Pioneers of Koh Lipe

How could an empty piece of land amid the sea without a single soul in the past now turn into a travellers’ paradise? Lets’ hear from the third generation descendants of the Lipe Legacy who wrote as follows:

In 1909, or more than 103 years ago, Toh Hiri, a resident from Aje Province, Indonesia, was the first pioneer on Koh Lipe. He hopped on a boat with his five friends and stopped by the different islands of this region. After a number of disembarkings to many archipelagos, he finally decided to settle down on Koh Lipe. He was prudent and tried digging for fresh water on every island he visited only to find out that Koh Lipe was more special than the other islands as he found fresh water every time he experimented with his excavation, even in the areas not far from the beach. Toh Hiri consequently decided to live on Koh Lipe but his friends dispersed to different islands – some settled down on Koh Lanta, some on Koh Sireh and some on Koh Bulon – where of the sea gypsies still live on today. It is also regarded that they are the ancestors of the Urak Lavoys. After that, the other island habitants immigrated to Koh Lipe.

The name of Koh Lipe came from the Sinhalese language, an ancient Indo-Aryan language of the islands, which started as the name “Pinit,” meaning slim - due to its flat and slim shape – but has been distorted to “Lipe” today.

During the British imperialism period which spread its control to Malaya, Koh Lipe was the border island of Siam. When Toh Hiri landed at Satun, the Governor of Satun at that time called on him and gave him a coconut seed for a plantation on the island, indicating that Koh Lipe was a part of the Satun City of Thailand. Consequently, England did not succeed in colonizing Koh Lipe since it was a land of Siam with an evidence of relations between Toh Kiri and the Governor of Satun. After the imperialism period had ended, Toh Hiri contributed a part of the beach as a school location. Afterwards, when Malaysia, which just became independent from England, claimed its rights on Koh Lipe, it could not do so because of the school built on the island standing as evidence. Since then, Toh Hiri’s family has settled down on the island.

On the back of the Andaman Resort on Haad Chao Le beach lies a mausoleum of the family where an ancient shrine of the grandfather and the grandmother stands. The big yellow house standing in front of the beach is the family’s fifth ancient house which is under a project to turn into a small island museum in the future. Around the area of the Chao Le beach where Toh Hiri landed is the area of the coconut trees which expand their branches to give shades to the travellers. The sea gypsies on Koh Lipe still keep one of their original traditions: the boat floating ritual. Koh Lipe is known as the origin of the first boat floating ceremony. For the name “Pattaya Beach” which is understood by most people that it comes from “Lombundaya,” the actual source is “Saypattaya Bay” named by Toh Hiri but it has been distorted to the name “Pattaya” until now. The name of Koh Lipe came from the Sinhalese language, an ancient Indo-Aryan language of the islands, which started as the name “Pinit,” meaning slim - due to its flat and slim shape – but has been distorted to “Lipe” today.