismal fifth in the election, winning only 36 of 500 seats.

News wire picks

Closing the world’s ‘best beach’: Balancing tourism and sustainability on Thailand’s Koh Kradan (CNA)
“‘Suddenly, tourist boats came to Koh Kradan. Hundreds of them came and there was no space for some boats to go in. All the boats from different islands were hired to go there. I have never seen anything like that,’ said Aren Prakong, the president of Trang Fisherfolk Association” after this small island was named “best beach in the world” by UK-based World Beach Guide earlier this year.

Thailand’s wild tigers have doubled in number since 2014 (Thai PBS)
”The success of the census was attributable to the installation of camera traps in 1,200 locations in 28 conserved areas in six forest complexes.” Good news — and just in time for Global Tiger Day on July 29th.

Taps run dry on Thai island as tourism boom worsens water shortage (The Guardian)
And in related news from Ko Samui, a band of residents are suing the municipality and the governor of Surat Thani province over an overflowing landfill.

Bid to save Thailand’s last remaining sand dune forests (Mekong Eye)
”To preserve this last patch of sand dune forest, a group of botanists, including Kitichate, have pushed for the 7,190-hectare Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park to be recognized on the UNESCO world heritage list — and the Thai government has heard their call.”

Thailand sets goal to attract 68.5 million foreign tourists in 2028 (Thai PBS)
And in other tourism news, Thailand drew 15 million inbound tourists in the first half of this year — a relatively sustainable number in my view, even if some operators are still wondering “what happened to all those Chinese tourists?”

Rich Russians isolated from the West are flocking to Thailand’s Phuket (The Straits Times)
Given that Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov visited Phuket two weeks ago, the island’s growing Russian community has not gone unnoticed.

Tired of Israel’s ‘pressure cooker,’ 100s of families lay new roots in Thailand (The Times of Israel)
Ko Phangan has become a long-term destination of choice for many Israelis.

Koh Chang on the road to recovery (Bangkok Post)
”Several hotels on Koh Chang changed hands, while many other businesses struggle to survive … At least 30% of hotels on Koh Chang are now either for sale or have closed down after going in the red.”

Wildlife sightings

• A record-breaking 300-kg giant stingray turned up in the Mekong River.

• A 15-meter-long Bryde’s whale carcass washed up near Ko Larn.

• Marine scientists in Phuket are rehabilitating a striped dolphin after it was found beached on Ko Yao Noi.

• Three different sea turtles were rescued after washing up while trapped amid fishing debris in Phuket.

• A leatherback sea turtle laid a nest on Karon Beach in Phuket for the first time in two decades, and then returned for a second round.

• Two rare animals — a slow loris and a pangolin — were guided back to the forest after wandering into the busier parts of Phuket.

• Officials tried to push two herds of wild elephants away from fruit orchards in Trat, while in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a court ordered that a lone jumbo be captured and returned to Tai Rom Yen National Park.

• The skull of an extinct alligator that lived in what is now Thailand some 200,000 years ago was discovered in Nakhon Ratchasima.

In other news

‘Collapsed plate’ caused Don Mueang walkway accident (Bangkok Post with an update on how a woman lost her leg to an airport travelator last month.)

Deaths in fireworks explosion climb to 12 with 10 survivors still in hospital (Thai PBS with the latest on a tragic accident in Narathiwat province.)

UPDATE: Egyptian girl died after slipping while taking photos on bridge at Phang Nga waterfall (The Phuket Express with the latest on this tragedy at Song Preak Waterfall.)

Tourists shy away from sea around Ko Lan to avoid plankton bloom (Thai PBS)

Ferry to Koh Samui malfunctions and strands frightened passengers for hours (The Phuket Express)

31 Koh Chang passengers stranded at sea for 6 hours (The Nation)

Locals voice opposition to navy base (Bangkok Post on the ongoing conflict over land near Phuket International Airport.)

New pier for Koh Samet ferry under construction (Bangkok Post on a pier that will service ferries on the mainland coast in Ban Phe.)

Dept pushes plan for dedicated cruise terminals in key destinations (Bangkok Post on the proposals for Phuket, Ko Samui and Pattaya.)

Macaques project ‘a success’ (Bangkok Post on a pilot project in which monkeys from Phetchaburi were relocated to Ko Payu in Phuket province.)

Two-wheeled angels: Bangkok launches first fleet of motorbike-ambulances (The Straits Times)

‘Green lung’ of Bangkok holds much promise (Bangkok Post on the push to officially make Bang Kachao a conservation zone.)

Thailand’s Koh Chang offers “haunted” experience in abandoned ship-hotel (The Nation on the derelict “ghost ship” on Grand Lagoona Beach.)

Memorial at Tham Luang five years since rescue triumph united world (Coconuts Bangkok on the anniversary of the cave rescue in Chiang Rai.)

I leave you with…

A photo essay from Adventure.com showing what it’s like to travel entirely by train from Nong Khai along the Laos border in Northeast Thailand all the way down to the Malaysia border at Sungai Kolok in the deep South. 🌴

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