Ancient art & craft in vain - Korlae boats in Thailand

The southernmost Province of the Kingdom is Narathiwat. A Muslim insurgency killed over 3.500 people since the Millennium by bombings, arson and gunfire. Tourism died out completely, but an ancient craft is preserved by few fishermen here. The former Kingdom of Pattani was once famous for skilled boat builders and the decoration of the wooden vessels is very colorful. Only few carpenters can build these today locally and the finishing touches of one in the making, we documented for you. Narathiwat remains our favorite province for their great beaches and the treasures of nature there. Some of this culture will vanish without a lot of traces, as Korlae boats have a shorter lifespan than industrially manufactured plastic, metal or glassfiber boats. Siampedia offers login-free photo reports, one has been produced to cover Narathiwat: blog.siampedia.org/?p=232