Govt denies Koh Kut run-ins

The government dismissed reports of confrontations between Thai soldiers and their Cambodian counterparts on Koh Kut as fake news while insisting the tourism situation on the island is still good.
As the island in Trat province continues to make headlines, the number of visitors is actually higher than for the same period in recent years, said Jirayu Houngsub, an adviser to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on Sunday.
Koh Kut has been in the spotlight amid calls by some to resume talks with Cambodia on the joint development of oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Thailand under the controversial 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) framework, which critics argue could result in Thailand losing territory.
The increased attention appears to have led to a rush of fake news reports online, which the government is now trying to head off.
“First of all, there was no such intense security situation between Thailand and Cambodia on Koh Kut as rumoured,” said Mr Jirayu, also spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office. Nor had military forces maintained on the island been reinforced as rumoured. A Cambodian military force was not present on the island either.
“And there has been no exodus of Koh Kut residents fleeing the island as rumoured. In reality, a growing number of visitors are queuing up to board a ferry to the island,” said Mr Jirayu. “I would also advise against people falling for the fake news about a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia erupting on Koh Kut.
“Police have begun taking action against those who have violated the Computer Crime Act by spreading false information about Koh Kut online. It carries a maximum five-year jail term and/or a maximum fine of 100,000 baht,” said Mr Jirayu.
Citing figures supplied by the local Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in Trat, he said reports that hotel and resort bookings have been cancelled following the rumoured security breakdown on Koh Kut were also untrue.
Korakot Opas, director of the Trat provincial office of the TAT, likewise brushed aside claims Koh Kut had reported a 30% hotel cancellation rate.
The occupancy rate on Koh Kut for November, December and January was 72.4% (35,570 local and international tourists), 74.51% (37,420) and 77.52% (39,810) respectively, based on data compiled from 20 hotels on the island, nine of which are five-star and four-star facilities, he said. Growth in tourist numbers is projected at 1% in this period, he said.
Ms Paetongtarn has tried to create confidence in visitors to Koh Kut through explanations from state agencies and by sending key government figures to visit the island, Mr Korakot said. Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will visit the on Monday.
“The TAT is focused on creating understanding based on facts, not news reports. We are going to launch a campaign to boost local tourism.”
Mr Anutin’s planned trip follows Saturday’s visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to reassert Thailand’s territorial sovereignty over the island.
While visiting, Mr Phumtham downplayed fears the 2001 MoU — signed during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration — could cause Thailand to lose its sovereignty over the island and the overlapping claims area (OCA) in the Gulf of Thailand.
However, Thai Pakdee Party chairman Warong Dechgitvigrom, an opponent of the 2001 MoU, said Mr Phumtham did not need to argue that Koh Kut belongs to Thailand, as no one doubts it. But the real question is why the government allowed Cambodia to use the highest mountain peak on Koh Kut as a reference point for drawing its own version of the continental shelf.
Although Cambodia’s version also skirts Koh Kut, it still has resulted in 26,000 square kilometres of marine areas in the Gulf of Thailand becoming recognised in the 2001 MoU as an OCA, he said.