new frontiers

Briefing on Tourism, Development and Environment Issues

in the Mekong Subregion

TOURISM INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO WEATHER THE STORM

[Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa): 17.10.00; Bangkok Post: 30.11.00] - DOWN but not out, the tourism industries in Vietnam, Cambodia and southern Thailand hope to float through the current of devastating flooding with their heads above water.

   For the millions of people that have been affected by the region's worst flooding in two generations, tourism is the last thing on their minds. Hundreds of people have died in the deluge. It will take years to dig out from the mess. The countries' economies will be stung by the damage to infrastructure and farmland.

   Yet, officials in the affected nations are quick to say the long-term impact on tourism is likely to be avoided.  "Floods in Cambodia are not going to affect our tourism plans," stated Thong Korn, Cambodian secretary of state in the Ministry of Tourism.

   However, Siem Reap Governor Chap Nhaliwuddh expressed concern that the imminent overflow of the Stung Siem Reap river might affect tourism in the short term. The tiny town near the world-famous Angkor temples is Cambodia's main tourist centre. The temples themselves are not flooded.

   The situation is worse in Vietnam, a country with no genuine tourist goldmine like Angkor Wat but which possesses an extraordinarily vast vein of culture and environmental tourism to mine in a host of locales, including the Mekong Delta.

   "The continued bad weather has put us in a very difficult situation," admitted a senior official at the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) who asked not to be named. "Of course tourism will be affected," he added.

   VNAT has reasons for concern. Tour operators like Sinh Cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's commercial capital, report drop-offs of 80 per cent on tours into the Mekong Delta. Torrential rains have also battered tourist hot-spots like Hue, the ancient imperial capital of Vietnam, and Hoi An, central Vietnam's 16th century town, which was bestowed World Heritage status by UNESCO last year.

   Despite the immediate hardships, authorities and executives feel there is another storm which threatens the industry: bad press. Last year’s massive flooding in Central Vietnam killed over 730 people, stranded hundreds of foreign tourists and was widely covered by the international media.

   "What we fear is that when those people about to enter Vietnam see images of flooding in newspapers or on television, they might simply cancel their plans and move on," the VNAT official recently said.

   That dilemma irritates people like Paul Stoll, general manager of the Furama Resort along the Danang coast. "The Mekong is suffering right now, but it's sunny in Danang today. But there is so much negative reporting, it is easy to believe sometimes all of Vietnam is under water."

   The flood devastation in southern Thailand follows similar problems. So the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has decided to inject up to US$700,000 to quickly resuscitate tourism in the heavily damaged city Haad Yai. Speaking in the aftermath of the worst flooding in living memory, TAT governor Pradech Phayakvichien said industry players would come together to look at ways to revive the sector. The fund is likely to include roadshows in Singapore and Malaysia.

   The TAT believes tourists will avoid the area for now. From the outset of flooding in the second half of November until the end of December Haad Yai may lose more than US$70 million, or 13% of expected tourism revenue. While it will take months to rehabilitate the town, the authority expect some businesses to return to normal in the next weeks.

   The Songkhla chamber of commerce said the province could not afford a repeat of the tragedy. President Boonchuay Jangsiriwatthamrong pointed out unless an anti-flood plan was in place, the province would lose investment. He demanded a flood warning system in Haad Yai, saying half of what had been destroyed would have been saved had there been an effective system.  

NEW INITIATIVES TO BOOST REGIONAL TOURISM

[The Nation: 14.10.00; Phnom Penh Daily: 14.10.00; Bangkok Post: 11.11.00; 13.11.00; Agency for Coordinating Mekong Tourism Activities (AMTA): Oct. 2000] – Four Countries Tourism Agreement: At a recent ministerial meeting in Bangkok, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, Laos agreed to jointly work to boost the flow of tourists into and within the four ASEAN states. The decision was one of the highlights of several bi-lateral cooperation agreements merged into a package by tourism ministers. The package was to streamline the plan to encourage regional travel and tourism cooperation.

   "There is little doubt that tourism plays a very significant role in all our economies,” said Thailand's tourism minister, Adisai Bodharamik. "By keeping each other updated with the 'big-picture plans, developments and further removing obstacles and impediments to investment and visitor flows, we can all benefit." 

   The countries will seek to open up more border crossings, provide visa-on-arrival services and improve the "convenience" of travelling by overland routes, Adisai said, adding, "They are also members of the Greater Mekong Subregion, so the new agreement will lead to a very bright future for the tourism industry."

