Mae Sai District

Mae Sai แม่สาย
—  Amphoe  —
Amphoe location in Chiang Rai Province
Coordinates: 20°25′41″N 99°53′1″E / 20.42806°N 99.88361°E / 20.42806; 99.88361Coordinates: 20°25′41″N 99°53′1″E / 20.42806°N 99.88361°E / 20.42806; 99.88361
Country	Thailand
Province	Chiang Rai
Seat	Mae Sai
Tambon
Muban
Amphoe established
Area
- Total	285.0 km2 (110 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	86,298
- Density	302.8/km2 (784.2/sq mi)
Time zone	THA (UTC+7)
Postal code	57130
Geocode	5709

Mae Sai (Thai: แม่สาย, pronounced [mɛ̂ː sǎːj]; 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.

Geography

Burma-Thailand bridge in Mae Sai

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.

History

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.^[1] The area was upgraded to a full district on May 1 1950.^[2]

Administration

District office

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

The geocode 7 is not used.

References

1. ^ "ประกาศกระทรวงมหาดไทย เรื่อง ตั้งกิ่งอำเภอแม่สาย ขึ้นอำเภอเชียงแสน จังหวัดเชียงราย" (in Thai). Royal Gazette 55 (0 ง): 3873. February 20 1939. http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2481/D/3873.PDF. 
2. ^ "ประกาศสำนักนายกรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง ยกฐานะกิ่งอำเภอแม่สาย อำเภอแม่จัน จังหวัดเชียงราย ขึ้นเป็นอำเภอ" (in Thai). Royal Gazette 67 (20 ง): 1433. April 11 1950. http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2493/D/020/1433.PDF. 

External links

• amphoe.com (Thai)
• http://www.maesai.go.th Website of Mae Sai township (Thai)