Welcome to round two of the Island Wrap, where I dig into what’s happening in the Thai islands and related coastal areas each week. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to Thai Island Times. For more info about this newsletter, see the About page.
Earlier this week in Island Daze I featured Ko Phitak, a serene yet little-known fishing island in Chumphon province. Want to forget reality? Check out Phitak.
In Island Watch I spotlighted a raft of reputable charities currently helping unemployed tourism workers in major Thai islands and coastal centers. If you’re able, please consider donating to one of them or sending help directly to a tourism-related business or freelancer that you might be concerned about. Please also share the story because, as of right now, there is an urgent need for aid.
Successfully tracking an elongated tortoise with Mr. Si on Ko Ra.
Next week I’ll publish the first installment of Island Nerd, where I dig into some of the finer points of the Thai islands. Hint: Get out your magnifying glass.
Meanwhile, Stuart McDonald has made it all the way up to Nan, one of my favorite upcountry Thai provinces, in his Couchfish newsletter. Do consider following his whistle-stop virtual journey through Southeast Asia.
And another big thanks to everyone who has signed up for Thai Island Times so far, including all of the readers who have contacted me. If you want to talk islands, don’t hesitate to get in touch at luekensd@gmail.com.
Island of the week
One spot mentioned by a reader (thanks Haikel) that I hadn’t thought about for a while is Ko Ra, a small forested island in upper Phang Nga province. Word is that, since my last visit in 2012, the entire island has been rolled into a new marine park that also includes parts of nearby Ko Phra Thong. Both islands contain striking dry savannah landscapes. Ko Ra also has steep slopes that I once scaled in search of a rare tortoise (see photo above). I look forward to visiting both again.
Grab a bike from Krabi Eco Cycle and check out some of the back roads between Ao Nang and Khlong Muang.
Business of the week
Recently I’ve noticed several folks seeking bicycle rental recommendations in the Ao Nang vicinity of Krabi province. I’ve spent about three months exploring this area on mountain bikes rented from Krabi Eco Cycle. Inconspicuously located in a row of shophouses about two km north of Ban Khlong Haeng, its Giant-branded bikes are sturdy. The service is good too — they didn’t even get mad when I accidentally reset the lock code on my bike chain one day, necessitating a trip to my guesthouse with a buzz saw. The family-run shop also does bicycle tours.
Charity of the week
Founded in 1997 as a women’s group, Sisters on Samui blossomed into a non-profit that found itself well positioned to aid the estimated 90% of tourism workers who have lost their jobs on Ko Samui of late. In addition to providing thousands of meals each week, the group is keeping tabs on the island’s most vulnerable people to make sure that no one falls through the cracks. Check out this page to see photos of their charity work, and consider contributing to their “Feed Samui” campaign.
Some of the sisters doing great stuff on Ko Samui. (Source: Sisters on Samui)
Website of the week
One site that has helped me voyage deeper into Chumphon province’s islands and mainland beaches is Chumphon Places, created by an expat who has lived there for years. It gets little recognition — from Google, for one — despite being a trove of insights on this gorgeous province set along the Thai Gulf. In total the site spotlights more than 150 attractions and destinations, providing reliable info on reaching them. Give it a browse if Chumphon is on your mind.
Wandering whale sharks
The world’s largest species of shark made headlines in both the Thai Andaman and the Thai Gulf this week. First, in the Andaman Sea near Ko Rok, locals reported that six (!) whale sharks turned up in a single broad fishing net. Footage of the fishers working to free one of the whale sharks was widely shared online.
Meanwhile, in the Thai Gulf waters of Surat Thani province, fishers filmed another whale shark in an area where these gentle giants are rarely seen.
Additionally, marine scientist Thon Thamrongnawasawat pointed out that much of the coral in Thailand is rejuvenating thanks to the lack of boat traffic and seawater that has stayed below critically warm temperatures. "Generally, almost all the corals are looking good with no signs of bleaching," he told the Bangkok Post.
Covid-19 update
Reported cases of the virus continue to fall in Thailand, with only one to three infections reported countrywide on all but one of the last seven days. Meanwhile, a prototype Covid-19 vaccine developed by Thai scientists was found to successfully produce antibodies in mice. Human trials are next.
Some sad news out of Khao Lak.
Three more infections were detected in the Bang Tao area of Phuket last weekend, but, since then, Phuket has gone five straight days with no reported infections. No other Thai island has reported a new infection for weeks.
