Anyone who has visited [Phuket] [1] recently may have taken a trip to the ‘monkey viewpoint’ area, which can be found on Koh Sireh. This is a great place to watch the colony of crab-eating macaques that live in the area. The monkey viewpoint has proven so popular in recent years that a project has been proposed to entirely revamp the area. A large central government budget has been requested from the Rassada Municipality to set up three tourism projects in the area, which would include a system of boardwalks leading through the mangrove forest, restoration of the Mali Kaew Dam and Wat Phranon and the construction of facilities such as a health park, restaurants and a car park. Although the project would take up to 80 million baht to complete, Rassada Mayor Surathin Lianudom seems confident that the work could be finished early next year. In a recent interview with the [Phuket Gazette] [2] he stated: “In the past, Koh Sireh has not been attractive for tourists because it is dirty and unorganized, but our new project will ensure the island is viewed as a major selling point for the Phuket tourist market.” [1]: http://1stopphuket.com [2]: http://phuketgazette.net 2009-08-13T09:00:00+07:00 1413 2009-08-12T10:41:59+07:00 5 true 1413-monkey-viewpoint-gets-a-facelift Andrew