   Mekong-Ganga Co-operation: Six Asian countries launched this scheme in the Lao capital Vientiane in November to primarily promote tourism but eventually aiming at economic integration of South and Southeast Asia.

   Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and India are members of the scheme initiated by India. Somsavat Lengsavad, the Lao deputy premier and foreign minister, chaired the meeting which set tourism, culture, human resource development, transport and communications as areas of co-operation. The countries signed the so-called Vientiane Declaration on Mekong-Ganga Co-operation and adopted a concept paper detailing the framework and mechanism for co-operation.

   India had proposed a Ganga-Suwannaphumi-Mekong Co-operation scheme as a means of linking two subregional projects - the Bangladesh, India, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Thailand-Economic Co-operation (BIMST-EC) and the tourism campaign called ‘Great Wonders of Suwannaphumi’. According to Thai minister, the Lao host dropped the word Suwannaphumi in order to prevent confusion because the Suwannaphumi package tour joined by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam is due to be launched early next year. But other sources said Laos does not like the word which is seen as implying Thai supremacy.

   A highlight of the cooperation scheme is the push for a trans-Asian highway to connect India with Southeast Asia. A stumbling block to this has long been Burma, which has all but closed borders with its neighbours. But the Burmese delegate surprised initial talks by stating that Rangoon was "prepared to pave the way in our position as the strategic gateway to India".

   The signatories also decided to conduct top-level, tourism marketing missions to promote areas in India and in the Mekong valley countries, and to encourage cultural and religious ties as well as ecotourism. In addition, efforts will be made to identify heritage sites in the region and campaign for their inclusion in the UNESCO heritage site list.

   Many analysts believe the Vientiane Declaration is politically motivated to counterbalance the growing influence of China in the region because China, which normally participates in Mekong regional meetings through its Yunnan province, is not part of the new scheme. However, Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh insisted that the new grouping was not aimed against any other country. “That would be a complete misinterpretation of the initiative,” he said. “This organization is not directed at anybody or against anybody.” Singh added that the new Mekong-Ganga organization was “not a formal grouping” but an initiative of “countries bound together by these two great rivers, by historical, cultural and other ties.”

   Sixth Mekong Tourism Forum 2001: The next Forum will be held from 30 March to 1 April 2001 in Kunming, China’s Yunnan province, under the theme “Appraising the Jewels of the Mekong”. The Forum is an annual event aimed at raising the profile of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as a tourist destination by featuring products and promotion policies of the six Mekong neighbouring countries.

   The event will be jointly organized by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and sponsored by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration. The Forum will be held just before the PATA Travel Mart, which is also taking place in Kunming.

   Topics of presentations and discussions are “International Perspectives on the Greater Mekong Subregion Growth”, Sustainable Tourism Development: Putting Theory into Practice”, “Strengths and Weaknesses of the GMS Inbound Market”, “Familiarization Trips to the GMS: Strategy vs. Experience”, “Solving Dot.com Dilemmas for GMS Tourism” and “Alternate Air Access to GMS Regional Air Network”.  

200 CREW FREED FROM CASINO SHIP

[The Nation: 20.10.00] – IN October, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) helped to free about 200 foreign crew members from a Malaysian-owned cruise ship used as a floating casino. The crew of the Panama registered cruise ship Millenium Queen, which was docked at Laem Chabang port in Thailand without any fuel, had been forced to work under tough conditions for eight months without pay. They did not attempt to escape because the ship’s owner threatened to sue them, citing their work contract.

   ITF official Somkiat Rodchan said that most of the crew were women from China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. “We received a complaint from a crew member and contacted the relevant authorities to take action to help them,” he said.  

AIDS BOMB TICKING AWAY IN ASIA

[The Nation: 2.12.00] – GOVERNMENTS across the region are continuing to bury their heads in the sand over AIDS, with official numbers of sufferers revealing only a fraction of the true picture, said health workers on occasion of this year’s World AIDS Day.

   In China, where experts have long been warning of an impending catastrophe in the face of official denial, Beijing is only now beginning to begrudgingly admit there may be a problem. The China Daily said the number of confirmed human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS cases in China was 20,711 but admitted that even medical experts’ estimates of 500,000 at the end of 1999 were conservative.

