Island Wrap #78: Bridge proposals for Ko Chang and Ko Samui advance, new long-stay visa rules in effect, and more

A free monthly spin through the most intriguing and consequential news and other media from Thailand's islands and coastal areas.

Greetings island lovers and welcome to your free monthly news review from Thailand’s islands and coastal areas — and sometimes beyond.

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Recently from Thai Island Quest

T.I.C.D.: Mu Ko Samui (Part II: Ko Phangan & Ko Tao)

T.I.C.D.: Mu Ko Samui (Part I: Ko Samui & Ko Taen)

T.I.C.D.: Intro to the Mid Southern Gulf

Wind in my sails after a needed hiatus, we are now almost to 850 islands covered in the Thai Island & Coastal Directory. With dazzling chains like Mu Ko Ang Thong, Mu Ko Chumphon and Mu Ko Similan still on the way, it’s looking like we *might* top 1,000 islands by the end — not to mention over 300 mainland coastal areas in all 24 coastal provinces. When I said this would be the most complete guide to Thailand’s islands and coastal areas ever published in English, I was not kidding!

Catch of the month

On the Ko Chang ferry in Trat, where support for a bridge project from the mainland has been gathering support despite a high price tag.

Weather & shipwrecks

• Severe flooding persists in parts of Trat province, where a “rogue wave” pushed 20 fishing boats into a canal in Hat Lek. Also on the Eastern Gulf, downtown Chanthaburi is bracing for a flood as its namesake river swells.

• Dangerously rough seas continued at Phuket recently, though the weather on much of Thailand’s Andaman coast looks a bit better this week. No fatal boat accidents were reported, but three people were rescued after their longtail boat capsized near Ko Phi Phi, and fishermen saved another 15 after a boat engine failure led to its sinking in rough seas west of Phuket.

• Weather in the Mid Southern Gulf has been much better of late, but a nighttime collision between two speedboats off Ko Samui tragically took a life.

Olympics

Team Thailand has some great underdog stories going at the Paris games. Eighth-seeded Kunlavut “View” Vitidsarn dominated the top-ranked men’s badminton player to advance to the semifinals. In women’s boxing, the tough Janjaem Suwannapheng clinched at least a bronze and will next face the Algerian fighter whose last opponent tapped out after 46 seconds. In addition I’m keeping an eye on Puripol “Thep Bew” Boonson in the men’s 100-meter sprint semifinals, while also looking forward to Thailand’s chances in taekwondo, golf and weight lifting.

Travel & food

How to have the perfect holiday in Thailand (The Telegraph with a paywalled article showcasing choice picks from a writer who knows the country well.)

The first-timer’s Phuket travel guide (Will Fly For Food samples a Phuket food tour and much more.)

How to make authentic Thai food: chef’s Koh Samui cooking school teaches popular dishes (SCMP reviews the Jungle Kitchen.)

A glorious journey back in time to Thailand’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site (Thai PBS on Phu Pha Brat, a historical and natural park in Udon Thani with 3,000 years of visible history that’s long been one of my favorite sites in Thailand. Meanwhile, the Songkhla old town joined four other Thai sites on UNESCO’s official list of potentially future World Heritage sites.)

Tourism

Why Thailand is making it easier for travelers to stay longer (CNN Travel on the broadest easing of visa restrictions in many years, which are listed in detail on the TAT news site and explored by a Bangkok Post video report.)

Europe trade body wants end to TM30 (Bangkok Post on frustrating foreigner address-reporting rules implemented during the previous government.)

Transport

Samui sea bridge public hearings resume (Bangkok Post on the proposed 25-km bridge that would be accessible from both Don Sak and Khanom, with construction plans tentatively set for a 2029 start.)

Koh Chang bridge ‘likely to cost B10bn’ (Bangkok Post on a recent Expressway Authority appraisal for a project that has yet to undergo a feasibility study as several potential routes are still being considered.)

Bangkok Air shares near 7-year high on Koh Samui airport expansion (Nikkei Asia on the airline’s continuing control of all Samui-bound flight routes.)

New Orange Line: Where are the 28 stations connecting east and west Bangkok? (Khaosod on the recent approval of the underground western section with stations at historical landmarks like Democracy Monument and Sanam Luang, which are slated to join the currently under-construction eastern section in 2030. In related news, Pattaya’s monorail project passed another hearing.)

