Island’s official population up by 2,262

PHUKET: Between March 21 and April 20, Phuket’s three District Offices registered 2,262 new residents, bringing Phuket’s official population to 315,557.

Provincial Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) Piya Bharatasilpin reported the increase to Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit during the monthly meeting of the Phuket Provincial Security Committee yesterday.

There were 1,881 new registrations during the previous reporting period, from February 21 to March 20.

Of the new registrations, 1,061 were in Muang District, 586 in Thalang District and 615 in Kathu District.

Also contributing to the rise were 224 babies being born during the period, compared with just 84 deaths.

Since taking over as Governor in October 2006, Gov Niran has spearheaded a campaign for Phuket residents to register themselves on Phuket house registration forms so that the provincial government can receive larger budgets from the central government.

Since the start of Phuket’s tourism boom, many Thais have migrated to the province from other parts of Thailand to work. Some have lived here for decades without transferring their names to local house registration forms.

Figures from the Land Transport Office indicate that there are more vehicles registered in the province than people. Some unofficial estimates put the actual number of Thai citizens living in Phuket at twice the official figure.

The hidden population problem appears to be most severe along the island’s southwest coast. In September 2006, the registered population of Kata-Karon stood at just 6,519, yet there are at least 8,500 hotel rooms in the area.