   “Unless there is really substantial action in the next three or four years, the real danger is that we will have 10 million cases of HIV or AIDS in the year 2010 or worse,” said Edwin Judd, China representative of UNICEF.

   In Vietnam, official figures are also widely disputed. According to the government, there have been 2,371 AIDS-related deaths in the country with a further 27,000 registered as HIV positive. But UN figures suggest four times more people have the virus. In Thailand, which has one of the worst HIV/AIDS problems in Asia, one in 60 of the population are infected. In Cambodia, UN and government figures put the number of HIV/AIDS cases close to 74,000, with widespread intravenous drug abuse, poor education about safe sex and prostitution blamed for the rapid spread of the disease. A case study on a Cambodian island revealed that one in four policemen, 10 per cent of military personnel and 41 per cent of sex workers have HIV.  

JUNTA VOWS 1 MILLION TOURISTS IN 2001!

[The Irrawaddy: Oct. 2000; The Nation: 28.10.00] – AT a recent Burma Travel Show in Bangkok, part of a stepped up campaign by the military regime to boost tourist revenue, Burma officials vowed to increase the number of tourists visiting the country by 10 times to one million and to raise tourist-related income to more than US$200 million within a year.

   However, the show, held in a Bangkok hotel, drew little walk-in traffic, with many of the airlines, hotels and tour operators that set up booths shutting down early. Several tour operators doubted Burma would even come close to its target. During the fiscal year 1999-2000, Burma attracted merely 114,000 visitors.

   Yet, the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board is hoping that the combined powers of television and Internet will help reach its goal. The new tourism campaign, which will use a series of 30-60 second video clips in conjunction with the AsiaTravel.com website is set to be launched in December. The ads are to be broadcast to up to 340 million viewers on media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV, while the website will provide supplementary information.

   Burmese democracy forces and international human rights groups vehemently oppose efforts to promote tourism in Burma because the increased revenue primarily bolsters the ruling junta. Western governments have also imposed sanctions on Burma over its bad human rights record and its refusal to hand over power to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) that won a landslide election victory in 1990.

   The International Labour Organization recently voted overwhelmingly to slap sanctions on Burma for its persistent use of forced labour. The punitive action, which was due to take effect on 30 November, in a sense banishes the Rangoon junta from the international community and deals a serious blow to its economic base. It also enforces a complicating ramification for many countries and United Nations agencies with a stake in Burma.

   In addition, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 4 December based on a recent UN Human Rights Commission report, slamming Burma for abuses such as “extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, enforced disappearances, rape, torture, inhuman treatment, mass arrests, forced labour including the use of children, forced relocation and denial of freedom of assembly, association, expression and movement”.  As in the past, the resolution urged the ruling junta to release political prisoners from jail and allow the NLD and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi to operate freely.  

LONELY PLANET AUTHOR DISCREDITS ABSDF

[The Nation: 24.11.00; 29.11.00; 6.12.00] – SINCE British action groups launched a boycott campaign against Lonely Planet (LP) publications last May because of its controversial Burma travel guidebook authored by Joe Cummings and Michael Clark, LP has stubbornly rejected to change its views on tourism to military-ruled Burma (see also new frontiers 6[3] and 6[4]).

   In November, The Nation published a letter by a ‘concerned traveller’ who again criticized LP’s Burma guidebook. Co-author Cummings promptly hit back, claiming the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) – a politically motivated organization he accused of recruiting child soldiers for an armed struggle in Burma - was behind the letter-writing.

   ‘Concerned traveller’ referred to the LP book’s allegation that information on the Burmese democracy movement was “anecdotal” (page 89) and that many “features, facts and interpretations are in fact sourced from Burmese refugees abroad.”

   “In fact, the statement is insensitive, devalidating the experiences of Burmese abroad. Just because some Burmese have been living in Australia for three years doesn’t mean their experience of torture is any less significant than that of Burmese in Thailand,” retorted ‘concerned traveller’.

   The letter went on to say: “Another worrying allegation in the book is the suggestion that forced labour is decreasing. If the authors would look at past International Labour Organization (ILO) reports and the upcoming ruling, which is likely to place sanctions on Burma, they will find this is not the case.”

   In his reply to The Nation editor, Cummings charged that the letter “signed ‘A Concerned Traveller’ also arrived on Lonely Planet’s doorstep under a different signature: ‘Foreign Affairs Office, All Burma Students’ Democratic Front’.” He further accused ABSDF of using violent means to change Burma’s political situation and “recruiting soldiers as young as 13”.

