Aranyaprathet District

Aranyaprathet District (Thai: อรัญประเทศ) is a district (amphoe) in Sa Kaeo Province in Thailand. It borders Cambodia to the east.

Aranyaprathet อรัญประเทศ
Amphoe
Boundary at Aranyaprathet
Amphoe location in Sa Kaeo Province
Coordinates: 13°42′3″N 102°30′42″E / 13.70083°N 102.51167°ECoordinates: 13°42′3″N 102°30′42″E / 13.70083°N 102.51167°E
Country	Thailand
Province	Sa Kaeo
Seat	Ban Mai Nong Sai
Area
• Total	821.265 km^2 (317.092 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	86,103
• Density	101.3/km^2 (262/sq mi)
Time zone	ICT (UTC+7)
Geocode	2706

Economy

Until the Khmer Rouge disrupted neighbouring Cambodia in 1975, Aranyaprathet was a stop on the railroad connecting Bangkok with the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Aranyaprathet maintains its rail link with Bangkok but Poipet, the neighbouring Cambodian town, is still yet to see any rail activity since the Khmer Rouge destroyed the track.

Southeast of central Aranyaprathet, 6 km away, is the busiest border crossing between Cambodia and Thailand. In addition to being on a major trade route, the border sees much tourist activity as it is on the road between Bangkok and Siem Reap, the town nearest Angkor Wat.

Aran, as the town is known in Thailand, has been affected by the growth of the gambling industry in Poipet. Despite gambling being illegal in both Thailand and Cambodia, the Cambodian government has granted concessions for casinos to be built at many of its land crossings. Cambodians are not permitted to gamble in the casinos. Poipet's proximity to Bangkok (3-5 hrs by road) has made it the most popular of these border casino areas. It now hosts seven casinos.

History

Aranyaprathet was originally a district within the province Kabin Buri. On 1 April 1926 the province was abolished and the two districts Mueang Kabin Buri and Aranyapathret became districts of Prachinburi Province.^[1] In 1993 it was one of the districts which formed the new Sa Kaeo Province.

Administration

The district Aranyaprathet is divided into 13 sub-districts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 114 administrative villages (Muban).

No.	Name	Thai	Villages	Pop.[2]
01.	Aranyaprathet	อรัญประเทศ	-	16,211
02.	Mueang Phai	เมืองไผ่	08	04,307
03.	Han Sai	หันทราย	10	05,644
04.	Khlong Nam Sai	คลองน้ำใส	12	05,432
05.	Tha Kham	ท่าข้าม	11	04,845
06.	Pa Rai	ป่าไร่	09	06,338
07.	Thap Phrik	ทับพริก	07	03,658
08.	Ban Mai Nong Sai	บ้านใหม่หนองไทร	08	09,634
09.	Phan Suek	ผ่านศึก	13	06,592
10.	Nong Sang	หนองสังข์	08	07,009
11.	Khlong Thap Chan	คลองทับจันทร์	10	04,713
12.	Fak Huai	ฟากห้วย	11	06,940
13.	Ban Dan	บ้านด่าน	07	04,780

References

1. ประกาศ เรื่อง ยุบจังหวัดกบินทร์บุรีลงเป็นอำเภอขึ้นจังหวัดปราจีน (PDF). Royal Gazette (in Thai) 42 (0 ก): 430–431. March 31, 1926.
2. "Population statistics 2014" (in Thai). Department of Provincial Administration. Retrieved 2015-05-11.