Ban Pong, ( th, บ้านโป่ง), is the central town of Ban Pong district in Ratchaburi province, Thailand, covering the entire Ban Pong Subdistrict (

tambon ''Tambon'' ( th, ตำบล, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province (''changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' ...

). It is roughly 77 kilometers west of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

History

The town was first officially registered as a

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 ...

in 1916, after it was moved down the

Mae Klong River The Mae Klong (, , ), sometimes spelled Mae Khlong or Meklong, is a river in western Thailand. The river begins at the confluence of the Khwae Noi (Khwae Sai Yok) and the Khwae Yai River (Khwae Si Sawat) in Kanchanaburi, it passes Ratchaburi ...

from the old town, which is now part of Tha Pha municipality. The new town, when it was first built, was flooded with Chinese immigrants migrating from southern China where drought had occurred for four consecutive years in the 1920s. During the Second World War, the town experienced an economic boom due to its location being a hub between Bangkok to the east,

Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi ( th, กาญจนบุรี, ) is a town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') in the west of Thailand and part of Kanchanaburi Province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327. That number was reduced to 25,651 in 2017. The town ...

to the north, and all the provinces in the south of Thailand. All goods transported by rail from Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Burma and the southern provinces had to make a stop in Ban Pong. In 1935, the sanitary district was upgraded to town status (''

thesaban mueang 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 ...

''). During the Second World War, the town was used by Japanese Forces as a base in the region while they were connecting the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

between Burma and Thailand, with train services running between Ban Pong and

Mawlamyine Mawlamyine (also spelled Mawlamyaing; , ; th, เมาะลำเลิง ; mnw, မတ်မလီု, ), formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), ''World Gazetteer'' south east of Yangon and south of Thaton, at th ...

in Burma during and for a few years after the war. The transit

Camp Nong Pladuk Camp Nong Pladuk (also: ''Nompuradokku'') was a Japanese prisoner of war transit camp during World War II. It was located about five kilometres from the main railway station of Ban Pong near a junction station on the Southern Line to Bangkok. N ...

was located about five kilometres from the railway station. In the 1960s, the town again experienced an economic boom when several sugar refineries opened up in the area. Many large banking and governmental institutions sited their regional branches in Ban Pong.

Economy

In the district there are more than 400 factories, producing everything from jewellery to car parts to noodles. Hence, the town centre remains vibrant and prosperous. In recent years the town centre has experienced a decline in its importance due to the opening of many hypermarkets on the town's outskirts.

References

{{List of tambon in Thailand Populated places in Ratchaburi province Tambon of Ratchaburi Province

History

Economy

See also

References