After WW II ended, British naval troops were sent to Tarutao to clean out the pirate groups. After the Corrections Deparment closed the prison on Tarutao, villagers from nearby provinces began to settle on Tarutao, in the valleys and inland of the bays. There were fishermen and farmers who planted rice, fruit trees, rubber trees, coconuts and jackfruit. In 1972, the government decided to make Tarutao a national park and surveyors were sent to the island. In 1974, Tarutao and Adang-Rawi islands were declared a national park; Thailand's second marine national park.
The making of a national park: Insight into early park conditions is available from Tarutao's first director, Mr. Boonruang Saison. Mr. Boonruang is well-known throughout Thai and foreign conservation circles for his sacrifices in struggling to establish national parks. He studied at Prae Forestry College, Kasetsart University and the SUNY School of Forestry and Environmental Science. In his field career he carved out no less than four national parks: Thung Salang Luang, Khao Yai, Doi Inthanon and Tarutao.