<nettime> Boycott the movie 'The Beach'!

[jesse reynolds <jesse@va.com.au>]

Forwarded by: ANAT - Honor Harger <honor@anat.org.au>


HOLLYWOOD DESTROYING NATIONAL PARK IN THAILAND:
Boycott 20th Century Fox movie "THE BEACH"

Dear Friends,

On a recent trip to Thailand I discovered that 20th Century Fox is making
a movie called "The Beach" on Phi Phi Leh Island, a treasured National
Park in Thailand.  Portions of the film, which stars Leonardo Di Caprio
(Titanic-fame), will be shot on Maya Beach on the island of Phi Phi Leh.
This is one of the most beautiful, unspoiled islands in the Pacific and it
is being destroyed to meet Hollywood's perception of paradise.  The film
company has already bulldozed large portions of the beach and removed much
of the natural vegetation (Giant Milkweed, Sea Pandanus, Spider Lily and
other beach grass) in order to widen the beach to accommodate a football
scene. Fox plans to replace the native vegetation with 100 non-native
coconut palms to create their "paradise."

Local Thai activists feared that removing the natural vegetation would
create serious erosion, and they were right.  The beach has already been
eroded and now locals are very worried about how much of the beach and bay
will remain after the monsoons. Phi Phi Leh Island is supposedly protected
as a National Park and is key to the local tourist economy. Thai activists
report that Thailand's Royal Forestry Department violated their own
regulations and were bought off by 20th Century Fox, who paid the
government Bhat 4 million.

Local activists are enraged that the government would cave in to Fox's
demands and that their concerns were ignored.  Activists are not opposed
to filming on Maya Bay, but want the island to be filmed as-is.  A lawsuit
has been filed, but an injunction to stop further destruction of the
island was denied. The local Thai people have tried everything, from the
courts to blockading the beach, to protect their island.

They need our help. They ask the American public to take action and
boycott the film.  The Thai people point out that Americans would never
allow Thai film makers to bulldoze Yellowstone or other US National Parks.  
Hollywood must get the message that exploiting the environment and
powerless people is unethical for mere entertainment.

Please help the people of Thailand by:
1) Passing this message on to everyone you know.
2) Signing the petition BELOW
3) Write a letter to producer Andrew McDonald.  Tell him you will
boycott the film unless 20th Century Fox stops destroying Maya Bay.
The address is:
Andrew MacDonald, Producer
c/o Carol Sewell
10201 W. Pico Blvd. Building 89, Room 224
Los Angeles, CA 90035

=============
Please sign the petition and forward to someone else.  If your name
is #50, #100, #150 and so on, please send the petition back to:
bryony@wildrockies.org

PETITION:

TO: Andrew McDonald, Producer "The Beach" We, the undersigned, will not
see your film "The Beach" and will encourage our friends and family to
boycott the film unless you cease and desist from destroying Maya Bay by
removing the native vegetation and planting coconut palms.  Maya Bay is
already a paradise and does NOT need Hollywood's unnecessary alterations.


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