Ban Dung บ้านดุง | |
|---|---|
 Shrine in Sri Sut Tho | |
| Motto: เจ้าปู่ศรีสุทโธรวมศรัทธา ตำนานแดนนาคาคำชะโนด รุ่งโรจน์อุตสาหกรรมเกลือ ถิ่นเชื้อคนดีคุณธรรม สืบสานหัตถกรรมศูนย์ศิลปาชีพ วิทยุข้ามทวีป I.B.B. | |
 District location inUdon Thani province | |
| Coordinates:17°42′4″N103°15′35″E / 17.70111°N 103.25972°E /17.70111; 103.25972 | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Province | Udon Thani |
| Tambon | 13 |
| Muban | 159 |
| District established | 1959 |
| Government | |
| • District head officer | Paitoon Chitsuttipon (นายไพฑูรย์ จิตต์สุทธิผล) |
| Area | |
• Total | 923.768 km2 (356.669 sq mi) |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 124,812 |
| • Density | 133.2/km2 (345/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (ICT) |
| Postal code | 41190 |
| Geocode | 4111 |
Ban Dung (Thai:บ้านดุง,pronounced[bâːndūŋ]) is a district (amphoe) in northeasternUdon Thani province,Isan,Thailand.
Neighbouring districts are (from the south clockwise)Thung Fon,Phibun Rak,Phen, andSang Khom of Udon Thani province,Phon Phisai andFao Rai ofNong Khai province, andBan Muang,Charoen Sin, andSawang Daen Din ofSakon Nakhon province.
North of Ban Dung are marshlands and open water called Nong Pla Tao.
The major river is theSongkhram, which marks the boundary of the district to the east.
The minor district (king amphoe) Ban Dung was established on 16 May 1959, when three sub-districts were split off fromNong Han district.[1] It was upgraded to a full district on 16 July 1963.[2]
Ban Dung is divided into 13 sub-districts (tambons), which are further divided into 159 administrative villages (mubans).[3]
| No. | Name | Thai | Villages | Pop.[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Si Suttho | ศรีสุทโธ | 12 | 14,571 |
| 2. | Ban Dung | บ้านดุง | 18 | 13,756 |
| 3. | Dong Yen | ดงเย็น | 8 | 6,720 |
| 4. | Phon Sung | โพนสูง | 17 | 11,160 |
| 5. | Om Ko | อ้อมกอ | 10 | 8,568 |
| 6. | Ban Chan | บ้านจันทน์ | 18 | 14,277 |
| 7. | Ban Chai | บ้านชัย | 9 | 8,615 |
| 8. | Na Mai | นาไหม | 13 | 10,232 |
| 9. | Thon Na Lap | ถ่อนนาลับ | 8 | 5,272 |
| 10. | Wang Thong | วังทอง | 9 | 6,252 |
| 11. | Ban Muang | บ้านม่วง | 14 | 8,584 |
| 12. | Ban Tat | บ้านตาด | 10 | 6,987 |
| 13. | Na Kham | นาคำ | 13 | 9,818 |
There is one town (thesaban mueang) in the district:
There are 12sub-district administrative organizations (SAO) in the district:
The district is the site of aVoice of America (VOA) relay station, built in 1994. The Voice of America will give the station to Thailand, but will be allowed to operate it under a 25-year renewable lease expiring in 2019. Each of the station's seven shortwave transmitters is capable of broadcasting 500 kilowatts of power, covering 40 per cent of the Earth's surface. One of the transmitters will be dedicated for use by Radio Thailand. It will have sufficient power to reach the Middle East and the West Coast of the United States, both areas with large expatriate Thai communities.[5]
The VOA installation has been suspected of being aCIAblack site used to interrogate alleged terrorists.[6][7] That suspicion has been supplanted by a BBC report that theUdon Royal Air Force Base was the home of a CIAblack site, known to insiders as "Cat's Eye", but better known as "Detention Site Green",[8] used to interrogateAbu Zubaydah, a 31-year-old Saudi-born Palestinian, believed to be one ofOsama bin Laden's top lieutenants. In December 2014 theUnited States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) published an executive summary of a secret 6,000-page report on CIA techniques. The report alleges that at least eight Thai senior officials knew of the secret site. The site was closed in December 2002.[9] Thailand has denied the existence of the site while the US government has neither confirmed or denied its existence.
Ban Dung district is also the largest source ofrock salt production in the Isan from the past to the present.[10][11]
The town is adjacent to the intersection of Highway 2022 and Highway 2096.Local town transport is provided by Isan tuk-tuk styleSamlor motor tricycle taxis.
The nearest railway stations are inNong Khai (83 km) andUdon Thani (81 km) and the nearest full-service airport isUdon Thani International Airport at 88 km.
