Thai marine department plants coral near Andaman island
Thailand’s Marine Resources division organised a coral planting activity in the waters off an Andaman Sea islet over the weekend. The event saw 250 natural coralline algae embedded in a manmade reef close to Koh Mai Thon Island.
Divers and Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) officers were among the estimated 150 people who turned out for the planting ceremony. DMCR Region 6 chief Suchat Rattanaruengsri explained that the coral planted at the reef was only one year old and should breed.
He carried on by saying DCMR had harvested the coral from locations like Phuket’s Ao Po Grand Marina. He added that this genre of coral was becoming harder to come by as poachers had been stealing it over the past few decades.
On a final note, Mr Rattanaruengsri stated that coral was a protected species. He said anybody who saw somebody else damaging or stealing it should report it to local authorities.
Phuket, Krabi and this general area of the Andaman shoreline are one of the jewels in Thailand’s tourism crown. Tourists travelling here will find 12GO ASIA offers convenience when buying tickets.
Travelling in the State Railway of Thailand’s recently introduced VIP train carriages is going to cost more next week. The SRT’s deputy-governor, Thanongsak Pongprasert, said fares for travel in the state-of-the-art carriages would rise by up to 20 per cent effective on Monday 21 August.
The commander of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau says retired foreign nationals can now apply for 10-year visas. Natthathorn Prohsunthorn told media resources earlier this week retirees could now apply for the new visas-visa extensions at in-country immigration offices.
Last week saw the inauguration of a new flight route connecting central Vietnam and the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Vietnamese budget carrier Jetstar Pacific launched a twice weekly service last Friday which links the nation’s Quang Binh Province to the Rose of Thailand’s North.
