And no wonder: Last year, more than 16 million sun seekers flocked to the area, which reaches as far north as the Bahamas and as far south as Guyana, according the Caribbean Tourism Organization, a public-private development group.

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Property owners, including many northern European sun-seekers, worry that their homes might be bulldozed.

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They are urging Thais to be a little less tolerant than the country's image as a magnet for night-clubbers and sun-seekers might suggest.

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Sentosa Island, across from the Central Business District, is home to resorts and beaches, attracting volleyball players and sun-seekers on their day off.

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