Before raid, 'seasteaders' planned floating resort off Thailand
Kay Johnson, Panu Wongcha-um

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The 6-metre (20 ft) wide floating cabin that was home to an American bitcoin trader and his Thai girlfriend was supposed to launch a village of buoy-based homes in international waters.

 

That was until the Thai navy came along.

 

Chad Elwartowski and Supranee Thepdet lived for about two months in the cabin hailed as the “first seastead” by the group Ocean Builders. They envisioned a community that would include an underwater resort and restaurant off the coast of Thailand.

 

Advocates say floating communities in international waters offer a way to explore alternative societies and governments beyond the borders of countries.

 

It’s a concept that has been around for more than a decade, but the couple were the first to actually live on one.

 

“I just want to make seasteading happen for real. I want to make it happen here in Thailand,” Supranee said in a YouTube video to mark the launch of the cabin attached to a floating, weighted spar anchored to the sea bed to reduce the effect of waves.

 

On April 13, the Thai navy seized the sea home about 14 nautical miles off the island of Phuket.

 

Police have charged Elwartowksi and Supranee, also known online as “Nadia”, in absentia with violating Thai sovereignty.

 

If convicted, they face the death penalty or life in prison. The couple’s whereabouts are not known and the future of sea homes now appears in doubt.

 

BnB ON THE SEA

 

Ocean Builders had planned advance sales of 20 more floating homes, at a construction cost of $150,000-$200,000 per unit due to the engineering challenges, according to its website.

 

Initial designs were for multi-floor cylinders “with the option for a ladder, spiral staircase or an elevator to go from floor to floor,” the website said.

 

The navy raid came two days before Ocean Builders planned to launch the advance sale, called an Initial Seastead Offering or ISeaO, on April 15.

 

The sale was postponed, but the group had already received orders for an underwater restaurant and three “SeaBnBs”, bungalow type hotel units, and 300 requests for information, Ocean Builders said.

 

It did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

 

A founder of the seasteading movement, U.S. libertarian theorist Patri Friedman, said he had spoken with members of Ocean Builders about ambitious plans for an offshore resort.

 

“Their goal was to get a floating community together of different people living in these new kinds of floating homes, maybe do some AirBNB style – SeaBNB – to bring in more tourists to see the natural beauty of Thailand,” he said.

 

“I think it is a lost opportunity for Thailand,” said Friedman, chairman of The Seasteading Institute, which was not involved in the Thai project but filmed a promotional video.

 

The Thai government, however, thought differently.

 

HONEYMOON OR REVOLUTION?

Elwartowski and Supranee had not declared their home to be sovereign territory, but comments about being beyond the bounds of nations prompted the police to charge them with a violation of Thailand’s sovereignty.

 

Elwartowski and Ocean Builders have said the floating home was in international waters and beyond Thai jurisdiction. Authorities say the structure was in Thailand’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone and therefore violated its sovereignty.

 

“At the moment we have already gathered evidence and spoke to witnesses from those involved in the construction as well as others,” Phuket’s police chief, Major General Wisarn Phanmanee, told reporters last week.

 

He said the couple are believed be in Thailand and police are working with other agencies to find them.

 

Friedman said it was unfair to label seasteading advocates as anarchists or tech tycoons seeking to evade taxes. The aim is to explore new ideas for living together and governing, “and we’re not allowed to do that in existing countries,” he said.

 

It was “ridiculous” to charge the couple with a capital crime for simply living in a sea home, he added.

 

“Two people on a floating home is a honeymoon, not a revolution.”

 

Writing by Kay Johnson; editing by Darren Schuettler

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-29

What a great idea. Hope their plans are not diminished by all this nonsense.

 

If this ever gets to International court, Thailand will have to pay out a fortune, and lose big face.

"They envisioned a community that would include an underwater resort and restaurant off the coast of Thailand."

 

"SeaBNB"

 

Good luck with that under water restaurant. Clearly they were way ahead of the 'market'.  They could have cleaned up with the venture money. 

