Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [28]
The Thai authorities have shown some commitment to stopping underage prostitution, which attracts an unwanted type of overseas tourist. Many countries also have extraterritorial legislation that allows nationals to be prosecuted in their own country for such crimes. Responsible travellers can help to stop child-sex tourism by reporting suspicious behaviour on a dedicated hotline (1300) or reporting the individual directly to the embassy of the offender’s nationality.
Organisations working across borders to stop child prostitution include ECPAT (End Child Prostitution & Trafficking; www.ecpat.net) and its Australian affiliate Child Wise (www.childwise.net), which has been involved in providing training to the tourism industry in Thailand to counter child-sex tourism.
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The majority of genuine homestays are in the northeast, including the award-winning program in Ban Prasat (Click here). Another well-organised option is at Ban Kham Pia (Click here), which is walking distance to an elephant wildlife reserve. The village around the Angkor ruins of Prasat Meuang Tam (Click here) offers homestays as well. The elephant-raising village of Ban Tha Klang (Click here) can find a bed and some elephant encounters for visitors. Dan Sai (Click here), the village known for its wild spirit festival, has an English-speaking homestay program that gets rave reviews.
The homestay program on Ko Yao Noi (Click here), a Muslim fishing island, has also been recognised as a sustainable alternative to beach-style tourism. Just a short distance from Chiang Mai, Ban Mae Kampong (Click here) is a high-altitude village (free of mosquitoes) with homestay options and glimpses into a community that makes its living from the forest.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Most visitors to Thailand have fairly sophisticated views about the environmental impact of human habitation on sensitive natural environments. If the soporific atmosphere of the Thai beaches has caused environmental amnesia, just take an early morning stroll along the beach before the vendors have had time to do their morning sweep of the litter left behind by high tide and you’ll be jolted out of your stupor.
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A wonderful online tool for learning more about Thailand through its language can be found at www.thai-language.com.
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Planes, trains and automobiles generate CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change. To determine the ‘carbon footprint’ generated by your flight to Thailand, click on the CO2 calculator at www.co2balance.com.
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Thailand has made great headway in protecting its natural beauty by enforcing bans on coral dynamiting and creating national parks, but the country has not been as successful at implementing restrictions on commercial development and building the infrastructure needed to properly treat the waste produced by an increased population, especially in tourist centres where visitors often outnumber the full-time residents.
The conscientious visitor might hope for a few incremental do-it-yourself measures to reduce the impact of tourism but these rarely counterbalance the shortcomings of policy and enforcement. One fairly radical approach is to avoid visiting areas that have not yet developed the sanitation systems to accommodate tourists. In the case of the islands, well-touristed places like Phuket, and to a lesser-extent Phi-Phi, Samui and Samet are better equipped to deal with tourism than the smaller, less-visited islands.
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TIPS FOR BEING NICE TO THE PLANET
Use public transport or rent a bicycle to cut down on petrol consumption.
Team up with other travellers to share chartered transport.
Turn down the air-conditioning by a few degrees.
Opt for a cold shower.
Use biodegradable soap to reduce water pollution.
Leave plastic packaging in your home country to lighten your garbage load.
Reuse