with King
Narai 16th–18th century: European contact Fernão Mendes Pinto, a
Portuguese explorer, arrived in
Siam in 1545. His travel accounts provide insights into various parts of the country, including a detailed description of ports in the southern part of the
Kingdom. Pinto's records are among the earliest European accounts to mention Phuket, which he referred to as
Junk Ceylon a name used by the Portuguese in their maps. This designation appears seven times in his writings. According to Pinto, Junk Ceylon was a significant port of call for
trading vessels, where they often stopped for supplies and provisions. However, Pinto noted that during the mid-16th century, the island's prominence was in decline. This downturn was attributed to the presence of pirates and the challenging sea conditions, which made the area less favorable for merchant vessels. In addition to Phuket, Pinto's accounts also include references to other important port cities of the time, such as Patani and Ligor, the latter being the present-day Nakhon Si Thammarat. During the 17th century, Junk Ceylon (now known as Phuket) was a focal point of international trade, particularly for its tin resources. The
Dutch and
English, and later the
French after the 1680s, competed for trading opportunities on the island. In September 1680, the
French East India Company's ship arrived at the island and departed with a cargo full of
tin. King Narai, in 1685, granted the French a tin monopoly in Phuket, formalized through an agreement with the French ambassador, the
Chevalier de Chaumont. This occupation was short-lived, with Desfarges returning to
Puducherry in January 1690. Light's warning came at a time when the island's military governor had recently died, leading the Burmese to believe that Phuket could be easily conquered. However,
Than Phu Ying Chan, the widow of the deceased governor, along with her sister Mook (คุณมุก), devised a strategic defense. They instructed the women of the island to dress as soldiers and position themselves along the walls of Thalang City. This ruse led the Burmese to overestimate the strength of the island's defenses, prompting them to abort their attack and eventually retreat after a month-long siege, which ended on 13 March 1785. In recognition of their bravery and ingenuity,
King Rama I bestowed the titles
Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Si Sunthon upon the two sisters, celebrating them as heroines of Phuket. The official
seal of Phuket features a depiction of the Two Heroines Monument, located along Highway 402 in
Phuket, in honor of the sisters. Encircled by a traditional Thai
kranok pattern, This seal has been in use since 1985.
19th–20th centuries During the reign of
King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama V, from 1 October 1868 to 23 October 1910, Phuket was designated as the administrative center for the tin-producing southern provinces of Siam (now Thailand). King Chulalongkorn's tenure is noted for the modernization of the nation, encompassing governmental and social reforms, as well as negotiations involving territorial concessions to the British and French. Amid the pressures of Western expansionism during this period, King Chulalongkorn's leadership is credited with maintaining Siam's sovereignty and averting colonization. In 1876, there was a significant uprising among Chinese laborers working in the tin mines of Phuket and its neighboring provinces. The unrest was reportedly influenced by the declining prices of tin and the government's stringent fiscal policies at the time. Phuket underwent another administrative change in 1933 when
Monthon Phuket (มณฑลภูเก็ต) was dissolved, leading to Phuket's establishment as a separate province.
21st century (2001–present) On
26 December 2004, Phuket, along with other areas on Thailand's west coast, experienced significant devastation due to a
tsunami triggered by an
earthquake off the coast of
Sumatra,
Indonesia. This natural disaster had far-reaching impacts, resulting in approximately 5,300 fatalities in Thailand and causing extensive damage and loss of life across South and
Southeast Asia, totaling around two hundred thousand deaths. In Phuket, around 250 individuals, including foreign tourists, were reported deceased. Major beaches on Phuket's west coast, including Kamala,
Patong, Karon, and Kata, suffered substantial damage, as did some resorts and communities along the island's southern shores. Notably, the
Takua Pa District in
Phang Nga province, north of Phuket, was among Thailand's most severely affected areas, with significant casualties, including a considerable number of Burmese laborers. In response to the tsunami disaster, Thailand initiated the installation of a series of tsunami-detection buoys in December 2006. These buoys, part of a regional warning system in the
Indian Ocean, are located approximately offshore, positioned between
Thailand and
Sri Lanka. In early 2020, the
COVID-19 pandemic reached Phuket. By March of that year, Phuket and other regions in
Southern Thailand implemented lockdown measures, including
stay-at-home orders, a mandate for
mask-wearing, and
social distancing protocols. While these measures were relatively effective in controlling the spread of the virus, they had a significant impact on Phuket's tourism-dependent economy. By 2022, Thailand transitioned towards the
post-pandemic phase, marking the end of the country's intensive COVID-19 response measures. The
murder of Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, a Swiss national on holiday, occurred in Phuket in August 2021. ==Symbols==