Why go
The island's history gives context to Old Phuket Town, the Two Heroines Monument, and the west coast. It explains both the Chinese and European influences of the tin era and why the 1785 defense remains central to Phuket's public memory.
The full story
In the 17th century, Dutch, English, and French interests competed to trade for Phuket's tin. A French East India Company ship loaded tin here in 1680. King Narai later appointed the French medical missionary René Charbonneau as governor, and in 1685 confirmed a French tin monopoly. French influence ended after the Siamese revolution of 1688; an attempt to retake Phuket the following year achieved nothing. A Burmese attack in 1785 produced the island's most prominent defense story. Chan, widow of the recently deceased governor, and her sister Mook assembled local forces during a month-long siege. The Burmese withdrew on 13 March. King Rama I honored the sisters as Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Si Sunthon, names now tied to the Two Heroines Monument. Under King Chulalongkorn, Phuket became the administrative center of the southern tin-producing provinces. It became a province in 1933. On 26 December 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami severely damaged west-coast communities including Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata, adding a recent and painful chapter to the island's coastal history.