 

“... maybe do some AirBNB style – SeaBNB – to bring in more tourists to see the natural beauty of Thailand,” he said.

 

Umm, how does one see the natural beauty of Thailand from 14 nautical miles offshore?

 

6 hours ago, owl sees all said:

What a great idea. Hope their plans are not diminished by all this nonsense.

 

If this ever gets to International court, Thailand will have to pay out a fortune, and lose big face.

“I think it is a lost opportunity for Thailand,” said Friedman, chairman of The Seasteading Institute, which was not involved in the Thai project but filmed a promotional video...

Yes it's a great idea !!! But I think some rich well connected Thai entrepreneur will probably work this out ...!!

5 hours ago, DrDave said:

“... maybe do some AirBNB style – SeaBNB – to bring in more tourists to see the natural beauty of Thailand,” he said.

 

Umm, how does one see the natural beauty of Thailand from 14 nautical miles offshore?

 

There is less pollution out there. 

6 hours ago, DrDave said:

“... maybe do some AirBNB style – SeaBNB – to bring in more tourists to see the natural beauty of Thailand,” he said.

 

Umm, how does one see the natural beauty of Thailand from 14 nautical miles offshore?

 

What "natural" beauty, Thailand has destroyed most of it.

How did he know the Admiral wasn't just coming to have him deposit 800k into the Admiral's wife bank account and all would be well.

10 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

It was “ridiculous” to charge the couple with a capital crime for simply living in a sea home, he added.

Why people want to avoid governments and live at sea.  Given Thailand's heavy handedness and lack of rule of law, it was a lousy place to start this sort of thing.

China is doing the same thing, except China constructs island sized seasteads.

Thailand, had you have walked more softly in this matter, you could have been sitting pretty as a true inovator of modernisation and made billions of Thai Baht in revenue, taxes and glory.

Nope, you chose to be looked at like idiots and backwards thinkers. Your loss...

4 hours ago, off road pat said:

“I think it is a lost opportunity for Thailand,” said Friedman, chairman of The Seasteading Institute, which was not involved in the Thai project but filmed a promotional video...

Yes it's a great idea !!! But I think some rich well connected Thai entrepreneur will probably work this out ...!!

spot on watch this space as they say

 

11 hours ago, owl sees all said:

What a great idea. Hope their plans are not diminished by all this nonsense.

 

If this ever gets to International court, Thailand will have to pay out a fortune, and lose big face.

For the life of me I cannot see why people would enjoy living in a "buoy" in the water (3 mtrs. in dimension) compared to a nice hotel room, condo or house?

Seasteading? It looks like a floating tin shack and the start of some floating offshore slum. And the expense for Thailand to dismantle it must be significant. I would stick him with the clean-up bill. 

35 minutes ago, Inepto Cracy said:

you chose to be looked at like idiots and backwards thinkers

how can you say such a thing, we are happy to go along with any innovation we innovate or can copy or are untouchable, we are forward thinkers ????

11 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

For the life of me I cannot see why people would enjoy living in a "buoy" in the water (3 mtrs. in dimension) compared to a nice hotel room, condo or house?

Serenity! Nature! Water! Seagulls! Flying fish! Whales! Peace and quiet! etc, etc,

 

Take a fishing rod.

 

Trying to establish a commercial venture just outside Thailand's territorial waters and laws, while making use of the country's infrastructure including airports, visas, provisioning, chandlery services, rubbish disposal (?), etc., was never going to sit well with local authorities.

There are committee meetings, fees and traditional palm greasing payments that have to happen first. It's was never going to work in an authoritarian regime where they have vague, draconian laws that can be used to threaten the death penalty against interlopers. 

Stay tuned for future announcements of plans for new offshore resorts complete with underwater restaurants, sleeping units and fish viewing, owned by the connected, big players of Thailand

20 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

For the life of me I cannot see why people would enjoy living in a "buoy" in the water (3 mtrs. in dimension) compared to a nice hotel room, condo or house?

