Full moon party ban opposed Tourism business operators and residents on Surat Thani's Koh Phangan are opposing Interior Minister ACM Kongsak Wantana's plan to ban the island's infamous full moon party. They are demanding a public hearing if the minister is determined to push ahead with the ban.Koh Phangan Tourism Promotion Association chairman Chanchote Piriyasathit said the minister's idea to promote eco-tourism on Koh Phangan and discontinue the full moon party was ill-advised. Business operators and residents have hosted the party for more than 20 years and it has become known worldwide, he said, adding a ban would negatively affect tourism. Mr Chanchote said the party did not hurt the environment and attracted many foreign tourists. Provincial councillor Piphit Rattanarak, agreed, saying if the minister wanted to ban it, a public hearing must be held to gauge views from residents who initiated the party. ``The full moon party doesn't just benefit certain people; it brings revenue to the province and the whole country,'' he said. ``It's not right to cite illicit drugs, town planning and environmental problems as reasons to discontinue the party. Locals are more environmentally minded than some ministers. If there really was anything bad about it, locals would not have let the party go on for so long,'' said Mr Piphit. Bangkok Post 24 September 2005 www.bangkokpost.com |