Myeik (Mergui)
Archipelago
The General Features of the Myeik District: The southern most district of Myanmar and of the Tenasserin (Taninthayi) Division, extends on the mainland from Myinmoletkhat mountain (23 28') on the border of Dawei District in the north to the mouth of the Pakchan river (90 58' N) and the Isthmus of the Kra in the south, and including the islands of the Myeik Archipelago from Dawei island to the Aladdin Isles in (9 38' N). On the east it is conterminious with Thailand and at one point, in (99 40' E), the Gulf of Thailand is only 10 miles away. On the west the islands stretch as far as (97 30' E). The total area is 9,798 sq.miles.
North of Myeik town the valley of the Great Taninthayi river is separated from the sea by a mountain range, culminating in Myinmoletkha 6,800 ft. high, on the northern border. Between this range and the coast is a fertile plain intersected by small streams running east and west, and cultivated to a great extent. The rest of the District is of a very different character. There are no mountain ranges of any importance, and such level lands as exist are mostly covered by the sea at high tide or, if inland, flooded during the rains. With the exception of the valleys of the Taninthayi and the Upper Pakchan, this part of the District is generally a network of low hills fringed with mangrove swamps.
The principal rivers are the Great Taninthayi, rising far to the north, in Tavoy, and entering the District about 140 miles above Taninthayi village, where it doubles back on itself and flows into the sea, forming a delta round Myeik town; its tributary, the little Taninthayi, which joins it at Taninthayi village after a northerly course from the Thai border; the Lenya, to the southwest of the little Taninthayi, and nearly parallel with it, but flowing direct into the sea South of Myeik after a bend to the northwest; and the Pahchan, rising in the same neighbourhood as the Lenya, but flowing south to Kawthaung. The District is thus, with the exception of the Palaw Township where a few streams run from east to west, a system of rivers flowing from north to south or south to north, except when a bend is needed to enable them to reach the sea.
The Myeik Archipelago, which stretches down the entire length of the coast, numbers 804 islands of every size, from King island, with an area of 170 sq. miles, to mere rocks rising abruptly from the sea. Nearly all are forest-clad, and most are hilly, often fringed with mangrove swamps, but practically displaying a yellow and white beach of sand or pebble. With the exception of King Island, which is partly cultivated by Bamas and Karens, and some fishing village, more or less deserted during the monsoon on the shores of Kisseraing and Sellore, the islands are almost uninhabited but for the salons or sea- gipsies who wander among them. A remarkable feature of the coast scenery is the presence of limestone cliffs, towering sheer out of the water for several hundred feet, and forming caves which recall the interior of a Gothic cathedral, while others enclose lakes accessible only at low tide through tunnels in the rock; They are the home of the tiny swift that builds the edible nest of commerce.
The Trip: The day was 7th April 1996. Our party sponsored by U Win Aung, Woodland Travels Co.Ltd consisted of 33 persons. The party was led by U Soe Tint, Director General (Planning and Statistic Department) (MOF). The objective of this trip was to make an extensive tour of Lampi, the southern extremity off-shore islands of Myanmar, to study its topography, geography, vegetation and coral reefs, for the proposed National Marine Park' and establishment of tourist sites. The group included 3 foreigners namely, Mr.John Kant, a super diver, Mr. Kirya Santoso Chandra of Indonesia and Mr. Frankie Chew Hai Phen of Singapore. The rest of the group was made up of personnel from the Ministry of Forestry, the Forest Department, M.T.E., Survey Department Officers and divers from the Myanmar Navy (MOD), personnel from Myanmar Travels and Tourism and personnel from Taninthayi Divisional Forest department. We all met at the Yangon International Airport on the 7th April at (05:30 a.m.) . The plane took off at (07:30 a.m.); within a couple of minutes, it was air borne climbing to a height of 28000 ft. above sea level. The whole panoramic view of the sky looked magnificent. Heaven is an exact counterpart of earth. Both the heaven and the earth looked unique with beauty and character of its own. The sky, was spectacular, dotted here and there with cumulus clouds generally dense and with sharp outlines, which had developed over the whole area floating vertically in the form of rising mounds, like domes and tower of which the buldging upper parts often resemble a cauliflower. The sunlit parts of these clouds are brilliant white, with their base relatively dark and almost horizontal. The weather was fine and pleasant. The whole sea area of Myanmar looked calm and majestic.
