Phuket encouraged to seek special administrative status

With the new Phuket governor scheduled to take over next month, the current governor is pushing for his successor to continue to support the proposal to make the island a special administrative zone with an annual budget of more than 10 billion baht.

“This is a critical moment to designate Phuket a special administrative area, similar to Bangkok and Pattaya,” said Sophon Suwannarat, the Phuket governor set to retire this month.

Last year, the island welcomed more than 13 million tourists, generating 497 billion baht in revenue.

He said Phuket earned a large sum from tax collection and distributed the income to the central government, but receives roughly 170 million baht per year for a development budget.

For many years, infrastructure projects such as roads and a cancer hospital were largely supported by investment from private operators.

Though Phuket is expecting more than 16,000 new property units next year, the province still lacks sufficient infrastructure, said Mr Sophon.

Ongoing development is also slower than expected because of budget constraints, including the Kathu-Patong expressway, Phuket monorail, new waste management facility and the new wastewater management system.

If Phuket is granted special administrative status, it might gain more than 10 billion baht in budget per year, he said.

The Phuket City Bill has been submitted to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha.

Proponents are attempting to collect at least 10,000 signatures from Phuket residents to support the bill’s introduction for a first reading in the House.

Following the first reading, the bill can proceed to a second reading, during which a parliamentary committee is appointed to review and study the draft legislation.

After that, a third and final reading determines approval. If approved, the law is published in the Royal Gazette. The entire legislative process is expected to take one year to complete.

Mr Sophon and private hospitality operators, including Bill Heinecke, chairman of Minor International, attended the Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism 2025 in Phuket on Monday to promote sustainable tourism.

Mr Heinecke said cooperation between private and public sectors is extremely important to ensure sustainable tourism in Phuket through recurring development plans.

The private sector wants the government to accelerate development of a second airport to ease overcapacity at Phuket airport.

Regarding the development of the new Andaman airport in Phangnga, Mr Sophon said it is in the process of land expropriation, with 3,000 to 4,000 rai out of a total of 7,000 rai in the Kok Kloi area being acquired.

Phuket is also building a new waste burning station with a capacity of 500 tonnes per day, adding to the island’s daily waste disposal capacity of 700 tonnes. Phuket typically produces 1,200 tonnes of daily waste.

For the long term, the island is planning a waste management facility that does not burn in the Thalang area, he said.

The new wastewater system is being developed by a Chinese company, with the design for four of the nine areas finished.

Once completed, the system will cover all areas of Phuket, including Patong, Karon and Cherngtalay, said Mr Sophon.

The island is also developing a new tap water system connecting from Ratchaprapa Dam in Surat Thani, as well as a new green space of 178 rai at Layan beach.

Source – Bangkok News