American Bitcoin investor goes into hiding after being told he faces the death penalty in Thailand for building a house in the sea that is too close to their coast

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An American Bitcoin investor and his girlfriend have gone into hiding after being told they face the death penalty for building a home in the sea off the coast of Thailand and trying to establish his own 'micronation'. 

Chad Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet, known as 'Bitcoin Girl Thailand', are facing charges of threatening the Thailand's independence after authorities found their ocean-based home about 12 nautical miles from Thai shore. 

Thailand's navy accused him of violating the country's sovereignty, but Elwartowski insisted the floating 'living platform' in the Andaman Sea know as a 'seastead' was simply in pursuit of a vision of 'freedom'. 

Elwartowski said their home was 13 nautical miles out, which he said is just outside Thailand's territorial waters off the shore of Phuket island.

The couple allegedly built the platform in international waters with the intent of setting up a permanent outpost outside any state territories. 

The structure was said to fall under the jurisdiction of no government but still inside Thailand's exclusive economic zone, local media reported.

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'Seasteaders' Bitcoin Girl Thailand and Chad Elwartowski enjoying the golden beaches of Thailand. The kingdom has accused the coupe of violating its sovereignty 

Chad Elwartowski and 'Nadia' Supranee Thepdet posted pictures online of them sipping Champagne on their 'floating platform' off the coast of Phuket island, southern Thailand

Chad Elwartowski (left) and girlfriend Supranee Thepdet (left and right) posted a series of pictures on Instagram of the couple enjoying the Thai sunshine

The Thai navy claims their 'seastead' is 12 nautical miles from the shore but Elwartowski said it was 13 miles and so in international waters 

Crypto traders are said to be leading the charge to 'establish micronations', outside known territorial borders by exploiting a loophole in international law. 

'Seasteads' are permanent dwellings at sea outside the territory claimed by any government and comes from homesteading - to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle - and is a popular dream for many libertarians.

It is thought Elwartowski, who was part of the first group to adopt Bitcoin and made his money trading crypo-currencies, paid $150,000 for the seastead.

An official complaint was filed to a Phuket police station, colonel Nikorn Somsuk confirmed today. 

Police colonel Nikorn said: 'The navy and its team found a concrete tank floating on the sea but there was no one on it. So they filed a charge citing criminal code article 119.'

If they are officially charged and found guilty, the maximum sentence Elwartowski and Thepdet could face is the death penalty.

On Instagram Thepdet, who also goes by Nadia Summergirl, posted pictures of the couple on Thai beaches, drinking Champagne, riding on boats, and lounging on their small sea-based platform.  

Supranee Thepdet documented the couple's quest to build a home out at sea with pictures on social media

Supranee Thepdet and her boyfriend Chad Elwartowski are facing charges that could be punishable by death over their alleged bid to build their own 'micronation' 

Thai navy officers inspecting a 'seastead' - a floating 'living platform' in the Andaman Sea - some 12 nautical miles off the coast of Phuket island, southern Thailand, last week 

She also posted on her page, which has five Bitcoins in her profile, memes about how 'seasteading' was a dream come true. 

Nikorn said the navy would have to meet with provincial officials 'to consider what to do next'.

The Royal Thai Navy said on Facebook the couple 'did not seek permission from Thailand' before constructing their home.

Putting a call out to other interested investors also shows 'they do not care about Thailand as a sovereign state'.

But Elwartowski, who worked as a software engineer for the US military in Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea, added he and Thepdet just wanted to live somewhere free.

He added: 'I like the idea of being able to vote with your home. If you don't like how your community is being run, you just float to a new one.'

The couple now say they are on the run as the military in Thailand 'wants them dead'.  

Thepdet and her boyfriend are facing the death penalty over their alleged bid to launch their own 'micronation' off the coast of Thailand 

Chad Elwartowski and girlfriend Supranee Thepdet are now said to be in hiding, claiming the Thai military wants them dead 

Elwartowski told ABC 7 News: 'The Thai military wants us dead. The way things work here in Thailand is that they set the narrative in their media then execute it. 

'The narrative is that we are a threat to national security and we face life in prison or death. They did not want us to survive to get our side out.' 

According to the Bangkok Post, the Marine Department intends to remove the seastead from the water as it will hinder ship navigation. 

The Bitcoin-rich couple are part of Ocean Builders, a community of entrepreneurs who aim to build permanent homes in waters outside of government territory.

They had recently called for 20 interested investors for new seasteads to be built around their maiden platform, which is 'just outside of Thailand's territorial waters', said Elwartowski.

On April 10, he put out a call for people to invest in an 'Initial Seastead Offering' which would have launched on April 15.

The couple allegedly built the platform in international waters with the intent to set up a permanent outpost out of any state territories

The 'ISeaO' is now postponed, and Elwartowski said he and Thepdet, whose English name is Nadia, just want to live together in peace.

'We didn't do anything on the seastead that was not legal on land but the feeling of being free is just amazing.'

Some advocates of 'seasteading' believe in creating 'competing governments on the high seas', he said.

But Ocean Builders 'never took a political stance' on the homes' purpose, he said, adding, 'that was for the customers to decide'.

The couple are now said to be hiding in 'a fairly safe place'.

A statement published on Monday posted on Ocean Builders' website said Elwartowski and Thepdet were not responsible for construction of the seastead. 

Thailand's navy takes a dim view of any attempts to threaten the country's sovereignty, the kingdom's police said