The Story of Ban Lion

Ban Lion is located on Koh Prathong island, a one hour boat ride from Kuraburi Pier in Phang Nga province. Surrounded with mangrove forest and golden grass fields, the village is immersed in natural beauty.

Ban Lion was built in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, near the former site of Pak Chok village. Pak Chok was completely destroyed by the killer wave, and 75 people lost their lives.

While many of the people from Pak Chok found housing on the mainland, Ban Lion has become a collective of people from a number of tsunami-affected communities, creating a fascinating amalgam of cultures. There are Thais, Thai-Chinese, Moken and Burmese people in the village that was built with support of Lions Club International.

Villagers rely on fishing as their main source of income. Some people work as casual laborers or construction workers, while others work for a nearby resort in high season.

Ban Lion covers 23-rai and is surrounded by mangrove and swamp forests. The biodiversity of the island is extraordinary and includes turtles, dugongs and dolphins. Internationally, the island has been identified as an "Important Bird Area" by BirdLife International, with 137 species of birds including the last significant population of Lesser Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos javanicus) in Thailand (more than 50 per cent of the national population) and also the Pale-capped Pigeon (Columba punicea) and four other globally near-threatened species.