Russian Ambassador meets with Phuket officials, discusses establishing a sister city

Impeccable timing!

The Russian Ambassador to Thailand met with officials in Phuket to discuss establishing Russia’s Kamchatka Krai Administrative Region as a sister city and other matters that affect the roughly 8,000 Russian citizens on the island. Vice Governor Pichet Panapong says Thai authorities are in the process of reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding with the region, adding that it is being handled by the Treaty Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior.

Ambassador Evgeny Tomikhin also discussed plans for a new Muay Thai camp in Phuket. Information on the meeting released by Phuket’s public relations department says that the boxing camp can be constructed on the island as long as permission is granted by Phuket officials.

According to PR Phuket, the ambassador gave a statement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying Russian officials attempted to negotiate, but the two countries could not come to an agreement.

With Russian tourists the top demographic to enter Phuket under the quarantine exemption entry schemes, Sandbox and Test & Go, some have been concerned that the conflict “could lead to less tourists travelling to Thailand”.

The President of the Phuket Tourism Association is telling the public not to worry as Russians are still planning trips to the island (although some of the scheduled flights are already being cancelled).

“We are still seeing quite a large number of Russian tourists booked to travel (to Phuket), including planes arriving from many cities in Russia. There has been a lot of reaction in terms of tourism, but no impact yet, so I urge people not to worry about it.”

(Only 1 plane arrived in Thailand from Russia today. All Aeroflot flights have stopped arriving. There are also thousands of Russian visitors in Thailand potentially stranded as a result of dwindling flight options as the situation in Ukraine continues.)

SOURCE: Phuket News