US Bitcoin trader and girlfriend face death penalty after building floating house off coast of Thailand in bid for independence
They couple have been charged with violating Thai sovereignty, punishable by the death penalty or life in prison
A BITCOIN trader and his girlfriend are facing the death penalty after their floating home was towed away by the navy.
US citizen Chad Elwartowski, 46, and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet built a home off the coast of Phuket, Thailand, in a bid to gain independence.
They have both been charged with violating Thai sovereignty, punishable by the death penalty or life in prison.
The cabin had been touted as milestone in the "seastreading" movement to build floating communities in international waters as a way to explore alternative societies and governments.
The couple told Sky News: "This is ridiculous... we lived on a floating house boat for a few weeks and now Thailand wants us killed.
"We are still quite scared for our lives.
DEATH PENALTY
"We seriously did not think we were doing anything wrong and thought this would be a huge benefit for Thailand in so many ways.
"I [Elwartowski] believe my lawyer can come to an amicable agreement with the Thai government."
The Royal Thai Navy dispatched three boats to dismantle the structure and bring it back to shore for use as evidence in the government's case against the couple on Monday.
Rear Admiral Vithanarat Kochaseni said: "The couple announced on social media declaring their autonomy beyond the jurisdiction of any courts or law of any countries, including Thailand.
"We see such action as deteriorating Thailand's independence."
We are still quite scared for our lives
The couple's statement
Elwartowski had posted on Facebook days before the vessel was raided that he was "free for a moment. Probably the freest person in the world."
HTMS Mannai, a landing craft utility ship, was expected to return to Phuket with the 20 ft wide, hexagon-shaped cabin by late Monday.
Elwartowski and Supranee lived there for two months and left before the Thai navy raided the structure on April 13.
Their whereabouts are unknown, though they are believed to be in Thailand.
In a video posted last month detailing the construction of the floating home, Elwartowski said 20 more similar homes would be up for sale to form a community.
DISAPPEARED
The Seasteading Institute advocates building offshore floating cities and originally received backing from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Ocean Builders, which funded and built the cabin, said on its website that it was in international waters and beyond Thailand's jurisdiction.
Thai authorities say the structure is within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone and therefore a violation of its sovereignty.
Joe Quirk, president of the Seasteading Institute, said the couple had achieved a milestone for the movement.
Quirk said in a statement: "They proved a single-family seastead can float stably in international waters for less than the cost of the average American home."
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Elwartowski also conducted valuable research on ecosystems over the two months the couple lived in the cabin, he said.
"You can demolish the seastead, but you can't demolish the knowledge that was gained," said Quirk, who is described by his group as a "seavangelist" and an "aquapreneur"
Captain Puchong Rodnikorn, chief of staff of the Operations Squadron of the Third Naval Area Command, said: "Once the sea house reaches the shore, the owner of this house can come to inspect it, as well as come forward to the Thai authorities in order to prove themselves in the legal process."
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