- Tha Ton
Infobox Tambon
name=Tha Ton
thai=ท่าตอน
province=Chiang Mai
district=Mae Ai
area=
population=21,675
population_as_of=2005
density=257.4
geocode=501005
postal_code=50280Tha Ton ( _th. ท่าตอน) is a subdistrict ("
tambon ") of Mae Ai district in the far north ofChiang Mai Province inThailand . The town is situated on theKok River near the border withMyanmar , about a 3-hour drive north of the city ofChiang Mai . The central village of the subdistrict is Ban Tha Ton.History
The river forms part of the border and consequently the village has changed hands numerous times in the turbulent history of the area with the latest change happening in the early 20th century when the border was moved two miles upstream leaving the north bank, previously part of Burma (Myanmar), to Thailand. This part of Thaton, known in Thai as Ban Rom Thai, is inhabited by the
Shan ethnic group. The area around Thaton is populated by various hill tribes including Yao, Lisu, Lahu, Karen andAkha . Thaton is also home to Chinese nationalists forced to further flee from their home-in-exile after the coup in Burma.Administration
The subdistrict is administrated by a
Tambon administrative organization (TAO). It is subdivided into 19 villages ("muban ").Tourism
Thaton is located on the widely travelled tourist route between Chiang Mai and
Chiang Rai . Since the 1970s, riverboat trips between Chiang Rai and Thaton have given foreign tourist as well as native Thais the opportunity to visit remote jungles, observe different ethnic groups, and see theFang Plain , bringing a welcome influx of capital into the local economy. In the 1980s, this trend continued with the building of several small resorts to accommodate tourists.Wat Thaton
The village is overlooked by a striking hilltop Buddhist temple known as Wat Tha Ton. The temple complex includes four huge statues of the Buddha, two in typical Thai style and two showing Chinese influence. One of these, the Standing Buddha, is over 35 feet tall.
External links
* [http://www.maekok-river-village-resort.com/aboutbthaton.html A short description of Ban Tha Ton]
* [http://www.wat-thaton.org/temples/templespge.html History and pictures of Wat Tha Ton temple]
* [http://www.thaitambon.com/tambon/ttambon.asp?ID=501005 Tha Ton at Thaitambon.com] (Thai)
* http://www.tambonthaton.com Website of Tha Ton TAO
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
