Sukhirin ( th, สุคิริน, ) is a district (''

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to count ...

'') in the southern part of

Narathiwat province Narathiwat ( th, นราธิวาส, Malay: Menara) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan ...

southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounde ...

History

''Tambons'' Mamong and Sukhirin were separated from

Waeng district Waeng ( th, แว้ง, ) is the southernmost district (''amphoe'') of Narathiwat province, southern Thailand. History The district dates back to the Tomo District (โต๊ะโมะ), which was a subordinate of ''Mueang'' Ra-ngae. The vill ...

to create the minor district (''

king amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to counti ...

'') Sukhirin on 1 March 1977. The minor district was officially upgraded to a full district on 21 January 1986. Originally, this district was called Pajo and was a status as a minor district that was established in 1931 and dissolved in 1941.Somsak Lampongpan (story) & Nophadol Kunbua (photographs), ขุมทองแห่งขุนเขาที่สุคิริน (Adventure in the gold mine at Sukkhinrin), Osotho, Vol. 60 Issue 2 (September 2019). th, ภาษาไทย Its name "Sukhirin" means "beautiful lush greenery", granted by HRH Princess

Srinagarindra Princess Srinagarindra ( th, ศรีนครินทรา; ; 21 October 1900 – 18 July 1995) née Sangwan Talapat ( th, สังวาลย์ ตะละภัฏ; ) was a member of the Royal Thai Family and the House of Mahidol, whi ...

in 1967, who had the palace here. Which was named after its spectacular topography with a variety of plant species, forest and mountains.

Geography

Sukhirin is a district that embraced by mountains and curtains of fog all year. The abundant area encompasses natural resources, forest, mountain ranges and numerous attractions. Neighboring districts are (from the northwest clockwise): Chanae, Ra-ngae, Su-ngai Padi, Waeng of Narathiwat Province and the states Perak and

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Demographics

In 1963, the Thai government launched the ''Nikhom Sang Ton Eng Pak Tai'' ('self-development community in the south') program to move families from Thailand's northeastern and central provinces to the Sukhirin and Chanae Districts of Narathiwat. A total of 5,633 families were relocated to Narathiwat, where each family was rewarded with 18

rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

of land. In Phukhao Thong today, most inhabitants migrated from the

northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

. They continue to speak

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 prov ...

and are 90% Buddhist in an overwhelmingly Muslim province. , Phukhao Thong residents retain remnants of Isan culture, such as organizing an annual

Rocket Festival The Rocket Festival ( th, ประเพณีบุญบั้งไฟ, translit=Prapheni Bun Bang Fai, lo, ບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ, translit= Bun Bang Fai) is a merit-making ceremony traditionally practiced by ethnic Lao people near ...

(''Bun Bung Fai'') festival and continuing to play traditional Isan musical instruments such as the ''

khene The ''khene'' (; spelled "Can" in English; Lao: ແຄນ; th, แคน, , ; km, គែន - ''Ken''; Vietnamese: ''khèn'') is a Lao mouth organ whose pipes, which are usually made of bamboo, are connected with a small, hollowed-out h ...

'' and ''

phin The phin ( th, พิณ, ) is a type of lute with a pear-shaped body, originating in the Isan region of Thailand and played mostly by ethnic Laotians in Thailand and Laos. It has frets on the neck over which two or three metal strings run that a ...

''.

Administration

The district is divided into five sub-districts (''

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 '' khwaen ...

s''), which are further subdivided into 41 villages ('' mubans''). The township (''

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 ...

'') Sukhirin covers parts of ''tambons'' Sukhirin, Mamong and Kia. There are a further five tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

Economy

Phukhao Thong Subdistrict, bordering Malaysia's Kelantan state, has been a gold mining centre since 1932. Then, the French ''Societe des Mine d'Or de Litcho'' was awarded a 25-year concession to mine for gold in the area. The business was a casualty of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, when in 1941 the company was forced to close. During its nine years of mining in the subdistrict, the company extracted 1,951 kg of gold. The shaft of an old mine still exists. Locals still pan for gold in the Sai Buri River and have made

gold panning Gold panning, or simply ''panning'', is a form of placer mining and traditional mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts especi ...

a pillar of the local tourism initiative to draw tourists to the area.

References

External links

amphoe.com
Districts of Narathiwat province {{Narathiwat-geo-stub