Kamnan
A kamnan (Thai: กำนัน) is a Thai governing official at the tambon (subdistrict) level. It is usually translated as "subdistrict headman".
The position of a kamnan was introduced with the thesaphiban administrative reforms at the end of the 19th century, first enacted in 1892. One of the village elders of the muban. The kamnan was chosen or elected among the village elders (phu yai ban) of the villages within the tambon. It was originally a lifetime post. Their main task was to implement the policies from the higher administrative levels, and being the main point of contact for the people in their area.
Being a very centralized state, it took till the 1990s to have the local administration given more focus. With the Tambon Council and Tambon Administrative Authority Act BE 2537 (1994)[1] and later the 1997 constitution the Tambon Administrative Organizations (TAO) were created as new local administrative units. During a grace period the Kamnan were member of the TAO. Also the lifetime term was changed to a five-year term.
See also
- Somchai Khunpluem ("Kamnan Poh")
Sources
Chaiyan Rajchagool. "Tambon Administration Organization: Are the people in the dramatis personae or in the audience?".