TRAFFIC resumed flowing on the coast road north of Phuket just before 5pm when the Governor of Phang Nga began meeting with the leaders of angry villagers who had blocked the four-lane road from about 3.30pm.


PHUKET: Residents of villages north of Phuket are blocking the coast road north and south through the province of Phang Nga, Phuketwan was told this afternoon.

It is believed the villagers near Tablamu, where the Thai Navy has a base, are angry over a perceived injustice. A 10-wheel truck is being used to block the road.

''There's a huge tailback both ways,'' said a shopkeeper in the district. Over the telephone, a Phuketwan reporter could hear the noise of an angry crowd.

It's understood the anger of the villagers in this case is directed against the Thai Navy for arresting Burmese, according to a local policeman.

The road has been blocked and traffic cannot proceed in either direction, according to initial reports at 4pm. A reporter was told the protest has been going on for most of the day.

It began this morning off the main road and has now increased in scale and severed the main road with the arrival of the 10-wheel truck.

The road links Phuket and the Andaman coast tourist destination of Khao Lak. Diversions are possible.

Tourists travelling to and from Khao Lak destinations and Phuket International Airport are advised to seek alternate routes.

However, diversions may be more difficult for divers from Phuket and Phang Nga returning to Tablamu Pier this afternoon. There is only one road in and out to the pier, past the Navy base.

Although concern has been expressed for the safety and whereabouts of Rohingya boatpeople who are arrested and expelled in secret along the Andaman coast, today's protest is believed to be over Burmese crews on fishing trawlers.

Navy officers have been conducting raids on boats to flush out illegal workers, find smuggled drugs, and stop human trafficking.

''We are just doing our job,'' said the Commander of Thai Navy Three, Vice Admiral Tharathorn Khajitsuwan, who oversees bases on Phuket and in Phang Nga.

It is believed guns have been fired into the air to warn trawlers to stop to be searched. One reporter has been told that an influential figure in the district is behind the protest.

Late today, protesters were demanding to meet with the Governor of Phang Nga.

Villagers on Phuket and in surrounding regions have traditionally used public protests to express their indignation, most often about what they view as problems that cannot be resolved any other way.