The closure of the glittering Thai bay made famous by the movie "The Beach" has been extended for another two years to allow a full recovery of its corals and wildlife, an official said Thursday, drawing a sharp rebuke from the tourism industry.
Maya Bay, ringed by cliffs on Ko Phi Phi Ley island and surrounded by azure waters, was made famous when it featured in the 2000 film starring Leonardo Dicaprio.
It was shut last June by Thai authorities due to worries the white-sand paradise was suffering from the pressure of thousands of day-trippers arriving by boat.
Authorities had initially said the beach — a massive draw for Thailand's more than 38 million tourists — was going to be closed for four months, but the re-opening was repeatedly postponed.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, advisor to the Department of National Parks, told AFP on Thursday the ban on visitors will be extended until mid-2021.
"The resolution of the Department of Parks yesterday is to extend the closure of Maya Bay for another two years to allow its ecology to fully recover," he said.
After it is re-opened, measures such as limiting the number of daily visitors and banning boats from parking within the bay's waters will be enacted, Thon said.
Before Maya Bay's closure, up to 5,000 tourists visited daily, causing trees and smaller vegetation to be uprooted, creeping soil erosion, and severe damage to the corals in the bay.
A majority of the visitors were ferried there from tourist hotspot Krabi province by local longtail boatmen or tour operators who touted the movie-famous bay as a key attraction for day trips.
"Maya Bay is the heart of our tourism," said Wattana Rerngsamut, chairman of Krabi Provincial Tourism Association which represents some 200 tourism and hotel operators.
Calling the two-year extension "unfair", Wattana said the Department of National Parks should conduct public hearings so they can find "common ground… so that local people can earn a living".
Chinese visitors, making up a quarter of Thailand's tourists, have "plunged 50 percent (in Krabi)", he added.
Thailand experienced a three-month slowdown in tourism last year, most noticeably since July when a ferry sank and killed 47 Chinese visitors off nearby Phuket.
Since the tragedy, the government has rolled out inducements aimed at regaining trust and making travel easier — including exempting Chinese visitors from paying a visa-on-arrival fee.
Less than a year after its closure, blacktip reef sharks have been sighted swimming in Maya Bay, with conservationists saying their return signals signs of a recovery to the ecology.
Officials warn of lead pollution risks after Notre-Dame blaze
Paris (AFP) May 9, 2019 –
The fire that ravaged the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris last month released lead particles that have settled in potentially dangerous amounts in areas surrounding the church, officials said Thursday.
Analysis carried out since the April 15 blaze has detected lead dust in "very significant" levels on some streets and pavements outside the cathedral, which remain off limits to the public.
Between 10-20 grammes of lead per kilogramme (g/kg) were detected in soil samples, compared with normal background levels of just 0.3 g/kg, according to a statement from the police and the ARS regional health service.
The fire destroyed the roof and steeple of the 850-year-old landmark, melting the large sheets of lead that covered an intricate wooden framework.
But officials said testing had not revealed any lingering lead pollution in the air, with all atmospheric analyses showing less than the legal limit of 0.25 microgrammes per cubic meter (µg/m3).
And outside the areas immediately surrounding the cathedral, "no sample on the Ile de la Cite or along the banks of the Seine indicated any lead levels in soils above the benchmark level," the statement said.
The Robin des Bois (Robin Hood) environmental NGO estimates the roof and steeple contained more than 300 tons of lead that melted in the blaze, and has urged officials to "decontaminate" the site before carrying out any reconstruction work.
Lead pollution can cause neurological defects for humans, especially children, as well as nervous system and kidney problems.
– Cleaning urged –
Officials said the lead posed little danger to residents, since only "repeated ingestions" of the toxic metal would be harmful to health.
There have been no reports of acute lead poisoning since the fire.
But the statement urged residents to clean all surfaces in their homes with wet cloths or wipes and to avoid the use of vacuum cleaners.
People should also wash their hands regularly and keep their fingernails cut short.
It also advised parents to wash toys often, since the faster metabolism in children under six makes any exposure to lead a particular risk.
Pregnant women should also take precautions to protect their babies from any exposure.
"Additional investigations are under way and testing will be carried out regularly to measure lead levels and ensure that health risks are kept under control," officials said.
The cathedral is expected to remain closed to visitors for years as workers clear away debris before embarking on an ambitious plan to restore the roof within five years.
The government has launched an international architectural competition for the reconstruction, raising the prospect of modern touches to a structure dating from the 13th century.
A YouGov poll this month found that 54 percent of respondents wanted the cathedral rebuilt exactly as it was, with only a quarter supporting the idea of adding a modern architectural touch to the historic building.
