State agencies of Thailand

Government agencies (ส่วนราชการ) make up the majority of the machinery of government. They serve the basic functions of government, providing administrative public services, and follow the policies of the executive. Their operation is based on the laws and regulations of the civil service and the military.[2]

Within the central administration, government agencies include the ministries (กระทรวง) and sub-ministries (ทบวง), and their constituent departments (กรม) or equivalent agencies. Within the provincial administration, they include the provinces and their districts. Within the local administration, they include the administrative organizations of local governments, including provincial administration organizations, municipalities and subdistrict administration organizations.

State enterprises (รัฐวิสาหกิจ) provide industrial and commercial public services. They exist both as purpose-established organizations (e.g., the State Railway of Thailand) and limited companies in which the government is the majority shareholder (e.g., Krung Thai Bank PLC).[2]

Public organizations (องค์การมหาชน), also known as autonomous public organizations, were introduced in 1999. They provide social and cultural public services, and operate under supervision of the government, while maintaining a greater degree of administrative independence.[2]

Most newer public organizations are established under the Public Organization Act, B.E. 2542 (1999 CE), the first being Banphaeo Hospital in 2000. Others, such as the National Science and Technology Development Agency, are established by respective acts of parliament, and are also referred to as autonomous agencies. Autonomous universities (as opposed to those that function as government agencies) also fall under this category.

Independent administrative organizations (หน่วยธุรการขององค์การของรัฐที่เป็นอิสระ) serve the operations of regulatory bodies (e.g., the Office of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) or other public agencies whose independence is in the public interest (e.g., the Thai Public Broadcasting Service).[2]

Legal-entity funds (กองทุนที่เป็นนิติบุคคล) are established by acts of parliament to serve certain economic purposes that are of public benefit.[2]

Service delivery units (หน่วยบริการรูปแบบพิเศษ) were introduced in 2005. They are service-oriented, quasi-autonomous units operating under government departments, but have a more flexible internal management system. Their services are primarily aimed for their mother agency.[2]

Public organizations established under the Public Organizations Act

Public organizations established under specific acts

• Institute for Good Governance Promotion
• Cabinet and Royal Gazette Publishing Office

In 2017, several government agencies were transferred to the direct control of the king, and ceased to be considered state agencies. They were the Bureau of the Royal Household (previously a ministry-independent department) and its subsidiary the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary, the Royal Aide de Camp Department and the Royal Guard Command (previously under the Ministry of Defence), and the Royal Court Security Police (previously under the Royal Thai Police).[5]