City officials gather in
front of city hall to pay respect to the King Taksin monument, city
founders and ancestors on the 33rd anniversary of the founding of the
city.
Vittaya Yoondorn
Pattaya marked the 33rd anniversary of the founding
of the city with a merit-making ceremony attended by city officials and
residents.
The Nov. 29 ceremony began with honoring the spirit
of King Taksin, who was adopted and honored by the city as its founder,
and other former kings. With a Brahman ceremony at 9:09 a.m., Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome lit candles and incense and led prayers to the city’s
forefathers.
A wreath was also placed around a bust of Parinya
Chawalitdhamrongkul to remember the five-time city council member who
donated 10 rai of land for Pattaya City Hall’s construction on Nov. 23,
1980. Parinya first came to Pattaya in 1948 and helped develop Pattaya,
Naklua, Nongprue and Banglamung as tourist destinations. He passed away
in 2005.
The ceremony was capped off by nine monks who chanted
and recited Dharma inside Pattaya City Hall.
Pattaya’s current status came into being with the
Pattaya City Administration Act of 1978. Before that the area was known
as Naklua Sanitation District, established in 1956, which was expanded
to South Pattaya in 1964 with a manageable area of 22.2 square
kilometers.
As the township grew and became a favorite tourist
destination of Thais and foreigners alike, the former sanitation
district could not manage the administration and services to keep pace
with its growth. The government issued the Pattaya City Administration
Act of 1978, dissolving Naklua Sanitation District and Pattaya City was
born.
The city has been administered under a special
autonomous system of city management since November 29, 1978.
The Constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand B.E.
2540 required that a local administrator and the city council be
elected. The Pattaya Regulations for Administration Act B.E. 1979 was
adopted on November 30, 1979 as the basis for the current city
governance.
