As much as the park is known for its natural beauties, the islands are also remembered for its dark history. Back in late 1930s, Tarutao Island had been used to isolate political prisoners. Established in 1936, the first group of 500 prisoners arrived to the prison in 1938 and the number gradually increased to 3000. Followed by coup unsuccessful coup attempts, the revolutionary Bowondet coup group and the Petty Officers' coup group were among the convicts isolated in the island.
When The Second World War broke out, the support from the mainland to the island was cut off causing food shortage and death of many prisoners. The guards and prisoners joined together to raid ships sailing around the island to survive.
Influenced by two prisoned British officers charged of murdering, the raiding party was lead by an American plantation owner blaming the war for loss of his fortune. By the time, the raiding party got so strong that it became a major concern in the area. Until the British forces came to the rescue towards end of the war, around 130 ships were sank by the prisoners killing everybody on board. Until the prison was shut down, nearly a third of convicts sad to have lost their lives due to cruelty from guards, starvasion and malaria.
After the war, farmers and fishermen took up residence on the island, by 1973 the population reached 1000 villagers living mainly at Hak Bay. The population decreased to 17 families after the islands got national park status.
Some villagers that left Ko Tarutao abandoned their domestic cattle behind. These cattle adapted the wildlife and increased in numbers over the decades, they can be seen in herds sometimes.