India's plan to turn isles into own 'Hong Kong' riles environmentalists

NEW DELHI -- A visit by India's president to the largely unspoiled Andaman and Nicobar Islands has intensified a debate over how to manage the clashing objectives of economic development and environmental preservation.

The islands lie nearly 1,300 kilometers east of Sri Lanka, much closer to Southeast Asia. The Indian government is planning a $9 billion megaproject to transform part of the isles into what has been dubbed a South Asian "Hong Kong," complete with an international airport, a shipping terminal, tourism facilities, a power plant and an industrial park. New Delhi says this will help unleash the region's potential as a shipping hub and travel destination, while environmentalists warn that untrammeled construction would threaten local ecology and indigenous tribes.