Sa Kaeo Province


Sa Kaeo is one of Thailand's seventy-six province lies in eastern Thailand about 200 km from Bangkok. Neighboring provinces are Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Prachinburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Buriram. To the east it borders Banteay Meanchey and Battambang of Cambodia.

History

Sa Kaeo became a province in 1993, when the six districts Sa Kaeo, Khlong Hat, Wang Nam Yen, Aranyaprathet, Ta Phraya, and Watthana Nakhon of Prachinburi were elevated to provincial status. It is thus one of the four newest provinces of Thailand, together with Amnat Charoen, Nong Bua Lam Phu, and most recently, Bueng Kan.
The province is overwhelmingly Theravada Buddhist.
In 1979 Sa Kaeo Refugee Camp was established northwest of Sa Kaeo town. It closed in 1989, but the legacy of the border clashes of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s is ever present. The largest land mine field in the world was planted along the Thai-Cambodia border according to some experts. Almost 4,000 people have been injured or killed by landmines in Thailand since the border battles—19 persons in 2017 alone. According to a survey conducted in 2001, 27 of Thailand's 76 provinces were plagued with land mines, impacting more than 530 communities and some 500,000 people. Thailand still has approximately 409 km2 of mined area to clear scattered around the country. With an annual clearance rate of about one km2 between 2011 and 2015 the problem will not soon disappear.

Geography

The north of the province is covered with the forested mountains of the Sankamphaeng Range and the Dangrek Mountains. To the south are the foothills of the Cardamom Mountains, which are mostly deforested.
Two national parks are found in the province: Pang Sida National Park was established in 1982, Ta Phraya National Park in 1996.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows the sun rising over archaeological ruins, Prasart Kao Noi Si Chom Poo, an important Khmer temple. The rising sun symbolizes the location of the province in the east. In the front is a Buddha image in a pond with lotus flowers.
Provincial tree is Phyllanthus emblica. The provincial flower is the Orange Jessamine.
The provincial slogan is The frontier of the east, beautiful forests and splendid waterfalls, plenty of ancient civilisations, and the commercial venue between Thailand and Cambodia.

Administrative divisions

Provincial government

Sa Kaeo is divided into nine districts. The districts are further divided into 59 subdistricts and 619 villages.

Local government

As of 26 November 2019 there are: one Sa Kaeo Provincial Administration Organisation and 16 municipal areas in the province. Sa Kaeo, Aranyaprathet and Wang Nam Yen have town status. Further 13 subdistrict municipalities. The non-municipal areas are administered by 49 Subdistrict Administrative Organisations - SAO.

Human achievement index 2017

Since 2003, United Nations Development Programme in Thailand has tracked progress on human development at sub-national level using the Human achievement index, a composite index covering all the eight key areas of human development. National Economic and Social Development Board has taken over this task since 2017.