It was not all good news. A 69-year-old Australian man who managed a resort in Khao Lak sadly became the 55th person in Thailand to die of Covid-19 on Wednesday. Word is that he most likely caught the virus when visiting nearby Phuket in March. His death was the only Covid-19 fatality in Thailand so far this week.
Rohingya adrift
So far this month, Thailand’s highest single-day Covid-19 count came on Monday in the deep Southern border town of Sadao, where 18 infections turned up among Rohingya refugees. Members of this oppressed Muslim minority group have been held in cramped conditions at Thai detention centers for years, despite having valid asylum claims based on well-documented evidence of persecution in their native Myanmar.
In related news, many Rohingya starved to death after a failed attempt to reach Malaysia that passed Thai Andaman waters. On one boat that barely made it back to Bangladesh, “estimates of the number of people who died ranged from several dozen to more than 100,” reports Reuters. Amnesty International estimates that 800 more Rohingya are now at sea and will likely be denied entry to Malaysia as well.
Phuket exodus
Last Friday, Phuket’s bridge was reopened to those who want to leave the island for the first time in several weeks, but strict requirements caused major traffic jams and chaotic scenes at district offices. The situation became so unmanageable that officials suddenly closed the bridge and announced that no one else could leave again until Sunday. Some 50,000 people are trying to get off the island.
On the other side of the road, the lockdown on anyone entering Phuket province who is not performing a vital service will likely be kept in place until (at least) 1st June. The airport is closed until at least the 15th of this month.
Most of those trying to get off Phuket are unemployed tourism workers who were unable to return to their native provinces before the island was locked down early last month. To get out, travelers must first obtain a “fit to travel” certificate. These are provided via an online system and in-person at district offices, and the process does not involve being tested for Covid-19.
Travelers must apply for the fit-to-travel certificate by the 8th, and no more than 5,000 people are allowed to exit the island per day. Also, only private vehicles are allowed. The lack of public buses ensures that some of the people who are in the worst financial shape will stay stuck on Phuket.
Many other Thai provinces are forcing anyone who has recently left Phuket, along with other so-called high-risk provinces like Bangkok and Chonburi, to do a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Some provinces, like Trang and Satun, are staying closed off to non-residents.
Booze ban (mostly) lifted
After initially announcing that a nationwide alcohol ban would continue through this month, the government reversed course and lifted the directive last Sunday. Fearing a renewal of the ban, shoppers crowded into stores to buy alcohol all over Thailand. This prompted top brass in the army-dominated government to threaten to reinstate the ban, which, in turn, prompted more panic buying.
Not every province has lifted the booze ban, with four governors arbitrarily ruling to keep it in place. One of them was Phetchaburi province on the upper Thai Gulf, which has not reported a Covid-19 infection for more than 30 days. (The others were Pathum Thani, Buriram and Phitsanulok.) However, after an outcry, the governor of Phetchaburi reversed course and lifted the ban yesterday.
The opposite happened in Trang down on the Thai Andaman coast. Many stores there began selling alcohol on Sunday after receiving no official word from the provincial government. Then, on Wednesday, the governor suddenly extended the ban, provoking quite a lot of anger and confusion. He even sent police into stores to make staff remove alcohol from shelves and snatch six-packs out of shopping carts. Trang province has also not reported a Covid-19 infection for several weeks.
It’s worth mentioning that Thai citizens are not able to elect the politicians leading their provinces. Instead, the governors are bureaucrats appointed by the central government in Bangkok. Often having little connection to the provinces that they’re assigned to, and little accountability due to the undemocratic nature of their postings, governors are shuffled around from province to province like in a game of musical chairs. In fact, the governor of Phuket was recently shunted off to the Phetchaburi post after being blamed for the spread of Covid-19 on Phuket.
Police were still out busting small social gatherings this week, including a party of eight Russians on Ko Phangan and around a dozen Thais in Sattahip. In both cases, the groups were congregating at private homes.
DIY buckets are back, but no partying!
The shifting sands of restrictions
Nationwide, authorities have allowed salons to open and dining in at restaurants is now allowed in most places, albeit with measures for physical distancing. A nighttime curfew remains in effect nationwide.
Some domestic flights have resumed, often with mandatory self-quarantine for arriving passengers. After servicing a handful of weekly flights last month, Krabi Airport halted all domestic flights until the 18th. Most travelers flying to Bangkok from the South are using the airports in Surat Thani or Nakhon Si Thammarat.
