Sadao District (Amphoe Sadao)
The small town of Danok (ด่านนอก, ), 13 km south of Sadao town in tambon Samnak Kham is the major border crossing between Thailand and Malaysia. The immigration, customs, quarantine and security checkpoint on the Malaysian side is called the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS checkpoint. A second smaller border crossing is in the district at Padang Besar, 12 km west of Sadao town.
Neighboring districts are (from the west clockwise): Khuan Don and Khuan Kalong of Satun province; Khlong Hoi Khong, Hat Yai, Chana, and Na Thawi of Songkhla Province. Southwest of Sadao's 85 kilometre border with Malaysia are the Malaysian states of Kedah and Perlis.
The district marks the southern end of Phetkasem Road, the longest road in Thailand, which runs from Bangkok via Hat Yai to the border crossing at Danok (Thailand)–Bukit Kayu Hitam (Malaysia). Major roads connect this road with Pattani (intersection at Khlong Ngae) and Padangbesar with the intersection at Sadao town.
Two main border crossings with Malaysia are in the district. The main crossing is at Danok with Bukit Kayu Hitam on the Malaysian side. The crossing is the busiest land border crossing between Thailand and Malaysia. Phetkasem Road is connected to Malaysia's North-South Expressway at this border crossing. Another crossing is at Padangbesar, with the Malaysian town of Padang Besar in Perlis on the Malaysian side. The main railway crossing between Malaysia and Thailand is also at Padang Besar.
The Thai-Malaysian border is porous, with illegal crossing points frequently discovered by authorities.
Map - Sadao District (Amphoe Sadao)
Map
Country - Thailand
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Tai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 11th century. Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer Empire and Malay states ruled the region, competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang, Sukhothai, Lan Na and Ayutthaya, which also rivalled each other. European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya, which became a regional power by the end of the 15th century. Ayutthaya reached its peak during the 18th century, until it was destroyed in the Burmese–Siamese War. Taksin quickly reunified the fragmented territory and established the short-lived Thonburi Kingdom. He was succeeded in 1782 by Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the first monarch of the current Chakri dynasty. Throughout the era of Western imperialism in Asia, Siam remained the only nation in the region to avoid colonization by foreign powers, although it was often forced to make territorial, trade and legal concessions in unequal treaties. The Siamese system of government was centralised and transformed into a modern unitary absolute monarchy in the reign of Chulalongkorn. In World War I, Siam sided with the Allies, a political decision made in order to amend the unequal treaties. Following a bloodless revolution in 1932, it became a constitutional monarchy and changed its official name to Thailand, becoming an ally of Japan in World War II. In the late 1950s, a military coup under Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat revived the monarchy's historically influential role in politics. Thailand became a major ally of the United States, and played an anti-communist role in the region as a member of the failed SEATO, but from 1975 sought to improve relations with Communist China and Thailand's neighbours.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
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THB | Thai baht | ฿ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
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EN | English language |
TH | Thai language |