- Title: Thai navy boards cabin of fugitive "seasteaders" facing death penalty
- Date: 20th April 2019
- Summary: OFF PHUKET COAST, THAILAND (APRIL 20, 2019) (REUTERS) NAVY OFFICER STANDING ON ROOF OF FLOATING HOUSE
- Embargoed: 4th May 2019 11:42
- Keywords: home Chad Elwartowski Navy floating house Seastead U.S. national Thai sea Thailand
- Location: OFF COAST OF PHUKET, THAILAND
- City: OFF COAST OF PHUKET, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA007AB9JB5Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Thai navy on Saturday (April 20) boarded the floating cabin of a fugitive U.S. bitcoin trader and his Thai girlfriend, both prominent members of the "seasteading" movement who possibly face the death sentence for setting up their offshore home.
Thai authorities have revoked the visa of American citizen Chad Elwartowski and have charged him and his partner, Supranee Thepdet, with violating Thai sovereignty by raising a small cabin on top of a weighted spar 14 nautical miles off the west-coast of Thai island of Phuket.
The cabin has been promoted as "the world's first seastead" by the group Ocean Builders, part of a movement in tech and libertarian circles to build floating communities beyond the bounds of nations as a way to explore alternative societies and governments.
Elwartowski, 46, and Supranee, whose Facebook page describes her as a "Bitcoin expert, trader, chef, seastead pioneer", apparently fled after a surveillance plane flew over the cabin the previous day.
The Royal Thai Navy task force had planned on Saturday to seize the structure and tow it back to shore for use as evidence, but by the afternoon it was still studying how to move it 'without destroying' it.
Elwartowski and Ocean Builders say the spar was in international waters and beyond Thailand's jurisdiction. Thai authorities say the structure is in its 200-mile exclusive economic zone and therefore a violation of its sovereignty.
(Production: Apichai Thonoi, Juarawee Kittisilpa) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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