![Bangkok City Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Bangkok_City_Hall.JPG)
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ( th, กรุงเทพมหานคร; ) (BMA) is the local government 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 ...
(also called ''Krung Thep Maha Nakhon'' in Thai), which includes the capital of the
Kingdom 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 bo ...
. The government is composed of two branches: the executive (or the Governor of Bangkok) and the legislative (or Bangkok Metropolitan Council). The administration's roles are to formulate and implement policies to manage Bangkok. Its purview includes transport services, urban planning, waste management, housing, roads and highways, security services, and the environment.
According to the Thailand Future Foundation, Bangkok employs a workforce of 97,000, including 3,200 municipal officers in Bangkok city, 200 in the city Law Enforcement Department, and 3,000 in district offices.
Governor of Bangkok
![Flag of Bangkok](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Flag_of_Bangkok.svg)
The Governor of Bangkok ( th, ผู้ว่าราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร) is the head of the
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
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 ...
. The governor is also the chief executive of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). The governor is elected to a renewable term of four years, currently it is one of the two directly elected
executive offices in the kingdom. The office is comparable to that of a city
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
.
From 2016 to 2022 Pol Gen
Aswin Kwanmuang acted as Governor of Bangkok. He was appointed by Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha
Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; th, ประยุทธ์ จันทร์โอชา, ; born 21 March 1954) is a Thai politician and retired army officer who has served as the Prime Minister of Thailand since he ...
using
Section 44 of the interim charter to replace
Sukhumbhand Paribatra. The reason given for his ouster was "...because he was involved in many legal cases."
The current incumbent is
Chadchart Sittipunt
Chadchart Sittipunt (, , ; born 24 May 1966) is a Thai politician, engineer, and professor who is the incumbent Governor of Bangkok. He previously was Minister of Transport from 2012 to 2014.
Early life and education
Chadchart is the third so ...
. He was elected in a landslide victory in the
2022 Bangkok gubernatorial election, receiving 52.65 % (1.38 Million) of all votes cast, marking a new record-high, and winning in all 50 districts of Bangkok.
Powers and roles
The powers and role of the office of Governor of Bangkok in accordance with the ( th, พระราชบัญญัติระเบียบบริหารราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร พ.ศ. 2528 are as follows:
* Formulate and implement policies for the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.
* Head the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
* Appoint and remove deputy governors, advisors, board members, city officials, and public servants.
* Coordinate and carry out the orders of the
Cabinet of Thailand
The cabinet of Thailand or, formally, the Council of Ministers of Thailand ( th, คณะรัฐมนตรี; is a body composed of thirty-five of the most senior members of the government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The cabinet is the prim ...
, the
Prime Minister of Thailand, and the
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
.
* Oversee the smooth running of the various agencies and services of the city.
* The governor is also invested with the same powers as any other governor of a
province of Thailand and any other
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
.
* The power to draw up legislation and bills for the city, to be considered in the Bangkok Metropolitan Council.
History
Since 1973, the city was administered by a single executive appointed by the
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
from city
civil servants. However soon, it was determined that the executive office should a popularly elected office instead. The passage of the ( th, พระราชบัญญัติระเบียบบริหารราชการกรุงเทพมหานคร พ.ศ. 2518), created the Bangkok Metropolis to replace Bangkok Province and created an elected governor with a four-year term.
The first election for the office was held on the 10 August 1975.
Thamnoon Thien-ngern was elected as the first Governor of Bangkok. Conflicts between the governor and the Bangkok Metropolitan Council, however, became so fierce that
Thanin Kraivichien
Thanin Kraivichien (first name also spelled ''Tanin'', last name ''Kraivixien'' or ''Kraivichian''; th, ธานินทร์ กรัยวิเชียร, , ; born 5 April 1927) is a Thai former judge, politician and law professor. He ...
, the
Prime Minister of Thailand removed him and reinstated the appointment system. Elections resumed with the passing of the ''Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act, BE 2528 (1985)''. Elections were held on 14 November 1985.
List of governors
*Unless otherwise indicated, they were elected.
Bangkok Metropolitan Council
The Bangkok Metropolitan Council or BMC ( th, สภากรุงเทพมหานคร) is the legislative branch of the administration. It is vested with primary legislative powers as well as the power to scrutinize and advise the governor. The council is headed by the Chairman of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council ( th, ประธานสภากรุงเทพมหานคร). The current chairman, since 2013, is Captain Kriangsak Lohachala.
The number of members depends on the size of Bangkok's population. One member represents one hundred thousand people. From 2010 to 2014 there were 61 members, elected from 57 constituencies (some constituencies elect more than one member) in Bangkok. Each is elected to a four-year term.
The last election was held on 22 May 2022. Currently there are 50 members, with
Pheu Thai
The Pheu Thai Party (PTP; th, พรรคเพื่อไทย, lit=For Thais Party, , ) is the third incarnation of a Thai political party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai Party was founded on 20 Septemb ...
making up 20 seats,
Move Forward 14 seats, the
Democrat Party 9 seats, Rak Krungthep 3 seats,
Phalang Pracharat 2 seats and Thai Srang Thai another 2 seats.
