Chinese cadres head for Phuket

PHUKET: After the brief holiday enjoyed by China’s President, Jiang Zemin, in Phuket last year, it seems that the island is becoming a vacation choice for senior communist cadres from the People’s Republic. Tomorrow sees the arrival of 17 communist officials, led by the president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Li Tieying, who is also a member of the Communist Party’s Police Bureau. The group will arrive tomorrow morning from Bangkok, and like Jiang, will stay in the Sheraton Laguna. Also like Jiang, the group seems to be interested in molluscs, with a visit to the Phuket Shell Museum scheduled over the weekend. A visit to Phuket FantaSea is also planned before the group leaves on Sunday afternoon.