   Regarding the issues of forced labour, Cummings seems to believe he is more advanced in information gathering on Burma than the ILO and also UN human rights panels (see story: 1 million tourists). “We remain sceptical of the International Labour Organization’s ability to collect statistics on labour in Myanmar [Burma] in a reliable and valid manner unless they are able to send delegations for direct, repeated, cross-sectoral observation,” he wrote. “Collectively speaking, we have been visiting Myanmar regularly since the 1970s and have covered every state in the country but one (the Chin State)… We know that forced civilian labour is still going on in more remote areas… that are off limits to foreigners, such as the eastern portions of Shan, Karen and Mon states, and all of the Kayah State. But elsewhere, the practice appears to be on the wane and we stand by that opinion for the time being.”

   Finally, Cummings emphasized tourism as a significant means to improve the human rights situation in Burma. He stated: “The changes we’ve seen in these larger areas demonstrate the value of tourism as a potential international and non-partisan monitoring force.”

   ABSDF in return called Cumming’s allegations a “personal attack” against their organization and challenged him to give evidence to support his claims. “We feel that Joe Cummings, who is the author of the ‘Myanmar Lonely Planet Guidebook’, is shedding favourable light on the dictatorship in Burma,” concluded ABSDF’s Foreign Affairs Department in their letter to The Nation.  

FIGHTING AND CASINO BAN HIT TOURISM

[Bangkok Post: 6.11.00; 23.11.00; 29.11.00] - TOURISM along the Burma-Thai border has dropped by two-thirds because of Burmese military operations and strict measures to prevent Thais from visiting a casino in Myawaddy. Samart Loyfa, district chief of Mae Sot in Tak province, said 500-600 tourists used to visit the weekend Ban Rim Moei market, near the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge. On a weekend beginning of November there were only about 200.

   Samart blamed the decrease on a clash last month between the Thai army and Burmese soldiers in Umphang district, which claimed the life a Thai soldier. A battle between Burmese troops and the Karen National Union opposite Phop Phra district was another cause for concern.

   Pol Capt Sombat Phannarong, owner of Umphang Hill Resort, said 200 tourists have cancelled trips to the area because of the fighting. Only 70 people had confirmed their bookings. "Some tourists have cancelled bookings to visit Thi Lor Su waterfall because they believe it is near the war zone,” he said.

  A National Security Council ban on Thais crossing the border in Mae Sot to visit a casino in Myawaddy has added to the tourism slump.

   On 28 November, Burmese troops fired shots from across the border into a crowded market on the Thai side, forcing hundreds of tourists, vendors and locals to flee for their lives. No casualties were reported during the brief shooting, which followed a raid by a team of 50 Thai border patrol police and immigration officials on a casino located on a disputed islet in the Moei river. Six gamblers - a Thai and five Burmese - were arrested. More than 10 other Burmese gamblers fled across the river to Myawaddy town.

   The shooting prompted the Thai military task force to send troops to safeguard the border. Samart defended the raid on the disputed islet, saying both Thai and Burmese authorities were allowed access to the area to suppress illegal activities. Besides gambling, the islet has served as a rendezvous for contraband traders and drug dealers, Samart said.

   Meanwhile, local businesses have called for a review of restrictions intended to prevent people from visiting the casino. They said the measures have failed to keep gamblers away from the River Side Club casino, but border trade and tourism is being hurt, adding the number of visitors to Tak province had dropped by 70% and jewellery trade by 60% since the restrictions were introduced in October.

   Yet, police, immigration, customs and local administration officials have been told to strictly enforce the casino ban. Vijit na Ranong, chairman of the hoteliers committee, also suggested tough measures be imposed on tour agents who provide casino services in Burma’s Myawaddy.  

ECO-TOURISM PLAN TO REMAIN ON HOLD?

[Phnom Penh Daily: 26.10.00] - THE master plan prepared by the Tourism Authority of Thailand [TAT] to develop eco-tourism in the remote northeastern provinces Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri is likely to remain on the drawing board indefinitely (see also new frontiers 6[5]). Only a surprise private sector injection of at least US$34 million would get it off the ground, according to the Cambodian Minister of Tourism, Veng Sereyvuth.

