Phuket Provincial Hall officially re-opens today

PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Hall, closed at the request of anti-government protesters last month, officially re-opened today.

On November 27, thousands of protesters massed at the hall, presented Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut with a bouquet of flowers, and asked him to shutter the building. He obliged, but carried on working at various locations outside the hall (story here).

The main government building (map here) in Phuket unofficially opened last Wednesday, though the entrance gate remained closed, said an officer from the Public Relations department.

Today, however, the front gate was open.

“The entrance gate is open, which means everyone can come inside. All the officers are back at work – and we have a lot of work to do,” Wassana Soonthornsiri, an officer at the Ministry of Finance, Phuket Office, told the Phuket Gazette.

“The Consular Affairs section (which issues passports), the Damrongtham Center, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization (PPAO) – every office in Phuket Provincial Hall is open. We are ready and happy to serve Phuket residents again,” she said.

Phuket Provincial Hall hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.

— Saran Mitrarat