Tha Ton
Encyclopedia
Tha Ton is a subdistrict (tambon
) of Mae Ai district
in the far north of Chiang Mai Province
in Thailand
. The town is situated on the Kok River
near the border with Myanmar
, about a 3-hour drive north of the city of Chiang Mai
. The central village of the subdistrict is Ban Tha Ton.
, Lisu, Lahu
, Karen
and Akha. Thaton is also home to Chinese nationalists forced to further flee from their home-in-exile after the coup in Burma.
).
. Since the 1970s, riverboat trips between Chiang Rai and Thaton have given foreign tourist as well as native Thais
the opportunity to visit remote jungles, observe different ethnic groups, and see the Fang Plain, bringing a welcome influx of capital into the local economy. In the 1980s, this trend continued with the building of several small resorts to accommodate tourists.
Tambon
Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...
) of Mae Ai district
Amphoe Mae Ai
Mae Ai is the northernmost district of Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand.-History:The minor district Mae Ai was created on August 15, 1967, when the three tambon Mae Ai, Mae Sao and Mae Na Wang were separated from Fang district...
in the far north of Chiang Mai Province
Chiang Mai Province
Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son. In the north it borders Shan State of Burma...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The town is situated on the Kok River
Kok River
The Kok River originates in Shan State, Burma. It flows down and across the Burma-Thailand border to Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai Province, passing under Phahonyothin Road. Most of its length is in Chiang Rai Province passing the districts Mueang Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, Chiang Saen and Wiang Chai. It...
near the border with Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, about a 3-hour drive north of the city of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
. The central village of the subdistrict is Ban Tha Ton.
History
The river forms part of the border and consequently the village has changed hands numerous times in the turbulent history of the area with the latest change happening in the early 20th century when the border was moved two miles upstream leaving the north bank, previously part of Burma (Myanmar), to Thailand. This part of Thaton, known in Thai as Ban Rom Thai, is inhabited by the Shan ethnic group. The area around Thaton is populated by various hill tribes including YaoYao people
The Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
, Lisu, Lahu
Lahu people
The Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
, Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
and Akha. Thaton is also home to Chinese nationalists forced to further flee from their home-in-exile after the coup in Burma.
Administration
The subdistrict is administrated by a Tambon administrative organization (TAO). It is subdivided into 19 villages (mubanMuban
Muban is the lowest administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as village, they are the subdivision of tambon. As of 2008, there are 74944 administrative villages in Thailand. As of the 1990 census, the average village consisted of 144 households or 746 persons.A muban does not...
).
Tourism
Thaton is located on the widely travelled tourist route between Chiang Mai and Chiang RaiChiang Rai
-Demographics:Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699...
. Since the 1970s, riverboat trips between Chiang Rai and Thaton have given foreign tourist as well as native Thais
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
the opportunity to visit remote jungles, observe different ethnic groups, and see the Fang Plain, bringing a welcome influx of capital into the local economy. In the 1980s, this trend continued with the building of several small resorts to accommodate tourists.