The so-called “sea nomads” – members of the Moken, Moklen and Urak Lawoi tribes –living in the coastal islands and areas of Myanmar and Thailand are having a hard time receiving the identity cards that are required to get jobs and social services. The sea nomads practice a traditional nomadic hunter and gatherer lifestyle in the Andaman Sea along the Malay peninsula, but some are seeking to supplement their economies with other sources of income. Thai authorities are reluctant to issue identity cards to the sea nomads, apparently out of fear of an influx of more indigenous nomads from Myanmar. Without identity cards the nomads fear harassment by civil officials when they go onshore, thus hampering their nomadic ways.
