Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The History and Information of Maesai

Mae Sai (Shan: မႄႈသၢႆ) is the northernmost district (amphoe) of Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand. The town of Mae Sai is a major border crossing between Thailand and Burma. Asian Highway Network AH2 (Thailand Route 1 or Phahonyothin Road) crosses the Mae Sai River to the town Tachileik in Burma.
One-day passes for non-Burmese nationals crossing into Burma are issued at Burma customs in Tachileik. Passports are confiscated and a temporary travel permit is issued; the permit is exchanged for the traveler's passport upon crossing back into Thailand.

Neighboring districts are (from the east clockwise) Chiang Saen, Mae Chan and Mae Fa Luang. To the north is Myanmar, separated by the Mae Sai River and the Ruak River. The westernmost part of the district contains several hills, the most important one is the Doi Tung with the Wat Phra That Doi Tung temple on top.

The minor district (King Amphoe) Mae Sai was created on March 1 1939, when the two tambon Mae Sai and Pong Pha were split off from Chiang Saen district. The area was upgraded to a full district on May 1 1950.

The district is subdivided into 8 subdistricts (tambon), which in turn are further subdivided into 92 villages (muban). There are two subdistrict municipalities (thesaban tambon) within the district - Mai Sai itself covering parts of the tambon Mae Sai and Wiang Phang Kham, and Huai Khrai covering parts of the tambon Huai Khrai. There are further 8 Tambon administrative organizations (TAO).
No. Name Thai name Villages Inh.     
1. Mae Sai แม่สาย 14 21,697
2. Huai Khrai ห้วยไคร้ 11 7,609
3. Ko Chang เกาะช้าง 13 9,964
4. Pong Pha โป่งผา 12 8,348
5. Si Mueang Chum ศรีเมืองชุม 9 5,090
6. Wiang Phang Kham เวียงพางคำ 13 19,945
8. Ban Dai บ้านด้าย 8 4,117
9. Pong Ngam โป่งงาม 12 9,528

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