April 11, 2000
We care Troubled waters for the sea-gypsies Deprived of much of their livelihood, the Moken people of the Surin Islands are struggling to make ends meet Story By CHOMPOO TRAKULLERTSATHIEN Pictures by SOMKID CHAIJITVANIT   The common scene of a Moken widow, whose husband died while fishing, sitting on the beach. Home of the Mokens or sea gypsies for centuries, the white sandy beaches of the Surin Islands National Park in Phang-nga province is now a well-known tourist attraction. With the increase in visitors, the Mokens are finding it extremely hard to survive. At present, there are some 200 Moken people living on the Surin Islands. It is believed the Moken's ancestors probably migrated from islands that are now part of Indonesia and they continued northward to live along the south-western coast of Thailand, from the Surin Islands, to Ross Island in Burma. Although modernity is creeping into the islands of the Moken, it is still common to see sea-gypsy kids playing on the shore while their mothers sit patiently in the shade, waiting for their husbands to come home from the sea. It is always an anxious wait. Many Moken men lose their lives at sea from diving. That explains why so many of the island inhabitants are widows, children and the elderly. The Mokens earn their living by catching and spearing fish and other species of marine animals. Some are experts in deep sea diving to collect molluscs. Some women work as housekeepers. Their job is to keep the resorts and the whole small island clean. Able-bodied men work as dive guides for tourists. Some also give fish-spearing shows for tourists. The women and children help out by digging for shells on the beach at low tide. The molluscs provide not only the juicy flesh but also the beautiful shells that are dried, boiled, cleaned and eventually sold to tourists on the islands. In the past, the women would go to Surin Island early in the morning, carrying flat baskets with beautiful shells. When visitors arrived, the seashore turned into a shell market. Business was brisk. The Moken used the money they earned to buy necessities like rice, fish sauce, and clothes. In 1996 all that changed with the arrival of Sompong Jeerararuensak, the new superintendent of Surin Islands National Park, who prohibited the sale of the shells. Mr Sompong said: "I could not protect the natural environment if I let that kind of business continue." At first he was at a loss as to how to solve the problem of denying people their livelihood. So he approached the Moken leader and asked for his help. "The leader told me his people had no other sources of income. I felt sympathetic but I couldn't let them continue in the old ways. So, I just bought seven baskets of their shells and put them on display at the headquarter's marine exhibition hall," said Mr Sompong. "I then made it clear to them they are under our protection because they live in Thailand. So they have to follow our rules," he added. He and the vice-superintendent Thanapong Apaiyaso then discussed the situation with other rangers. They eventually came up with the idea of setting up a charity fund Kong Tun Chao Lay Mu Koh Surin (Fund for Sea Gypsies of the Surin Islands) in April 1996. All donations came from the tourists. Occupational trainers from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare were invited to help the Moken learn new skills. Boys and men were taught traditional carving skills to make replicas of Moken boats, renowned for their intricate design and sea-worthiness. Basket weaving was taught to the elderly and women. Products were sold at the island's headquarters. But things did not sail smoothly. Carving and weaving failed to offer the Moken a substitute. "The Moken would flock to the beach early in the morning, trying to sell shells to visitors. When they saw us approaching, they would then run away. It was like cat and mouse," said Mr Sompong. "I then took stricter measures. If I spotted them on the beach I would tell them to go home and they obeyed," he added. To make use of the Moken's musical artistry, Mr Sompong asked them to perform for visitors at the end of 1996. Mr Thanapong said: "At dinner, visitors were entertained by the Moken children who sang their traditional songs while the adults played musical instruments like drums and a metal tambourine." Sompong Jeerararuensak, superintendant of the Koh Surin Islands National Park: "The government provides no financial support for these indigenous people as they are not registered as legal citizens. We'd like to provide them with permanent sources of income so that they can standon their own feet." Tourists supported the performers with donations. By the end of 1997, donations had reached about 200,000 baht. A year later Mr Sompong raised some 40,000 baht. All proceeds were spent on buying rice, sugar, dried chillies and other necessities