What role does a governor of a province in Thailand actually have? How much power do they hold?

[charliechoc]

2 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Local governments elections, not for governor.

what role are they applying for then? I thought it would be governor?

[skatewash]

17 minutes ago, charliechoc said:

so why are there trucks driving around my city advertising the candidates and pics of these guys by the side of the road. And an ad for the date of the election. We do not live in bkk or pattaya!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Thailand#Local_Administration

Edited May 22, 2021 by skatewash

[smutcakes]

In short and i have not read the previous reply. They hold huge power because they are needed by Prayuth to form the Government and they hold lots of MP's in their hand. Essentially they can do what they want especially the bigger provinces like Buriram and the central Government can do nothing. Not that they care about corruption. Chidchob and his cronies have held the transport ministry for 20 years or so, despite that none of them have any experience in transport related matters. They hold it for one reason and one reason only.

[skatewash]

1 minute ago, smutcakes said:

In short and i have not read the previous reply. They hold huge power because they are needed by Prayuth to form the Government and they hold lots of MP's in their hand. Essentially they can do what they want especially the bigger provinces like Buriram and the central Government can do nothing. Not that they care about corruption. Chidchob and his cronies have held the transport ministry for 20 years or so, despite that none of them have any experience in transport related matters. They hold it for one reason and one reason only.

Read the previous replies ????

[smutcakes]

1 hour ago, skatewash said:

Read the previous replies ????

 

They can be appointed by the Govt (Which Newin party is critical part of), but no appointed person is going to Buriram without say so of Newin and no one in Buriram appointed by the MOI or anyone else is doing anything in Buriram without his say so.

[Damrongsak]

On 5/20/2021 at 2:11 AM, orchis said:

they are traditionally appointed by the Minister of the Interior. The Bangkok governor is elected, though.

From Wiki:  The ministry is responsible for appointing the 76 governors of the Provinces of Thailand. The Minister of Interior (Thai: รัฐมนตรีกระทรวงมหาดไทย) is the head of the ministry. He is appointed by the King of Thailand on the recommendation of the prime minister. Since 30 August 2014, the head of the ministry has been retired General Anupong Paochinda.

 

Anupong was Commander-in-Chief of the Army just before Prayut.  And he was a member of the group that staged the 2006 Thai coup d'état.  He was appointed Interior Minister after the 2014 coup. 

 

Suthipong Juljarern, director-general of the Department of Community Development (DoCD), has just  been promoted to Interior Permanent Secretary and there has been a bit of Governor shuffling.  In the record of assets Mr Suthipong and his wife, Wandee Khunchornyakong Juljarern, declared to the NACC, they own 10.2 billion baht worth of assets between them with no debt. 

 

Busy boys.

[Gandtee]

4 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

From Wiki:  The ministry is responsible for appointing the 76 governors of the Provinces of Thailand. The Minister of Interior (Thai: รัฐมนตรีกระทรวงมหาดไทย) is the head of the ministry. He is appointed by the King of Thailand on the recommendation of the prime minister. Since 30 August 2014, the head of the ministry has been retired General Anupong Paochinda.

 

Anupong was Commander-in-Chief of the Army just before Prayut.  And he was a member of the group that staged the 2006 Thai coup d'état.  He was appointed Interior Minister after the 2014 coup. 

 

Suthipong Juljarern, director-general of the Department of Community Development (DoCD), has just  been promoted to Interior Permanent Secretary and there has been a bit of Governor shuffling.  In the record of assets Mr Suthipong and his wife, Wandee Khunchornyakong Juljarern, declared to the NACC, they own 10.2 billion baht worth of assets between them with no debt. 

 

Busy boys.

What is the salary of Director General of the Department of Community Development?????

[Damrongsak]

15 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

What is the salary of Director General of the Department of Community Development?????

Probably just enough to hire accountants to disappear all the other money.  Cost of doing monkey business.

[Thunglom]

On 5/20/2021 at 7:06 AM, charliechoc said:

How is this viable? If they are voted into office in x province (by the people) and then they are moved to y province. How can this be legal?

They are appointed by the ministry of the interior.

They are very powerful - Thailand has left a lot of covid precautions up to individual provinces ......

Provinces are divided into districts and subdivided into sub-districts. Local autonomous governments have both directly elected councils and mayors at their head. However, they still placed under the control and supervision of provincial governors, district officers and the Minister of the Interior, who all along have the authority to approve their annual budget plans and local regulations, dissolve local councils, and dismiss local councilors.

 

I believe also that a vast part of provincial funding is from central government. Up til now Bangkok (which has an "elected governor) has received the lion's share of government spending.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Thunglom

[Thunglom]

On 5/20/2021 at 7:07 AM, BritManToo said:

Most are appointed directly by the government.

It was different before the Prayut military government took over, so your experiences of 10 years ago are not relevant.

apart from Bkk and Pattaya they are all appointed by government and always have been. (since th 1930s). There have been "co-directors" that were elected under Thaksin. Not sure if that was stopped by the junta.