   The recent revelation by Sereyvuth, analysts say, show that the government should first promote investments in the sector rather than promoting the attractions. They linked Sereyvuth's statement with the release of a film to promote eco-tourism to the kingdom. There are undoubtedly eco-tourism attractions, but they are not developed nor are there facilities to cater for visitors, the analysts said, adding "It's like offering an unbuilt house to those without a roof."

   The film itself, although well produced, is likely to attract only hard-core tourists who are prepared to risk arriving, find their way and rough it out in Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri.

   Travel agents overseas solely sell tours to Angkor Wat because they do not have information of the Northeast or other eco-sites, which the government is keen to develop for tourism.

   The TAT, in fulfillment of a 1998 agreement, recently turned in the eco-tourism plan for the northeastern provinces. But now it is questionable, whether the concerned Cambodian authorities will implement the “Thai-style” plan.  

BRIBE COMPLAINTS AT POCHENTONG

[Phnom Penh Daily: 27.11.-3.12.00] – VISITORS being harassed by police for bribes at Pochentong International Airport should demand to see Commissioner Hem Theng. Officials in charge said the measure was being taken because of mounting reports of visitors being fleeced by Theng’s men.

   One blatant example was a businessman who refused to pay a bribe being escorted into an examination room, stripped of everything in his wallet, his passport stamped as an undesirable alien and deported.

   Bribery is so acute at Pochentong that travel agents add the hidden cost into their tariff for individual and group tours to avoid delay and haggling. The Pochentong problem was also raised with the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, during his recent dialogue with the business community.

   Analysts say it was one of the reasons for the change at the top of police at Cambodia's main air gateway. Other measures likely to be taken include publicly posting legitimate charges related to entry and exit and converting Khmer-script name-tags worn by officers with those also using Roman letters. Officials say this would enable aggrieved passengers to note names of errant officers to lodge complaints, which should include time, date, location and the nature of illegal action.

   Complaint boxes are also to be provided in strategic positions at the airport, now being upgraded and expanded to service more visitors and larger aircraft. Officials say that 'don't bribe' notices may also be posted, but travel agents worry such an action would give a bad impression to visitors.  

OUTRAGE OVER MILD PUNISHMENT OF UK PAEDOPHILE

[The Nation: 20.11.00; 21.11.00] – CAMBODIA is trying hard to shed its image as a sex tourism destination and haven for paedophiles because of lax laws and many instances of alleged offenders buying their way out of detention (see also new frontiers 6[5]). In November, an accused British paedophile was sentenced in Phnom Penh to three years in prison, provoking outrage among children’s rights activists, who said the law required harsher punishment.

   Also enraged was the defendant, Jon Keeler (55 years), who kicked over his table and threw a chair across the courtroom after the sentence was read, shouting he had paid lots of money in bribes to be set free. “I gave you US$5,400,” Keeler shouted at his attorney before being dragged away by five courtroom guards. “You said you would pay the judge and I would go free.”

   Keeler’s attorney, Cchoy Phally, declined to comment on any bribes, but she pointed out after the trial that Cambodian law called for a sentence of 10 to 20 years in cases of debauchery with a minor, and he had only received three years. Keeler, the former director of the London School of English in Phnom Penh, was arrested in August after police found him making pornographic videos of four girls, aged eight to ten, in a park out the capital. He was accused of bribing the girls with candy and also drugging them. Keeler had pleaded insanity after admitting making a pornographic video of the girls.

   Judge Hy Sophea banned Keeler from returning to Cambodia after his term was served and ordered him to pay compensation of US$385 to his victims’ families.

   His sentence angered child protection activists, who said Cambodian courts continued to hand down unlawfully easy sentences to foreign paedophiles. Of at least half a dozen foreign paedophile cases in the past few years, not one suspect has served more than a year in prison, they said. “This is the problem,” said Yim Po, of the Cambodian Committee for Protection of Children’s Rights. “In Cambodia, the courts do not follow the law.”  

TRAVEL WARNINGS FOR SECURITY REASONS

[The Nation-15.11.00; websites] – IN November, a woman cleaner injured in a bomb attack at Vientiane’s international airport died and four other people were also injured by the explosion. The bombing at Wattay airport was a serious embarrassment for the Lao authorities, occurring on the eve of an Asian minister’s meeting here attended by Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Dy Nien – and just two days before the arrival of President Jiang Zemin on the first-ever state visit to Laos.

