The governor's post was made in response to growing resentment expressed on the popular social media site, which follows announcements that Thalang Police officers had been awarded compensation, and that arrest warrants would be issued for residents who took part in the riots last week, which resulted in an estimated B6-7 million in damages, and more than 30 police officers who were reported to have been injured.
Following is Governor Chamroen's message, originally in Thai, translated into English:
“Fellow resident of Phuket, respectfully, there is social media momentum [building up] that there will be a new protest and road blockade [about] the dissatisfaction about the way the Thalang Police Station case has been handled.
"I, as the father of Phuket, am responsible for this case, and I must urge Phuketians, especially those who think on acting in illegally in any way, to abstain from doing so.
"[Should you] have vengence or dissatisfaction, or that you have not been treated fairly, please come to see me at Provincial Hall or come to the Damroangtham Centre [at the] Provincial Hall [which is] a much better, the best option for solving the problem.
"Now is the time of the Vegetarian Festival, so let's come together and make merit so as to develop our home land to be prosperous moving forward, for the populace to have good income and good quality of life. I ask that we move forward together, and would like you all to know that I have a channel for communication via FB [Click here for the governor's Facebook page] that you can use to inform me of anything."
Meanwhile, Thalang Police Station has been heavily guarded around the clock in anticipation of a repeat riot following unverified rumours that residents were planning to block the road and protest should police prosecute anyone for the last week's riot.