Laguna Resorts and Hotels

In the 19th century, Phuket had gained lots of wealth from their tin mining industry and became one of the richest cities in Thailand, but due to large tin mining operations, they have lost lots of marine animals and eroded the soil. After all the tin is ripped from the land, it becomes polluted. This made many parts of the heavily polluted that even vegetation did not exist. Bangtao Bay, the place where Laguna Resorts and Hotels presently is, was so heavily polluted from commercial tin mining that it had craters, blackened soil, machines left over, and ramshackle huts. A while later, 200 million US dollars was spent on to transform the 1000 acre tract of land even though a United Nations Development Plan team said Bangtao bay was "too environmentally damaged to have any development potential." It was a lot of work to do as the land was so polluted it looked like a moonscape. The top soil was imported so you could replant all the trees. Fruit trees and flowering plants were also planted to attract the wildlife. The tin mines were filled with water and transformed into lakes which restored the ecosystem and brought back the marine life.

Bangtao Bay (1970s)

Sino-Portuguese Architecture

Sino-Portuguese houses are beautiful architectures along the road of Phuket city, around Thalang. These buildings will bring u back to the style of a century ago. These architectures reflect on when the Europeans influence on the island which have been interested in Phuket’s tin wealth since the 16th century.

In the 18^th Century, most of the tin mining was carried out by most of the Chinese and they were also the main builders of the Old Phuket town. They combined the cultures with the Portuguese people to create the mix of Sino-Portuguese architecture which is a mix of Chinese and European style. Lots of shophouses and mansions were built in this style. The shophouses were both a place to do business and live in. The front was used as a shop and the rest of the house was used for living. These houses are usually built back to back in rows, this gave it the Chinese name “Tiam Choo” meaning a “row of shop houses”. The Chinese name for the mansion is “Angmor Lao”, which means “the big house of the red hairs”. Many Chinese immigrant tin miner and merchants have acquired lots of money from their work and used it to build mansions with a capacious portico, a terrace on the upper floor and a courtyard in the middle.

The locals state that the Sino-Portuguese houses in the Old Phuket Town has been a big attraction for tourists, especially Chinese, which has greatly impacted the business around that area. 

Kathu Tin Mining Museum In Phuket

The Kathu Tin Mining museum was built with a high social importance in 2009 at a remote and isolated location behind Loch Palm Golf Club of Kathu, in the hills before Patong and is one of Phuket's most impressive museums, featuring tin mining models, old furniture, books, displays of old household items and even a recreated scene in an opium den. It is also one of the most informative cultural and history attraction. The museum is built in a Sino-Portuguese architectural style that is similiar to the old buildings in the Old Phuket Town area. The architects have done a great job at giving you an image on what Phuket was famous for hundreds of years ago. 

The entrance fee used to be free and donations were available, now they have a fixed fee of 100 Baht per adult and 50 baht per child for tourists, and 50 baht per adult and 20 baht per child for Thai people. Open only from Monday to Friday.

The first thing you will see when you enter the museum is an old bus, parked in a room where the walls are painted like how Phuket's streets used to be for people sit in an take pictures and after you've walked past the next room, which is filled with a display of old furniture, household items, etc., you will see the most informative room of the museum, a big well presented both in English and Thai educational area about how the tin mining techniques progressed over the years, the history of mining, and there is even a wax models of workers hitting rocks with pickaxes. 

One of the most photographed part of the museum is the scaled model of a hundred tin miners working in their mine.


There is also a cave with hidden wax models of stone-age men which scares a lot of the tourists. Another highlight is a recreation of the Old Phuket Town, with barges, shops, workshops, and some more of the wax figures.

Tin Mining In Phuket

Phuket is a major source of tin in the sixteenth century during the Ayutthaya period. It was also during this period that the first Europeans arrived on Phuket. Due to Phuket’s abundant supply of tin and its importance as a trading port, the economy continued to prosper. Tin mining in Phuket begain in 1526, and in 1626 the Dutch took over but were expelled from the island as people of Thalang rose up against them. In 1685, permission was give to French traders to operate a trading post in Thalang but was terminated a few years later. A British Captain named Francis Light who was good friends with the Governor, started a tin trading station at Baan Tha Reua, later in 1809 tin minerals were discovered in Baan Ket-Ho, now called Kathu. They started trading with nearby ports, Penang and Malacca which made the tin mining industry more successful and large numbers of Chinese tin miners to Phuket. In the beginning, Chinese family immigrants would only pan tin from streams using simple tools, later on they progressed to to "Open-Cut" mining, which involved blowing up in the side of hills and or drilling which required used lots of workers and little technology. There were around 100 workers at the Mhuang Harb mine mining over a wide area. When the technology improved, the Gravel Pump came along, and then came the Hydraulic mining which to was cheap to use but expensive when building weirs and piping systems.

Phuket was introduced to the first Tin Dredger, a Bucket Tin Dredger by Captain Edward Thomas Miles. He started dredging in Tunka Bay as as company called Tungka Harbour Company which made a massive impact on the mining industry. Mining can now be done even on the sea and many companies started their mining in Phuket and Phangna

Phuket Summary

Tin and Rubber

Phuket is a major source of tin in the sixteenth century during the Ayutthaya period. It was also during this period that the first Europeans arrived on Phuket. Due to Phuket’s abundant supply of tin and its importance as a trading port, the economy continued to prosper. The British secured a tin mining concession and nearly claimed Phuket as part of the British Empire. The rubber trees was brought in by the governor of Phuket; Praya Rassada Pradit.

Prehistory

The first people to live in Phuket were the Chao Lay or the Sea Gypsies and the original muslim people.

Burmese Attack

The Burmese attacked Phuket in 1785. They had been repelled a year earlier but returned in a large fleet, which was spotted by Francis Light, a British East India Company captain, was passing by the island and warned the local administration that the Burmese were preparing to attack. The island’s governor had just passed away so his wife organized the defence. She and her sister, Mook assembled all the forces they had, and according to legend, disguised local women as male soldiers, making their army look much larger. When the Burmese saw the Thai army, they lost heart and fled. King Rama 1 then awarded Khun Ying Chan with the title “Thao Thep Kasattri”. Now Phuket has a momnument which stand statues of Khun Ying Chan and Thao Sri Suntorn (Mook’s Title).

Tsunami

On 26 December 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas were heavily damaged by the Boxing Day tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian earthquake. 250 people were killed in Phuket, 3500 people killed nationwide, and tens of thousands more in the Asian region. Nearly all of the major beaches were heavily damaged, especially Kamala, Patong, Karon and Kata.

Tourism

Most of the income Phuket derives is from tourism. It became a tourist industryin early 1970 when they stopped tin mining. Thai culture attracts a lot of tourists.