   Since last March, Laos has been rocked by a series of bomb attacks, wounding more than 40 people – some of them seriously – , and there has also been an upsurge of ethnic conflict and insurgency in rural areas. Consequently, several Western countries have issued travel warnings to the country, which – ironically - is promoting  “Visit Laos Year 2000” to boost the number of foreign tourists.

   The US government website (www.travel.state.gov/laos.html) informs, “Since the Spring of 2000, a number of bombings have occurred in public places frequented by foreign travellers in Vientiane, and there have been credible reports of other explosive devices found in Savannakhet and Pakse cities. While there is no evidence that this violence is directed against American citizens or institutions, American citizens should be aware that more such incidents could occur in the future. American citizens travelling to or residing anywhere in Laos are advised to exercise caution and to be alert to their surroundings.” It goes on to warn, “Persons travelling overland in some areas, particularly Route 13 north between Kasi and Luang Prabang; Saisombun Special Zone; Xieng Khouang Province, including the Plain of Jars; and Route 7 east from the Route 13 junction, run the risk of ambush by insurgents or bandits. There have been violent incidents in these areas in the past year. Some groups have warned of impending insurgent attacks in these areas.”

   The British government has conveyed a similar message (at www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp?LA): “Visitors should be vigilant and aware of personal security at all times. A number of security incidents including bombings, have taken place throughout Laos since March. In early July there was an armed attack on a Lao border post in Champasak Province. Visitors should exercise caution in areas where large numbers of people gather… Visitors should be aware that travel in parts of Laos is dangerous. Visitors should be alert to continuing security concerns related to ethnic conflict and banditry in rural areas… Wherever possible travel along [certain] routes should be in daylight hours and in a convoy.”

   Likewise, the Australian government website (www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice/Laos.html) warns its citizens: “Australian visitors to Laos should maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times… [Security incidents in Vientiane] include bombs in public places including markets, hotels, the post office and a restaurant. Bombs have also been found on buses and at the airport. Australian citizens are therefore advised to exercise caution in areas where large numbers of people congregate, particularly the Morning Market in Vientiane.”  

MASTER PLAN SEEKS A BIG JUMP IN TOURIST NUMBERS

[The Nation: 1.11.00; 3.11.00; Bangkok Post: 2.11.00] - Thailand's new 10-year tourism master plan represents the first top-level effort to place development of the industry prominently on the national agenda. The blueprint is aimed at nearly doubling the number of foreign tourists to 16 million a year by 2005, generating Bt538 billion (US$13.45 billion) in revenue, said Adisai Bhodaramik, the Prime Minister's Office minister in charge of tourism. By 2010, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) projects the number of foreign arrivals in the country to reach 22 million, with earnings of Bt859 billion (US$21.47 billion) for the country.

   The World Tourism Organization projects annual growth of 6.9% in foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand. Under the TAT plan, however, the annual growth rate is projected at 11.27% from 2002 to 2005, and 6.99% from 2006 to 2010.

   Over the past 10 years, the growth of the country’s tourist industry has been slower than the authorities would have liked: According to official statistics, the 5.29 million arrivals in 1990 brought in about Bt110 million (US$4.4 billion; exchange rate: US$1=Bt25), which rose to about 8.58 million arrivals last year and revenue about Bt250 billion (US$6.25 billion; exchange rate after the devaluation in 1997: US$1=Bt40). 

   Santi Chudintra, director of the macro planning division at the TAT, said that in the past, development of the industry had been spotty and poorly co-ordinated among government agencies. Under the new plan, the TAT will serve as a coordinating body for policies to be implemented by the various ministries. It represented a more systematic, structured approach to supporting the industry, Mr Santi added.

   The plan is intended to address eight issues:

·          Include tourism policy in the national agenda and draft a tourism law to cover all related industries. The existing tourism act outlined only the role of the TAT, said Mr Santi.

·          Promote the industry to attract more foreign visitors and obtain support from the government, as well as setting up new TAT offices in emerging markets.

·          Double the number of major tourist destinations from 10 to 20 and provide better maintenance in existing areas.

·          Ease immigration regulations.

·          Increase co-operation with the Tourist Police for better security, and encourage local people to help provide security in provincial areas.

·          Develop more information technology and e-commerce tools to promote Thailand, and enable more reservations and sales online.

·          Jointly promote the industry with those of neighbouring countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as well as with Malaysia and Singapore.

·          Improve the efficiency of TAT and increase its staff to respond to rapid developments in the industry.

