150th birthday of Prince Damrong

Statue in front of the MOI

Today marks the 150th birthday of Prince Damrong, the first Minister of Interior of Thailand and thus the father of the current administrative system of provinces, districts, subdistrict and villages - only the circles (monthon) have since been abolished. Additional to his contributions to the public administration of Thailand, he was also a renowned historian, author of several books and regular contributor to the Journal of the Siam Society. It is not surprising that he was the first Thai to be have his anniversary associated with the UNESCO in 1962 at his 100th birthday.

In celebration of the 150th birthday, here are some interesting English-language articles or websites about Prince Damrong.

• Bangkok Post "A Prince for all pages" on the Print Damrong library in Varadis palace.
• HiSo magazine Thailand Tatler has an article "Prince Damrong: An Illustrious Life" which includes interview with two of his grandsons.
• The Ministry of Interior still has its commemorative pages on Prince Damrong