land for seagypsies

The latest in the never ending saga of land for Sea Gypsies has reared its head again, this time at Koh Sireh, Tambon Rassada, Phuket, where a private ’investor’ has laid claim to land that has been used by Sea Gypsies for generations.

It is unbelievable and ironic, that government bodies in Thailand, both local and central can, on the one hand state the invaluable and essential tasks of preserving the Sea Gypsy culture and way of life and on the other hand allow greedy and unscrupulous business people to lay claim to land that has been home to Sea Gypsy communities for generations.

It has been proven, by Royal visits in 1958 and 1959 that the Sea Gypsy communities at Koh Sireh and Rawai were both thriving communities at that time and probably for many years previously. Surely therefore it can’t be so difficult to enforce what has been stated by central government so many times, that anyone claiming land rights, must first of all prove their ownership prior to the dates the Sea Gypsy Communities were established.

Nothing moves forward for the Sea Gypsies........

Their land, slowly but surely diminishes (The Rawai Sea Gypsy Community numbering over 2000 people are living on just 5% of the land they once occupied).

Their fishing rights are restricted to the point where it would be impossible to make a living in a safe manner.

Their austere living conditions ignored.

Their human rights?...........It’s doubtful they are considered having any!

These are the essential points which need to be addressed NOW! whilst you still have living, breathing communities....... or maybe it would be easier for all concerned to allow the Sea Gypsy Communities to disappear completely THEN spend millions of Baht building Culture Centres to show how Sea Gypsy life used to be!

A grand plan for the 'forgotten'.......