Angry Phuket residents held a rally Thursday to protest the proposed construction of a Tesco Lotus superstore in the tourist island's city area.

About 100 protesters made up of local people and members of private agencies including the Fresh Market club, the Agricultural Market Club, the Phuket Entrepreneurs Club and Phuket Merchants gathered in front of Phuket Provincial Hall in the afternoon after they marched around town with a pickup truck bearing banners opposing the construction of the new Tesco Lotus on Bangkok Road in the municipality. 

Photos by Achadtaya Chuenniran

Prasart Boontrantrapiwat, president of the Phuket Entrepreneurs Club who led the protest, said Tesco Lotus supermarkets were already available around town and his group did not want the operator to build one more in the central city area. He said the new facility would affect the lives of Phuket urbanites, especially local small-scale vendors.

The group submitted a protest letter to Phuket governor Tree Akharadecha and agreed to disperse after the governor said he would look into the matter carefully and ensure transparency in relation to the proposed construction of the mega superstore.

“Seeking permission to construct a Tesco Lotus in the Phuket city area has yet to go through several deliberative processes concerning environmental issues. For building control laws, [the supermarket operator] has to file a request with Phuket City Municipality,” Mr Tree said. 

“The province will strongly encourage all concerned officials to exercise extreme caution when handling the case and carefully take into account the people’s opinions as best as possible.”

One of the banners read "Today my mom earns 300 baht revenue from selling goods. If Tesco Lotus opens, how will she earn that to buy food?