PORT BLAIR, Andaman Islands (5 Aug 2005) -- Environmental lobbies in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are raising objections on the government's plan to twin the Port Blair city of Andaman with Thailand's Phuket. Such links, they allege, would turn the islands from an idyllic tropical backwater into a sex tourism hot spot. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed recently between Port Blair city and the Phuket province so that both can work together to promote tourism and trade between them. NGOs like Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (SANE) have been fighting against this decision since years and after the tsunami they claim ''things would be more dangerous for Andaman''. ''Presently, tourism in Thailand is heavily dependent on the sex industry. Most of the tourists visiting Phuket are single white males. They have over-exploited their beaches, their coral reefs are damaged by scuba diving tourists and now they want new areas to send their tourists and link with Port Blair would only benefit them not us,'' said Samir Acharya, Secretary of SANE. Other NGOs like Healthy Environment by Less Pollution (HELP), also speaks openly against this twining. ''We certainly do not want this type of tourism industry here in Port Blair. Twining Port Blair with Phuket may degrade our moral values,'' said Subhasis Ray, General Secretary of Health Environment by Less Pollution (HELP), another NGO of Andaman. The MoU signed, also include urban development, solid waste management, commerce and investments among others. The step of twining Port Blair with Phuket was initiated many years back but nothing could be materialised following objections from various Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), who claim that building bond with Phuket might encourage sex tourism in Andaman as they allege Phuket survives mostly on sex tourism. However, the Administration of the remote archipelago claims that linking the two cities would not pose any kind of threat to these islands. | | Phuket tranvestites get it on as single white male customers line up for a lethal dose of Thailand's HIV aids epidemic. ''I have been in Phuket for a couple of days but I found nothing objectionable. Phuket gets all kind of tourists in huge numbers and if we succeed in attracting even a percentage of that Andaman tourism will earn huge profit,'' Prof. Kapse Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands told UNI. But Mr Acharya argued that tourism would inevitably bring the sex trade with it. ''Wherever there is demand there is supply. This is the same in the case of sex trade. Phuket has homosexual clubs, transvestite clubs and rampant flesh-trade.'' He added that the arrival of sex tourism would also bring AIDS with it. The local administration also claims that if something -- like that looks to be happening -- then country's laws will take care of it well in advance. ''I did not find anything in Phuket, which is against our moral value. A lot has been discussed in this matter and we will take all possible care for preserving our values,'' Mr Kapse assured. The islands are about 1200 kms away from the Indian mainland but much closer to Thailand and Indonesia. SOURCE - New Kerala |
