Muban rename in Phetchabun

Published today in the Royal Gazette an announcement renaming one village (muban) in Phetchabun Province.

Volume 125, Issue 94 ง on Page 132 contains the rename of village 5 of subdistrict Nong Yang Thoi, Si Thep district, from Ban Sap Noi (บ้านซับน้อย) to Ban Sap Udom Mongkhon (บ้านซับอุดมมงคล).

Village creations announcement before gazetting

Earlier I mentioned that on the thaigov.go.th website I could find the decision on the creation of a new minor district, in the hope to find out about new such decision more timely than before.

Now I just for fun tried to search for pages containing the two words "ตั้งเป็น" (create to be) limited to that website, and directly the first hit Google returned was one with the creation of 7 villages (muban) in Uthai Thani. This text was dated January 19 2007. These new villages were then announced in the Royal Gazette on May 21, which was approved for publication on January 15, and also went in effect on that date.

However it seems this was the only one of this kind, as there were about of 200 announcement of new villages in 2007, but this was the only one which made it into a news announcement on the website. But too bad there seems to be no RSS feed for the news on that website, that one then could be filtered to find the interesting postings easily.

Cartoon and caricature maps of Thailand

With a bit of imagination the shape of the boundaries of Thailand  resemble an elephant, with the long southern part on the Malay peninsula to for the trunk. I remember to have seen cartoon maps playing with exactly that image, especially as the elephant is such a symbolic animal for Thailand - it was present on the old flag before 1917, and the white elephant is still a royal symbol.

Strangely, it seems my memory is playing tricks on me. I believed to have seen several such maps in Thongchakul Winichakul book Siam Mapped, but when I now checked it to scan the best ones to show here, I noticed that in fact it has just a single one, and not quite like the one I had in mind.

Sadly no citation for that drawing is given, it must have been published in Thai media since it has Thai characters all around. Also it is not dated, yet the topic of Thailand being threatened by the spread of communism into the neighboring Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia suggest it should be from the second half of the 1970s, after South Vietnam fell, the Khmer Rouge overtook Cambodia, and the communist insurgents in Thailand were at its high following the return to military rule in 1976. The reproduction is to much blurred, so I cannot make out the Thai letters - in Siam Mapped it is titled "Wake up, Thai people".

The artful map I had in mind more similar to those maps of Europe during World War I, or the Japanese map of Asia, both found on the bibliodyssey blog. As I cannot find them in any of my books, it must have been a website where I saw them, but seems like I did not bookmark it then.

But to add a contemporary example - 2bangkok.com often features the Kao Lao political cartoons from the newspaper Matichon (มติชน), and at the height of the Preah Viharn crisis it showed the caricature to the right which shows Thailand biting a chunk out of Cambodia. I have cut out the relevant part, the whole one can still be seen in the 2bangkok archive. The text ถูกสอน ให้คลั่งชาติ ตั้งแต่เด็ก translates to Being taught to be a nationalist from childhood.

Thailand : a late decentralizing country

Google made me discover an interesting source again - the Thailand office of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (named after the first chancellor or Germany after World War II) is funding projects on democratization, especially at the local level. There are several interesting seminars - though likely in Thai, and of course a bit far away for me to attend - as well as publications on political topics sponsored by them. Again most of these publication seem to be in Thai only.

But there is one which caught my attention, the 2006 book Thailand: a late decentralizing country by Tanet Charoenmuang (ธเนศวร์ เจริญเมือง) (ISBN 9789747811483). Professor Tanet is working at the Faculty of polical science and public administration of Chiang Mai University. Googeling for his name I can find he has published several interesting articles and books on local administration, however again most in Thai. Among other things, this search also made me find the Informal Northern Thai Group, where he just today gave a talk on "The Administrative Structure of Chiang Mai Province". I am looking forward to see the transcript of that meeting on the website of the INTG.

Back to the book. As there is so few in English on the local government structures, this book would be a great resource. But there are only very few hits on the web for it, and none of the online book sellers has it in its catalog. And if I had seen it in any of the bookstores in Bangkok I probably would have bought it directly. I already tried to contact the KAS, but they only only have one copy for documenting their funding of the project. So, if anyone can help me to obtain a copy I would be grateful.

Municipal decisions from May 22 2008

Meeting number 38 from May 22 2008 with 12 TAO upgraded to subdistrict municipalities.

