A CONCERNED hotelier has urged the local government to issue guidelines on water conservation to hotels in the face of serious water-shortage threats. Roland Henkel, general manager of the Amari Palm Reef Koh Samui, said continuous hotel and residential development could lead to a shortage of natural water even during the rainy season.

“Clear guidelines are lacking for which hotels should be forced to desalinate water from the sea and, for generating electricity, use solar panels or wind power. There is a lot of money involved but there is more money involved in rebuilding a destroyed tropical paradise like Koh Samui,” Mr. Henkel said.

Henkel said the guidelines or laws should outline measures to help prevent water shortage. “This could start with a simple step of forcing them to use efficient showers and taps, introduce rain-storage system for toilet flushing or watering.” …click here to read more

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Artists taking part in the two-day Phuket International Blues Rock Festival that kicks off at 5pm tomorrow gathered inside the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort ballroom for a brief pre-event press conference.

Festival Director Andy Andersen started by thanking new sponsor Thai Airways, then welcomed the artists and told the media about some exciting new developments for this year’s event.

“This will be the best festival to date, not just in terms of premium artists, but also the new layout. We have moved the stage inside the marquee. In the past it was set back about 30ft, so the new stage position will make it a more intimate concert.”

To warm up early-bird arrivals, the Malaysian band AkashA begins playing at 3pm in the Hilton Arcadia lobby until the main gate opens at 5pm. …click here to read more

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TWO Ukrainian tourists, who had lost their way in the fastnesses of a jungle near Na Muang Waterfall 2 at nighttime, were rescued by the police and civilian volunteers.

Kwenda Dema, 27, said that last Jan. 8 he and his girlfriend, Karolina Achin, 34, rented a motorbike to explore Samui island. Upon reaching Na Muang subdistrict, they decided to trek up to Na Muang Waterfall 2. They parked the motorbike at the foot of the mountain.

From the waterfall, he said, they continued trekking to the peak of the fall, and reached it at dusk. Upon coming down, they could not remember the path they had taken. They became worried when darkness caught up with them. After walking for a couple of hours in pitch darkness and still could not find their way, they called the staff of the hotel where they were billeted to ask for help.

At around 8 p.m. the police at Na Muang Service Station were notified by the Maenam Villa staff and immediately a rescue team was organized to locate the tourists. …click here to read more

Popularity: 23% [?]