Committees
The council is divided into 11 general committees with five to nine members appointed by the councillors themselves:
# Committee of Cleanliness and Environment
# Committee for Checking the Minutes of Sittings and for Considering Closure of the Minutes of the Secret Sittings
# Committee for the Affairs of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council
# Committee for the Public Works and Utilities
# Committee for Education and Culture
# Committee for Health
# Committee for Community Development and Social Welfare
# Committee for Local Administration and Orderliness
# Committee for Economics, Finance, and Follow-up of Budget Utilization
# Committee for Tourism and Sports
# Committee for Traffic, Transportation, and Drainage
Secretariat of the council
The Secretariat of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council ( th, สำนักงานเลขานุการสภากรุงเทพมหานคร) is the executive agency of the council. The secretariat helps the council in all its roles including drafting of legislation, organisation of sessions, minutes and procedures of the council. The secretariat also helps members of the council by providing research and legal counsel. The secretariat is headed by the Secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council ( th, เลขานุการสภากรุงเทพมหานคร) The current secretary is
Manit Tej-Apichok
Manit may refer to:
People
* Manit Joura, Indian actor
* Manit Noywech (born 1980), Thai football player
* Manit Rastogi, co-founder of Morphogenesis (architecture firm)
* Manit Sriwanichpoom (born 1961), Thai artist
Other
* Maulana Azad National ...
. The secretariat itself is divided into nine sections:
# General Administration Section
# Council and Committee Meetings Section
# Working Committees Section
# Legislation Section
# Legal Section
# Foreign Affairs Section
# Council Service Section
# Academic Section
# Secretary Section
Departments
BMA has 65 departments in total, 50 of which are departments respective to the 50 districts of Bangkok. The rest consist of: Strategy and Planning Department, Finance Department, Bureau of the Budget, Public Works Department, Drainage and Sewerage Department, Department of Social Development, Department of Environment, Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, Health Department, Bangkok Educational Office, Traffic and Transport Department, Department of Planning and Urban Development, Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and the Medical Services Department.
Department of Law Enforcement
City Law Enforcement Department is the primary unit for overseeing security and orderliness of Bangkok with more than 3,000 quality personnel. Which has 5 important tasks which are to organize the city, Security, Traffic supervision, Tourism Administration and other special missions. Responsible for overseeing, investigating, arresting, prosecuting and enforcing Bangkok Metropolis regulations and other laws within the jurisdiction of Bangkok including operations beyond the authority of the district office or in the case of serious danger to most people.
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation operates the city's fire and rescue services. The Bangkok City Council reported in February 2018 that, of Bangkok's 874 fire trucks, only 88 were in "good" condition. Another 340 were rated "only just usable", 232 were "dilapidated", and 225 were parked permanently. Firefighting boats were found to be in roughly the same shape: three of 31 vessels were ranked in "good" condition and 21 were out of service and permanently docked. The BMA's firefighting unit has not been allocated a vehicle maintenance budget for nearly 10 years. The BMA employs 1,800 firefighters .
Department of Medical Services
The Department of Medical Services operates 11 hospitals and is headquartered at
BMA General Hospital (Klang Hospital) in
Pom Prap Sattru Phai District
Pom Prap Sattru Phai ( th, ป้อมปราบศัตรูพ่าย, , or popularly just called Pom Prap, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Dusit, Pathum Wan, ...
. Other hospitals include
Taksin Hospital
Taksin Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลตากสิน) is a hospital in Thailand located in Khlong San District, Bangkok. Taksin Hospital is a public hospital operated by the Medical Service Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Adminis ...
,
Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลเจริญกรุงประชารักษ์, link=no) is a hospital in Thailand located in Bang Kho Laem District, Bangkok. It is a public hospital operated by the Medic ...
, Sirindhorn Hospital, Lat Krabang Hospital, Luang Pho Taweesak Hospital, Wetchakarunrasm Hospital, Ratchaphiphat Hospital, Khlong Sam Wa Hospital, Bang Na Hospital and the Bang Khun Thian Geriatric Hospital. The department also operates the Erawan Medical Centre for emergency medical services.
Department of Planning and Urban Development
The Department of Planning and Urban Development are divided to Secretarial Office, Town Planning Office, Urban Development and Renewal Office, Geo-Informatics Office, Town Planning Control Division, Policy and Planning Division. The department has a duty to planning of the city including planning for the development of specific areas, planning for conservation Rehabilitation and planning for urban development and also an agency for controlling, promoting and inspecting the use of land and buildings.
Navamindradhiraj University
BMA autonomously manages Navamindradhiraj University, of which the
Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital
The Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital ( th, คณะแพทยศาสตร์วชิรพยาบาล) is a medical school located in Bangkok, Thailand. The Faculty has its origin as a medical college, previously known as BMA Medical ...
and
Kuakarun Faculty of Nursing are part.
Krungthep Thanakom
Krungthep Thanakom Company Limited
Bangkok, officially known in 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 estimated population ...
is the BMA's holding company for public investment projects such as the concession for the
BTS Skytrain and a 20 billion baht underground cable project.
Budget
, BMA's annual budget is nearly 80 billion baht.
Criticism
The ''
Bangkok Post
The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...
'' has made the point that, although the city suffers from the "worst
traffic congestion in the world after Mexico City", 37 disparate agencies are responsible for traffic management, planning, and infrastructure. It maintains that the city government panders to personal automobile use. As evidence, it points to the city's plans to construct four new bridges across the
Chao Phraya River, its runaway
air pollution
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different typ ...
, its lack of green space—less than that of any other Asian capital—and its "...obsession with felling trees along Bangkok streets."
See also
*
Provinces of Thailand
The provinces of Thailand are part of the government of Thailand that is divided into 76 provinces ( th, จังหวัด, , ) proper and one special administrative area ( th, เขตปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่น ...
*
Districts of Bangkok
Bangkok is subdivided into 50 districts (''khet'', , , also sometimes wrongly called ''amphoe'' as in the other provinces, derived from Pali ''khetta'', cognate to Sanskrit ''kṣetra''), which are further subdivided into 180 subdistricts (''khwa ...
*
History of Bangkok
The history of the city of Bangkok, in Thailand, dates at least to the early–15th century, when it was under the rule of Ayutthaya. Due to its strategic location near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, the town gradually increased in importan ...
References
External links
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
{{Authority control
Metropolitan Administration
1973 establishments in Thailand