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Phuket,
a large island in the Indian Ocean, is 867 kms. from
Bangkok. It is
the only island having provincial status, and was a regional
headquarters as well, with a rich and colorful history. Known
as the Pearl of the Andaman, it derived much of its former glory
and its enormous wealth from tin production, which in Phuket
dates back over 500 year. Today, Phuket is the major tourist
attraction of
Thailand with
hotels of all
price ranges.
The surrounding waters contain much varied
marine life, and the town is notable for its Sino-Portuguese
architecture. It is a very attractive island for sightseeing,
with lovely seashores and forested hillsides. Its population
of 1.6 million people ranks sixth among all provinces. Approximately
1.75 million Rai of the area is forest land. The main occupation
here is rice farming. The average per capita income is 14,343
Baht. |
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Geography:
About 70 percent of Phuket is mountainous; a western
range runs from north to south from which smaller branches derive.
The highest peak is Mai Tha Sip Song, or Twelve Canes, at 529
meters, which lies within the boundaries of Tambon
Patong, Kathu
District. The remaining 30 percent of the island, mainly in
the center and south, is formed by low plains. Streams include
the Khlong Bang Yai, Tha Jin, Khlong Tha Rua, and Khlong Bang
Rong, none of which is large.
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Economy:
Since the early 1980's the tourist business has been
Phuket's chief source of income.
Hotels,
restaurants,
tour companies,
and souvenir shops are much in evidence on the west coast. However,
while once all-importance tin mining has ceased, tourism is
by no means the island's only activity. Agriculture remains
important to a large number of people, and covers by far the
most part of the island. Principal crops are rubber, coconuts,
cashews, and pineapples.
Prawn farming has largely taken
over the east and south coasts. Pearl farming is also important.
Phuket's fishing port is at all time filled, and processing
of marine products, mainly fish, makes a significant contribution
to the economy. With so many healthy industries supplying income,
construction has become a major factor in employment. This range
from massive public works projects, large office buildings and
hotels, and housing estates with hundreds of units, down to
single family homes, apartments and additions.
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Population:
Official population as of December, 1998, was 231,206.
This figure numbers those who are registered as living in Phuket.
Phuket' s attraction as a center of economic activity has resulted
in many living on the island whose registration is elsewhere.
The total population of Phuket varies considerably depending
on the time of year, through it is never less than the figure
given above.
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Government:
The island is divided into three districts, Thalang
in the north, Kathu in the west, and Muang in the south. Thailand's
system of government relies upon a strong central authority,
thus the Provincial Governor is a civil servant appointed by
the Interior Ministry in Bangkok, as are the Nai Amphoe, or
District Chief. The cities of Phuket and Patong have their own
city governments, with elected city councils, the leading members
of which serve as mayor. There are also elected provincial,
district, and sub-district, or Tambon councils. The local constabulary
is part of the Interior Ministry. |
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Climate:
Phuket's
weather conditions
are dominated by monsoon winds that blow year round. It is therefore
always warm and humid.
 There
are two distinct seasons, rainy and dry. The rainy season begins
in May and lasts till October, during which the monsoon blows
from the southwest. The dry season is from November through
April, when the monsoon comes from the northeast. Highest average
temperatures, at 33.4 degree Celsius, prevail during March.
Lowest averages occur in January, when nightly lows dip to 22
degree Celsius.
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History:
Phuket Island has a long recorded history, and
remains dating back to A.D. 1025 indicate that the island's
present day name derives in meaning from the Tamil manikram,
or crystal mountain. For most of history, however, it was known
as Junk Ceylon, which, with variations, is the name found on
old maps. The name is thought to have its roots in Ptolemy's
Geographica, written by the Alexandrian geographer in the Third
Century A.D. He mentioned that in making a trip from Souwannapum
to the Malay Peninsula it was necessary to pass the cape of
Jang Si Lang.
Phuket was a way station on the route between
India and China where seafarers stopped to shelter. The island
appears to have been part of the Shivite empire (called in Thai
the Tam Porn Ling) that established itself on the Malay Peninsula
during the first Millennium A.D. Later, as Muang Takua-Talang,
it was part of the Srivichai and Siri Tahm empires. Governed
as the eleventh in a constellation of twelve cities, Phuket's
emblem, by which it was known to others in those largely pre-literate
times, was the dog. During the Sukothai Period Phuket was associated
with Takua Pa in what is now Phang-nga Province, another area
with vast tin reserves. The Dutch established a trading post
during the Ayutthaya Period in the 16th Cent. The island's northern
and central regions then were governed by the Thais, and
the southern and western parts were given over to the tin trade,
a concession in the hands of foreigners. |
 After
Ayutthaya was
sacked by the Burmese in 1767 there was a short interregnum
in Thailand, ended by King Taksin, who drove out the Burmese
and re-unified the country. The Burmese, however, were anxious
to return to the offensive. They outfitted a fleet to raid the
southern provinces, and carry off the populations to slavery
in Burma. This led to Phuket's most memorable historic event.
A passing sea captain, Francis Light, sent word that the Burmese
were en route to attack. Forces in Phuket were assembled led
by the two heroines, Kunying Jan, wife of Phuket's recently
deceased governor, and her sister Mook, After a month's siege
the Burmese were forced to depart on 13 March, 1785. Kunying
Jan and her sister were credited with the successful defense. |
In recognition King Rama I bestowed upon
Kunying Jan the honorific Thao Thep Kasatri, a title of nobility
usually reserved for royalty, by which she is known today. Her
sister became Thao Sri Sunthon. During the Nineteenth Century
Chinese immigrants arrived in such numbers to work for the tin
mines that the ethnic character of the island's interior became
predominantly Chinese, while the coastal settlements remained
populated chiefly by Muslim fishermen. In Rama V's reign, Phuket
became the administrative center of a group of tin mining
provinces called Monton Phuket, and in 1933, with the change
in government from absolute monarchy to a parliamentary system,
the island was established as a province by itself.
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Radio, Television, Newspapers
and Communications:
Phuket is served by the full
complement of Thai television channels and has seven radio stations.
Several of these have English language broadcasts.
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| The
Late Show 11:00p.m.-2:00a.m. |
nightly
on FM 89. Local news, information, and an electric mix
of jazz, rock,
and classical music.
Tel. (076)
213513, 213532. |
| FMX
10:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. |
nightly
on FM 96.75. Nationwide phone-in, soft rock and pop,
out of Bangkok.
Tel. (076) 217449. |
| Tourist
Time 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. |
Sundays
on FM 90.5. Interviews with local newsmakers and music.
Tel. (076) 215604. |
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The Public Telecommunications Office of Phuket
is on Phang-nga Rd., in
Phuket Town.
Operated by the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT),
direct dial and operator assisted calls can be made from there,
and collect or reverse change calls when the need arises. Tel.
(076) 216861.
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