Thailand’s Ministry of Culture

In 2002, the Ministry of Culture was re-established according to the new structure of the Thai government with the jurisdiction over the following departments:

• Office of the Minister
• Office of the Permanent Secretary
• Department of Fine Arts
• Office of the National Culture Commission
• Office of the Contemporary Art and Culture

The main mandate of the Ministry of Culture is to protect, sustain, enhance, disseminate, and promote the religious, art and cultural affairs of the nation, and thus contribute to maintaining the ultimate symbols of Thai social values i.e. nation, religion and monarchy.

It also encourages all the Thai citizens to be aware of and take pride in their own cultural roots through the development of learning resources both at local and national levels e.g. world cultural heritage sites of Thailand (Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Ban Chiang), historical parks, national museums, national libraries and cultural centres.

Other major duties include the building of cultural network both at the national and international levels along with the development of cultural vigilance.