Floating Garbage Island Gets Closer to Thailand's Major Tourism Spots (PHOTO)

Instead of swimming in clear turquoise water and walking on soft velvet sand, Thai tourists may soon be surrounded by piles of rubbish. A “garbage island” about 10 kilometers in length is located just four miles away from Koh Talu Island and the resort areas of the Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, which are popular with divers.

The "garbage island" was first discovered a week ago by the captain of a fishing trawler. He captured it on his smartphone off the coast of Chumphon Province, further south of its current location, and published its photos on social networks.

National media spread news about the floating junk piles approaching to the Koh Talu Island and resorts of Hua Hin and Cha-Am on Friday, after the naval forces conducted aerial reconnaissance of the object.

Floating garbage 'island' in Gulf of #Thailand close to Prachuap Khiri Khan #pollution https://t.co/InKmn2oqQa pic.twitter.com/r36HFklRRc

— I Sea (@RiffRaffBriz) 10 февраля 2017 г.

According to fishermen and the military, plastic bags and other household plastic products make up the main mass of the floating debris, as reported by the Bangkok Post newspaper.

The Royal Thai Navy together with the marine police and the administration of the coastal provinces are preparing an operation to scoop the debris out of the water and properly dispose of it. The origin of the "garbage island" is not clear yet and is under investigation.

The problem of garbage disposal is acute in Thailand, especially in the resort areas of the country. According to experts, the garbage accumulated in one of ​​the coastal areas in southern Thailand and probably was washed into the sea during violent and devastating floods in early January 2017, the newspaper wrote.