Koh Tarutao

I've been chatting up my cousin Jan in Bangkok in preparation for our move, and she asked me if we are interested in going to Koh (=island) Tarutao (an archipelago in southern Thailand) with her friends in April. Sadly, we will not be there until the very end of April.

I started reading up on Tarutoa, and it has a fascinating history!

In 1939, the country of Siam became known as Thailand. This lead to the establishment of a penal colony on Tarutoa to imprison two rebel groups, the Bowondet and Nai Sip.

An excerpt from the Thai National Park Reserve's description of early Tarutao:

Escape was a disheartening prospect, due to crocodiles, sharks and fierce guards. But not all prisoners were miserable. The political prisoners were naturally respected due to their social status, rank and education; and enjoyed an "open prison" atmosphere away from the common prisoners. They whiled away their time in useful projects, including agriculture, plant propagation and translation and dictionary-writing. After their return to the real world, many returned to high government posts.

Order eroded in the camps during WW II. Supplies no longer came from the mainland, and starvation ensued. Both guards and prisoners soon became the most feared pirates in the area, preying on merchant ships in the Strait of Malacca. This quote describing earlier piracy sums up the boat owners' terror:

"Not only on land, but perhaps more so at sea, the Western traveler feared for his safety ..... countless white travelers recorded their fears of, and warnings about the savage marauders of the archipelago who thrived on massacre, violation and rapine. In many eyes, the rich and beautiful islands seemed to have become mutated into some nightmarish landscape -- the indented coasts, estuaries, creeks, rivers and narrow channels affording concealment for the pirates' murderous pillage, with 'no vessel ..... safe, no flag ..... respected.' (Raffle)"

[from Western Impressions of Nature and Lanscape in Southeast Asia, Victor R. Savage, Singapore University Press, Natl. Unibersity of Singapore]

Koh Tarutao: home to ghosts and white sand beaches!