Moken: Sea-gypsies of Andaman sea

Moken forced to move from their Phangnga homes Four years ago when the Boxing Day tsunami hit Thailand’s Andaman coastal provinces, the Moken sea gypsies in Phangnga province suffered severe devastation. But now they are facing another crisis as they are being forced to move off the land where they have been living for a hundred years.We have more details in this report from Thai News Agency.

Moken sea gypsy Mongkol Harntalae and his 12-year-old son usually go fishing out at sea to make a living. 38-year-old Mongkol says he was born and has grown up in the TapTawan village in the Andaman province of Phangnga. He says his ancestors of many generations also lived in this village and he would later inherit the land from them.

Mongkol Harntalae, a Moken sea gypsy said “I’ve here since I was born. Now I have three daughters already.”

Having just recovered emotionally from the tsunami which swept away their habitat and livelihoods on December 26, 2004, the Moken sea gypsies at TapTawan village might soon become homeless again. They are now being forced to leave the land they have lived on for many generations by businessmen who abruptly claim they have legal possession of the land.

The businessmen claim they have the Nor. Sor. 3 land title issued by the government in 1972 and that the disputed land was invaded by the Moken after the tsunami. 27 Mokens are now being charged of having intruded on to land which has legal owners. They deny the charge.

Larp Harntalae, a Moken sea gypsy said “They force us to leave our homes. We don’t know where to go. We have lived and made a living here for a long time. We’d rather die here than move out.” Recently a court withheld the witness investigation and interceded between those who claim they own the land and the Mokens, to find an acceptable solution for both parties. But the talks have failed as the Mokens insist they’ll stay in their homeland. They have urged the concerned authorities to investigate whether the Nor.Sor. 3 granting process was done legitimately and transparently.

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