Phuket Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, is leaving the island after serving only four months and 22 days as Governor. Dr Preecha has been posted to Phitsanulok province and will be replaced by Wichai Praisa-Ngob, who is currently the Governor of Singburi province.

The shake-up is part of a nationwide reshuffle of Thailand’s 76 provincial governors by the recently empowered government under Abhisit Vejjajiva. A total of 28 provinces will get new governors.

During his short time in Phuket, Dr Preecha has won the hearts of most locals. Before he left, he spelled out his views on policies in the province and his philosophy on how to govern.  “Policies must come from the people, not come the government,” he said. He said good policies must be based on what people want and how the location and its resources can support their needs.

Dr Preecha said Phuket’s economic stability relied largely on agricultural development and not only on tourism. Maintaining economic roots in agriculture was the best way to go, he said. Dr Preecha said one of his proudest achievements while he was Governor of Phuket was the development of the Goddess of Mercy (Kwan Im) statue and the man-made island at Sapan Hin. “It will be the best spot to see the sun rise in the morning, and it will be truly beautiful,” he said.

Dr Preecha is confident the mega structure will be something spectacular for the island. “Phuket it is a special province which should be governed carefully,” he said. “The tourists who come here every year bring different issues to the role of Governor than in other provinces.”

Dr Preecha said he hoped to see the policies he put in place carried on by the new Governor. “I have achieved only about half of what I hoped to, and there is still a lot of hard work to do,” he said.

Dr Preecha said he had no hard feelings about being transferred. “I work for the government of Thailand and for His Majesty the King, and I will work where I am required to,” he said.

Dr Preecha said he had a tough time trying to pursue an education when he was young boy in his home province of Phichit. “I got my education from monks at the local temple until I was 19,” he said. “When I first went to university, I had no idea what Political Science was, but one of my friends told me if I got a degree in political science, I could become a district officer. “I wanted to be a teacher, so I studied very hard,” he said.

Dr Preecha was awarded a bachelors degree and then his masters degree in political science from Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok. He then went to the Cebu Doctors University in the Philipines where he was awarded his PhD.

The Phuket Post wishes Dr Preecha all the best in his new posting.

News by Phuket Post – phuket-post.com