Environment

Asia needs urgent help to turn the tide on ocean heatwaves (SCMP with a sobering video report showing coral bleaching off the Chanthaburi coast, where the water temperature reached 33 C or 91 F this past May.)

Extreme heat is worse for low-income communities: A visit to Klong Toey in Bangkok (SEI gathers insights from a low-income area at the hottest time of year.)

Something fishy afoot (Bangkok Post with an understandably frustrated tone in this opinion piece on “a massive invasion of blackchin tilapia” that is threatening other crucial fish species in many Thai rivers and coastal areas.)

Maya Bay closing for two months for natural rehabilitation (Bangkok Post on one of several current closures of islands in Thai Andaman national parks, with others including Ko Similan, Ko Surin and Ko Taratao.)

Satun cave reveals new tree species ‘Chalermprakiat’ (Bangkok Post on the find made by university students at Thalu Cave near La-Ngu.)

Wildlife

• Five pygmy or false killer whales were rescued after a sixth member of their pod sadly died amid the shallow mangroves of Ao Kung in Phuket.

• An adult Bryde’s whale was found dead near Ko Phaluai in the Ang Thong Islands near Ko Samui, an area where recent footage shows a pod of humpback dolphins casually frolicking in the waters near Ko Wua Talap.

• A baby hawksbill sea turtle is undergoing treatment in Phuket after being rescued from flotsam that washed up on Rawai Beach.

• Perhaps most compellingly this month is photographer Mogens Trolle’s footage showing the long-tailed macaques of Ko Kho Ram in Sam Roi Yot National Park using stone tools to crack open rock oysters, a skill they reportedly learned when daily boat tours stopped bringing snacks during the Covid years.

• And from an in-depth Monga Bay article with terrific photos, the “tiger population density in a series of protected areas in western Thailand has more than doubled over the past two decades, according to new survey data.”

Society

Move Forward’s Pita warns of instability ahead of Thai court rulings (Bloomberg via Bangkok Post on two forthcoming rulings that “could once again thrust the nation into political turmoil at a time its government has been struggling to deliver for its under-performing economy,” potentially prompting protests particularly if the court rules against Move Forward on August 7th, as expected.)

‘Terrible’: Apple removes new promo video after backlash in Thailand (CNN Travel on the commercial that many Thais found offensive or “gaudy” or “as if still in 1970s-80s”. With its “faded sepia tone”, the video made me wonder why one of the world’s richest brands would insult millions of Thai people, including some in positions of power, with such a shoddy portrayal of Thailand that is far from reality. I’d expect that sort of treatment from The Hangover, but not Apple!

Why is Thai health care so good? (The Economist breaks down how life expectancy in Thailand recently surpassed the United States — so, take that Apple.)

Thai government opts for cannabis act to end political deadlock (Khaosod on how the governing Pheu Thai Party backed off its controversial push to re-criminalize, a move that may have something to do with its pro-cannabis coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, taking firm control of Thailand’s new Senate.)

Thais place faith in lucky charms amid slow economic growth (Bangkok Post explains that many Gen-Z Thais “wear clothes in auspicious colours, adorn themselves with jewelry featuring Hindu gods, and use deity-themed mobile phone wallpapers to seek luck in work and studies.”

Tension and teamwork: The dual dynamics of Thailand-Vietnam relations (The Diplomat with an informative piece comparing these historical rivals that recently raised their strategic relations to the highest levels.)

In other news

Thai subsidies for Chinese EV makers wreak havoc on auto industry (Nikkei Asia on shifting dynamics as Japanese auto factories and suppliers close or scale back in provinces like Rayong and Ayutthaya.)

Luxury resort project on Samui faces demolition (Bangkok Post on a large-scale hillside development that allegedly breached its permit conditions.)

Eerie banquet at Thai cemetery offers delectable food to ‘nourish’ infant spirits (SCMP)

I leave you with…

A note on filming locations in Skywalkers: A Love Story, a thrilling new documentary about a daredevil “rooftopper” couple who are among the many Russians who moved to Thailand after the War in Ukraine began. While the film focuses on their quest to climb the 679-meter Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, much of it is filmed in Bangkok including, in the opening montage, atop The River building’s narrow fin set 258 meters over the Chao Phraya. One of the more terrifying scenes unfolds high above the Royal Bangkok Sports Club in Ratchadamri, while others came from way up above Pattaya Bay and several ground-level spots that will be familiar to Bangkokians, such as the street football court below Saphan Taksin. 🌴

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Thank you for reading Thai Island Quest. For the love of the islands.