The Beach of ‘The Beach’—The Politics of Environmental Damage in Thailand

Abstract

Tourism-related environmental politics in Thailand are examined in a case study of the controversy surrounding the shooting of the film version of ‘The Beach,’ a book on a backpacker commune on an undiscovered ‘island paradise’ by Alex Garland (1996). The article focuses on the paradox of the film-maker's insistence to transform Maya beach, a spectacular pristine beach located in a national park on Phi Phi Lae island in Southern Thailand, to suit the stereotype of a ‘tropical island beach’ on Garland's imaginary island. The various stages of the protracted struggle between the opponents of the project, and the producers of the film and the authorities who permitted the changes to Maya beach are described. The composition of the contending camps, their motives and interests are examined, as well as the discourses and counter-discourses by which they presented their case. The changing strategies of the opponents of the project, from protest, to appeals and finally lengthy litigation, leading from initial failures to eventual partial success, are detailed. The permanent damage to the beach, despite efforts to restitute it after the filming, are assessed. The authorities policies after the event to ‘regulate’ tourism to the beach are noted. In conclusion, the manifold absurdities, of possibly wider significance, involved in the transformation of a ‘real’ pristine beach to suit an imaginary ‘ideal’ one are expounded.