Vol. 8 No. 5 ! 16 - 30 November 2008
PATTAYA TODAY 1
Volume 8, Issue 5
16 - 30 November 2008
25 BAHT
Bright Future for Ko Larn A gem stone waiting to be cut
CITY authorities intend to carve out a special niche for the island of Ko Larn in ambitious plans revealed by the Ko Larn district chief. He welcomed a group of the Pattaya mayor’s advisors and councillors, about 30 in total, to inspect the island from all viewpoints including the economy, the environment, infrastructure and tourist safety. There was general agreement that proper investment at this time would produce enormous bonuses for the local tourist industry later on. The island situated in Pattaya bay was formerly a fishing boats’ harbour
and is still scenic and rural. The island has a total of 3,500 rai with hilly and mountainous areas taking up 70% of the total. The registered population is about 2,000 with a further 4,000 non registered residents who are mostly running small businesses. During high season several thousand visitors make the trip to Ko Larn every day and their spending comes to millions of baht. Dr Wissanu Palayanont, president of the mayoral advisory team, said that the island was the last gem stone in the area but that it needed to be
cut to increase its worth and value. There were still infrastructure problems such as intermittent power brownouts, water shortages and an inadequate waste disposal system. These inadequacies needed to be addressed before eco-tourism could really take off. He explained that international investment to develop the island had already been offered provided the problems were addressed first. Representatives of the Ko Larn islanders said at a public meeting that their views had to be taken on board too. Thus
eco-tourism could lead to many restrictions and rules designed to protect nature but which actually could ruin the small businessman. Mayoral advisor Niran Wattanasartsathorn stated that the city had allocated 30 million baht to improve the water system and a further 100 million baht to run electric cables from the mainland. He prophesied that Ko Larn in the future, once properly developed, would boost tourist numbers in the eastern seaboard as it offered such a stark alternative to the bright lights of Pattaya itself.
Marriage visa age raised to 21 British government tightens rules THE age at which someone can apply for a British marriage visa will increase from 18 to 21 from the end of November 2008, the government has announced. From November 27, both parties in a marriage will need to be at least 21 before the visa can be issued.
Raising the age is just one part of the government’s work to crackdown on forced marriage and on those who attempt to abuse the marriage visa route. Border and immigration minister Phil Woolas said, “It’s important that we protect vulnerable young people and
this measure will help avoid exploitation. The changes being made to the marriage visa route are part of the package of measures being brought in to deliver the biggest shake-up to immigration and border security for 45 years.” Continued on page 4