   The master plan will be completed within five months, said Adisai Bodharamik, PM’s Office Minister in charge of tourism. The target of 22 million arrivals by 2010 was certainly possible, he said, adding that local administrations must play a major role in handling such a number. “We expect tourism’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product to rise from 5 to 6 per cent to more than 10 per cent in future,” said Adisai.   

PHUKET’S TOURISM BOOM BENEFITS ONLY SOME

[The Nation: 5.11.00] – With the election coming up in Thailand on 6 January, tourism is again a major topic in Phuket. The country’s tourism industry earns lots of money from the internationally known resort island, and yet Seri Tantavornpong, a native from Phuket, wonders why he has never had any benefits.

   If the industry is that bountiful, why, for example, does he have to pay more for food? “Food vendors do not care whether we are tourists or local residents, they charge us the same price,” said the 59-year-old barber. He added he is not against tourism, but he wants to have a better life, too.

   Most of Phuket’s candidates for the upcoming election are well aware that one of the big challenges is the need for a more appropriate distribution of income from tourism. Chat Pattana Party candidate Rewut Jindapol said the unequal distribution of income results from the way tour groups are organized. At present, most tourists come to Phuket as part of a group tour and are only taken to big shops operated by non-local entrepreneurs. Thai Rak Thai Party candidate Hiran Tepsiri-amnuay agreed, but said he believes there is no way back to “old-style tourism” controlled by local people.

   Rewut said, that Phuket, as a major tourist center, might require different policies from other provinces. The minimum daily wage is one aspect that can be changed, he said. While Phuket has a high cost of living, local labourers and migrant workers receive the same rate of pay as other provinces where the cost of living is much lower, which is not fair.

   Phuket province should also be allowed to manage its own collection of taxes, suggested Rewut. “Tourism operators, whose operations are based on the natural resources, should pay higher taxes than a barber, a street vendor or a coffee shop owner, if we are to be fair to those who get a meagre income but who have to pay taxes at the same rate,” he said.

   Many Phuket residents, among them tourism entrepreneurs, blame the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for the environmental degradation of the island. Sombat Atiset, chairman of the Phuket Tourism Business, pointed out that tourism-induced environmental problems are found throughout the country, as most problems originate with the TAT. What the TAT has done so far is try to attract more and more tourists, which causes more problems than are worth the income they generate, he argued.

   More tourists mean more pollution and a greater consumption of resources, agreed Thai Rak Thai’s Hiran. “Instead of campaigning for more tourists, the TAT should find a way to convince tourists to pay more. That’s what the country needs, not a fat figure of tourists,” he said. “The government wants to push Phuket as an international city, but it has an out-of-date policy to deal with tourists.”

  “I don’t think [national politicians] can do much about tourism,” said business representative Sombat. “I just want to see one PM’s Office Minister who really understands tourism and who can get rid of bureaucratic red-tape.”      

HYPOCRISY MUZZLES SEX WORKERS’ SEMINAR

[Bangkok Post: 4.11.00; 19.11.00; The Nation: 12.11.00; 18.11.00] - AN international sex workers’ seminar in Bangkok held from 15 to 19 November was a bomb that went off even before the meeting began. When the media reported that the conference would bring in a number of sex workers from the Asia-Pacific region, policemen were designed to prevent the event from taking place for fear it create the wrong kind of impression about Thailand.

   Chanthavipa Aphisuk of Empower, the Bangkok-based NGO for the protection of sex workers’s rights that organized the event said, "We're not holding the seminar to promote the sex business. We just want to address the problems being faced by people in the profession." She did not understand why law enforcement authorities continued to deny the fact that the sex trade exists in Thailand, as it does in other countries. The industry was often left in the hands of criminals because of legal limitations, said Chanthavipa, adding the seminar would seek to strengthen international links between individual sex workers, organizations and projects.

   An editorial in The Nation defended the seminar and suggested the Thai public should be let in on the discussion of issues related to the supposedly ‘oldest profession’. It said, “Call it the result of economic and social development gone awry, the failure of poverty reduction programmes, lack of sex education, moral decay, ruthless exploitation of the weak and the poor – all have contributed to the growth of prostitution as an industry in this country.” The editorial concluded, “Level-headed discussion – not an official policy of prudery and hypocrisy – should be the order of the day.”

