Phuket struggles with ghosts; or is it guilt?

The beach umbrellas are back in Phuket, spanking new, like much else in this scenic tourist locale that was battered by the tsunami nearly three months ago.

The beach umbrellas are back in Phuket, spanking new, like much else in this scenic tourist locale that was battered by the tsunami nearly three months ago.

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Phuket is beautiful once more, back in business. But that's the point, there's not much business. This Thai resort town needs to exorcise its tsunami ghosts for that.

Ghost stories have been doing the rounds since the tragedy. There was a 'case' of a tuk-tuk (taxi) driver stopping to talk to foreigners on the road, but his passengers couldn't see anyone. Then there was a tailor who took a foreigner's measurements but later realised that the man had no legs.

But 'ghosts' are not scaring away tourists from Phuket, the guilt of having fun in a 'ghost town' is.

Authorities are also battling misconceptions. This year, Belgians Natalie and Robert Bergen visited Phuket for the fourth time. It has been rebuilt and looks better, they said, but decided to leave after a day because they felt uncomfortable. Why? Because Robert said he had seen victims being buried at the beaches.

That is just the kind of misconception that has done Phuket in, said Andreas Kutschka, a diving instructor. He said the government had made elaborate arrangements to identify the dead and return them to their native countries. He said most of his customers were not returning because they felt having a good time in the sea that had killed thousands wasn't right.

This guilt is consuming Phuket's tourism, especially its once-bustling beachlife. The scene at joints along the beaches is eerie. The tables are all laid out in the evening but there's hardly a soul around. By midnight, the workers pack up and leave. This is when the 'ghost town' really haunts you.