[StampNews]

Mae Hong Son poorest province
The Nation, 12th June 2007

Samut Prakan reported the highest average annual income per head from provinces outside Bangkok, while Mae Hong Son was the poorest in a survey by the Interior Ministry's Community Development Department.

The 2007 survey found that the average annual income in Samut Prakan was Bt65,966 per year - more than twice the average of Bt30,230 in Mae Hong Son, the department's deputy director-general, Jarupong Poldej, said yesterday.

Pathum Thani ranked second with average annual income of Bt65,229, followed by Chanthaburi with Bt64,176, Nonthaburi with Bt57,843, and Kamphaeng Phet with Bt56,442.

Jarupong said the high level of income in Samut Prakan was due to its proximity to Bangkok, advanced infrastructure that supported business and jobs, and each household having two to three income earners. Mae Hong Son, in contrast, was a mountainous area with a large proportion of minorities such as hilltribes, and the main work was agricultural.

He said the Interior Ministry would ask provincial governors soon to draw up schemes to raise the income of more than half of residents currently below the poverty line so they can earn the minimum acceptable level of Bt23,000 per head per year.

He said 43 per cent of the 37,494 households in Mae Hong Son had members with the incomes lower than Bt23,000 per year, followed by Lamphun, where the breadwinners in 25 per cent of the 73,861 households had annual incomes less than Bt23,000. Nonthaburi province was the most well off in this regard, with only 135 households reporting earning members with incomes below Bt23,000, he said.

[infollafago]

I was once asked exactly the same question by my former students. After being a little stumped they replied:

"Kampaeng Phet"

A bit of a corny joke, Kampaeng Phet translates as the province of the 'Wall of Diamonds'.

[ibiDb4uu]

Kampaeng Phet , a massive province, cover's the weathly and the poor. As well as the in between. Been thru many part's of this , sort of, no man's land. Only recently developed. Many area's do not have paved roads nor do the people have electricity. Part's of the province border burma. Great swimmilng at the mountain spring area. Resort's are planned in the near future. My wife and I have a place there with some land we bought long ago.

[StampNews]

What is perhaps more surprising is that the figure quoted as the highest average wage is only just above minimum wage. Which I think is about 198 baht per day at the moment. As office managers would be getting at least 1,000 baht per day, that means there must be a lot of people trying to survive on a salary way below minimum wage.

[DoniandaCoado]

I am surprised at these results.

My wife is forever telling me that her province of Nakhon Si Thammarrat is the poorest in Thailand. On reflection why I am surprised she said that...

I am also surprised that Phuket, Phang Na and Krabi are not mentioned at the top of the list. In Phuket you will see any number of Mercs, BMWs etc. there are even a few Porsches and Ferraris around, all of the above being driven by Thais.

Maybe the survey was for people of that province (having a tabien bahn) whilst many, many workers here are from outside of Phuket? Unfortunately the Nation doesn't publish any of the criteria used.

I know that my bartenders earn more than the average of Samut Prakan and I know they are only paid an average wage for Karon. As for the cashier........