Samui cityhood imminent
By KIK SODSAI
THE majority of village chiefs on Koh Samui have voted in favor of the municipality becoming a city.
Eighteen of the 32 village chief and chiefs of subdistricts, who met last Feb. 15, voted to approve the changing of Samui’s status to a “Thetsaban Nakhon,” while the remaining 14 voted against the proposal.
Earlier Suratthani Gov. Vinai Baupradit directed Samui officials led by Mayor Varakorn Rattanarak to resolve the issue after he had received a petition signed by subdistrict chiefs objecting to the change of status, whose foremost proponent is Varanakorn.
“I think we will become city by early March. We want the Suratthani governor to approve this as soon as possible and send the proposal to the Department Of Provincial Administration,” Varakorn said in an interview with Samui Express.
Varanakorn said Samui was ready to become a city, as he claimed the municipality has passed all the criteria required of it, including the required population. Samui’s official population now is 50,066 within an area of 228.7 square kilometers. This means the population density is 218.95 people per square kilometer.
In terms of income, Samui’s revenue of over Bt10 billion a year is enough to change the island from a municipality to a city, Varakorn said.
The village chief’s and subdistrict chiefs’ objection has emanated from the fact that they would lose their positions, which would be abolished under a city setup.
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samuiexpress.net