Illegal refuges will live anywhere but unless they have a visa for Thailand which they wouldn't being I R there stuck on the raft. Even if there not IF Thailand can refuse them a visa .

Edited April 30, 20197 yr by Percy P
Extra

20 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

For the life of me I cannot see why people would enjoy living in a "buoy" in the water (3 mtrs. in dimension) compared to a nice hotel room, condo or house?

I think many would prefer that lifestyle to a 30 sq meter "condo" in Pattaya with seaview glimpses.

How could anyone live in that s***hole ??? and the main rule for success in Asia, keep a low profile and fly close to the ground !

12 hours ago, owl sees all said:

What a great idea. Hope their plans are not diminished by all this nonsense.

 

If this ever gets to International court, Thailand will have to pay out a fortune, and lose big face.

Totally agreed. I hope he sues them in the ICJ for sea piracy and/or illegal invasion of a sovereign nation, if he wants to advance that argument, and takes them for billions of euros or dollars (not baht) and then has his VC seed money to build a million canisters and cones and whatever other shapes he prefers and creates a whole floating country with a proper navy to defend itself next time any foreign navies decide to “invade”! ????

6 hours ago, off road pat said:

“I think it is a lost opportunity for Thailand,” said Friedman, chairman of The Seasteading Institute, which was not involved in the Thai project but filmed a promotional video...

Yes it's a great idea !!! But I think some rich well connected Thai entrepreneur will probably work this out ...!!

Not likely with the Junta in charge and the Thai mentality.

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

Seasteading? It looks like a floating tin shack and the start of some floating offshore slum. And the expense for Thailand to dismantle it must be significant. I would stick him with the clean-up bill. 

I thought it was a new style 360 deg diving platform centre

The guy should have parked his hut near one of those islands that China is developing, would have been interesting...

Geezer

I am not opposed to such ideas but as they say 'no man is an island'. Where and how were supplies intended to come from? Then there are medical issues and the like. I really don't think this was well thought out...if it had been perhaps choosing a more 'friendly' water way would have been sought.

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

For the life of me I cannot see why people would enjoy living in a "buoy" in the water (3 mtrs. in dimension) compared to a nice hotel room, condo or house?

Whatever "floats your boat" or cabin or seastead or whatever it is... some people don't want to live in a concrete high rise in the middle of a concrete jungle!

14 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Chad Elwartowski and Supranee Thepdet lived for about two months in the cabin

 

14 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

That was until the Thai navy came along.

Someone gave up waiting for the classic "brown envelope?"

Thai sovereignty was allegedly invaded by a foreigner and a Thai before the Thai navy reacted. Even then the "invaders" escaped. Cobra Gold exercises appeared to have been a waste of effort.

2 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Serenity! Nature! Water! Seagulls! Flying fish! Whales! Peace and quiet! etc, etc,

 

Take a fishing rod.

 

Have you ever stayed at a monastary for a few weeks,m ost people only last a few days and this is on land. All that peace and quite drives people crazy.

Now we know the real reason for all the Thai concern over the Seastead.

It seems to be a threat to the Tourism Industry.

Everything always comes down to money in LOS

15 hours ago, owl sees all said:

What a great idea. Hope their plans are not diminished by all this nonsense.

 

If this ever gets to International court, Thailand will have to pay out a fortune, and lose big face.

 

You are joking, right?

 

A bunch of alternative currency cowboys going to operate 'sea villages, undersea restaurants and hotels" ? Yeah right. With rigorous safety and well trained employees no doubt. And just pitch them wherever they fancy?

 

Been watching Kevin Costner's crap film Sea World, or whatever it was called, too much?

 

As for the ICJ - won't have the slightest interest. 

 

 

15 hours ago, owl sees all said:

lose big face.

Would not be the first time. Remember the story about the temple at the Cambodian border.... ????