The Island Wrap rises from the dead
Look who's back. Island Wrap #59.
Welcome to the Island Wrap, a free monthly round-up of Thai island and coastal news selected by yours truly. If you haven’t yet, subscribe to Thai Island Quest for free, or upgrade to gain access to the entire Thai Island Directory as it’s being published, and all other island-rich articles, for only $5 USD per month.
Out of the ashes walks the Island Wrap to say, happy New Year!
If you read this newsletter during the long Covid waves and doldrums of 2020 and ‘21, you probably recall my exhaustive summaries and new wraps, or “Island Wraps,” that went into the nitty gritty of all that was happening in coastal Thailand and its islands. If you’re up for a hunt and you want to dive into the 58 lengthy wraps that I wrote back then, be my guest.
The monthly Island Wraps that I’m planning for 2023 will be a little bit different, but still entirely free for all to read. While they will not be nearly as exhaustive as the earlier editions, my Island Wrap goals are still much the same.
I intend to share…
specially elected articles relating specifically to islands, travel, marine life and/or the environment in Thailand;
unusual or otherwise notable marine life sightings from Thailand;
a bit of other Thai coastal news to round out the picture;
a selected “cool website or page” about Thai islands for you to check out;
news on what’s happening here at Thai Island Quest, including a rundown of articles published recently and a summary of what to expect ahead.
Before getting into the news, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has subscribed, upgraded and shown interest in the Thai Island Directory project so far. In addition to an Intro to the entire project (more than one, in fact), I’ve already released an Intro to the Eastern Gulf (link below) that, I must warn new readers, has a not-even-close-to-scale map with a mermaid from hell.
I also published a photo-heavy article overviewing Trat and Mu Ko Chang, though I’ve decided to cut it from the Directory and place it alongside the many previous articles that stand on their own two feet, serving to deepen the island quest that begins at the Thai Island Directory.
Moving forward, I’m focusing on making this project what it was intended to be from the start: a comprehensive yet concise directory to every island and notable mainland shoreline in Thailand. So, that whole directory part of the Thai Island Directory is mostly what you’ll be seeing until the project is complete. I will, however, keep tossing in some of the classic, photo-rich articles as well.
Moving on to the news, Thailand had a rocky end to 2022.
Recent tragedies include the shipwreck of the HTMS Sukhothai, the loss of many more Thai lives in a devastating casino fire, the serious medical condition of a prominent Royal Princess, floods in much of the South, and an apparent sabotage that derailed a train in the restive Deep South near Malaysia. And of course, it has not yet been two months since families spread ashes of some of the victims of the Nong Bua Lamphu nursery massacre into the teal seas off Chonburi.
For many in Thailand though, particularly those who are relieved to be back in their once-stable tourism jobs, 2023 represents so much hope. I myself am hopeful, though also a bit trepidatious about the potential return of mass-scale tourism that now appears to be heading Thailand’s way faster than many observers expected. Do read on for more about that and plenty of other nuggets.
Cool website or page
Thai Scuba (thai-scuba.com) spotlights the dive scenes in most of the major scuba areas of Thailand through terrific photos and maps.
News wire picks:
Seawalls: A boon or bane for Thailand’s beautiful beaches?
(Thai PBS World)
“‘Of all the tools we can use to fight coastal erosion, seawalls are the worst,’ Apisak said.” I say: good to see some organizing around this issue.
‘It just dies’: Yellow-band disease ravages Thailand’s coral reefs
Montira Rungjirajittranon for AFP (via Phys.org)
An alarming story with photos of the disease at reefs off Ko Samae San.
Dead sea turtle in Thailand shines spotlight on environmental impact of Loy Krathong Festival
Pichayada Promchertchoo for CNA
But will anything truly be done about the sea rubbish problem?
“Our president has opened a Pandora’s Box”: Russians explain why they moved to Thailand
Jared Makana Kirkey for Prachatai English
Thailand appears to have become something of a safe have for Russian conscientious objectors to the war in Ukraine. Russians in general are “flocking” to Thailand for more typical holidays as well.
Thailand saw 10.9 million tourist arrivals so far this year: Official
Reuters (via CNA)
And on top of that, wait for it…
Asia’s tourist hotspots prepare for boom as China relaxes COVID rules
Chayut Setboonsarng, Xinghui Kok and Stella Qiu for Reuters
With the recent opening of China to quarantine-free international travel, it would appear that a post-pandemic tourism boom is near. Ko Samui recently anchored its first cruise ship in three years, and international passenger arrivals into Phuket Airport are reportedly reaching “all time highs.”
Ethnic Karen people demand shared common land for rotational farming
Thai PBS World
The Karen struggle for indigenous land rights continues in Kaeng Krachan National Park, which was controversially granted UNESCO Natural World Heritage status in 2021 despite the unresolved land rights issues.
Marine life sightings:
A fifth leatherback sea turtle nest was laid in Phang Nga.
A pod of orca whales appeared off Ko Tachai.
A beached pilot whale was rescued in Narathiwat.
A dead dugong in Surat Thani is thought to have been “hunted for its fangs.”
Two “large saltwater crocodiles” were apprehended in Tha Chana.
In other news:
A foreign man who was rescued from the sea near Ko Racha claims to have “been floating in the sea for 13 days.” Later, “two male foreign bodies were found floating in the sea,” also near Ko Racha, south of Phuket.
One fishing boat crew member was rescued but two others were lost when their trawler sank in rough seas off the Songkhla coast.
Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Leh is closing on January 15th and 16th for jetty repairs.
Pattaya Beach has been “hailed as second most popular beach in the world among TikTokers.”
On that note, see you next time. 🌴
Thank you for reading Thai Island Quest, an independent, reader-supported e-newsletter sharing the beauty, challenges and distinctive identities of Thailand’s islands and shorelines. Yes, all of them.
Pattaya beach isn't even the nicest beach in Chonburi province, i guess this is proof that tiktokkers are largely stupid...