Dead sea: Tourism adding heat to bleaching emergency

[yuiyoshida]

once more into the bleach: Divers and fish swim over a reef off the coast of Phuket, where extreme heat has damaged the coral. Experts warn tourism is only hindering the chances of recovery.

A Chinese woman was perplexed when she saw that her luggage was causing concern as it passed through an X-ray scanner at Don Mueang airport.

She reached for a red plastic bag after it had passed through the machine, but a young airport security official snatched it and said "No!"

A group of her friends were waiting nearby. They were puzzled too. Some of them wore floral clothes indicating they had been on holidays at the beach.

"You're not allowed to carry this back home," the official insisted. He tried to explain the situation for about a minute, but the woman eventually passed through the security area without being fined or charged and without the red bag.

When the security official opened the plastic bag, a piece of white, dead coral about the size of an outstretched hand was inside. It was still damp with seawater.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/special-reports/1014133/dead-sea-tourism-adding-heat-to-bleaching-emergency