Chao Lay Sea-Nomad Communities in Phuket: Rawai, Koh Siray and Respectful Visits

Who the Chao Lay are

Chao Lay is the Thai term for the sea peoples of the Andaman coast, often called sea gypsies or sea nomads in older writing. It covers three groups: the Urak Lawoi, the Moken and the Moklen. Their languages are different from Thai and from each other. Urak Lawoi means sea people in a Malay language, and Lonely Planet describes them as the most settled of the three, speaking a mix of Malay and Mon-Khmer, although most also understand Thai.

The Phuket News reports that the Moken have lived in the area for more than 150 years, and sources describe the Urak Lawoi as long-standing island dwellers. Estimates for the Andaman coast are in the region of 12,000 people, according to one photographer's account, so treat any figure as approximate.

Where they live in Phuket

• Urak Lawoi communities are reported at Rawai Beach, Koh Siray, Laem La and Baan Sapam in Koh Kaew.
• The Moken also live at Rawai and at Tha Chatchai in Thalang district.
• The Moklen are reported around Laem La at the northern tip of the island.

The Rawai village sits behind the beach used by longtail boats, a short distance from the seafood market, and Lonely Planet says visitors are free to wander through, respectfully. Koh Siray is connected to Phuket Town by a bridge, and the Laem Tukkae area there hosts community events.

Traditions and ceremonies

Loy Reua is the best known: in November 2023 The Phuket News and The Thaiger reported that the Urak Lawoi of Koh Siray held a week of festivities that ended with a hand-carved boat loaded with offerings set adrift to the spirit of the sea for good luck. Local media describe village elders, many of them women in traditional dress, leading parades.

Academic work records that sea communities passed down a legend of seven giant waves, and that Moken on the Surin Islands survived the 2004 tsunami after reading the signs in the sea. The tsunami preparedness guide covers today's warning system.

Land, rights and tourism pressures

Reports describe Chao Lay communities as pushed to settle by coastal development and fishing restrictions, and a 2018 report on Rawai described a small patch of beach claimed by developers and individuals, with several court cases found in the community's favour, including on the basis of DNA evidence and an old photograph. The Phuket News reported a ministerial visit to Koh Siray for the annual Chao Lay family reunion and an agreement to protect the sea gypsies' way of life at Laem Tukkae, and said more than 400 Chao Lay remain stateless, particularly in the Surin Islands and the Ranong archipelago.

Many households remain poor, according to travel writers, which is why how you visit matters. A village is not an attraction, and tourism that treats it as one can do harm.

Visiting respectfully

This is general good practice rather than a rule set by the communities.

• Treat the village as people's homes. Ask before photographing a person, a house or a ceremony, and do not photograph children.
• Do not walk into houses or yards, or hand out money or sweets.
• Spend where it helps: eat or buy from community members and local fishers directly, and avoid tours that promise a staged sea-gypsy show.
• Use local or community-run visits if you want a guide, and be wary of any pitch that sounds like a zoo.
• Take your rubbish with you, and keep drones out of the village. See the drone rules.

If you are curious about the culture, the Old Town museums and the history guide put the island's older communities in context.