Koh Lanta, Thailand, 13 May 2005 —A new development strategy for Koh Lanta in southern Thailand was launched today to bolster the island’s post-tsunami recovery efforts and establish the island as a model of economic and social harmony paired with forward-thinking natural resource management.

“The tsunami tragedy is giving the people of Koh Lanta an opportunity to start afresh and think anew,” said Joana Merlin-Scholtes, UNDP’s Resident Representative. “This initiative will help the island develop into a prosperous and culturally diverse home for its people and environmentally-friendly destination for tourists.”

The agreement to develop the island was signed today at a ceremony attended by representatives of the district of Koh Lanta, Krabi Province, the  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) and the Chumchon.

Emphasizing support to local government, the project will mobilize community leaders and the private sector to design and  implement plans for developing the island in a sustainable, eco-friendly, tourism-smart, culturally-sensitive way, well beyond the immediate tsunami recovery needs. 

The project will focus attention on two of the island’s most seriously tsunami-damaged fishing villages, where newly established local community organizations will work together to  ensure that victims of the tsunami will be the ‘prime movers’ of their own future development.

The partnership of local organizations will focus on the preservation of Koh Lanta’s cultural heritage. The rebuilding plans consider the island’s unique mixture of Chinese, Muslim and Sea Gypsy peoples as an golden opportunity for cultural tourism.  The project will catalogue and study indigenous knowledge, including traditional ways of life, native arts, heritage, food and culture.  Special attention will be paid to knowledge that promotes livelihoods in harmony with nature.

“Koh Lanta is rich in biodiversity as well as cultural diversity where Chinese, Muslim and Sea Gypsy communities have lived in harmony for generations,” remarked Committee Member and Secretariat to the Project Preeda Kongpaen. “As for natural resources, Koh Lanta has abundant forest land, beautiful beaches and plentiful marine resources.  Koh Lanta’s unique identity, diversity and natural resources must be properly preserved and managed by the people of Koh Lanta.”

As a next step, the partnership will devise an island-wide community development strategy based on nature and cultural heritage that can be integrated into a broader district plan.

“The unique identity of Koh Lanta lies in the hearts of the people and can be manifested in different activities such as the revival of indigenous culture and tradition, the promotion of natural resources, environmental awareness and the joint planning of community livelihood schemes in-line with provincial development strategies,” said Krabi Governor Mr. Arnond Phomnart.

The plan received substantial attention after the December 26 tsunami, following the Government’s announcement of its intentions to develop Koh Lanta as an eco-friendly tourist destination.  In February 2005, a group of senators representing the House Team on Social Development and Human Security gave their overwhelming support for the plan’s emphasis on indigenous livelihood and environment conservation.

“This progressive project is in line with current government decentralization policies,” said Lanta District Chief Officer Mr. Prasith Phuchutwanitkul.  “Local empowerment will eventually spread to all areas of the island facilitating community participation in making choices that affect the lives of everybody on Koh Lanta.”

 “While it is hard to see anything positive coming out of the tsunami tragedy, it was certainly noted that the world’s ability to respond quickly to the emergency was only made possible by stronger partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, and private enterprises,” said Mr. Sountorn Chaokitka, Head of the Koh Lanta Hotelier Association. “The tsunami relief and recovery effort shows that each partner brings special skills and resources to those in need. This project takes note of that effort, and by bringing together all stakeholders to design a future for Koh Lanta, rallies behind the continued spirit of rebuilding better in a post-tsunami Thailand.”