The spectacular view of the sea was light blue and unending as far as the eyes could sea. The flight took one hour and twenty minutes. When viewed from the air Lampi islands consist of a range of rugged plateau covered with dense evergreen monsoon forests. Scattered here and there, one could see clusters of islands of various sizes. In every direction there are tree clad hills, peak after peak, and ridge after ridge, purple at first, then violet and blue fading at last to the paler blue of the distance. There are many graceful peaks always spectacular in spite of being covered with dense mixed jungle displaying a beauty with its own distinctive outline and character. The Lampi range running from north to south covering a distance of over thirty miles in length and about 8 miles in width, is about 240 sq. miles in area, and Kawthaung lies at the southern most extremity of Myanmar, bodering Thailand and demarcated by a river. The border town of Thailand is Ranaung. One can reach Ranaung within an hour by boat. The whole panoramic view of Kawthaung is made up of assorted islands covered by rugged plateau, carpetted with rain fed evergreen jungles. Due to unscrupulous timber extraction and indiscriminate firewood cutting some denuded or degraded hill tops are clearly visible in the vicinity. The plane touched down at Kawthaung airport at (09:00) hours local time, and our party proceeded to Kawthaung Motel by motor vehicles, which is about 7 miles from the airport and we halted the night at the Motel, where accommodation and service is moderately good; the rooms which are spic and span are air conditioned, and equipped with television sets.
Lampi, the Proposed National Marine Park:- We started off to Lampi the next day at 08:30 hours by a local cargo boat. "Thein Thein Aung". The regional tactical Operation Command (TOC) provided us an escort platoon for security and a major in charge of it was on another boat. The boat speeded along at 10 nautical miles an hour. It took us nearly 9 hours to arrive at Ma-Kyon-galet, a Salon communal fishery village of Boke-pyin township.
Lampi island is a remote uninhabited island situated in the vicinity of Boke-pyin Township, Kawthaung District. It is an island about 240 sq. miles in area, with very limited documented information on its flora and fauna and marine life. There are beach front locations both on Lampi and adjoining islands, that provide excellent opportunities for resort tourism development, but which have to be the subject of rigorous environmental review before approval is considered.
Practically the whole district, with the exception of about 139 square miles of cultivation and perhaps a similiar extent of old taungya clearings, is under dense forest. A large part of this is mangrove, approaching perhaps a thousand sq. miles. The area treated as forest by the department is about 56,000, sq. miles and only 330 sq. miles of this total come under reserve. The forests are not generally valuable and teak is unknown, but the lofty "Kanyin" tree (Dipterocarpus laevis) yields an oil largely used in the manufacture of torches, the wood of the "Thingan" (Hopea Odorata) is, owing to its elasticity, unequalled for boats, and "Kyathnan" or "Pinle-on" (Carapa miluccensis) "Anan" (Fagraea fragrans), "Kanazo" (Bassia longifolia) and "Kokko" (Albizzia libbek) are all useful timber, "Pyingado" (Xylia dolabriformis) is plentiful in the extreme north. "Kalemet" (Santalum sp.) found on a branch of the little Taninthayi on the border of Thailand, is valued for its fragrance. "Pwenyet" the resinous nest of the Trigona laeviceps, or dammer bee, makes valuable caulking for boats when mixed with earth - oil.
Regarding fauna, the following are to be found in the district.
Gibbon (Myauk-hlwe-gyaw), Flying Lemur (Myauk-hlaung-mi-do), Jungle-dog (Taw -kwe), the Flying Fox (lih-Zwe), Civet - cat (Kyaung - pyan), tiger, leopard cat, leopard, bear, elephant, boar, mouse deer, sambhur, barking - deer (gyi), bison, wild cow, tapir, and rhinoceras.
In the vicinity of Lampi, it is possible to explore mangrove forests, dune forests evergreen forest and rain forests much of it in relatively pristine primary condition all within half day's walk. Add to these, the opportunity to view or be involved in survey and recording of marine flora and fauna and corals in a prolific marine environment, including the observation of whales, and dolphins. Lampi could possibly grow in stature to a significant and exciting ecotourism destination. There is a concrete causeway from Kawthaung to Lampi; the only access is by boat which may take 2 half hours to 6 hours depending on the type and speed of boat.
History and Archaeology
Myeik or Mergui has ever been the battle-ground of the rival kingdoms of the then Burma and Siam, As Master Cesar Frederick in 1568, has stressed that 'it of right belonged to the kingdom of Siam" but whenever there was a strong Burmese King it became a Burmese province. The earliest record is an inscription recently found near the Shinkodaw Pagoda, about ten miles from Myeik. It is dated 631 B.E (1269 A.D.) and records a gift to the pagoda by Nga Pon, the royal usurer of Tayokpye-min, "the king who fled from the Chinese", who reigned at Bagan from 1248 to 1285 A.D. Siam was repeatedly invaded by the Burmese under Bayint-Naung, first as general and then as king, between 1548 and 1569, and in the last year the capital Ayuthia was sacked.
Aung Moe Hein (F.D)