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The tale of Lady Chan
The tale of Lady Chan
Sunday 24 March 2024 11:00 AM
The annual Phuket Heroines Festival concluded last Friday night (Mar 15), with Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat playing the traditional role of the provincial Governor in the historical drama re-enacting the victory led by Phuket’s famed Heroines over Burmese invaders in 1785.
Phuket to host World Art Exhibition
Phuket to host World Art Exhibition
Thursday 10 August 2023 03:13 PM
PHUKET: Creative Arts enthusiasts are in for a treat with the “Phuket World Arts Creative City” Art Exhibition taking place from Saturday (Aug 12) until the end of the month.
Lard Yai doubles New Year fun with two consecutive street fairs in Phuket Old Town
Lard Yai doubles New Year fun with two consecutive street fairs in Phuket Old Town
Sunday 25 December 2022 02:48 PM
PHUKET: The Phuket Old Town Community has invited local residents and tourists to feel the New Year spirit at the renowned Lard Yai street fair on Thalang Rd. Instead of one weekend event, there will be two markets on both the last Saturday of 2022 (Dec 31) and the following first Sunday of 2023 (Jan 1).
Step back in time: Patong residents commemorate King Bhumibol visit
Step back in time: Patong residents commemorate King Bhumibol visit
Sunday 15 March 2020 02:00 PM
Hidden away at the bottom of the hills at the back of Patong is a treasure of Phuket’s past that most people are simply unaware of. Traffic descends Patong Hill all day, every day, and those looking for a shortcut to the area behind the main roads that run north-south through the town turn left at Wat Patong and continue along the small road that meanders its way to Nanai Rd, and further on to join Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd.
The History of Phuket: The social fabric of early Phuket
The History of Phuket: The social fabric of early Phuket
Saturday 22 February 2020 12:00 PM
Prostitution and the availability of slave women for sale meant that sex workers were never a thriving business in Phuket until later in the 19th century when thousands of single Chinese male “coolies” arrived to work in the tin mines.
Lovers eternally bound remain in the heart of Phuket forever -The Sarasin Bridge of Love Remembered
Lovers eternally bound remain in the heart of Phuket forever -The Sarasin Bridge of Love Remembered
Saturday 22 February 2020 10:00 AM
Every day, people come and go from Phuket to Phang Nga, looking over at the old Sarasin Bridge, having no idea the significance it holds in Thai folklore. Live here for a substantial amount of time and the legend of “Saphan Rak Sarasin” will be as well known to you as it is among Thais.
All about Buddhism: Phra Siam Devadhiraj the Deva of protection for the people of Siam
All about Buddhism: Phra Siam Devadhiraj the Deva of protection for the people of Siam
Sunday 9 February 2020 10:30 AM
Those of us who are a little older and a little more grey, have witnessed a lot of changes in how we get our news every day. Thirty years ago, it was quite common to see throngs of people reading the morning newspaper and clutching a cup of coffee as they took in the headlines of the day.
The ‘Angyee’ Chinese Riots of 1876
The ‘Angyee’ Chinese Riots of 1876
Thursday 30 January 2020 07:00 PM
High taxation in the early1870’s placed backbreaking taxes on Phuket Tin mines. This extra tax burden on the Chinese mine owners and coolies happened to coincide with a fall in the world tin price in the mid-1870’s. With the mines so overtaxed, several became unprofitable and the mine owners laid off many workers or simply stopped paying their wages.
Musing in the Mire: The Raving Twenties, How this decade might not be so roaring
Musing in the Mire: The Raving Twenties, How this decade might not be so roaring
Sunday 19 January 2020 12:00 PM
Welcome to 2020. As we enter a new decade, we’ve all no doubt received the pseudo-positive message onslaught across all media, political hacks, friends and phonies alike about it all being a time for ‘change’.
All About Buddhism: Dem’ Dry Bones
All About Buddhism: Dem’ Dry Bones
Sunday 12 January 2020 10:00 AM
Recently, we had some events in Phuket that had me thinking more about my family’s deep American roots than about Patong Beach. You see, America’s Old South and modern-day Phuket actually have more in common than it may appear because they are two places that clutched their religious traditions tightly even as society grew more permissive in general.