which were distributed to the households weekly. Each family got about five kilogrammes of rice. Extended families could ask for more. And visitors were invited to present gifts to the Moken. Then the project came to a stop. Mr Sompong and his colleagues were accused of mismanaging the funds by volunteer teachers who came to the south Surin Islands to provide children with non-formal education. Mr Thanapong said: "They accused us of taking some of the donations. We said there was absolutely no truth in the accusations and we have complete records of all donations we received and also how we used the money. "These books are quite open to anyone who wishes to look at them at any time. We are completely transparent. But the accusations discouraged us so we quit our collections then but still tried to help the people where we could." Mr Sompong said: "We got a lot of support from regular tourists who understood what we were trying to do. They encouraged us to continue the project." Mr Sompong sought new ways to help the Moken people. Although they are prohibited from catching molluscs and collecting shells, they are allowed to catch fish for food. No illegal fishing methods like trawling in the area or dynamite fishing are permitted. Marine biologists, meanwhile, have been invited to the island to study the potential effect of free-dive fishing around the marine national park. The Moken men are famous in dive circles for their free-diving ability and are able to reach great depths on a single breath. "Our island is so small. We can't allow over-fishing. We need to know where to draw the line," said Mr Sompong. To prevent overfishing, preservation zones where rare species live are demarcated and fishing is banned there. Areas are also marked out for the Moken housing. Mr Sompong said until about three years ago the nomadic Moken lived in house boats and moved from bay to bay. They only recently settled along the beaches provided. "It's easier for us to monitor them, and the natural surroundings. So we allowed them to settle simply at Mu Koh Surin Nua and Mu Koh Surin Tai," said Mr Thanapong. He said he found it hard to strike a balance between preserving nature and the Moken's way of life. "They asked for corrugated iron to cover their new houses. But we persuaded them to keep their simple lifestyle. Finally, they thatched them. Their house design is so unique in a style harmonious with the natural environment," said Mr Sompong. In his efforts to find a source of income suited to the lifestyle of the sea people, Mr Sompong has sought help from several marine biologists to conduct research on giant clam breeding. If successful, the Moken could learn how to breed the species themselves. "The government provides no financial support for these indigenous people as they are not registered as legal citizens and have no identity cards. We'd like to provide them with permanent sources of income so that they can stand on their own feet," said Mr Sompong. u"We Care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. Apart from supporting these causes, you can also let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax "We Care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to: sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net. For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's "We Care" series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at http://www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare/ For more information: If you would like more information about the Moken people-or if you would like to help them in some way, contact: - Name of the Organisation: Mu Koh Surin National Park - Contact Persons: Sompong Jeerararuensak, Thanapong Apaiyaso - Address: Mu Koh Surin National Park, Kuraburi, Phang-nga province, 82150 - Tel: (076) 491-378, 419-028		Daily Main Entrance Page Local News Business Outlook Weekly IT news Horizons Travel NiteOwl (Trink) Real.Time Motoring Student Weekly Entertainment & Lifestyle Poet's Post What's on Dining out Recipe of the week Movies Music Book Review Beauty Fitness Nutrition NEW! Prominent Businesses Travel Thailand & beyond Special Publications Current Issues in Thailand Silpa Thai site Bangkok Post Year-end Economic Review Post Database 10 years Annual Report Education Learn English with the Bangkok Post Society We Care Phudhong Leper Colony Foundation Bangkok Post Newspaper Foundation Past Issues Calendar Page for recent issues Bangkok Post Archives by Samart Classifieds Classifieds index Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Bookstore Post Books Company Services Contact Us Subscriptions Internet Advertising Classified Ads Allied Printers
© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2000 Last Modified: Tue, Apr 11, 2000 For comments and letters to the editor see : notes Comments to: Webmaster Advertisng enquiries to Internet Marketing