PHANG NGA, 27th January 2018 (NNT) – The people of the Ban Na Tai community have created native fishing boats from fiberglass to reduce the use of their wood resource, create boat-building careers and pursue the boat business for the good of the community.

Mr. Phakphum Intarasuwan, the Vice Governor of Phang Nga, had granted diplomas to 20 individuals to undertake a vocational training program in making native fishing boats from fiberglass, which took place from 12th to 16th December.

The program was a response to the difficulties encountered by informal labor making native fishing boats, who faced the problem of wood scarcity without a substitute material. The program created the occupation of making native fishing boats from fiberglass. Furthermore, five meter long boats were given to the community for their general use.

Ms. Aree Karathiro, a worker in Phang Nga, noted that the Labour Office of Phang Nga in cooperation with the Office of Labor Skills Development of Phang Nga had organized a training program devised by the Society Generating Happiness, Power for Nation Building project, for the fiscal year 2018.

This program was based on the needs of people earning their living through fishing in Ban Na Tai, Khok Kloi Subdistrict who faced problems in maintaining their wooden boats, as the timber needed was a limited resource and a nondurable material. Moreover, skillful carpenters are hard to find.

Thus, fiberglass has been used as a substitute because it is durable and the material is easy to find for repairs, and importantly, fiberglass is less expensive than wood.


National News Bureau Of Thailand | New project saves wood resource