The news came to first public knowledge last week when a notice addressed to the Phuket Provincial Police Commander – and marked as signed by outgoing Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana on Monday (June 15) – was finally publicly published last Thursday (June 18).
Phuket Vice Governor Supoj later was willing to comment, and clarify, "To follow the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions for interprovincial travel, Phuket Provincial Police should announce that the registration through the PhuketSmartCheckIn app or the website www.gophuget.com and other ways [of registering to enter or leave Phuket] has been postponed from June 16 until the further notice.
“So, since June 16, people no longer need to register their travel details through www.gophuget.com. Instead, they can just use Thai Chana [web platform],” Vice Governor Supoj said.
However, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Rungrote Thakurapunyasiri last week declined to comment, or confirm or deny whether Provincial Police were still enforcing the registration requirement.
Up until today (June 23), the Phuket Provincial Police have not posted any public recognition of receiving the order or clarified whether or not Provincial Police were still enforcing the gophuget.com registration requirement.
Today, Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Rungrote still declined to comment on the order.
However, Col Sermpan broke the silence, and confirmed that people entering or leaving Phuket no longer need to register their details on gophuget.com.
“People [entering or leaving Phuket] don’t need register on gophuget.com because the Phuket Provincial Government has already commanded the Phuket Provincial Police to cease enforcing the gophuget.com online platform,” Col Sermpan told The Phuket News.
“But people still need to use Thai Chana [web platform],” he added.
Col Sermpan did warn that use of the online registration may return in the future.
On June 15, Phuket Provincial Government on Monday submitted an official request with Ministry of Interior officials in Bangkok for provincial officials to be able to use gophuget.com after the Emergency Decree has been lifted, he said, echoing the explanation given by Vice Governor Supoj late last week.
“We hope to use gophuget.com again in the future for crime prevention and for development of the Smart City project,” Col Sermpan said.
"If there are any updates, we will inform people later," he said.