Narathiwat Provincial Hall—Narathiwat, Thailand. - Capitol Buildings on Waymarking.com

The Kingdom of Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, governed by a democratically elected government. The second level of government, below the national, is the provincial. There are 76 provinces in the Kingdom, plus the special administrative area of Bangkok, and the City of Pattaya, which is an autonomous region in the province of Chonburi. These last two have the privilege of electing their own governors, but the remaining provinces are governed by officials appointed by the national Ministry of the Interior.

These officials enjoy the title of governor. Their duties are to carry out the laws of the land and implement the policy of the central government. There is no separate provincial legislature. Generally speaking, these positions go to senior, experienced bureaucrats. A powerful, but not glamorous position.

The governor's office is known in English as the Provincial Hall, in Thai: Sala Klang Changwat. This is invariably a multi-story, white, rectangular building, in the 'Thai' style. In front, a parking area, a statue of King Chulalongkorn (the fifth King of the royal dynasty, who was responsible for the modern Thai administrative structure), and a flag pole with the Thai flag flying. These provincial halls are usually located in a government sector, near the centre of the capital, along with several other provincial level government instrumentalities, for example the provincial law courts.


The province of Narathiwat is one of the three 'deep south' provinces of the Kingdom, hard up against the Thai/Malaysian border. The provincial hall is located outside the city, to the north. Here an entirely new set of government buildings are being constructed. This is rather surprising. Nara is not an overly prosperous region, nor one with a growing population, yet there is an extensive building program underway.


ADVISORY:
This deep south region is experiencing terrorist activity. Muslim separatists are seeking independence from the predominantly Buddhist kingdom of Thailand. Take care if you visit.

Type of Capitol: State, Province, Canton, or Other Primary Division of a Nation Address: Unnamed street. Narathiwat, Narathiwat Thailand. Dates of Construction: Unknown. Hours: Mon-Fri: 09.00–17.00. Historical Monuments/Memorials: Statue of King Chulalongkorn, the creator of the Thai administrative system. Major Renovations: Not listed Capitol Web Site: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the capitol that includes either a GPSr and/or the waymarker along with the capitol in the picture.

Please also tell us about your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.