Phuket City Police closed to all traffic along sections of Thepkrasattri Rd and Phang Nga Rd – and all of Thalang Rd – from 2pm today. No cars were allowed to remain parked along these streets from midday during the royal visit.
After a uniformed welcome to Phuket by top-flight officials at Phuket International Airport, HRH Princess Sirindhorn was welcomed on her arrival at the Old Standard Chartered Bank building in Phuket Town by Phuket Governor Norraphat Plodthong and accompanying officials.
Present for the occasion were Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupana and Dr Kosol Tang-utai, who is Phuket City Deputy Mayor and the Museum President.
“The ‘Peranakannitat Museum’ was named by HRH Sirindhorn on Nov 30, 2015,” Mayor Somjai explained. (“Nitat” is a high-level archaic Thai word meaning “vision”.)
“Inside the museum are exhibitions showing the lives of Peranakan people in Phuket,” she added.
“Also, across the road is another classic Phuket building, an old police station commissioned by Phraya Rassada during the reign of King Rama VI. At that time the police station was built to guard the bank, but now features exhibitions with pictures and animations detaing the history of Phuket Town,” Mayor Somjai noted.
Her Royal Highness unveiled the museum’s name plate and signed a brass plate to officiate the venue’s opening.
While in Phuket Town, HRH Princess Sirindhorn late this afternoon was to also visit the Hotel Novotel Phuket Phokeetra to officiate the hotel’s re-opening, and where she is to stay overnight.
The 17-story hotel, for decades known as the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel, enjoyed a “soft re-opening” last year after closing for renovations in January 2012.
Tomorrow (May 18), Princess Sirindhorn is to travel by helicopter to Phang Nga to officiate the opening of Yaowawit Academy for underprivileged children, from 8:50am until noon.
She is scheduled to arrive back in Phuket via helicopter in time to attend lunch with Phuket Governor Norraphat at his official residence in Phuket Town.
HRH Princess Sirindhorn is to depart Phuket tomorrow afternoon to return to Bangkok.