| Kingdom of Thailand Ministry of Interior |
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| กระทรวงมหาดไทย | |
| "The Seal of the Lion" by Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs | |
| Ministry overview | |
| Formed | 1 April 1892 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Thailand |
| Headquarters | Office of the Minister of Interior, Asadang Road, Ratchabophit, Bangkok 10200 |
| Annual budget | 179,373.5 million Baht (2007) |
| Minister responsible | Yongyuth Wichaidit (PT), Minister of Interior |
| Ministry executive | Manit Wattanasen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry |
| Website | |
| www.moi.go.th | |
The Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Thailand (Thai: กระทรวงมหาดไทย; RTGS: Krasuang Mahatthai; Abrv: MOI) is an important Cabinet-level department in the Government of Thailand. The Ministry is given wide ranging responsibilities over many aspects. For example the Ministry has responsibility over: the Royal Thai Police, local administrations, internal security, citizenship, disaster management, land management, issuing national identity cards and public works. The Ministry is also responsible for appointing 74 Governors of the Provinces of Thailand. The Minister of Interior (Thai: รัฐมนตรีกระทรวงมหาดไทย) is the head of the Ministry, he is appointed by the King of Thailand at the advice of the Prime Minister. Since 9 August 2011, the head of the ministry is Deputy Prime Minister and Pheu Thai Party-chairman Yongyuth Wichaidit, succeeding Chaovarat Chanweerakul. He is aided by two Deputy Ministers.
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The Ministry in its present form was founded by King Chulalongkorn (or Rama V) in his reforms of the Siamese government. The ministry was founded on the 1 April 1892, he appointed his brother Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, to be its first "Minister of State". At the time the Ministry was divided into three divisions: the Central Division (Thai: กรมมหาดไทยกลาง), the Northern Division (Thai: กรมมหาดไทยฝ่ายเหนือ) and the Local Administration Division (Thai: กรมพลัมภัง).
Soon Prince Damrong reorganized the workings of the entire Ministry and as a result the entire country. He created the Monthon system, a complete new sub-division for the Kingdom. During this time he and the Ministry took on so much power, that he was considered powerful second only to the King. After King Vajiravudh (or Rama VI) succeeded his father in 1910, the relationship between King and Prince Damrong deteriorated. In 1915 Prince Damrong resigned, officially citing health reasons, though it was an open secret that disagreements with the King were the real reason.
During the Revolution of 1932 (actually, coup d'état), the Minister of Interior was Prince Paripatra Sukhumbhand, who was exiled after the revolution because of his power. From then on the Minister became an appointed position within the Cabinet of Thailand. Most Minister had been a member or retired member of the Police.
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