Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

In 1936, the Siam government at that time gave order to the Department of Corrections to explore an area to establish a vocational training settlement for the inmates of serious crimes.

Tarutao Island in the province of Satune down south of Thailand was chosen.

As a large island far away from the shore and in the middle of the deep sea with strong waves and strong winds, also surrounded by abundant of sharks, moreover, along the canals within the island being full of crocodiles (or alligators??), these created a natural prison wall which was very protective of prisoners who tried to escape.

Firstly, the Department of Corrections set up a survey group comprising of chief authorities and some well-behaved inmates as pioneers to construct buildings such as a warden’s bungalow, prisoners’ bungalows, a vocational training school and etc. in the areas called Talo Wao Bay and Talo Udang Bay.




When everything was ready, the first 500 prisoners of serious crimes were sent there in 1938 and more were continued to be sent in at a later time.

After the policy of establishing a vocational training settlement for the inmates became successful. It appeared that though being convicted of serious crimes, these inmates could learn how to socialize in harmony. Tarutao Prison expanded its plan to accept political prisoners.




In 1939, the government sent 70 political prisoners to Tarutao Prison and being kept detained at Talo Udang Bay.

These political prisoners were people involved in political conflicts such as rebellions. Most of them were politicians, royalty, high ranking nobles from various positions or people with higher education and some were even from foreign countries. Different from the first group, these people were treated with less strictness and did not have to work as hard as the former group.




Their confinement’s area was around 16,000 sq. meters surrounded by red flagged poles marking its territory, so as not to mingle with other kinds of prisoners.

Record tells roughly about the punishment by ordering them to work hard and increasing gradually. Reducing food was also applied including exposing them in the sun all day for 10-15 days and etc. Any prisoners who took risk of escaping if being caught, their resistance will be shot and killed.

However, it is not specific whether these punishments were applied to both or only inmates with serious crimes.




The most serious type of punishment recorded was tying the prisoner (don’t know which part; might be an ankle) to a heavy chain. The other side of the chain fixed in the ground with a large metal peg. The prisoner’s shoulders were attached to a heavy log.

While the chain was long enough to give the prisoner a space to stretch but when he moved, he had to carry along that heavy log attached on his shoulders.

Later on, that big log was changed to a cement block because it was likely that the prisoners would scrape off the wood to reduce the weight of their logs.

Anyway, freedom has always been sweet for people who crave for it for not long, a group of political prisoners, one later becoming the Minister of Education of the Government of Field Marshal Poh in 1947, along with four other nobles managed to be able to escape from Tarutao Prison on October 16, 1939 by bribing the guards, hiring a villager’s boat and fled to the shore.

It was revealed later that this mission was well schemed and cost 5,000 baht which at that time was considered extremely high.

Everyone carried only a pocket knife and vowed to die if being caught. After hiding within a net on a fishing boat all the way to Malaysia's Lungkawi Island which at that time was a British colony, they declared for defection and asked for a political asylum there.

After the incident for just four years, on April 21, 1943, the rest of the political prisoners were removed to a new detention at Koh Tao, Surat Thani Province instead. Thus, ended of the story of the political prisoners at Tarutao Prison.

But the reputation of this prison had not yet been lost because the rest of the prisoners who were now those of serious crimes, together they turned themselves into savage pirates.

Starting from the minority, then the group became larger even some officers joined the gang.

The reason was at that time, it was the time of WWII which affected the life of the people (everyone) there directly because being so far away from the mainland, Tarutao Island was completely cut off from the outside world.

Famine, lack of medication supply, diseases spread around especially malaria resulting in the deaths of more than 700 prisoners. People had nothing to eat so they decided to join head to plunder any passing ships. It was so frightening that no one, if not necessary, dared cruising through this area.




The behavior of the Pirates of Tarutao was frightening and ferocious. After plundering, they killed and threw the victims’ bodies into the sea then they made holes in the ships to sink them down.

The spirit of the Pirates of Tarutao had increased as time and success went by until one day, they plundered a ship on her mission to the British government at Malay Peninsula.

The British in Malay sent an official letter to the Thai Authorities requesting for permission to send troops to Tarutao Island.

The Pirates of Tarutao were completely defeated on March 21, 1946.

In 1948, Thai Authority officially announced the cancellation of the Tarutao Vocational Training settlement ending the Tarutao nightmares for good.

Now Tarutao Island is a national park. Everyone, both Thai and foreigners, considered it a paradise for tourists. They come to savor the beauty of the world-class nature.

But if the Island could talk, what tale would it tell?