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Government Ministries

The government's administrative power is divided according to the lines of work into ministries, including the Office of the Prime Minister. No prime minister or minister may be a member of the House of Representatives and a senator simultaneously. After the appointment of the prime minister, a new Cabinet will be formed. The prime minister will submit the names of Cabinet members to His Majesty the King for royal endorsement. The Cabinet comprises not more than 35 members under the 2007 Constitution, who have the duty to carry out the administration of state affairs. If the prime minister is included, the size of the Cabinet will not exceed 36 persons. The 1997 constitution had also stipulated that the Cabinet must have not more than 36 members, including the prime minister. Before taking office, all Cabinet members must take an oath of allegiance and make a solemn declaration before His Majesty the King. They must declare that they will be loyal to His Majesty and will faithfully perform their duties in the interest of the country and the people. Moreover, they will uphold and observe the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand in every respect.

The cabinet is responsible for the administration of the ministries, as well as the Office of the Prime Minister and the Office of State Universities. Each ministry is politically headed by a minister with one or more deputy ministers, all of whom will sit in the cabinet. A number of cabinet committees have been set up consisting of relevant ministers, such as the Cabinet Economic Committee and the Cabinet Social Committee, to coordinate major policies concerned. This development enables the government to ensure that no policy is made that is incompatible with other related ones. The committees may be assigned by the Prime Minister to thoroughly examine the merits of each project or policy for the cabinet so that the latter will not have to go into such details before giving approval or disapproval to that project or policy and spare itself time to consider other matters.

Besides the ministers responsible for each ministry, there are a number of ministers holding the portfolio of "Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office." They take charge of various responsibilities undertaken by this office which in itself ranks as a ministry and is largely concerned with formulating the national policy. One of its primary subdivisions, the Budget Bureau, prepares the nation's annual budget. The National Economic and Social Development Board lays out longer-term development planning. The Juridical Council provides expert assistance in drafting laws and gives ruling on questions concerning administrative law. It remains quite distinct from the Justice Ministry, which administers laws after they are promulgated. The Board of Investment (BoI), which provides incentives for investment, comes under the responsibility of the Prime Minister's Office, with the Prime Minister being the Chairman of the Board. Several other organizations vital to the formulation of national policy such as the National Statistical Office,the Technical and Economic Co-operation Department and the Office of the National Education Commission also fall under the responsibility of the Prime Minister's Office.

At a time when economic growth of the country is one of the highest in the region and the country is in the process of diversifying from agriculture to industry, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce play an important role in the Thai Government. The former's functions include the formulation of manufacturing and mining policy, the licensing of factories and mineral leases, the formulation and supervision of industrial standards, the provision of technical assistance (especially to small-scale industries),and supervision of the Small Industries Finance Office. The Ministry of Commerce regulates external and internal trade. This includes control or supervision of prices for certain strategic commodities such as rice,temporary restraints on a narrow range of imports (in co-operation with the BoI), and the provision of export promotion services.

The Interior Ministry to which all local administrators are attached, is the largest ministry. Its departments include Local Administration, Accelerated Rural Development, Public Works, Town and Country Planning, Public Welfare, Community Development, Land, and Labor. The Police Department, which forms a major part of the Interior Ministry, is one of the largest government ministerial departments. The Police Department is divided into three forces and a number of smaller units. The Metropolitan Police Force is concerned with crime prevention and suppression, traffic control and, through the Police Fire Brigade, with firefighting in the Greater Bangkok Metropolis. The Provincial Police Force is organized into four regional headquarters which operate throughout the rest of the country. The third force is the Border Patrol Police, an elite force established in 1951 to prevent insurgent infiltration and maintain peace and security in border areas. The Police Department also includes the division responsible for matters concerning immigration and visas.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives covers fisheries and forestry as well as farming. Its Co-operatives Promotion Department has gained increasing importance in recent years by providing farmers with opportunities to work together, pool resources, and take advantage of economies of scale.

The Communications Ministry controls aviation, harbors, highways,land transport, post , telegraph and telecommunications (including satellite microwave transmission), and the national meteorological network.

The Education Ministry, in addition to running elementary and secondary schools and teacher training programs, is in charge of Fine Arts and Religious Affairs, the latter being a very important assignment in a country where religion retains a major influence in public affairs.

The Ministries of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Public Health effectively keep pace with accelerating developments in their areas of authority. The head of care civil servants in each ministry is the permanent secretary, who has administrative control over all the departments of the ministry, each of which is headed by a director general, also a career civil servant.

Thailand's 76 provinces include the metropolis of greater Bangkok. Bangkok's governor is popularly elected, but those of the remaining provinces are career civil servants appointed by the Ministry of Interior.