A house, built with donations for the Moken "sea gypsies", in Ban Thung Wa of Phang Nga's Takua Pa district. This design, chosen by the Moken themselves, is the envy of other villagers who hate the pre-fabricated shophouses that they have been given after the tidal waves swept their homes away.

Thousands of new houses being built for tsunami victims could go to waste if survivors abandon them. Some residents of Ban Nam Khem, one of the worst-hit areas, are unhappy about the designs, which they say have been foisted on them by government departments.

They say the houses are cramped and do not suit their lifestyles. They stand in contrast to the spacious houses which another group of survivors, the Moken people ("sea-gypsies"), have designed and are building for themselves.

"It is so narrow and dark. It must be really hot in there. I want the one built on pillars such as the Moken are building, but the army engineers say they can't change," said one resident. She referred to a shophouse measuring four by nine metres with one bedroom, one multi-utility room and one toilet. It is one of three designs available on a budget of 120,000 Baht for villagers who opt for houses designed by the state.

About 6,000 houses will be built and donors have paid for them all. Porntip Thiansai, of Ban Nam Khem, said she wished she could make modifications so the house suited her needs. "I envy Moken sea people. Their houses are spacious with an open area on the ground floor. We just wonder why our houses are so different when the cost is pretty much the same," she said.

The houses the Moken people are building are elevated on pillars. They use the open area underneath to raise pigs and chickens. "Our new homes are better. They give natural cooling," said a 37-year -old Arkhom Saman, a Moken of Ban Thung Wa.

Komet Boonthongchoo, of the Network for Development of Southern Communities, said people should be allowed to choose their homes. "We give only technical support and advice to the Moken people. No one knows how to design and build a house better than they do," he said.

Houses built by state agencies following the Kratoon floods a few years ago were eventually abandoned by survivors who left to build their own community.

For donors, the Moken houses are cheaper, as they pay for materials only. Labour costs are spared because the Moken people build the houses themselves.

An official from the Social Development and Human Resources Department said villagers can still build to their own design, but the houses must come in under budget. (February 23, 2005)