Bangsaphan: when the neighbours get heavy

[PeteC]

When the neighbours get heavy
Damien Cox
Special to The Nation June 6, 2012 1:00 am

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/travel/ ... 83539.html

Residents of Bang Saphan struggle to keep the local steel factories from spreading into a full-fledged industrial estate

Asleeping fishing town that's been around since the days when Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam, Bang Saphan, at the southern tip of Prachuab Khiri Khan province, offers two very different faces to its visitors.

Those looking no further than the surface will find pretty much what they expect - pristine beaches, fresh and delicious food, good accommodation - all the ingredients for a perfect holiday. Those who are aware of the over development Bang Saphan has suffered over the years will discover the town's darker side, and a chat with the locals confirms both their discontent with the present and their concerns about the future.

"Over the last 40 years, I have seen dramatic changes in the natural surroundings. Seafood that was once very abundant is now much harder to find. Beaches that were once home to numerous kinds of clams, shellfishes and pearl oysters are now just sand, coarse sand," says Pantipa, whose family's Thai desserts shop has been a staple of Bang Saphan's market for more than half a century.

"Many local people who left their fruit orchards to work in factories are deeply in debt. They thought working in factories would give them more stability. They would have been better off staying at their farms," she adds.

Back in the days when King Rama V travelled extensively throughout the kingdom, Bang Saphan's famous pure gold, called Thong Noppakun was chosen as soft material of choice for a special bangle for his favourite consort. Many tambon, among them Ron Thong and Thong Mongkhon, are named after the now closed mines.

Nestled between the Tenasserim Hills and the sea, Bang Saphan has the perfect climate for coconut and pineapple groves and seafood staples like platu (Thai mackerel), sea prawns and gorgeous blue crabs. Its Mae Rum Pung beach is linked to Mae Run Pung swamp forest and is the perfect breeding ground for the mackerel fingerlings before they grow and swim upstream and become the famous Platu Mae Klong in Samut Songkhram.

Before making it to the tourist map, Bang Saphan went through a series of local protests against the establishment of heavy industries, which began after the country adopted the 8th National Economic and Social Development Plan in 1997. Vast lands close to the sea were bought up and turned into fields of steel factories, complete with deep-water ports and roads. Initially pleased to be part of the development, the locals soon became aware of the environmental disadvantages and started boycotting new industrial facilities.

"My family has been here for hundreds of years, since my great grandfathers' time." says a pineapple gardener whose orchard is a mixture of local fruits and vegetables for self-sustainability. "Being a gardener, we realise how important nature is to us. We depend on the rain and sun for our trees grow and yield fruits."

Back in 2003, there were massive deaths of fish and sea creatures in the Mae Rum Pung canal. Testing of the water revealed substantial chemical residue. Acid rain, in tiny yellow flakes, also startled locals. Factory operations warmed up the seawater and once abundant mackerel disappeared.

"When we saw what the factories brought us, we fought with the authorities. We do not want further development of this kind," says Sawek, owner of an organic coconut farm. "We studied laws and regulations; we learned how we could protect our lands from their encroachment. There are examples of how industrial parks have harmed the environment throughout Thailand and we certainly don't want it to happen here."

Bang Saphan is the land of the sea. Visitors can enjoy the long beach 20 kilometres further north at Ban Krut, also an area under dispute, this time between the locals and the coal-fired power plant. Behind the beach is Pak Thong Chai hill and perched on its top is Wat Thang Sai, where people pay respect to Luang Por Yai, enjoy views of the sea, and relax with freshly brewed coffee.

Despite the ongoing struggles with heavy industry, the communities of Ban Krut and Bang Saphan areas are trying hard to preserve what they have and they cherish the old lifestyles. The main market of Bang Saphan is still lined with wooden shophouses and visitors can savour such specialities as pak mor soup, steamed rice with stir-fried seafood with holy basil on banana leaf and mango and sticky rice from Aunty Sangwan.

If you go

<< Bang Saphan is about 450 km from Bangkok. You can drive along Highway 4 passing Hua Hin, Pran Buri and Ban Krut then take the left exit into Bang Saphan district.

<< State Railway of Thailand operates daily trains to Bang Saphan. For more information, go to http://www.Railway.co.th.

[buksida]

Nice article, while factories can be destructive to the land it fails to mention how destructive the local fishing fleet is to the ocean, islands, coral ecosystems and beaches which IMO is an issue of equal magnitude.

[charlesh]

What a joke - Thais caring for the environment. They will be slowly submerged in their own flotsam. Even noted my friend who has a Masters throw away a wrapper the other day and then dispose of the remains of his purchase similarly. The best thing about the nam tuam was getting rid of the build up of garbage in the streets . Pity it went into the sea!

[usual suspect]

I can see the point Pete is trying to put across here..

Just last week in the column down the 'letters page' in the BKK Post was an article about the Thai government passing a bill (this last Friday) allowing mining companies full power to take/strip whatever land they need for the mining/extraction of minerals etc..WTF! In a world that is trying to conserve/preserve natural areas only the Thais could pass this sort of bill & think nothing of it.
(The fact that logging has been illegal for many years seems to have slipped their memories).
The article did highlight various areas in this country where mining has resulted in serious health issues..Cancers, liver-failures, and in Loei the water in the Paddy-fields is so polluted with Zinc the farmers cannot sell their rice on the open-market.
Sorry if this does not directly include B.Saphan's problems, but T.I.T. & 'Brown envelopes' win thru every time..same as most of Asia, South America, etc..