Phuket Sea Gypsies 'lived in Rawai before land papers issued' – DSI

[webfact]

Phuket Sea Gypsies 'lived in Rawai before land papers issued' – DSI
Nattha Thepbamrung


Flashback to August last year when DSI experts dug for bones under Sea Gypsy homes in Rawai.

PHUKET: -- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) says that evidence it has gathered confirms that Sea Gypsies were living in Rawai before land papers were issued for the land under their homes.

The Sea Gypsy villagers have been fighting a long battle against local businessmen who hold papers for the beachfront land where the Sea Gypsies live, and want to see them gone, presumably so that the land can be sold or developed.

At a meeting in Bangkok yesterday (October 22), Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongseenin of the DSI’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and Environmental Crime, explained, “We have aerial photographs taken in 1950 and we have [human] bones.

“The aerial photos show Sea Gypsy people living under coconut trees where the bones were found previously.”

He explained that the bones cannot be dated accurately – the margin of error is too great for bones less than 1,000 years old.

However, he said, the ages of the graves in which the bones were found have been established by archaeologists from the Office of Fine Arts and DNA tests have established that the bones came from relatives of Sea Gypsies alive today and living in Rawai.

Apart from aerial photographs and bones, the DSI also examined film of HM the King visiting the village 1959, and has student registers from local schools in 1957.

“There is a film of HM the King visiting and we can see the community, and Sea Gypsy villagers living on the land,” Col Prawut said.

“We also have student registers that contains the names of some Sea Gypsy people who are still alive. These people can be the witnesses for their community.”

There is one final hurdle that must be overcome, Col Prawut said, before the Sea Gypsies have a solid case for continuing to occupy the land.

Aerial photographs show rice fields and coconut plantations on the land in and around the community. He said it must be established whether the Sea Gypsies planted these, or other people did.

The battle over the land has been going on for years. In March last year seven Sea Gypsies lost a court case, with the court ruling that the land under their homes belonged to Piyawat Sa Ngiamkul, whose family owns the Ban Raya Travel & Tour Co.

Ban Raya Travel and Tour owns the Ban Raya Resort on Racha Yai Island and also runs day trips to the island.

The court ruled that Mr Piyawat’s chanote title for land under the seven houses was legitimate.

The lawyer for the seven said they would appeal, and that hearing is now pending.

He added that Mr Piyawat’s chanote covers two rai of land, and that another 33 Sea Gypsy homes sit on the same land.

However, Mr Piyawat told The Phuket News after the hearing that he has no plans to sue the occupants of the other 33 homes, and is prepared to sign a contract leasing the land to them.

The evidence uncovered by the DSI will, it is hoped, allow the Sea Gypsies to win the appeal.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-sea-gypsies-%E2%80%98lived-in-rawai-before-land-papers-issued%E2%80%99-dsi-49291.php

-- Phuket News 2014-10-23

[grumpyoldman]

Great ! Leave these people alone. Greedy developers go away.

[Jimi007]

The amazing Thai legal system...

[oldsailor35]

What more evidence do they need to declare the rightful owners are in fact the Sea Gypsies, but not some comparatively recently arrived hi-so family which true to form have been able to take over whatever land they desired in the past, with the assistance of their friends in the right government positions. Lets all hope and pray that those days are over for the rich land grabbers.

[MobileContent]

Aerial photographs show rice fields and coconut plantations on the land in and around the community. He said it must be established whether the Sea Gypsies planted these, or other people did.

Who cares who planted the rice 50 over years ago.

[wandasloan]

Great ! Leave these people alone. Greedy developers go away.

Strange bunch, this Official Thai Visa Committee On Land Reclamation. One day it's, "Those darned encroachers, using park land, army should shoot them if they won't leave in the next hour". Next day it's, "Those nice people living on their own land so long, leave them alone."

Strange bunch.

.

[hansgruber]

Great ! Leave these people alone. Greedy developers go away.

Strange bunch, this Official Thai Visa Committee On Land Reclamation. One day it's, "Those darned encroachers, using park land, army should shoot them if they won't leave in the next hour". Next day it's, "Those nice people living on their own land so long, leave them alone."

Strange bunch.

.

Those people have been around before land titles or even government existed on Phuket.

Just because some influential rich people can afford to get titles for the land doesn't make it theirs.

Finally some justice in Thailand, a rare event.

It should be celebrated.

[Nuddy]

I feel compelled to comment as I have seen on the forum so many times the Rich guys severely disadvantage the underdog type people like these Sea Gypsies in Thailand. No examples just memory.

As other posters have said leave these guys alone. One has to question the court saying the Rich family own the beach. The rich players want title to the place but as I understand the news item it is that the Sea Gypsies only want continued un hassled use of the area. We have seen in many other articles how the Rich families have been thrown off the beach because of their bogus claims of a dodgy Chanote. It appears this is another case of Rich trying to get title to His Majesty, the Kings land possibly by deception and a possible dodgy court decision.

Speaking of His Majesty, The king we see the DSI has video of a visit by the Royal family 50 years ago. There are graves there older than 50 years ago linked to the existing families living there. They have school records of people from over 50 years ago still alive today that are Sea Gypsies. Sure DSI want to make sure no one else is farming the land and thats reasonable but it should be a hyposisis in favour of the Sea Gypsies in my opinion. I remain hopeful that Justice will prevail and the Sea Gypsies will be permitted use of the land as a home.

My comments are based purely on the news article.

[NamKangMan]

Great ! Leave these people alone. Greedy developers go away.

Strange bunch, this Official Thai Visa Committee On Land Reclamation. One day it's, "Those darned encroachers, using park land, army should shoot them if they won't leave in the next hour". Next day it's, "Those nice people living on their own land so long, leave them alone."

Strange bunch.

.

Those people have been around before land titles or even government existed on Phuket.

Just because some influential rich people can afford to get titles for the land doesn't make it theirs.

Finally some justice in Thailand, a rare event.

It should be celebrated.

If the ownership, though changing the land titles, reverts back to them, it will be interesting to see if they "sell out" to the developers.

[hansgruber]

Great ! Leave these people alone. Greedy developers go away.

Strange bunch, this Official Thai Visa Committee On Land Reclamation. One day it's, "Those darned encroachers, using park land, army should shoot them if they won't leave in the next hour". Next day it's, "Those nice people living on their own land so long, leave them alone."

Strange bunch.

.

Those people have been around before land titles or even government existed on Phuket.

Just because some influential rich people can afford to get titles for the land doesn't make it theirs.

Finally some justice in Thailand, a rare event.

It should be celebrated.

If the ownership, though changing the land titles, reverts back to them, it will be interesting to see if they "sell out" to the developers.

It's hard arguing with that.

Let's see if their heritage and pride was really the motivation.

Sent from my LG-D858

[ExPratt]

I recall going to Rawai (Pronounced RarWee buy us Londoners) about 20 years ago . The place was so remote and undeveloped that we joked that the name "Rawee " was from people who got there and said "Where the <deleted> R We "

Was a lovely place and a very nice beach side fish restaurant was a bout all that was there