Province clusters

When I was actually looking for some status updates on the forthcoming Bueng Kan province, a newsletter of the Ministry of Interior had on its last page a very short report on the hand-over of the proposal to the MOI. But actually this newsletter had more interesting things, just very difficult to read since copy-and-paste to Google translate does not work. It seem like in 2012 the 150th birthday of Prince Damrong will be an anniversary in association with UNESCO. His 100th birthday marked the first ever Thai personality celebrated in this way.

The actual topic of this post is found on page 10, where the 75 provinces (without Bangkok) are listed as being in 18 province groups named Glum Changwat (กลุ่มจังหวัด). The recommended translation for this according to a posting in the webboard of the Royal Institute is "province cluster". These clusters have just been created after the cabinet meeting on February 17 2009, and were even announced in the Royal Gazette later that year. Apparently these clusters for now are only a kind of regional board, in which the provinces can jointly do economic or cultural activities which are beyond the scope of a single province. It seems the office for the clusters are within the province hall of the capital province. I don't know if these cluster are supposed to become a real administrative subdivision taking responsibilities from either the central government or from the constituent provinces, like a reincarnation of the Monthon abolished in the 1930s, or the regions it had in the 1940s.

So for now I only give the complete list of these clusters with their constituent provinces in same order as in the Gazette announcement, the capital province is always the one in bold. See also the map to the right.

• Upper central 1 (ภาคกลางตอนบน 1): Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Saraburi
• Upper central 2 (ภาคกลางตอนบน 2): Chai Nat, Lop Buri, Sing Buri, Ang Thong
• Central (ภาคกลางตอนกลาง): Chachoengsao, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Samut Prakan, Sa Kaeo
• Lower central 1 (ภาคกลางตอนล่าง 1): Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Suphanburi
• Lower central 2 (ภาคกลางตอนล่าง 2): Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon
• Southern Gulf of Thailand (ภาคใต้ฝั่งอ่าวไทย): Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Surat Thani
• Southern Andaman (ภาคใต้ฝั่งอันดามัน): Krabi, Trang, Phang Nga, Phuket, Ranong
• Southern Border (ภาคใต้ชายแดน): Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Songkhla, Satun
• East (ภาคตะวันออก): Chanthaburi, Chon Buri, Trat, Rayong
• Upper northeast 1 (ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือตอนบน 1): Loei, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Udon Thani
• Upper northeast 2 (ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือตอนบน 2): Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon
• Central northeast (ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือตอนกลาง) Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et
• Lower northeast 1 (ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือตอนล่าง 1): Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin
• Lower northeast 2 (ภาคตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือตอนล่าง 2): Yasothon, Si Sa Ket, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani
• Upper north 1 (ภาคเหนือตอนบน 1): Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Lampang,Lamphun
• Upper north 2 (ภาคเหนือตอนบน 2): Chiang Rai, Nan, Phayao, Phrae
• Lower north 1 (ภาคเหนือตอนล่าง 1): Tak, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Sukhothai, Uttaradit
• Lower north 2 (ภาคเหนือตอนล่าง 2): Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Uthai Thani