Tan Jin Nguan (; 4 November 1888 – 2 October 1962) also known as Luang Anuphas Phuket Kan (), was a Thai businessman and tin-mining entrepreneur in Phuket province. He was associated with the development of mechanised tin mining in Phuket and with the trading network linking Phuket, Trang and Penang. He was known in southern Thailand and Malaysia as the "King of Tin" (เจ้าแห่งดีบุก), in connection with his regular journeys between Phuket, Trang, and Penang to sell tin ore.
Early life
Tan Jin Nguan was born on 4 November 1888 in Phang Nga province. His father, Sek Uat, was a Hokkien Chinese immigrant, and his mother, Khom, was from Phang Nga. His father died when Tan Jin Nguan was nine years old.
He studied at Wat Mongkol Nimit in Phuket before travelling to China at the age of 14. After returning to Thailand, he joined his elder brother in tin mining. He later started his own mine with four or five associates, initially using surface mining methods before changing to other methods, including เหมืองแล่น and underground shaft mining.
Tin mining
Tan Jin Nguan became one of the Chinese-Thai mine owners associated with Phuket's tin-mining industry. His business activities were connected with Phuket, Phang Nga and Trang, while his regular journeys to Penang were associated with the sale of tin ore there.
After learning about pump mining in Malaya, he travelled there to study the method and began operating a pump mine at Wichit in Phuket in 1927. He initially used an engine to generate power for the operation and later purchased an electric generator, which reduced production costs.
On 9 January 1930, an electricity-generating plant supplying the mine was opened in a ceremony attended by Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse, Prince of Nakhon Sawan. The prince gave the electrically powered mine the name "Chao Fa" (เหมืองเจ้าฟ้า).
Tan Jin Nguan also travelled regularly to Penang, where he saw dredging operations. In 1938, he purchased a mining dredger from Malaya and established a dredging operation at Ban Hin Lat in Phang Nga.
His mining operations were accompanied by several supporting businesses, including a foundry and machine shop, sawmill, rice mill and ice plant. He also operated rubber and coconut plantations and a coastal shipping service between Phuket and Kantang.
Anuphas and Son
Tan Jin Nguan founded Anuphas and Son Co., Ltd. (บริษัท อนุภาษและบุตร จำกัด) on 26 March 1939. The company operated tin mines in Wichit, Phuket, and was later associated with mining operations in other southern provinces.
The company's former office is a two-story historic building on Thepkrasattri Road in Phuket Old Town. The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning identifies Tan Jin Nguan as the founder and states that the company was established in 1939 to operate tin-mining businesses.
Public activities and title
Tan Jin Nguan received the Thai noble title Luang Anuphas Phuket Kan in 1931.
He donated land for public institutions in Phuket, including a school and a hospital, and was involved in the establishment of a mining-industry association.
In 1953, he received the Order of the White Elephant (Fourth Class).
Death
Tan Jin Nguan died on 2 October 1962. His tomb in Wichit, Phuket, is recorded by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, which gives the same date of death.
Tan Jin Nguan was considered the patriarch of the Hongyok family. One of his descendants is Oak Bhavagha Hongyok, who married transgender actress and model Treechada Petcharat in 2023.
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