After our visit to Phi Phi we sent a list of questions to the film publicist of Figment Films in London.
QUESTION: Have you got your bond back yet now that the one year is up?
FIGMENT FILMS: We have had confirmation from the DG [of the Royal Forestry Department] that he has approved the return of the bond. A meeting is in the process of being set up to arrange the return.
QUESTION: Are you still working on the beach or has your obligation now finished?
FIGMENT FILMS: We are still working on the beach. Officially we are not obligated but we will be making sure the plants are growing until the release of the film.
QUESTION: When you say you will work on the island until the release of the movie (i.e. this weekend) does that really mean that after next week you will leave for good?
FIGMENT FILMS: We have a one year contractual obligation to look after the beach - and to maintain it. The RFD have been happy with the work we have carried out - and our contract runs until the end of February 2000.
QUESTION: I know you are not obligated and I know the RFD are saying they are satisfied but do you honestly think that the dune is in a good condition to survive the next monsoon starting in about June?
FIGMENT FILMS: The RFD have sent various monitoring representatives down to Phi Phi Leh - and the erosion of the sand dunes was not caused by work carried out for the film. This has been cleary stated by the RFD, and if you look back to newspaper reports at the time it was a very bad storm not only in Thailand as it went onto severely destroy parts of India. We also cannot stop people from climbing up sand dunes, we have put signage up, and put a fence up during the time the dunes were re-establishing to deter people from climing them. The signs are still there although the fencing has been taken down with the approval of the RFD. Unfortunately, it is up to the individual if they decide to climb up and damage the dune as we cannot police the activities of tourists on the beach for years to come.
Our representatives visited the beach before and after New Years Eve - and we have photographic evidence that this is when the damage to the dunes occurred - ie: people climbing up. Also there were reports of an all night party on the island and people staying overnight which is illegal. The signs obviously do get moved but we do have staff who regular visit the island to correct the position of the signs.
When we first discovered the beach it was not the prestine beach that everyone seems to think. Apart from the inorganic debris washed up from the sea the pathways had already been created between the dunes from tourists walking to the back of the island. The dunes themselves change seasonley and when we first discovered the island the monsoon had just passed and the dunes looked very similar to how the look now with roots exposed.
QUESTION: Does Figment Films feel any responsibility about what will happen to the island once the movie is released? I realise that it is really the responsibility of the RFD as they did give you permission, but don't you feel like you are the same as a certain character in the movie that draws a map to the island and ultimately destroys paradise? OK, Phi Phi wasn't exactly paradise in the first place, but many of us don't want Maya to become the next James Bond island with its 52 souvenir stalls.
FIGMENT FILMS: Phi Phi Leh is already a huge tourist attraction and has been for a good many years. You only need to read the tour guides - and this was the case long before we went there. Also if you visit Phi Phi Don - they all offer boat rides to Phi Phi Leh - and the tour boats from Krabi and Phuket have been coming there for a long time. Sadly this is evident in Maya Bay where the coral was destroyed long before the production came to the island from tourists boats and anchors. Hopefully Thailand will realise that it has some amazing islands and beaches, and will as the RFD plans to protect them from over development.
QUESTION: Do you know what has happened to the fence along the bottom of the dune as it is no longer there?
FIGMENT FILMS: The fence along the bottom of the dune was removed after the storm in October. In its place signs were erected to keep tourists from climbing the dune.
QUESTION: The remains for the toilet block you built in the "green room" are still there - blue pipes and concrete blocks. Will you remove them?
FIGMENT FILMS: The pipes that are visible are from the water tanks to the toilets. The Forestry Department asked us to leave these. The toilet blocks were dismantled. Any materials you see have been requested to remain on the island by the RFD.
QUESTION: The blue water tanks are still on the island. What will happen to these?
FIGMENT FILMS: During the monsoon season we collected water to use during the dry season to maintain the plants. One of the tanks was stolen and the pipes were cut so all the water stored over the months was lost. The tanks still remain per a request from the RFD.
[ February 2000 Reports | Footsteps on the Beach ]