Two Heroines Monument: The saviors of Phuket
Standing proudly, and at the center of one of the island's largest roundabouts, the Two Heroines Monument is a particularly significant landmark in Thai history. At the roundabout of Thep Kasattri Road, you will notice that this monument is of two females holding swords instead of your typical male soldier or king. The two women, Chan and Mook, were two sisters who led the people of Phuket to drive out the Burmese soldiers that were invading the island.
Their story begins in 1785. After the death of the ruler of Phuket, the people of the island were left without a leader. As a result, his wife (Chan) and her sister volunteered to take charge. Using cunning tactics to fool the Burmese army, the two women called upon the residents of Phuket to dress up as soldiers. Since they were still lacking in numbers, the sisters also had women disguised as soldiers as well. They were able to amass all the residents including 500 women to their cause.
In addition to this tactic, the sisters also had some of the people secretly walk out of the island and then purposely be seen marching back into town as soldiers to trick the Burmese into thinking that they were reinforcements sent from Bangkok. Their efforts were not in vain. As the Burmese army’s morale fell, so did their supplies and their numbers. Eventually, the Burmese were forced to retreat.