Sukhaphiban ( th,
สุขาภิบาล ; translated as "sanitary district") were administrative divisions of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
.
Sanitary districts were the first sub-autonomous entities established in Thailand. A first such district was created in Bangkok by a royal decree of King
Chulalongkorn in 1897. The king had learned about the
sanitary district
Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:
*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies
*Rural sanitary dis ...
s in England during his European trip earlier that year, and he wanted to try this local administration in his country as well.
Tha Chalom District became the second such district, created in 1906 and responsible for parts of
Mueang Samut Sakhon District
Mueang Samut Sakhon ( th, เมืองสมุทรสาคร, ) is the capital district ('' amphoe mueang'') of Samut Sakhon province, central Thailand.
History
''Mueang'' Tha Chin dates back to the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The city was ...
,
Samut Sakhon Province. In 1907 the act on operations of sanitary districts codified the regulations, and with the ''Local Administration Act'' of 1914 two levels of sukhaphiban were introduced, the ''sukhaphiban mueang'' for towns and ''sukhaphiban tambon'' for rural areas.
The number of sanitary districts grew to 35 in 1935, when these however were converted into municipalities (''
thesaban
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
''). New sanitary district were again established starting in 1952 by prime minister
Phibun Songkhram
Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram ( th, แปลก พิบูลสงคราม ; alternatively transcribed as ''Pibulsongkram'' or ''Pibulsonggram''; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. ( th, จอมพล ...
. With the ''Act to Upgrade Sanitary Districts to Thesaban'' of May 1999 they were again abolished, and all became ''
thesaban tambon
Thesaban ( th, เทศบาล, , ) are the municipalities of Thailand. There are three levels of municipalities: city, town, and sub-district. Bangkok and Pattaya are special municipal entities not included in the ''thesaban'' system.
The mu ...
''.
As the name suggests, the main task of the sanitary districts are sanitation projects. The districts were administered by a sanitation committee, which consisted of ''
kamnan'' (''tambon'' headmen), village headmen, and also local merchants. It was financed by a housing tax on local residents.
See also
*
Mueang
Mueang ( th, เมือง ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( lo, ເມືອງ ''mɯ́ang'', ; Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''muang''), Mong ( shn, ''mə́ŋ'', ), Meng () or Mường (Vietnamese), were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or principal ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Local Government in Asiaby UNESCAP
Government Decentralization Reforms in Developing Countries
Subdivisions of Thailand