Phuket Town is now Phuket City

PHUKET TOWN: Unlucky for some, but lucky for sign-makers and big-thinkers: on Friday, February 13, the Interior Ministry officially upgraded Phuket Town Municipality to Phuket City Municipality. The Chief Administrative Officer of the new Phuket City (and formerly Chief Admin Officer of Phuket Town), Veerun Hangsawat, told the Gazette today, “The structure and responsibilities of Phuket Town qualified it for an upgrade. “We have more than 70,000 people living within the official boundary. We also have the required income, and Phuket Town’s development has happened continuously and in an orderly fashion in many aspects, including tourism.” Changes to signage and municipal paperwork are expected to follow quickly. Following the upgrade, the Phuket Election Commission (PEC) was able to announce April 4 as the date for elections for the City Municipality. Phuket City will have a mayor and 24 elected representatives from four voting districts, as opposed to the 18 representatives from three districts it had when it was a town. PEC President Prapa Kayee said, “We will have to publicize the municipal election so people do not confuse it with the OrBorJor (Provincial Administration Organization) election on March 14.” The Central Election Commission has yet to set a deadline for candidates to register for the city’s first election.