• Doet (เทศบาลตำบลเดิด), Mueang Yasothon district, Yasothon province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 35.80 km², 17 villages and 11,355 citizen.
• Tat Thong (เทศบาลตำบลตาดทอง), Mueang Yasothon district, Yasothon province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 41 km², 13 villages and 9,212 citizen.
• Thale Sap (เทศบาลตำบลทะเลทรัพย์), Pathio district, Chumphon province, effective July 24 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 78.71 km², 8 villages and 4,950 citizen.
• Chum Ko (เทศบาลตำบลชุมโค), Pathio district, Chumphon province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 256 km², 14 villages and 10,940 citizen.
• Noen Kho (เทศบาลตำบลเนินฆ้อ), Klaeng district, Rayong province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 36.08 km², 9 villages and 4,520 citizen.
• Ban Na (เทศบาลตำบลบ้านนา), Klaeng district, Rayong province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 67.92 km², 13 villages and 8,264 citizen.
• Mae Kham Mi (เทศบาลตำบลแม่คำมี), Mueang Phrae district, Phrae province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 16 km², 12 villages and 7,661 citizen.
• Kham Bong (เทศบาลตำบลคำบง), Huai Phueng district, Kalasin province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 152 km², 15 villages and 10,458 citizen.
• Ban Daen (เทศบาลตำบลบ้านแดน), Banphot Phisai district, Nakhon Sawan province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 68.09 km², 10 villages and 7,060 citizen.
• San Pu Loei (เทศบาลตำบลสันปูเลย), Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 19.09 km², 15 villages and 9,520 citizen.
• Chumphon (เทศบาลตำบลชุมพร), Moei Wadi district, Roi Et province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 61.81 km², 14 villages and 7,474 citizen.
• Doem Bang (เทศบาลตำบลเดิมบาง), Doem Bang Nang Buat district, Suphanburi province, effective July 24 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 45 km², 11 villages and 6,935 citizen.

Latest subdistricts of Bangkok

I mentioned earlier that the last subdistrict (tambon) created was in 1997. But to clarify it a bit, in fact there have been new subdistricts created after 1997, but these were not Tambon, but Khwaeng (แขวง), which are a different administrative entity unique to the city of Bangkok.

While both Khwaeng and Tambon are the third level territorial subdivision, the difference between the two is at first that Tambon are subordinate of the Ministry of the Interior, while the Khwaeng are under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). I still have to find the details on how the Khwaeng are actually administrated, the Wikipedia article on this is still very incomplete and needs expansion.

Anyway, there have been two announcements on the creation of new subdistricts after 1997, both issued on December 1 2003.

• In Chatuchak district (เขตจตุจักร) four subdistrict got created - before this change the district consisted of the single subdistrict Lat Yao (แขวงลาดยาว). The corresponding announcement was in Royal Gazette volume 120, issue พิเศษ 138 ง, pages 28 to 34.
• In Thonburi district (เขตธนบุรี) the two new subdistrict Samre (แขวงสำเหร่) and Dao Khanong (แขวงดาวคะนอง) got created, increasing the number of subdistricts from 5 to 7. The corresponding announcement was in Royal Gazette volume 120, issue พิเศษ 138 ง, pages 35 to 42.

Municipal decisions from May 21 2008

Meeting number 37 from May 21 2008 with 13 TAO upgraded to subdistrict municipalities.

• Khok Muang (เทศบาลตำบลโคกม่วง), Khao Chaison district, Phatthalung province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 67.99 km², 15 villages and 9,731 citizen.
• Han Thao (เทศบาลตำบลหารเทา), Pak Phayun district, Phatthalung province, effective July 24 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 51 km², 11 villages and 9,670 citizen.
• Chumphon (เทศบาลตำบลชุมพล), Mueang Phatthalung district, Phatthalung province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 72 km², 14 villages and 8,193 citizen.
• Ban Na (เทศบาลตำบลบ้านนา), Mueang Phatthalung district, Phatthalung province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 117 km², 12 villages and 7,316 citizen.
• Khok Cha-ngai (เทศบาลตำบลโคกชะงาย), Mueang Phatthalung district, Phatthalung province, effective February 1 2009. The TAO was created in 1997, covers 16.50 km², 9 villages and 5,030 citizen.
• Din Dam (เทศบาลตำบลดินดำ), Changhan district, Roi Et province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 31.15 km², 17 villages and 7,394 citizen.
• Dong Sing (เทศบาลตำบลดงสิงห์), Changhan district, Roi Et province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 27.30 km², 18 villages and 9,717 citizen.
• Mai Ya (เทศบาลตำบลไม้ยา), Phaya Mengrai district, Chiang Rai province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 131 km², 18 villages and 11,063 citizen.
• Khrueng (เทศบาลตำบลครึ่ง), Chiang Khong district, Chiang Rai province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 99 km², 11 villages and 6,840 citizen.
• Ban Duea (เทศบาลตำบลบ้านเดื่อ), Kaset Sombun district, Chaiyaphum province, effective July 18 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 143 km², 21 villages and 15,034 citizen.
• Wang Mai (เทศบาลตำบลวังใหม่), Mueang Chumphon district, Chumphum province, effective July 25 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 93.44 km², 9 villages and 8,598 citizen.
• Chanthop Phet (เทศบาลตำบลจันทบเพชร), Ban Kruat district, Buriram province, effective July 1 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 62.16 km², 12 villages and 7,196 citizen.
• Nikhom Thung Pho Thale (เทศบาลตำบลนิคมทุ่งโพธิ์ทะเล), Mueang Kamphaeng Phet district, Kamphaeng Phet province, effective July 1 2008. The TAO was created in 1996, covers 69 km², 16 villages and 9,358 citizen.