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Tsunami-hit Thai Muslim Community Granted Land Rights in a National Park
7 March, Koh Muk, Trang Province Thailand – An historic ground-breaking ceremony today marks a triumph for the Muslim community living on Koh Muk in securing land rights for their resettlement after the tsunami destroyed their village. This case is a landmark victory in the fight for secure land tenure along the tsunami-ravaged Andaman coast of Southern Thailand.
The devastating tsunami exacerbated an already precarious land tenure situation for many fishing communities along the Andaman Coast of Southern Thailand. Many communities have been living along the shore for decades without formal land tenure arrangements. When the tsunami struck, many were suddenly faced with evictions as commercial developers laid claim to the land. In other cases, conflict arose with local government organizations or provincial authorities related to national park zoning and enforcement.
Of the 412 villages affected by the tsunami, 59 villages are facing problems related to insecure land tenure. Traditional fishing communities, including many Muslim and Chao Lay villages, have been especially affected.
“Land disputes and land grabbing have become one the biggest obstacles to the longer-term economic recovery of tsunami-ravaged communities in Thailand” says Hakan Bjorkman, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Thailand. “The case of Koh Muk is a source of inspiration for how this issue can be resolved in the interest of local communities”.
The case of Koh Muk was submitted to the Special High level National Tsunami Land Sub-committee established by the Government of Thailand to resolve land disputes and problems arising from and unearthed by the tsunami. The Committee, along with officials from the national park, the provincial governor’s office, the Tambon Administration, and community members jointly came up with a plan that was acceptable for all.
The agreed solution offers to facilitate a process of issuing the land title to the community as a group, rather than to individual or families. This alternative prevents individuals from selling to prospective investors. The chosen site for resettlement is part of a mangrove forest in the National Park of Koh Muk.
“The issue in Koh Muk was not simple and the task was daunting in terms of finding a solution that would be acceptable for the community, the local administration and the National Parks Authority,” says Somsook Boonyabancha, Director Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) “The final decision had to be sustainable so the question of land rights and ownership would not come up again in a couple of years,” adds Ms. Boonyabancha.
UNDP, through the Chumchonthai Foundation and the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI), has been supporting the community development and planning process by funding the work of the local organizers, technical experts, architects and planners who have been assisting with the negotiations, planning and layout of the new settlement. UNDP will also support construction of 40 houses. The Save the Andaman Network is also playing a big role in supporting the community in Koh Muk.
This initiative in Koh Muk is part of larger project implemented as a
partnership between CODI, Chumchonthai, UNDP, UN-HABITAT and UNESCO. The
$1.2 million dollar project is providing support for building the
capabilities and skills of traditional communities primarily Sea Gypsy and
Muslim communities and that of local government organizations to undertake
post-tsunami recovery and rehabilitation in a manner which promotes
people’s participation and incorporates the rights of cultural
minorities.
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For more
information:
Chetna.lakhoo@undp.org; 01 566 64
76
Punnipa.ruangtorsak@undp.org; 662 288 2130
