Investors offer prices up to 75% below last year’s rates for tsunami-hit property

Owners on Phi Phi have until Jan 17

The governor of Krabi yesterday gave notice to owners of damaged buildings on Phi Phi Island that the province would clear their land if they had not done so by January 17, while locals suggested that the government conduct a public hearing about its plan to buy island land.

Similans slowly reopen to tourism

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is expected to announce the reopening of the Similan Islands for tourism today. Marine scientists said several of the archipelago’s coral reefs were damaged in landslides triggered by the tsunami, yet most of the ecosystems seem capable of regeneration.

Patong Beach to get new look

A plan to revive tsunami-hit Patong Beach is taking shape, with the authorities pledging to give it a clean new look free from parasols, beach chairs and disorderly beachside shops.

Bush vows US will do all it can

United States President George W Bush reiterated over the weekend the commitment of the United States to provide assistance to victims of last month’s tsunami.

DISASTER WARNINGS: Race heats up to host quake centre

Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia also vying for selection

Bodies embalmed in wax, implanted with microchips

Forensic specialists working on the identification of tsunami victims hope to slow the decomposition of bodies by embalming them in wax.

Scientists waiting to tag leatherback turtle

Marine researchers are awaiting the return of a leatherback turtle that laid eggs on Phuket’s Mai Khao Beach late last week – the first member of this endangered species to visit the island in three years – to fit it with a tracking microchip, a local sea-turtle expert said yesterday.