Ko Panyi
Encyclopedia
Ko Panyi is a fishing village in Phang Nga Province
, Thailand
notable for being built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen. The population consists of roughly 200 families or between 1500 and 2000 people descended from 2 seafaring Muslim families from Java
.
A mosque based on the island adjacent to the settlement serves the predominantly Muslim population and is a focal point and meeting place for the community. A market stocked with goods from the mainland sells basic amenities such as medicine, clothes and toiletries.
Despite the recent rise in tourism, life in Ko Panyi is still primarily based around the fishing industry as tourists only visit in significant numbers during the dry season.
The village includes a floating soccer field. Inspired by the 1986 FIFA World Cup
, children built the pitch from old scraps of wood and fishing rafts. As of 2011, Panyee FC is one of the most successful youth soccer clubs in Southern Thailand
. A 2011 brand campaign for TMB Bank
includes a short film that tells the team's story. The film is based on interviews with the original team, and it stars local children rebuilding the field on location.
on the hit U.S. reality-competition show, The Amazing Race
.
Phang Nga Province
Phang Nga is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Ranong, Surat Thani and Krabi. To the south is the Phuket province, but without land boundary to Phang Nga....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
notable for being built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen. The population consists of roughly 200 families or between 1500 and 2000 people descended from 2 seafaring Muslim families from Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
.
History
The settlement at Ko Panyi was established at the end of the 18th century by nomadic Malay fisherman . Ko Panyi is known as Pulau Panji in Malay language. It was during this time that the law limited land ownership solely to people of Thai national origins, and due to this fact the settlement was, for the most part, built on stilts within the protection of the island's bay, providing easy access for the life of a fisherman. With the increase of wealth for the community, due to the growing tourism industry within Thailand, purchase of land on the island itself became a possibility, and the first structures of relevance were built; a mosque and a freshwater well.Village life
The village has a Muslim school which is attended by both males and females in the mornings. Due to the informal nature of this education, many of the male children attend schools further afield in Phang Nga or in Phuket. Further emigration from the village is encouraged as the size of the settlement is restricted by dangerous water conditions in the rainy season.A mosque based on the island adjacent to the settlement serves the predominantly Muslim population and is a focal point and meeting place for the community. A market stocked with goods from the mainland sells basic amenities such as medicine, clothes and toiletries.
Despite the recent rise in tourism, life in Ko Panyi is still primarily based around the fishing industry as tourists only visit in significant numbers during the dry season.
The village includes a floating soccer field. Inspired by the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
, children built the pitch from old scraps of wood and fishing rafts. As of 2011, Panyee FC is one of the most successful youth soccer clubs in Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand, connected with the Central region by the narrow Kra Isthmus.-Geography:Southern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula, with an area around 70,713 km², bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus as the narrowest part of the peninsula. The...
. A 2011 brand campaign for TMB Bank
TMB Bank
TMB Bank, formally known as The Thai Military Bank, is one of the largest retail banks in Thailand. It is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand on ....
includes a short film that tells the team's story. The film is based on interviews with the original team, and it stars local children rebuilding the field on location.
Tourism
In the late 20th century, the community found it difficult to subsist solely on the fishing industry and the postman proposed to invite tourists to the village to benefit the residents. Nowadays this is one of the main attractions on tours of Phang Nar Bay from Phuket, often serving as a lunch stop. With the increasing number of tourists, a number of seafood restaurants are present on the island, as well as various stalls selling souvenirs. The village became a pit stop during a leg of the 19th seasonThe Amazing Race 19
The Amazing Race 19 is the nineteenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 19 features several teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, in a race around the world. The 19th season premiered on September 25, 2011.The nineteenth cycle started on...
on the hit U.S. reality-competition show, The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
.