Buying a private piece of paradise

No man is an island. But plenty of people fancy the idea of owning one. It may seem that Asia would be a magnet for “islomaniacs.” Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, with 17,000 islands. The Philippines has about 7,100 or so, depending on the tides. Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam all have extensive coastlines. But real estate laws do not make it easy for foreigners to own property in Southeast Asia, and most islands either do not have clear ownership rights or are al