After slightly over three months as Governor of Phuket (he arrived on October 1 last year), Gov Maitree agreed to talk exclusively with The Phuket News about his background, his beliefs and his approach to the top job on the island.
Gov Maitree, now 56, is a career civil servant. Having graduated with a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s in political science from Thammasat University, he entered the District Chiefs College, graduating in 1989. He also studied in the government’s Chief Executive Programme, graduating in 2000 and in the National Defence College from 2006 to 2007.
He began work as a planning and policy analyst in the office of the National Security Council. After about 10 years he moved to the Ministry of Interior.
In 2003 he was appointed a Vice-Governor of Phang-nga. Clearly on the fast track, he moved two years later to the equivalent job in Nakhon Sri Thammarat then the following year to Lopburi and that same year to Srisaket and then back to Lopburi in 2008.
In 2009 he received his first provincial governorship, in Trang. This was followed by Payao in 2011 and then Phuket the following year.
In a comprehensive two-hour session with The Phuket News, he explained, ‘I came from a place that was very different from Phuket – it was an agricultural province. Phuket is completely a tourism province.
“To some, Phuket seems like a difficult province but I prefer to see it as a ‘challenging’ one – I have to put my whole heart into the job.
“Phuket is among the 10 provinces of Thailand that people are most interested in. And not just people in Thailand – the whole world watches what is going on here.
“I have lived in Phuket about three months. It is a small province but it differs from others in its challenges. Some of these are little things; other are big and hard to resolve.
“However, I think Phuket can be improved if we are all better organised.
“Management of provincial officials is important. I have shared my philosophy with my Vice Governors on how they might improve the tuk-tuks, taxis and jet-skis.”
“My three main concepts of working are adjustment, regulation and cooperation. I think Phuket people need to be more selfless and community-minded.
“For example, the number of vehicles in Phuket being used as taxis is constantly increasing. Now we have a system that allows them to be properly registered.
“One very complex thing to improve is security for Phuket’s tourists. But this is not the only challenge. Phuket has seven ‘areas of risk’ – tourism, land problems, roads, urban disorganisation, disaster preparedness and mitigation, misuse of beaches and consumer protection.
“For example, road: There are about 370,000 cars registered in Phuket; that does not include cars in Phuket that are registered in other provinces.
“We had nine deaths on the roads over the New Year period. Most of them were not from Phuket; two came from Russia and most of the rest came from other Thai provinces.
“Or there is the problem of dealing with trash – about 640 tons a day.
“But overall I think Phuket is still well organised. There are three sectors that are important contributors to this: private organisations such as tourism and industry associations, non-governmental organisations, and local community organisations, all of which carry on with their work without needing to be pushed.
“As to sport in Phuket, if anyone is looking for classic international sports in Thailand, they can be a bit hard to find, but we have them in Phuket – Phuket is an international province. For example, Phuket will host its first International Taekwondo competition on January 26 and 27.
“This is the first time that Phuket has hosted an international competition at this level. But I have full confidence in the island’s ability to organise it. I fully support this initiative, which will help push Phuket into an international role in sports.”
He also spoke to The Phuket News clearly and concisely about recent events in Phuket.
For example, he had this to say of the Sydictive Element New year megaparty: “There were only a few places on the island suitable for such a huge concert. The concert was staged in Patong following a decision just a week before to move it from Surin Beach, where they were not successful in getting it organised.
“I thought it was not clearly managed and organised. I heard all the criticisms, but how I could I resist the concert if they really wanted to do it? In the end, everyone could see that although they predicted 50,000 people would attend, the final number was only about 5,000.
“If they wanted to try to do this again, I would show them photos, and all the criticisms I received. I am not worried about this. I reckon it’s ‘Game Over’.”
He clearly feels his time is better spent on community subjects that matter to the people living here.
For example, he says, “I have supported the Muslim communities to join us in the ‘Resist Drugs Project’. After all, they form 24 per cent of all residents in Phuket, and have 51 mosques; it’s a big community.
“Good organisation and coordination will lead Phuket to be successful. It is not only the Phuket provincial government I want to push along, but also everyone on the island.”
Asked what he thought of The Phuket News, he said, “I buy it myself every weekend. It has many interesting topics.
“For example, when the ambassadors [of Britain, Canada and the Netherlands] came to Phuket Provincial Hall on January 8, I was able to talk with them about Thomson Airways’ new flights to the island because I had read it in The Phuket News.
“In the end I am just tool, a facilitator and supporter for Phuket to run smoothly. I never think, ‘I am cleverer than others,’ or ‘I understand everything.’”
He smiles again. “I love to learn more and more. Many things are waiting for me to seek them out and learn about them.”