Ministry of Culture (Thailand)

The Ministry of Culture (Abrv: MOC; Thai: กระทรวงวัฒนธรรม, RTGS: Krasuang Watthanatham) is a Thai government body responsible for the oversight of culture, religion, and art in Thailand. Its FY2019 budget is 8,209.4 million baht.^[1]: 89

Ministry of Culture

กระทรวงวัฒนธรรม
Seal of the Illumed Baldachin
Ministry overview
Formed	12 March 1952 (first established) 3 October 2002 (re-established)
Preceding Ministry	Ministry of Culture (1952–1958)
Jurisdiction	Government of Thailand
Headquarters	Huai Khwang, Bangkok
Annual budget	8,209.4 million baht (FY2019)
Minister responsible	Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, Minister
Ministry executive	Yupha Taweewattanakitborvon, Permanent Secretary
Website	www.m-culture.go.th/en

The current minister in charge is Mr Sermsak Pongpanit of Pheu Thai party since 1 September 2023. ^[2]

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 (MOE). In 2002, it was re-established as the Ministry of Culture.^[3]

In July 2019, Itthiphol Khunpluem, a former mayor of Pattaya, was appointed Minister of Culture.^[4][5]

Departmental organisation

• Office of the Minister
• Office of the Permanent Secretary
• Provincial Cultural Office
• Religion Affairs Department
• Fine Arts Department
  • National Library of Thailand
  • National Archives of Thailand is a Thai government agency under Fine Arts Department, established in 1916 (B.E. 2459) as a section of National Library of Thailand. 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
• Thai Film Archive
• 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.^[6] In 2015 the ministry's Fine Arts Department published History of the Thai Nation (Thai: ประวัติศาสตร์ชาติไทย; RTGS: prawat sat chat thai) at the order of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).^[7] The NCPO wanted a new history book covering the past 400 years to foster "national reconciliation". The book was written in two months.^[8] 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."^[7] 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."^[9] 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. Twenty copies autographed by Prayut were sold at the launch.^[8] In November 2017, the prime minister ordered the Fine Arts Department to send 100 copies of the book to each of Thailand's provinces.^[9] 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 [if not corrected]."^[9] The culture ministry plans to translate the book to English for distribution to Thai embassies worldwide.^[8]

See also

• Cabinet of Thailand
• List of Government Ministers of Thailand
• Government of Thailand

References

1. "Thailand's Budget in Brief Fiscal Year 2019". Bureau of the Budget. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
2. "The New Srettha Thavisin Cabinet Is Royally Appointed". Khaosod English. 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
3. "History". Ministry of Culture (Thailand) (MOC). 2017-05-23. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
4. Phataranawik, Phatarawadee (16 July 2019). "New culture minister urged to abandon propaganda focus". The Nation. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
5. "Phiphat tops NACC wealth list". Bangkok Post. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
6. "Thai junta history book claims it established 'true democracy'". Asian Correspondent. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
7. "New history textbook claims NCPO established true Thai democracy". Pratchatai English. 2018-04-18. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
8. Phataranawik, Phatarawadee (2018-04-29). "Writing and Rewriting History". The Nation. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
9. Kongrut, Anchalee (19 April 2018). "Activist: 'Prayut as democracy hero' book a lie". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 20 April 2018.