The Parliament House of Thailand ( th, อาคารรัฐสภาไทย) was a building which housed the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
, the legislative branch of the
Government of Thailand
The Government of Thailand, or formally the Royal Thai Government ( Abrv: RTG; th, รัฐบาลไทย, , ), is the unitary government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The country emerged as a modern nation state after the foundation of ...
from 1974 to 2018. The legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of two chambers: the upper house (the
Senate of Thailand
The Senate of Thailand ( th, วุฒิสภา, , ; formerly known as Phruetthasapha ( th, พฤฒสภา, , ) is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, Thailand's legislative branch. In accordance with the 2017 Constitu ...
), and the lower house (the
House of Representatives of Thailand
The House of Representatives ( th, สภาผู้แทนราษฎร; ; ) is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a constitu ...
). The Parliament House of Thailand is in the
Dusit District of the capital, Bangkok. In 2019 the legislature moved into a new building named the
Sappaya-Sapasathan
The Sappaya-Sapasathan ( th, สัปปายะสภาสถาน, , ) is the third and current meeting place of the National Assembly (Thailand), National Assembly of Thailand, the bicameral legislative branch of the Government of Thailand. ...
, which became the new parliament house.
History
![Abhisit in the Thai House of Representatives](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Abhisit_in_the_Thai_House_of_Representatives.jpg)
After the first general election to the National Assembly in 1933, King
Prajadhipok gave the
Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall
The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( th, พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace i ...
to the new legislature. The Throne Hall was previously part of
Dusit Palace
Dusit Palace ( th, พระราชวังดุสิต, RTGS: ''Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit'') is a compound of royal residences in Bangkok, Thailand. Constructed over a large area north of Rattanakosin Island between 1897 and 1901 by King C ...
. Throughout the years the composition of the National Assembly increased and the Throne Hall became too small to accommodate all the members and the parliament's support offices. Three attempts were made to build a new building, however, each failed because the government in power was unseated before a budget could be appropriated. King
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...
appropriated to the National Assembly royal land immediately north of the Throne Hall for the site of the new Parliament House. Construction began on 5 November 1970, with a budget of 51,027,360
baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...
.
Structure
The new Parliament House complex is composed of three buildings:
* The First Building: the Parliament House, has three stories and contains meeting chambers for the National Assembly, shared by both the Senate and the House. It also contains the offices of the President and Vice President of the National Assembly and the deputy presiding officers.
* The Second Building: a seven-story building contains the Secretariat and offices of the National Assembly as well as its printing press.
* The Third Building: a two-story building used as the parliament club with facilities for assembly members.
Parliament House was first used on 19 September 1974, as the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall became once more a part of the Dusit Palace and returned permanently to the Thai monarchy. From then on Parliament House became the primary building used for the National Assembly, only the
State Opening is held in the Throne Hall.
Statue of King Prajadhipok
At the front of the legislative building is a statue of a seated King
Prajadhipok The statue is half life-size. It depicts the king in royal regalia, sitting on the ''Phuttan Kanchanasinghat'' Throne. The
Thai Parliament Museum
The Thai Parliament Museum ( th, พิพิธภัณฑ์รัฐสภา) is a museum within the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Bangkok, dedicated to the politics of Thailand, political history of Thailand after the Siamese revolution of 1932, tra ...
is underneath the statue.
New parliament building
A new 424,000 square metre parliament building, named ''
Sappaya-Sapasathan
The Sappaya-Sapasathan ( th, สัปปายะสภาสถาน, , ) is the third and current meeting place of the National Assembly (Thailand), National Assembly of Thailand, the bicameral legislative branch of the Government of Thailand. ...
'', is due to be inaugurated by the end of 2020.
It was contracted for in 2013 and was scheduled to be opened in 2015. It sits on a bank of the
Chao Phraya River in
Kiakkai, occupying 300,000 m
2 of land. The site of the current parliament building was returned to its previous owner, the Bureau of the Royal Household, at the end of 2018.
Construction of the new building, however, has been delayed for four years. Concurrently, the project budget has ballooned from 14 billion
baht
The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...
to 23 billion baht.
Parliament has levied no penalties on the developer for missing the deadline. As the land where the old parliament building sits has been returned to the
Crown Property Bureau
The Crown Property Bureau (CPB) ( th, สำนักงานทรัพย์สินพระมหากษัตริย์; ) is legally the administrative agency responsible for managing the property of the King of Thailand. It has no ...
, Parliament, starting in May, has been meeting in an auditorium rented from telecom firm
TOT at a cost of 11 million baht per month.
Around February of 2019, the Bureau of the Royal Household began demolishing the remaining buildings and was merged into the area of
Dusit Palace
Dusit Palace ( th, พระราชวังดุสิต, RTGS: ''Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit'') is a compound of royal residences in Bangkok, Thailand. Constructed over a large area north of Rattanakosin Island between 1897 and 1901 by King C ...
.
Gallery
See also
*
National Assembly of Thailand
The National Assembly of Thailand ( Abrv: NAT; th, รัฐสภา, , ) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok.
The National Assembly was establishe ...
– Legislature of Thailand
**
Senate of Thailand
The Senate of Thailand ( th, วุฒิสภา, , ; formerly known as Phruetthasapha ( th, พฤฒสภา, , ) is the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, Thailand's legislative branch. In accordance with the 2017 Constitu ...
**
House of Representatives of Thailand
The House of Representatives ( th, สภาผู้แทนราษฎร; ; ) is the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand, the legislative branch of the Thai government. The system of government of Thailand is that of a constitu ...
*
Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall
The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( th, พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace i ...
– Previous home of the National Assembly
*
Government House of Thailand
Government House ( th, ทำเนียบรัฐบาล; ) refers to the offices of the Prime Minister of Thailand and appointed cabinet ministers. It contains conference rooms and is used for state functions and receptions of foreign gu ...
– Home of the executive branch of the Royal Thai Government
*
Thai Parliament Museum
The Thai Parliament Museum ( th, พิพิธภัณฑ์รัฐสภา) is a museum within the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Bangkok, dedicated to the politics of Thailand, political history of Thailand after the Siamese revolution of 1932, tra ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Parliament of Thailand
Government buildings in Bangkok
Demolished buildings and structures in Bangkok
Dusit district
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 ...
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 ...
Parliament of Thailand