The Chaoleys. Sea nomads of Thailand.

• Photographer
  Natalia Roshchenko, Belgium
• Category
  Asia

The Chaoleys are nomadic tribes of fishermen in Thailand with a unique lifestyle, religion focused on nature, and a spoken language without a written form. They don’t get recognition and most of them are struggling to get their papers from local authorities. Most Chaoleys have settled on the seashore with no title deeds, illegally occupying space and some of their villages are not even listed as part of the country. Due to this, they get banned from accessing basic public services such as healthcare and education. The impact of tourism also threatens their heritage and traditional way of life.