Phuket History: The Tin’acious Dutch
Phuket History: The Tin’acious Dutch
Sunday 22 December 2019 01:00 PM
The Dutch had originally come to the Phuket peninsula to buy pepper. But as the market in Europe for porcelain, tea and silk began to boom they concentrated more on their trade with China and Japan. The problem was that Holland, in fact Europe, had few products that China needed. But China did always want tin, which was widely used in religious ceremonies and for making bronze (rust-proof) cannons. So the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC, widely known by it’s British name the Dutch East India Company, started to focus on obtaining tin in the Malay Peninsula for its China trade. For this it began to turn to the tin mines of southwestern Siam around Phuket. The official VOC “Dagregistrar” (records book) records that the first Dutch tin-buying expedition to Phuket had been in 1639 under Captain Orlando Thibault. However two years later, after conquering Ma­lacca in 1641, the Dutch moved more aggressively to expand their tin-buying activities up the surrounding peninsular west coast.
Holiday Miracles
Holiday Miracles
Sunday 22 December 2019 11:00 AM
It has often been said that the power of music is universal. For some reason, certain songs just have a way of staying with us and we’ve all experienced plenty of holiday songs which somehow managed to touch our souls; even though we couldn’t literally understand the words.
Phuket History: The Siamese character seen through foreign eyes
Phuket History: The Siamese character seen through foreign eyes
Sunday 24 November 2019 03:00 PM
Nicolas Gervaise, a French resident in Siam in 1688, says of the Siamese character: “They make no scruples about being a little [dissembling] and those to whom they sometimes show the greatest politeness and respect are those for whom in their heart they have often contempt and antipathy.
Phuket History: Why Penang was colonised but Phuket was not
Phuket History: Why Penang was colonised but Phuket was not
Sunday 20 October 2019 03:00 PM
After 12 years of intrigues, Captain Francis Light [of the British East India Company (EIC)] and [his friend and business partner] James Scott had two islands potentially in their hands: Phuket and Penang – and an EIC in the mood to do something to obtain a base on the east side of the Bay of Bengal.
Phuket History: Siam’s conflict with Portugal
Phuket History: Siam’s conflict with Portugal
Sunday 22 September 2019 03:00 PM
Portugal and Siam had gener­ally got along well at first, but the Portuguese, especially after they united with the Spanish crown (1580-1640) grew increasingly arrogant and overbearing towards the Siamese kings Ekathotsarot and Songtham.
Cities on the move: Countries that relocated their capitals and the reasons why
Cities on the move: Countries that relocated their capitals and the reasons why
Sunday 8 September 2019 03:00 PM
Since World War I, the world has seen a country move its capital every five or six years. From Ka­zakhstan to Pakistan to Nigeria; for political gain, for environ­mental protection, for better, for worse. There’s something oddly fascinating and dramatic about the idea of capital moves, although they aren’t particularly uncommon.
Phuket History: The first English privateers in Phuket
Phuket History: The first English privateers in Phuket
Wednesday 21 August 2019 04:00 PM
In 1591 the first English privateering fleet was funded to go to the East for, as its charter stated, “The anoyinge of the Spaniards and Portingalls, (nowe our enemys) as also for the vendinge of oure comodities.”
Phuket History: A short period of Japanese rule over the central peninsula and Phuket
Phuket History: A short period of Japanese rule over the central peninsula and Phuket
Monday 19 August 2019 03:00 PM
In 1629 when King Songtham of Ayutthaya died, his cousin, Okya Kalahom (minister of defence), and his supporters effectively usurped the throne by killing King Songtham’s designated heir and placing King Songtham’s six-year-old son on the throne as King Chetha, with Okya Kalahom as his overseeing regent, which gave the ambitious defence minister real power over the kingdom.
Melting pot: Luk kreung people in history and popular culture
Melting pot: Luk kreung people in history and popular culture
Sunday 28 July 2019 03:00 PM
It’s been a while since I’ve explored the influence of luk kreung (i.e. half-Thai people) on popular cul­ture. Today it seems that a great number of part-Thai people are prominent in Thai popular cul­ture. However, this phenomenon is not new considering that the first luk kreung actors appeared in the 1940s to 1960s. This, nevertheless, is not widely known nowadays.
Phuket History: A picture of the slave trade before the chains were broken
Phuket History: A picture of the slave trade before the chains were broken
Sunday 21 July 2019 03:00 PM
Since labour was such a scarce resource, slav­ery remained legal in Siam until 1905 and was integral to peninsular society. Hwang Chung, a visiting Chinese trader in the 16th century, reported that on the peninsular west coast the people said, “it is better to have slaves than to have land because [the labour of] slaves [is] a protection to their masters”.

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