More than 500 Phuket households face power cuts in land dispute
Residents of Pracha Samakkee Community have asked Phuket officials to intervene after the PEA issued notices warning that electricity supplies could be cut and meters removed.
More than 500 households in Phuket’s Pracha Samakkee Community face possible electricity cuts and the removal of their power meters amid a long-running land dispute.
Community representative Surasak Thainapreaw submitted a formal complaint on behalf of residents of Moo 2, Baan Bang Khu, Koh Kaew, to Phuket Vice Governor Romdon Hayiawae and Acting Phuket Provincial Palad Siwat Rawangkul at 1.30pm on 8 August 2026.
According to the complaint, the Phuket office of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) issued notices warning that electricity supplies would be disconnected and meters removed because of the dispute. Residents said they had lived in the community and used electricity for more than 20 years.
They said the proposed action would cause severe hardship for bedridden patients, people with disabilities, elderly residents and schoolchildren who rely on electricity for daily living and education.
Provincial officials met community representatives to hear their concerns and explain the initial steps to address the issue. The residents later dispersed peacefully.
The complaint has been forwarded to the Phuket Provincial Damrongtham Centre, which has been instructed to treat the matter as urgent. The centre will coordinate a meeting involving the PEA, the Mueang Phuket District Office and other relevant agencies to investigate the issue, mediate between the parties and seek a solution in accordance with the law.
Residents have long maintained that they settled on the land believing it was state land after a former tin-mining concession expired. A private claimant has pursued legal action against hundreds of residents, seeking their eviction through the courts, according to the community. Residents have previously appealed to agencies including the Department of Special Investigation and Phuket Provincial Hall for help.
