Thailand to close popular island Koh Tachai to tourists

Bangkok

KOH Tachai, one of Thailand's most beautiful island destinations, will be closed to tourists indefinitely in an attempt to protect it from irreparable harm, the government has announced.

The island, in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Phang Nga province, is famous for its white-sand beaches and its reefs are popular with divers and snorkelers.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation is closing the beaches, the reef and a tourist area on the island "to solve the environmental and natural resources impact which is caused by tourism", according to an announcement on the department's website. The or…