22 Palang Pracharath MPs seek to upgrade two districts into provinces

A group comprising 22 Palang Pracharath Party MPs has submitted a motion asking for a special House panel to study the prospects of turning two districts into provinces.

One of the districts is in the Northeast and the other is in the South.
The motion, scheduled to be put on the House agenda on Thursday, proposes the setting up of a special House panel to study if Sakon Nakhon’s Sawang Daen Ding and Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Thung Song can be turned into provinces.

The motion was sponsored by Palang Pracharath’s Sakon Nakhon MP Chaimongkol Chairop and Nakhon Si Thammarat MP Sutham Jaritngam and endorsed by 20 other party MPs.

The motion reasoned that the two districts are too far from the provincial seat or Muang district, making it tough for locals to receive necessary services, so they should be upgraded to provincial status.

This way, they said, residents can be provided with government services.

The motion noted that Sawang Daen Din has cultural, historical and tourism significance and falls into the category of being recognised as a province. It also said that Sawang Daen Din was initially Phumidol Sawang Town set up by King Rama IV in 1863 before becoming a Sakon Nakhon district.

As for Thung Song district, the motion said it was the second most developed district in Nakhon Si Thammarat after Muang district. It also noted that Thung Song is geographically in the centre of the South and can easily serve as a railway or road hub. Plus, it played a significant role during the reign of King Maha Thammarachathirat II (1733-1759) in the Ayutthaya period.