The ninth annual Mai Khao Marine Turtles Release ceremony saw the release of 55 rehabilitated green turtles into the sea near Phuket on 15 April. The ceremony took place on the beach at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa.
The Phuket Marine Biological Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) support the event. Thai people believe that releasing animals into the wild where they belong brings good luck.
In 2017, Russian tourists rescued a turtle trapped in a fishing net near the Andaman Islands and handed it over to the Marine Biological Center. This turtle may have been among those released this year.