National Intelligence Agency (Thailand)

The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) (Thai: สํานักข่าวกรองเเห่งชาติ) is Thailand's Government agency counter-intelligence and security agency. It serves as part of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).[1][2] Its headquarters is in Paruskavan Palace, Bangkok.

National Intelligence Agency
สํานักข่าวกรองเเห่งชาติ
Agency overview
Formed1 January 1954 (1954-01-01)
TypeGovernment agency
JurisdictionGovernment of Thailand
HeadquartersParuskavan Palace, Bangkok, Thailand
MottoDetermination, devotion, discipline, sacrifice and dedicated to the nation and the people
Annual budget717.8 million baht (FY2019)
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Ravee Prachuabmoh, Director
Parent agencyOffice of the Prime Minister
WebsiteNIA

History

The government established the Department of Administrative Intelligence under the Cabinet of Thailand on 1 January 1954. Phao Sriyanond was appointed as its first director.[3] On 2 December 1959 it was renamed the Department of Central Intelligence and renamed again as the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) during the government of Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda.[4]

In 1985, the "National Intelligence Act, B.E. 2528 (1985)" made the NIA the lead Thai intelligence agency.[5] The reality as of 2016 was that seven Thai intelligence agencies—the NIA, Army Intelligence, Navy Intelligence, Air Force Intelligence, Supreme Command Headquarters' Intelligence, Special Branch Bureau, and National Security Command Headquarters—mostly function independently of one another.[6] In 2017, a plan was hatched to consolidate the efforts of 27 separate Thai intelligence agencies.[1]

News reports appearing in early 2020 indicate that Thailand was a customer of Crypto AG, a Swiss company secretly owned by the US CIA and West German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) that manufactured compromised encryption machines. Use of the devices may have allowed its coded messages to be deciphered.[7]

Budget

The FY2019 budget of the NIA is 717.8 million baht.[2]

References
  1. "Thailand To Consolidate Work of 27 Intelligence Agencies". Defenseworld.net. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  2. Thailand's Budget in Brief Fiscal Year 2019 (Revised ed.). Bangkok: Bureau of the Budget (Thailand). 2018. p. 83. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. บทความเรื่อง: การประชาสัมพันธ์ข่าวของสํานัก - กรมประชาสัมพันธ์
  4. จับตาสแกนลายพราง: ‘สำนักข่าวกรองแห่งชาติ’ หน่วยงานข่าวกรองของ ‘พลเรือน’
  5. "National Intelligence Act" (Unofficial translation). Office of the Council of State. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  6. Chongkittavorn, Kavi (11 January 2016). "Thai intelligence agencies need a revamp" (Opinion). The Nation. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  7. Miller, Greg (11 February 2020). "How the CIA used Crypto AG encryption devices to spy on countries for decades". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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