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I bought the antiquarian book "
Thailand - Das neue Siam" by Wilhelm Friedrich Gordon some time ago as I had found it listed as a reference in another book, and it wasn't much expensive. This German language book was written in 1942, so the special writing style at the height of the Nazi regime in Germany makes it an interesting and sometimes odd read, lots of racial and militaristic language. The book is just a relatively short description of the country, its history, culture, geography, economy, foreign relations and so on, altogether only 150 pages. Fitting to the topic of this blog is the following section describing the administrative subdivision and the
thesaphiban reforms under King Chulalongkorn.
... Thailand war bis dahin in muang (Provinzen) aufgeteilt. An deren Spitze standen erbliche Fürsten, frühere verdienstvolle Offiziere oder Beamte. Diese waren in ihren Maßnahmen, in der Handhabung der Steuererhebung wie der Rechtsprechung, fast selbständig, d.h. sie waren praktisch von der Regierungsgewalt unabhängig und die eigentlichen Herren der ihnen unterstellten muang. Um die Willkürherrschaft dieser Provinzleiter, chao muang genannt, zu brechen und sie unter die Kontrolle der Regierungsgewalt zu bekommen, wurden als oberste Verwaltungseinheit die monton (Kreise) geschaffen. Jeder monton umfaßte mehrere changvat (Provinzen). An die Spitze eines monton wurde eine dem könglichen Hause nahestehende Persönlichkeit gestellt, meist ein Prinz, dem sich die Leiter der betreffenden changvat zu fügen hatten. Die changvat zerfielen in mehrere ampör (Bezirke), an deren Spitze ein ebenfalls von der Regierung bestellter nai ampör (Bezirksvorsteher) gestellt wurde. Jeder ampör besteht aus mehreren tambun (Gemeinden), an deren Spitze der kamman (Gemeindevorsteher) steht. Der tambun setzte sich wiederum aus mehreren muban (Dörfern) zusammen, die von puyaiban (Dorfvorstehern) verwaltet wurden. In diesen kleinsten Verwaltungseinheiten wurde das Selbstverwaltungsrecht insofern schon verwirklicht, als die puyaiban in allgemeiner Wahl von allen über 20 Jahre alten Männer und Frauen, die in dem betreffenden muban wohnten, gewählt wurden und diese wiederum den kamman wählten.
If you cannot understand the German text, don't worry, it is nothing else but describing the hierarchy
monthon, changwat, amphoe, tambon, muban, introducing the administrators of these levels and mention the elections of the
phu yai ban and
kamnan. Only thing odd is the romanization used, never seen it spelled
Ampör so far.
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I bought the antiquarian book "Thailand - Das neue Siam" by Wilhelm Friedrich Gordon some time ago as I had found it listed as a reference in another book, and it wasn't much expensive. This German language book was written in 1942, so the special writing style at the height of the Nazi regime in Germany makes it an interesting and sometimes odd read, lots of racial and militaristic language. The book is just a relatively short description of the country, its history, culture, geography, economy, foreign relations and so on, altogether only 150 pages. Fitting to the topic of this blog is the following section describing the administrative subdivision and the thesaphiban reforms under King Chulalongkorn.
1 comment:
Here's Google's translation. It's easy enough to make sense of:
... Thailand was then in muang (provinces). At the forefront were hereditary princes, deserving officers or former officers. They were in their measures in the handling of tax collection, such as the judiciary, almost independently, They were practically from the government regardless violence and the real masters of their subordinates muang. To the arbitrary rule of this province leader, called chao muang, and to break them under the control of government authority to obtain, as chief administrative unit of the monton (circles). Each monton included several changvat (provinces). At the top of a monton könglichen was a home close to the personality, usually a prince, the head of the changvat to add. The changvat fell apart into several ampör (districts), which is also headed by a government appointed by the nai ampör (district head) is made. Each ampör consists of several tambun (municipalities), headed by the kamman (local head). The tambun sat down again from several muban (villages), which puyaiban (Dorfverstehern) were administered. In these smallest administrative units, the right of self-government so far been achieved, as the puyaiban in a general election of all over 20 years old, men and women, who in the muban lived, were elected and in turn the kamman elected.
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