Mergui Archipelago
The Mergui Archipelago is located in the southern most division of Myanmar, the Thanintaryi Division. It is made up of 800 islands spanning over 600 km. The islands are covered by tropical evergreen forests and are surrounded by extensive coral reefs, while the river estuaries are fringed by dense mangrove stands. The Mergui Archipelago is located along the Isthmus of Kra, which separates the Indochinese and Sundaic (Malesian) biogeographic regions. This makes the area a very interesting meeting point of wildlife belonging to the two regions. |
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| Location of Mergui Archipelago - click to enlarge |
As a result of the political situation, foreign access has been restricted and for the last 50 years the area has remained relatively isolated from the rest of the world. With exception of the Moken (Sea Gypsies), a population of indigenous people that mainly live a nomadic existence on the sea, and a few newly built fishing villages the islands are still completely un-inhabited.
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| Ko Phawt Island |
The recent contruction of the villages and an increase in the fishing and tourist industry (in particular diving) is the most likely start of further development. Though, poor sanitation and health are reoccuring characterisitc of the villages and although the population is relatively small dynamite fishing, wildlife hunting, timber collection, land clearing and reclamation are common practice.
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| McLeod's Island | Ma Kyone Galet Village |
There are currently no safe guards to protect and manage the long term viability and protection of the environment or to ensure the local community will be the beneficiaries of the impending development. The most recent research in the archipelago was carried out by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in the mid 90’s, resulting in the recognition of Lampi Island Marine National Park. There is a need to gather baseline environmental data and to begin the process of developing a strategy for the sustainable development of the Mergui Archipelago.
Historical
Tenasserim (now called Tanintharyi) Division which includes the Mergui Archipelago has been inaccessible to foreign tourists practically since the independence of Burma from the British Empire in 1948. Needless to say there were not many tourists before that time. Tenasserim was an important seaport at the beginning of the second millennium when trade between India, China and Japan avoided the treacherous Malacca Strait (pirates, storms and Portugueses) and small ships could navigate the Tenasserim river and their wares transhipped over the hills to the Gulf of Thailand. Little is known of that route, now covered in deep forest. Trade flourished when Siam owned both coasts in the 16th and 17th centuries. War elephants, china and local porcelain, spices and silk were exported and Mergui on the coast could accommodate larger ships. An englishman became Shabandar (harbourmaster), the French were interested in the region, times of freeboosters and pirates followed until the Siamese massacred the foreigners. Later war broke out and Burma conquered Tenasserim province. The British secured the Malacca Strait and founded Penang and Singapore. Mergui and the Tenasserim fell into oblivion. When the British took over the region in 1826, as their initial settlement after the first Burmese War, they found it almost deserted of people. Two hundreds years of war and guerilla warfare between Siam and Burma had made the once prosperous population of Mergui and Tenasserim flee to their respective homelands. Tenasserim is, since 1948, a province of the Union of Burma, now Myanmar. The Archipelago is roamed by one of the last truly nomadic sea gypsies in the world, the Moken, an animist tribe who live in family groups on dugout boats of very special design.
The Moken
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| Moken at the Ma Kyone Galet village |
The Moken are Sea Gypsies who live in family groups on traditional boats - called Kabangs - made from hollowing out large trees. The Kabangs serve not just as transportation, but are real floating homes with kitchen, bedroom and living area where families live for 6 months during the dry season. Once the rainy season arrives in May, the Moken settle on an island building temporary huts that will be abandoned after the rainy season stops.
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| A Moken boat, known as Kabang, pulling traditional dugout canoes |
The Moken sail around the archipelago collecting molluscs and sea worms in the tidal flats, diving for shells and foraging for other food on the islands. They are said to be last survivors of the original people of Southeast Asia who took refuge on boats when the continent was submerged by 100 meters of water after the end of the last ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago. Besides the Mergui Archipelago, the Moken inhabit the coast and islands of west Thailand, in the provinces of Satun, Trang, Krabi, Phuket, Phang Nga, and Ranong. The Burmese call the Moken Salones, while the Thai call them Chao Ley (people of the sea) or Chao Nam (people of the water).
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| Three generations... | Moken woman working a bamboo at the village on Nyaung Wee Island |
Soldiers and missionaries had attempted to 'civilize' the Moken during the British occupation of the archipelago, the Burmese and Siamese too; the Moken have a long history of cultural resilience. This couldn't be better illustrated in ethnologist Jacques Ivanoff description of the Moken being taught more efficient fishing practices 'they are willing to learn but refuse to do so to affirm their choice' (Ivanoff 1997, p16). Nevertheless, the Moken of the archipelago’s villages today paint a quite different picture in which the modern ‘civilized’ world has finally made its mark.
Online the 2008 reports prepared by local and international scientists on Mergui Archipelago:
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Updated 30.09.08 - Copyright 2007 ECoSwiss - Photos: Andrea Bonetti
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