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Southern Thailand's city of Phuket planned to turn an old school building into a Thai-Chinese museum in a bid to promote its tourism industry in the famous island resort, the Thai News Agency reported Sunday.
Prasit Koaysiripong, Head of the Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) was quoted as saying that the project to establish the museum is running at satisfactory level.
PAO has spent two million baht (US$50,000) hiring company to design and transform the over-70-year-old building of Phuket Thai Hua School, he said.
During the 19th century Chinese immigrants arrived to work for the tin mines that the ethnic characteristics of the island's interior became predominantly Chinese. The school building was also constructed with the charming Chinese architectural style, said Prasit.
The museum will tell the stories about Thai and Chinese residents in Phuket, Prasit said, hoping that the museum could become a major attraction for the Chinese tourists as more Chinese tourists coming to the province in recent years.
PAO seeks 40 million baht (US$1 million) budget from Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to finish museum construction. Prasit hopes that the approval would be granted soon because TAT has been interested in the project, which will give more choices for tourists besides the natural attractions.
In addition, he said, the museum would be the center of Chinese cultural tourism, which can be extended to other related places in the vicinity.
(People's Daily August 5, 2002)
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