PHUKET has at least two governors for this weekend, with Dr Preecha Ruangjan back on the island . . . as a tourist and entrepreneur this time.
The island's energetic and outspoken former governor is back to help the province he currently administers, Phitsanulok, to market some of its OTOP (one village one product) goods.
Over five days until Wednesday, the best of what Phitsanulok has to offer can be found in the new conference space upstairs at Central Festival.
There's certainly some irony with Governor Preecha returning now because when we last caught up with him, he was trying to work out how to fight the drought in Phitsanulok.
That's a stark contrast to the weather Phuket has turned on to welcome back the governor and his family.
His thinking behind bringing the Phitsanulok products to Phuket was that if he took the show to Chiang Mai, which is also in the north, the products would be familiar.
But down south in the richest province . . . well, there are bound to be Phitsanulok products that nobody has seen or tasted.
Dr Preecha's stay on Phuket as governor was brief but eventful. To learn about the place first, he toured the island riding pillion on a friend's motorcycle.
Early on, he made his feelings known about future development on the island when he criticised the ''people who pluck the stars from the sky.''
''You come and you take,'' he said. ''You never give anything back.''
He was a little miffed at having been ordered off a ''private beach'' when his belief was that all beaches in Thailand are public and should remain that way.
Before long he was urging local authorities to pursue the public good, not greed, and after the Santika blaze killed 66 in Bangkok on New year's Eve, he organised a crackdown on safety in Phuket's pubs and clubs.
The safety and security of tourists was high on Dr Preecha's list of priorities, and one of his last official duties was one of the saddest: greeting a marine police vessel when it returned to Phuket with the bodies of five of the seven victims of a dive boat capsise.
In some quarters it was thought that Wichai Praisa-nob, who replaced him, might be more conservative. But that has turned out to not be the case.
If the two governors happen to catch up this weekend, we think there might be some interesting and memorable exchanges. We'll be interested to see what Phitsanulok has to offer Phuket.
And the ever-energetic Dr Preecha has to be back at his desk on Monday morning.
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The island's energetic and outspoken former governor is back to help the province he currently administers, Phitsanulok, to market some of its OTOP (one village one product) goods.
Over five days until Wednesday, the best of what Phitsanulok has to offer can be found in the new conference space upstairs at Central Festival.
There's certainly some irony with Governor Preecha returning now because when we last caught up with him, he was trying to work out how to fight the drought in Phitsanulok.
That's a stark contrast to the weather Phuket has turned on to welcome back the governor and his family.
His thinking behind bringing the Phitsanulok products to Phuket was that if he took the show to Chiang Mai, which is also in the north, the products would be familiar.
But down south in the richest province . . . well, there are bound to be Phitsanulok products that nobody has seen or tasted.
Dr Preecha's stay on Phuket as governor was brief but eventful. To learn about the place first, he toured the island riding pillion on a friend's motorcycle.
Early on, he made his feelings known about future development on the island when he criticised the ''people who pluck the stars from the sky.''
''You come and you take,'' he said. ''You never give anything back.''
He was a little miffed at having been ordered off a ''private beach'' when his belief was that all beaches in Thailand are public and should remain that way.
Before long he was urging local authorities to pursue the public good, not greed, and after the Santika blaze killed 66 in Bangkok on New year's Eve, he organised a crackdown on safety in Phuket's pubs and clubs.
The safety and security of tourists was high on Dr Preecha's list of priorities, and one of his last official duties was one of the saddest: greeting a marine police vessel when it returned to Phuket with the bodies of five of the seven victims of a dive boat capsise.
In some quarters it was thought that Wichai Praisa-nob, who replaced him, might be more conservative. But that has turned out to not be the case.
If the two governors happen to catch up this weekend, we think there might be some interesting and memorable exchanges. We'll be interested to see what Phitsanulok has to offer Phuket.
And the ever-energetic Dr Preecha has to be back at his desk on Monday morning.
Former Governor Turns Rainmaker in Drought
Latest Phuket's former governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, greeted the bodies as they returned to Phuket from a diving disaster. Now his focus is on the sky, and he hopes to break a drought.
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Patong Nightclubs, Bars Fail Fire Safety Check
Photo Album A whirlwind visit by Governor Dr Preecha Ruangjan to seven Patong nightspots puts the heat on over fire safety standards. Bars were given seven days to improve.
Patong Nightclubs, Bars Fail Fire Safety Check
Phuket Governor Urges Rejection of 'Greed'
The outspoken Governor of Phuket has made his philosophy for 2009 plain in a New Year message that urges individuals to reject greed and adopt generosity and fairness instead.
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Phuket Governor Ordered Off 'Private' Beach
Phuket's new governor was ordered off a '' private'' beach soon after arriving on the island, which may explain his unhelpful attitude when he met the Jumeirah project investment team.
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Latest The Governor of Phuket has announced a new layer of scrutiny for all development projects and says environmental reviews will be tougher from now on. New laws could follow.
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Photo Album Here we go again, some people must have thought when the road to Phuket airport was blocked by riot police and protesters. But it turned out to be a fullscale practice drill.
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