With long-distance buses and trains almost entirely halted, online travel boards are full of travelers looking for rides to Bangkok in private vehicles. Some are reporting relatively easy road trips with nothing more than body temperature checks along the way. Others have encountered more difficulties. One woman traveling from Surat Thani to Bangkok reported that all eight of the foreigners in her van were forced to submit to drug tests at a checkpoint in Chumphon.
In Pattaya, an 80-year-old French resident had to pay 50,000 baht ($1,550 USD) in bail after police apprehended him for setting foot on Pattaya Beach, which is closed. The police also withheld his passport and charged an additional 2,000 baht to drive him home during curfew hours. This type of extortionate police activity was relatively common before the pandemic, typically for crimes like cannabis possession. However, such heavy-handed tactics applied to a beach walk left some up in arms.
In addition to all beaches in Chonburi province, the beaches are all staying closed on Phuket until further notice. Elsewhere they are open.
Above, Ao Nang and Hat Nopparat Thara during lockdown. (Source: Wakeupbro Thailand)
Below, Ko Phi Phi Don during lockdown. (Source: Marjorie Guesdon)
Restrictions on moving between districts are still being enforced in Krabi province, but enforcement has become more haphazard. Some foreigners have been able to travel between Ao Nang and Krabi town without issue. Others were turned back at checkpoints while the Thais traveling with them were allowed to cross.
Ko Phi Phi remains closed off to the outside world. On Ko Lanta, road blocks that previously kept the island divided into three sections have been removed. Some screening points were also removed on Ko Chang (Trat).
Regular ferries continue to connect Ko Samui and Ko Phangan to one another and the mainland, and Ko Phangan-based dive outfits are even advertising some outings. The same goes for a few dive companies on Ko Tao, where the only access in or out is via the night boat. Don’t plan a trip just yet, though, as new arrivals on both Ko Phangan and Ko Tao are being told to self-quarantine for 14 days.
How I wish I were stranded on Ko Mak.
Access to virtually all other Thai islands remains highly restricted. Reports from travelers who have been riding out the pandemic on Ko Mook, Ko Phayam, Ko Chang (Ranong), Ko Yao Noi, Ko Samet and Ko Mak all say roughly the same thing — “we are damn lucky to be stuck here.” Keeping themselves busy, some of the stranded travelers have undertaken coastal garbage clean-up campaigns.
Economic woes continue, perhaps best exemplified this week by a desperate mother and her two young daughters who had no choice but to attempt a 1,000-km journey from Chonburi to a relative’s home in Mae Sai, Thailand’s northernmost point, on an old sidecar motorbike. They broke down in Tak, but a few foundations coordinated to get them up to Mae Sai. Still, like many others, their future looks bleak.
Tourism whispers
Domestic tourism remains off the table until at least next month. However there has been plenty of chatter about what travel in Thailand might look like as the global pandemic grinds on.
Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn wants to push long-stay holidays, while hospitality entrepreneur Willem Niemeijer argues that now is the time to institute stronger conservation measures at developed islands. Authorities are also moving to cap the total number of yearly visitors to all Thai marine parks at six million, starting next year. Frankly, this is long overdue.
As for international tourism, public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul has hinted that China and South Korea might be allowed to send tourists to Thailand before too long. For now, a ban on all international commercial flights bringing passengers into the country is set to remain in place through this month.
A spot of durian farming in Chanthaburi.
In other news
Starting with the bad, Tripadvisor has laid off 25% of its global work force. I’m no fan of this site, but that is an awful lot of jobs. In Thailand, Thisrupt reports that many travelers who booked trips through large travel sites, including Expedia and Traveloka, are having difficulties obtaining refunds.
In a sweeter story, Chinese buyers are going through hell and high water to import highly prized durian, king of fruits, from Chanthaburi province. “Every day, farmers are changing crops from growing rubber to durian,” environmentalist Somnuck Jongmeewasin told the Nikkei Asian Review. If you ever get a chance, take a drive through durian-growing country out on the Eastern Thai seaboard.
Finally, a long-serving travel writer for the Bangkok Post reflects on more than 15 years of travel in Thailand, including trips through coastal Chumphon and Ranong. Meanwhile, a photographer has colorized photos of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 1958 visit to Ko Samui, among other old photos taken on the island.