Phuket's sex trade eyes Andamans
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1193226.cms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, AUGUST 06, 2005 09:34:11 AM ]

NEW DELHI: Is the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the fast lane to becoming
the next best alternative to Phuket's sex industry?

Some leading environmentalists have slammed the tourism deal by India's
tsunami-hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Thailand, saying such a move
would destroy its fragile ecology and encourage the sex trade.

In a move to breathe new life into the shattered economy, the authorities
signed a five-year deal in June with the resort town of Phuket in Thailand,
famous for its beaches but also for burgeoning sex trade. The deal would
allow tourists visiting Phuket to take a short flight to the Andamans.

Environmentalists, who have now written to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi
seeking her immediate intervention, say the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
administration is using the tsunami as a garb to lure Phuket's tourists to
the Andamans.

The government has been trying to do this for the past 10 years. They have
made four attempts, none of which was allowed to become successful. Now,
after the tsunami, they have found the best reason to push through their
plans. They are telling people that it is to improve tourism," said activist
Bittu Sehgal.

Activist Pankaj Sekhsaria said: "The tourists who go to Phuket look to the
sex trade. They will do the same when they come to the Andamans. They will
then exploit the women of Andamans who are reeling under dire poverty after
the tsunami. Andamans have a fragile ecology and have one of the purest rain
forests. We have made a desperate plea to the National Advisory Council to
intervene."

Another activist Samir Acharya also said there was an acute scarcity of
drinking water on the islands. "It's difficult for local people to get
regular supply of water. Where will the water come from to sustain a big
industry?" he asked.

In an agreement in June, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had joined hands
with Phuket to promote tourism, trade and commerce



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