KhaoLak Echo

Dear friends of the KhaoLak Echo,
as announced earlier, we have discontinued the KhaoLak Echo as a hard-copy magazine as well as a digital news outlet.
If you would like to read more about the reasons that led to this decision, please have a look at the articles below.
Readers still find their way to the KhaoLak Echo website, so we will keep all articles online for the time being, but we will refrain from publishing new articles. To reduce our administering duties to a minimum, we have now suspended the comment function, the possibility to register as a new user, as well as the KhaoLak Echo calendar entries. You still can reach us via email though.

Thanks for your interest and support!

The Publishers

An abandoned boat on the Had Thai Muang Beach

A couple of days ago we received a photograph from a local expat, taken south of Khao Nayak cape (Taplamu), in the “Had Thai Muang Nationalpark”, which covers over 30km of pristine Andaman Sea shoreline. The picture shows an abandoned boat on the beach. The shape and size indicates that it ones belonged to Rohingya people.

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group of disputed origin who live in Arakan State, western Burma. According to Amnesty International, the Muslim Rohingya people have continued to suffer from human rights violations under the Burmese junta since 1978, and many have fled to neighboring Bangladesh as a result.

Wasteland after the Tsunami 2004

Good news first. A market survey just released by brand agency Quo Global has concluded that memories of the 2004 tsunami no longer negatively affect decisions to travel to Khao Lak. Here a quotation from the survey. The whole document is available on the internet (see link below).

Dear Readers, Friends - Thais and Westerners alike -, Dear Family!

I had visited Thailand for the first time in October 2000, backpacking around the world after graduating from University in Germany and also after handing over a small foundation/charity to my fellow successors and friends in Dortmund (ELE e.V.) (1). I came to Khao Lak and decided to stay a bit longer here before picking up my travels again, as I was drawn to the magic and beauty of this place, all the nature that was  here to discover, the cuisine, the people; I was thrilled to learn something new everyday.

Dr. Pavin Chachavalpongpun a lead researcher for Political and Strategic Affairs, ASEAN Studies Centre Singapore has launched a “Thailand’s Fearlessness” campaign.
His goal is to end the lese majeste law which since the military coup of 2006 has been increasingly used as a political weapon to undermine opponents. Pavin explains that the campaign has been inspired by Burma’s Fearlessness project, endorsed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to give a courageous support for many Burmese political prisoners: “it’s a peaceful campaign and we would like to make a statement by writing the name “Akong” on our palm as a support and campaign for his freedom”.

Suche nach einem ausländ. Geschäftspartner (möglichst Deutsch), der die Natur liebt. Aktivitäten: Trekking Touren, Camping & französisches Restaurant - geöffnet 365 Tage im Jahr. Lokalität in den Mangroven 20 min. südlich von Khao Lak. Übernahme nach Einweisung: Land (800 qm), Haus (100 qm) & Geschäft für 1,8 Mio. THB (~46000 Euro). Tel: 0841882042