The tidal surge that accompanied the
Dec. 26 tsunami damaged and destroyed
countless heavy, wooden longboats on Koh
Lanta Island in Thailand. Many of the
traditional fishing vessels wound up
beached, stripped of traps, outboards
and other fishing gear.
A Moken fisherman prepares to set the
keel of a wooden longboat being built to
replace a vessel destroyed in the Dec.
26th tsunami surge on Thailand’s Koh
Lanta Island.
Each of the ribs used in constructing a
Thai longboat is cut with a heavy
chainsaw. The young Moken fishermen rely
on the sage advice of village elders as
they fabricate their new boats.
Indigenous Moken fisherman work in
shifts to build new longboats to replace
those lost to the tsunami. A “Sea Gypsy”
boat-builder uses a substance made from
rubber plants to caulk between planks.
After the “key man” of the seaside Thai
village of Ban Saladan (left) identified
11 needy Moken fishermen, Carl Johnson
presented each with a check
for 3,800 Bhat, the equivalent of
$1,000. That amount represents two
years’ wages.
Matthew Johnson (left) and his father,
Carl, enjoy the scenic Thai coastline
during their recent relief effort on Koh
Lanta Island. |
