Bill Clinton commends Phuket sea gypsies
MAI KHAO: Former US President Bill Clinton today visited the small sea gypsy village Hin Look Diow as one of his last acts as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.
Clinton planted a mangrove tree and commended the villagers on their environmentally-friendly practices. The mangrove tree was planted as a part of a Mangroves for the Future initiative that will be expanded throughout 12 tsunami-affected countries in Southeast Asia.
Speaking of the villager’s efforts of planting and maintaining mangrove forests, “It’s hard to say they aren’t smarter than a lot of people who claim to be more technologically advanced,” Clinton said, since they maintained the forests, which provided some protection from the 2004 tsunami’s waves.
He thanked the villagers for setting a good example for the rest of the region and said that he felt comfortable ending his tenure as Special Envoy at the end of the year because the tsunami recovery is at a position where it can be handled by international and local groups without his assistance.
