Registering the Moken — and a Surfing Champion

This long edition spans Oct 2016 to Feb 2017. Philip helped a government team register stateless Moken for Thai citizenship — 121 across three islands, around 20 from Koh Phayam — a concrete, life-changing legal milestone. He installed rainwater tanks (enabling clean water for the school's cooking) and built a chicken coop as a food and income project. A highlight: Moken teenager Oden won his age group at a Phuket surfing competition, proof to the boys that "the Moken can do it too." The edition also carries spiritual setbacks (some adults returning to ancestral-spirit offerings) — an honest both/and.