Ban Pong district is hilly in the western part of the district, while the eastern part is a floodplain with the Mae Klong River running through the city centre, connecting the city to the Gulf of Thailand.
The Mon people settled in the Ban Pong area about four centuries ago. The Mon communities have maintained some of their traditions and have built their own Buddhist temples.[2]
Two great fires occurred in Ban Pong, razing the town centre: one in 1936 and the other in 1954. The town was rebuilt in the square-grid design then fashionable, with a fountain to the south and a clock tower to the north.
Memorial stone at Nong Pladuk as the starting point of the Burma Railway
During the Japanese-directed construction of the Burma Railway in World War II Nong Pladuk was the site of one of the Japanese POW camps where numerous British, Dutch and allied troops arrived.[4]
Camp Nong Pladuk was initially used as a transit camp from where the prisoners were transported or had to walk to work camps along the Burma Railway. Later Nong Pladuk was used a revalidation camp.[5] During World War II, 23,289 British, 12,329 Dutch, 4,708 Australian, 482 American, and 7,030 undetermined soldiers passed through Camp Nong Pladuk.[6][7][8]
Economy
As a result of high investment and fast economic development in the past decades, the town stands as one with the highest GDP per capita in western Thailand, well above national average. It is also experiencing de-industrialisation of labour-intensive industries such as canning and sugar refining. There is a large abandoned canning factory in Ban Pong town. The town is now experiencing a boom in more highly skilled industries such as auto parts, petrochemical, and food industries, with more than 70 percent of Thai buses and coaches manufactured in Ban Pong. The biggest paper making complex in Thailand lies north of the town.
As of June 2014, the National Statistics Bureau reported Ban Pong's annual GDP per capita (nominal) at US$9,623 and its annual GDP per capita (PPP) at US$24,000 compared with Thailand's US$5,675 and US$14,136 respectively.[citation needed]
Ban Pong is also the centre of a large pet market especially ornamental fish. There are more than 20,000 fish culture farmers, which is also the largest in southeast Asia.[9]
Sights
West of the town Ban Pong is Wat Muang, a centre of the Mon community.[10] There is also a large Roman Catholic church building and a large Buddhist temple.
Administration
Banpong Municipality Office Building
The district is divided into 15 sub-districts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 182 villages (mubans). Ban Pong itself is a town (thesaban mueang) which encompasses tambon Ban Pong. Another town in the district is Tha Pha (Thai: เทศบาลเมืองท่าผา) whose administrative area covers the entire subdistrict Tha Pha and parts of Pak Raet.
There are a further four townships (thesaban tambons) including:
1. Krachap (Thai: เทศบาลตำบลกระจับ) covers parts of Nong O and Don Krabueang
2. Huai Krabok (Thai: เทศบาลตำบลห้วยกระบอก) covers parts of Krap Yai
