Ministry of Culture (Thailand)
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The Ministry of Culture ( Abrv: MOC; th, กระทรวงวัฒนธรรม, ), is a Thai government body responsible for the oversight of
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
,
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
, and
art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
in Thailand. Its FY2019 budget is 8,209.4 million
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 ...
.


History

The Division of Culture was established in 1938 under the Department of Fine Arts. In 1952 it became the Ministry of Culture with the Department of Fine Arts as a subordinate agency. In 1958 it was renamed the Division of Culture and placed under the aegis of the
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
(MOE). In 2002, it was re-established as the Ministry of Culture. In July 2019,
Itthiphol Khunpluem Itthiphol Khunpluem ( th, อิทธิพล คุณปลื้ม; born 15 December 1973) is a Thai politician. he serves as Minister of Culture in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Early life and education Itthi ...
, a former mayor of
Pattaya Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi province, Chonburi. Pattaya City ( ...
, was appointed Minister of Culture.


Departmental organisation

* Office of the Minister * Office of the Permanent Secretary *Provincial Cultural Office *Religion Affairs Department *
Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...
**
National Library of Thailand The National Library of Thailand ( th, หอสมุดแห่งชาติ) is the legal depositary and copyright library for Thailand. It was officially established on 12 October 1905, after the merger of the three existing royal librar ...
**
National Archives of Thailand The National Archives of Thailand (NAT) ( th, สำนักหอจดหมายเหตุแห่งชาติ; ) is a Thai government agency under the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture. It was established in 1916 (B.E.2 ...
is a Thai government agency under Fine Arts Department, established in 1916 (B.E. 2459) as a section of
National Library of Thailand The National Library of Thailand ( th, หอสมุดแห่งชาติ) is the legal depositary and copyright library for Thailand. It was officially established on 12 October 1905, after the merger of the three existing royal librar ...
. It has functioned as a division of the Fine Arts department since 1952 (B.E. 2495). ** Performing Arts Office *Department of Cultural Promotion :*Film Censorship Board (FCB) *Office of Contemporary Art and Culture *Bunditpatanasilpa Institute


Associated organizations

*
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre (SAC) ( th, ศูนย์มานุษยวิทยาสิรินธร) is an academic institution under the Ministry of Culture in Taling Chan District, Bangkok, Thailand, established ...
*
Thai Film Archive The Film Archive (Public Organization) (FA; th, หอภาพยนตร์ (องค์การมหาชน)), also commonly referred to as the Thai Film Archive (TFA), is a film archive in Thailand. It was established in 1984 as the Na ...
*Moral Promotion Center *Office of Media Fund


''History of the Thai Nation''

Thailand's military junta was criticized for a history textbook it ordered written by the Fine Arts Department of the ministry. The book, ''History of the Thai Nation'', claims that the military has established "true democracy" in Thailand and has eliminated corruption. In 2015 the ministry's Fine Arts Department published ''History of the Thai Nation'' ( th, ประวัติศาสตร์ชาติไทย; ) at the order of the
National Council for Peace and Order The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO; th, คณะรักษาความสงบแห่งชาติ; ; abbreviated ( th, คสช.; )) was the military junta that ruled Thailand between its 2014 Thai coup d'état on 22 M ...
(NCPO). The NCPO wanted a new history book covering the past 400 years to foster "national reconciliation". The book was written in two months. On page 195, the text reads, "Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as Prime Minister has carried out a policy of reforming the country, reforming politics to be truly a democracy, eliminating corruption and using moral principles to lead the country to be truly a democracy." On page 197 it goes on to say, "After the coup d'etat, Gen Prayut became prime minister. He has tried to develop the country and reform Thai politics into a real democracy. Gen Prayut has used moral principles and stamped out corruption to return democracy to the country." The book maintains that the NCPO was forced to stage the 2014 coup to end the political chaos caused by the civilian government of the time. Ten thousand copies of the book were published at a cost of one million
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 ...
. Twenty copies autographed by Prayut were sold at the launch. In November 2017, the prime minister ordered the Fine Arts Department to send 100 copies of the book to each of Thailand's provinces. A leading critic of the junta charged that, "The content of the book is misleading and it will lead to the distortion of the country's history f not corrected" The culture ministry plans to translate the book to English for distribution to Thai embassies worldwide.


See also

*
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 ...
*
List of Government Ministers of Thailand The Government Ministries of Thailand ( th, กระทรวง: Krasuang) are the government agencies that compose the executive branch of the Government of Thailand. Each ministry is headed by a minister of state ( th, รัฐมนตร ...
*
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 ...


References

{{authority control
Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
Thai culture Religion in Thailand Arts in Thailand
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 ...