Why Mu Koh Surin isn’t linked to Surin province
Despite the name, Mu Koh Surin has no link to Surin province. Instead, the name honours a little-known naval officer whose legacy shaped Thailand’s maritime history
The park today
Meanwhile, today, Mu Koh Surin National Park is known not only for its natural beauty but also for being home to the Moken people, an Austronesian sea nomad community that has lived in the area for generations. The islands offer a unique combination of ecological and cultural value, drawing in visitors from around the world, as per the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Tourist activities in the park are limited to the dry season, typically from November to April. During the monsoon season, access is restricted for safety and conservation reasons.
For travellers arriving at Mu Koh Surin’s pristine shores, the first surprise often isn’t the coral reefs or the elusive sea turtles—it’s the name.
The answer why this remote island group in the Andaman Sea come to share a name with a province over 1,200 kilometres away in Thailand’s northeast lies not in geography, but in history, and a man named Phraya Surinracha.
The islands, far from Isaan
Mu Koh Surin is a small archipelago in the Andaman Sea, just off the coast of Phang Nga province. It consists of five main islands and several rocky islets.
The area is a haven for snorkellers and divers, offering some of Thailand’s most vibrant coral reefs and marine biodiversity. It was declared a national park in 1981 and covers both land and sea, totalling more than 135 square kilometres, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Despite its name, the island group has nothing to do with Surin province in Thailand’s northeast. Surin province is landlocked, steeped in Khmer cultural history, and best known for its elephants, not its beaches.
A name from the navy
The name “Surin” was given to the islands in 1909 during a royal maritime expedition. The journey, led by Phraya Surinracha, whose former name was Nokyung Wisetkun, aimed to chart and inspect the Andaman coast.
When the islands were officially recorded, they were named “Koh Surin” in honour of Phraya Surinracha, a naval officer who played a key role in Thailand’s maritime surveying at the time, accoring to the Southern Information Centre of the Prince of Songkla University.
This was a common practice in the early 20th century, using geographical names to honour government officials, military figures, and royal associates who had made significant contributions to the kingdom, the centre said.
Two Surins, two stories
Surin province, by contrast, takes its name from Phraya Surin Phakdi Si Narong Changwang , a regional leader appointed during the reign of King Rama I, around 200 years ago, according to The Fine Arts Department).
The name “Surin” here has an entirely different origin and meaning, rooted in local administration rather than naval exploration.
While both men held positions of authority and influence, they belonged to different periods and contexts. The duplication in names is purely coincidental, though it continues to confuse tourists and even some Thais to this day.
