Little more than 21 km, Koh Tao is located about 70 km east of the coastline between Suratthani and Chumphon, in the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Tao translates as Turtle Island, because in the past the waters teemed with sea turtles. Nowadays they have moved on to new breeding grounds since travelers and tourists enjoy Koh Tao's beaches instead.
In the beginning, the island was uninhabited, and only the occasional fisherman from the neighbouring islands came by to seek shelter from a storm. On June 18, 1899, His Majesty the King Chulalongkorn (Rama V , 1868-1910) visited Koh Tao and left as evidence his monogram on a huge boulder at Jor Por Ror Bay next to Sairee Beach. This place is still worshipped today and should be treated with respect. From 1933 on the island was used as a political prison because of it's far distance from the mainland. In 1947, Khun A -Paiwong, Prime Minister at that time, pleaded and received a royal pardon for all prisoners on the island. Everybody was taken back to the mainland and the "Turtle" was abandoned once again. Not for long. read more
