His tour coincided with news that progress has been made in the battle between the Rawai Sea Gypsy village and local businessmen who claim to own the land the village sits on – and have Chanote titles to prove it.
Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, chief of the consumer and environmental protection division of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), announced, “The investigation is finalised and we believed the Sea Gypsy people will win their case.
“We have sent the result [of the investigation] to the Land Department, recommending that they set up a committee to revoke the land papers. We are waiting for this to happen,” Col Prawut said.
Apart from the land problem, Gen Surayud said the major concern about Sea Gypsies is their way of life.
“I believe that the court will deliver justice in the Sea Gypsy case with justice.
“I have been following up the situation of Sea Gypsy communities in many provinces of Thailand and my main concerns are about education and public health, which are the most important basics,” he explained.
“As we see it, Sea Gypsy quality of life needs to be adjusted. Local officials must take care of them just as well as they take care of other citizens; they are the same – they are Thai.”
He also said that the unique traditional and culture of the sea people – an ancient and valuable heritage – must be preserved and carried on by the new generations. Local people as well as local government bodies could help with this.
“We have to make them realise and be proud that they are the real local people, who arrived on the island before most other people did, and their culture, tradition and lifestyle are valuable. I think their language is one of the most important parts of this.”
“I used to visit hill tribes in the North. They were reluctant to speak out as they said they were shy about speaking their language.
“But I told them that they had to realise they had lived in Thailand for a long time and had created their own unique tradition. This is something to be proud of, not to be shy about.
“If possible, I think local authorities should encourage children from the village who have graduated to come back to teach in their villages. The new generation will then see that their teachers also speak their language and will no longer feel shy about speaking it.
“Phuket does not have too many sea gypsy villages to deal with. I think they have the potential to be developed to a better quality of life,” Gen Surayud said.
Col Prawut explained why the DSI believes that the Sea Gypsies were on the land before any land titles were issued.
First, he said, in traditional sea gypsy funerals it was required that some beautiful seashells that could not be found nearby area must be buried with the body. The alignment and position of graves were also specified by Sea Gypsy belief.
“The bones [found in the village last year] have been proven to be more than 60 years old and contain factors showing that the body was that of a Sea Gypsy.
“DNA test show a match between the bones and one of the nine groups of villagers, including people from the house next to the grave.”
He explained that student records from Wat Sawang-Arom school in Rawai from before 1950 – the year that the businessmen claim was the year theat the original SorKor 1 papers were issued for the land – include a group of around 90 students using Sea Gypsy last names especially conferred by HM the King.
“They must came from the village as the Rawai Sea Gypsy village is the only place in the area where they live.”
The third confirmation of the villagers’ rights came from examination of an aerial photograph of the area from before 1950. This shows some Sea Gypsy homes among coconut trees. Nearby are rice fields and coconut plantations, though it has yet to be proven who established these plantation.
This aerial photograph was checked along with another significant piece of evidence – a video of the visit of HM the King to Rawai in 1955.
The coconut trees that are found in the aerial photograph from before 1950 were in the video as well and there are houses under them.
Fishing boats could be seen on the beach in front of the village and statements by villagers who went to pay their respects to HM the King, of whom some are still alive, offer further proof of a village pre-1950.
“A curious point about the issue of the land papers is that the holders of the papers have said that they planted coconut trees in 1965, which contradicts what can be seen in the video and the aerial photograph.
“The proper process is that a land officer [considering the issue of a land paper] must check whether the land in question is already occupied by people or not. This was apparently not done.
“Now, the investigation is complete and General Surin Pikulthong [who heads a 35-member committee looking into the land rights of Sea Gypsies] has sent the result to the Land Department already.
“We believe that we will be able to help the majority of the Sea Gypsy people in Rawai.
“However, Plan B – if the Land Department does not set up a committee to consider revoking the land papers is not set – will be for the villagers to file a case with the Administrative Court, asking the court to consider whether there the correct process for issuing the SorKor 1 papers was followed or not,” Col Prawut said.