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Pride of the 'Sea Guardians' - a Koh Lanta woman looks out to sea after the boat launch |
Koh Lanta Boat Launch Ceremony Celebrates Strengthened Communities and Local Pride
9 December - Dozens of boats were launched today by the traditional communities of Koh Lanta, an island off Krabi province in southern Thailand. The boat launching ceremony marked three years of revival and resilience since the tsunami of December 2004, an event which devastated these communities but over the long term has allowed them to build back even stronger than before.
The Koh Lanta Community Museum, which has been in development for two years, was also opened on 9 December by Krabi Governor Siva Sirisaovalak. The museum, set in an old district office, has a number of exhibits devoted to Koh Lanta’s diverse identity and history, and is expected to be a landmark for visitors. The day also saw demonstrations of local traditional dance, music and culture.
After the boats returned, Governor Siva gave a speech praising the achievements of the Lanta Community Network and said that Koh Lanta could be a model for “sufficiency tourism” that would respect the natural environment and culture of the island. He committed his administration’s full support to Koh Lanta’s sustainable development.
Along with the other events, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Krabi provincial government, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Chumchonthai Foundation, UNDP, the World Conservation Union and eight other Thai civil society and environmental organisations that calls for protection of Koh Lanta’s coastal mangrove forests. The agreement aims to protect and renew 520 acres of mangroves on the island.
Click to see a slideshow of the boat launch.
Go here for more information on the Lanta project.
Read a statement by Koh Lanta communities about the boat launch and a declaration of their life three years after the tsunami.
Read the “building back better” project on the island. [Thai language]
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For more information, please contact:
Nick Keyes: email - nicholas.keyes@undp.org 02 288 1814
Phansiri Winichagoon: email - phansiri.winichagoon@undp.org 02 288 1827
