THAILAND

Tourists bound
for Thailand, beware. The
sun-baked, tropical beaches
there may transport you to
the other world - literally.
Alarming levels of cyanide
have been found by environmental consultants in the
waters near some of
Thailand's most popular
beaches. They also discovered smaller quantities of
another toxin - mercury -
while conducting sample
tests in the seabed adjacent
to an industrial complex at
Rayong, 145 km south of
Bangkok. The toxins were
found during two tests carried out in preparation for
A,
the planned expansion of the
Map Ta Phut port and
industrial park, said the
director of environmental
safety for the government's
industrial estate authority.
Map Ta Phut is located near
a string of palm-lined beaches
which attract thousands of
Bangkok residents and foreign tourists on weekends.