Phunphin is a district (amphoe) in Surat Thani province in the south of Thailand. Tha Kham is the principal town of the district. In 2014, the population was 73,067.

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise): Tha Chang, Bandon, Ban Na Doem, Khian Sa, Khiri Rat Nikhom, and Vibhavadi. It has a short coastline on Bandon Bay to the northeast. The main rivers of the district are the Tapi and its tributary Phum Duang, which flows into the Tapi at the town of Tha Kham.

History

The district's name was changed from Tha Kham to Phunphin in 1939.

Administration

Central administration

Phunphin district is divided into 16 sub-districts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 98 administrative villages (mubans).

Local administration

There is one town (thesaban mueang) in the district: There are 16 sub-district administrative organizations (SAO) in the district:

Transport

Phunphin is the transportation hub of Surat Thani Province. It has one railway intersection, three railway stations, and four rail stops. Surat Thani Railway Station in this district is the main passenger railway station of Surat Thani Province. At the Ban Thung Pho junction (km631) the southern railway branches to what was originally intended to connect the railway to Takua Thung district, Phang Nga, just north of Phuket province. After the completion of 31 km of the railroad to Khiri Ratthanikhom in 1956, construction was halted for budgetary reasons. Also in Phunphin are the Surat Thani Airport, the Inland Container Depot (ICD), and the Asian highway AH2 (Thai Hwy 41), the main road connecting to other provinces. Thai Hwy 401 connects Phunphin with the town of Surat Thani.