   Eventually, participants from 12 countries - Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, the United States, Laos, Burma, Taiwan, Cambodia and Thailand - got together to discuss their problems and to work out an action plan to improve sex workers’ rights. They primarily called for recognition of their work as another profession under the labour law.

   "Our protection under the labour law is expected to end our suffering so that we won't have to worry about exploitation or medical fees, and we will also have an opportunity like other people to go back home and join other members of our family during annual festivals," said a Thai sex worker. He highlighted the fact that some sex workers earn an income below the minimum wage of 162 baht (US$3.76) per day and have to pay a fine if they are late for work. "For showgirls it's worst. Even those who get accidentally injured during the razor shows are not provided any medical benefits,” he said.

   "They have to pay for their own medication and if they miss work for one day, their wage is deducted," complained another participant working in Bangkok’s red-light district Patpong.

   The group also discussed the possibility of registering sex workers, but Thai participants found that it would pose more of a problem for them. "Registration would further expose us to more discrimination, particularly when we have to deal with the authorities," said one Thai sex worker.  

TIGER WOODS GETS HONORARY DOCTORATE, ATTRACTS RIDICULE, PROTESTS

[The Nation: 2.11.00; 15.11.00] – DURING his November visit in Bangkok to play in the 10^th Johnnie Walker Classic tournament, golfing star Tiger Woods, whose mother is Thai, was given an honorary doctorate of philosophy in sports science by the Bangkok Kasertsart University (KU). “The degree is to honour his talent and excellence in playing golf,” said assistant professor Wallee Phattarophas.

   The appearance of famous Tiger Woods was also expected to give a big boost to Thailand’s reputation as a golf tourism destination for foreigners.

   But many public voices joined hands in a big “thumbs down” to the KU’s “desperate” honorary-doctorate offering to an “indifferent” Tiger Woods. Website posters and callers to radio programmes were sarcastic about what they described as “pathetic scrambling to please the superstar”. And a Thai-language newspaper disapproved of him being treated like an “angel”. KU students also came out to protest. “Thinking back to when we studied, we had to spill so much sweat before graduating,” said one former student and asked, “What has Tiger Woods done for scientific studies on sports in Thailand?”

   In addition, the world’s top golfer was forced to run gauntlet of about 100 sacked Nike employees who staged an angry protest inside the lobby of the hotel he was staying at in Bangkok. Looking somewhat taken back, the world’s greatest golfer, protected by a phalanx of body-guards and officials, put his head down and walked past without making any comment as the protesters shouted questions at him. Organizers demanded that Tiger Woods, whose contract with Nike nets him US$100 million over five years should listen to their plight that they had been unlawfully dismissed by Nike in Thailand.

   They said they were part of a group of 1,016 workers who were still waiting to be compensated a total of US$1 million after being laid off by Nike last September. “It would take the workers here 72,000 years of work for Nike on their wages to make the money” (that Tiger Woods gets from the company), said Thai Labour Committee official Lek Junya Yumprasert.

   The Thai business paper Prachachart Thurakij revealed that apart from the galactic sponsorship fee from the Nike company, Tiger Woods has also contracts with Asahi drinks, Buick cars and EA sports over US$30 million each a year. In addition, American Express is paying him US$25 million.  

ELEPHANTS SICK FROM OVERWORK

[Bangkok Post: 12.11.00] - TWO bull elephants in a Chiang Mai elephant camp were the first beasts to become sick from overwork as the tourist season in the North begins. Plai Thong and Plai Billy were recently admitted to the elephant hospital in Hang Chat district and treated for dehydration and fatigue, hospital staff said.

   Plai Thong was described as safe after receiving a saline solution and energy-boosting medication. Plai Billy, owned by elephant camp employee Nikhom Khanta, was still in critical condition and unable to stand. Veterinarian Ekkrak Klangarvut was concerned about the elephant's condition and said more blood tests would be conducted to find the cause of illness.

   About 30 elephants in the camp have been overworked and poorly fed since the tourist season began. "They are fed a few clumps of grass per day at the camp unless tourists buy them food such as bananas. I think other animals will soon suffer the same fate if the situation goes on like this," said Nikhom. Because of inadequate food supplies, he said, the elephants endured added stress by having to find food in forests.

   Friends of the Asian Elephant urged all elephants owners and camp operators to treat their animals humanely. "Don't abuse them. The owners shouldn't put money before the lives of their elephants. The tourist season is under way but the elephants also need rest," said Solaida Salwala, the foundation's secretary-general.