Usually, they lived on boats with fish as a main source of food and money, just staying on property during the rain season.
As more people move to permanent accommodation on land and function in bigger cities, there has been a continuous change in the Moken way of life over the past few decades.
PEOPLE OF THE Water
Fang Klathale, a part of the , Moken group, has called the sea her house for most of her existence.
But today, at 96 years older, Fang is staying in island Thailand in order to be better to health services.
She is concerned that younger people, many of whom have moved to cities to operate, are losing contact with their lifestyle despite the fact that her age and medical requirements have compelled her to proceed.
” The children these days don’t talk the Moken speech. They don’t realize it again. They’re all speaking Thai today”, she told CNA.
Fang’s traditional house is on Koh Phra Thong, one of the thousands of islands in the Andaman Sea, about an hour’s boat ride apart from mainland Thailand.
Just about 800 individuals live on the island. Some tourists travel to the island, and islanders lead a peaceful life, compared to nearby Phuket.
The beach used to house three universities but now, just one remains.