Political firebrand and failing media mogul, Sondhi Limtongkul, has announced that he has discovered a plot to give Phuket to Singapore.

In an interview with his own newspaper ? which can be read, in Thai, at www.manageronline.com ? K Sondhi said: ??there is a plan to give the whole of Phuket island to Singapore ? there was an order to build a landfill in the sea and they will let foreign investors come in to manage that area.

This is not different from selling pieces of national land to benefit his own flock,? he concluded, referring, it is believed, to the Ao Phuket project in Saphan Hin and caretaker Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.

Later in the interview K Sondhi ? whose latest English language newspaper has ceased publication and who allegedly still owes millions to former employees of his failed Asia Times newspaper - referred to the Thaksin government system as ?evil?.

Phuket Post was surprised to discover that local government officials had yet to hear of the plan to give Phuket to Singapore. Sutin Uthaithammarong, vice-president of Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) told the Post that, although he had not yet read or heard K Sondhi?s claims, he thought it very unlikely.

?How can someone give Phuket to another country? It?s impossible. If it was going to happen, I would have been one of the first protesters rising up against it.?

K Sutin went onto explain that the Ao Phuket project is still very much in the planning stages. ?There is nothing clearly decided yet, and it must first go before a public hearing to see if it will really benefit the people. Both good and bad sides of the project still have to be considered ? such as how they will deal with the infrastructure.?

K Sutin believes that the OrBorJor would block any plans to include a casino or more entertainment venues on the landfill site. ?Sapan Hin should stay a natural area for local people, visitors and tourists, just like it has always been.?

Local businessman, Chawana Kiatchawanasawee, told the Post that he believed K Sondhi was in fact referring to the number of foreign investors currently in Phuket and was not specifically referring to Thailand handing control of Phuket to Singapore.

?There are more foreign investors here, but I still believe in Thai law. The government should also give some respect to Phuket people. We are the local people here ? what they plan to do with this island needs to be considered very carefully.?

On the Ao Phuket project, K Chawanna said that he had not been paying close attention to recent developments, but had some serious concerns about the need for the project ?Is it really necessary to develop that project? Don?t forget that Sapan Hin is public land for local people to relax. The government can?t say that it is only a decaying sea. It needs to have some real benefits for local people.