Phuket is known worldwide as a tropical paradise, with its scenic beaches, luxurious lifestyle, and extravagant nightlife. Yet, the official symbol of the province is not a palm tree against the backdrop of the Andaman Sea but two women with short, man-like haircuts holding swords. This symbol reflects Phuket’s pride and identity.

The island’s history and cultural heritage are often overlooked by foreign tourists, and even locals know little about Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn, the island’s beloved heroines depicted on the provincial seal.

The Heroines Festival, held annually in mid-March, aims to acquaint foreigners with Phuket’s cultural fabric. The growing number of foreign attendees at Thalang Victory Field indicates an increasing interest in Phuket’s unique heritage.

The two heroines are known to locals by their titles, Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn, while popular articles refer to them by their common names, Chan and Mook.

Every new provincial governor begins their duties in Phuket by paying respects at the Heroines Monument and hanging flower garlands on the blades of their swords. A Phuket resident returning from abroad is also likely to slow down by the monument to whisper, “Now I’m home.”

The story of Chan and Mook is a captivating tale of Phuketians defending their island from Burmese invaders in 1785. Today, nobody can pinpoint the exact location of the fort the heroines defended, detail the number of clashes and assaults that took place, or describe how the Burmese were ultimately repelled.

The only well-known fact is the date of the victory: March 13, 1785, when the forces of Burma acknowledged the indomitable spirit of the Phuketians led by the two sisters.

The Battle of Phuket was a chapter in the Nine Armies War. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Burma, one of the strongest powers in the region, made several attempts to conquer the Kingdom of Siam, with Phuket being a primary target due to its status as a major trade hub for civilian and military supplies.

King Bodawpaya of Burma targeted the island in 1785, during the third year of Rama I’s reign. Phuketians had been forewarned about the invasion by an officer of Britain’s East India Company, but the island lacked the forces and leadership to repel the invaders.

The defenders gathered inside the main fort in Thalang and would have been doomed were it not for Chan, the wife of the recently deceased governor, and her sister Mook.

The Phuketian forces were too few to contain the enemy, and the only perceived threat to the Burmese was the rumored arrival of reinforcements from the mainland—a highly unlikely eventuality that the invaders could not have been aware of.

Chan and Mook rallied whatever forces they could, including women and teenagers who cut their hair and armed themselves with wooden swords to present a much stronger force, convincing the Burmese of the imminent reinforcements. The strategy succeeded, and after several assaults, the invaders retreated.