Protest 20th Century Fox Movie
"THE BEACH"

20th Century Fox's new movie called "The Beach"starring Leonardo DiCaprio will be released nation-wide this Friday, February 11th. Please join me and others around the world in a very important protest of this film.

WHY: In making the film "The Beach," 20th Century Fox did enormous ecological damage to the island Phi Phi Leh, a treasured National Park in Thailand. Fox bulldozed large portions of the beach at Maya Bay on Phi Phi Island and removed much of the Natural vegetation in order to widen the beach and plant non-native coconut palms. They did this because they felt this exquisite island did not quite match Hollywood's perception of "paradise" as is. As local Thai activists feared, removing the natural vegetation has created serious erosion.

Phi Phi Leh Island is supposedly protected as a National Park and is key to the local tourist economy. Thailand's Royal Forestry Department violated their own regulations and were bought off by 20th Century Fox, who paid the government Bhat 4 million to "bend the rules" and allow the company to alter the spectacular natural scenery of the island. Local activists are enraged that the government caved in to Fox's demands and have filed a lawsuit but unfortunately the damage has already been done. The local Thai people tried everything, from the courts to blockading the beach, to protect their island. While visiting the island in January 1999, they asked me to help them. They have asked people from around the world, and especially the American public, to take action and boycott the film. The Thai people point out that Americans would never allow Thai film makers to bulldoze Yellowstone or other US National Parks. Hollywood must get the message that exploiting the environment and foreign cultures is unethical."

To date, the internet boycott has gathered thousands and thousands of names of people from countries around the world who have vowed not to see the film.

Please join our protest.