Thailand Statistical Law. B.E. 2508 (1965)
Bhumbibol Adulyadej, Rex.
Given on the 30th day of August,B.E. 2508;
Being the 20th Year of the Present Reign.
His Majesty King Bhumbiol Adulyadej has been graciously pleased to proclaim that:
Whereas it is expedient to revise the law on statistics:
Be it, therefore, enacted by the King, by and with the advice and consent of the Constituent Assembly, as follows:
Section 1. This Act shall be called the "Statistics Act, B.E. 2508."
Section 2. This Act shall come into force as from the day following the date of its publication in the Government Gazette.
Section 3. The Statistics Act. B.E. 2495 shall be repealed. All other laws, regulations and rules insofar as they deal with matters governed by this Act, or are contrary to, or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act shall be repealed and repealed by this Act.
Section 4. In this Act:
"Statistics" means data indicating total number collected from censuses, surveys, records, registration, reports or other documents;
"Census" means the collection of data on popluation, housing, agriculture, industry, business, and other activities, for statistical purposes, by means of enumerating every unit in connection with such subjects;
"Survey" means the collection of data on population, housing, agriculture, industry, business, and other activities, for statistical purposes, by means of enumerating sample units in connection with such subjects;
"Statistical agency" means any Ministry, Dabuang, Department or Public Body having equivalent status to a Department, Office, or other Government Agency, State Enterprise, and Local Administration which performs work of a statistical nature;
"State enterprise" means any government organization or business agency owned by the Government, any company or juristic partnership in which the Government has a share of over fifty percent of the investment;
"Record" means all statements or facts, either in writing or otherwise, which are used in various work activities;
"Dwelling place" means any place which is used for habitation, such as lodge, house, boat or floating house, including, the compound thereof, whether fenced in or not;
"Office" means any place which is used for business, such as lodge, house, boat or floating house, including the compound thereof, whether fenced in
or not;
"Officer" means any person appointed as such by the Secretary- General of the National Statistical Office to perform any function under this Act;
"Competent officer" means any official appointed as such by the Prime Minister to perform any function under this Act;
Section 5. The National Statistical Office is authorized to perform the following statistical activities;
* compile statistics from all statistical agencies;
* plan and conduct all censuses;
* promote and develop government as well as private statistical activities;
* plan, co-ordinate and direct technical aspects of all government statistical projects and activities;
* collaborate with, and participate in the co-ordination of the work of all statistical agencies in the assembling, compilation and analysis of statistics;
* make recommendations to, or advise other statistical agencies on plans, methodology, forms, questionnaires, and other documents, such as handbooks, and instructions which are to be used for statistical purposes;
* conduct or direct sample surveys, or collect, abstract, compile and analyse statistics relating to the basic conditions of the country obtained from censuses and surveys;
* supervise statistical agencies in the technical aspects of planning sample surveys, or in collecting and analysing statistics;
* conduct or direct research on statistical techniques;
* issue periodicals and publish statistical data;
* maintain a library of books and technical documents pertaining to statistics, and exchange the said books and documents;
* direct and promote the study of and training in statistics;
* collaborate with, and participate in the co-ordination of the work of foreign states or international organizations
Section 6. The Secretary-General of the National Statistical Office shall have the power to appoint officers to perform any function under this Act.
Section 7.There shall be a National Statistical Commission, consisting of Chairman, Vice-Chairman and not more than ten other members, appointed by the Cabinet, as well as representatives from every Ministry as members
ex-officio. The Secretary-General of the National Statistical Office shall serve as member and Secretary.
Section 8. The National Statistical Commission shall serve as an advisory body to the National Statistical Office.
Section 9. The Members of the National Statistical Commission as appointed by the Cabinet shall serve for a term of three years.
In the event that an appointment to the Statistical Commission must be made during a term of office, whether to appoint additional members or for replacement, the newly appointed member(s) shall serve for the remaining period of the present term.
Any member of the National Statistical Commission who has completed his term may be re-appointed.
Section 10. Aside from the termination of office according to the provisions under Section 9, the membership of the National Statistical Commission shall terminate upon;
* death;
* resignation;
* bankruptcy;
* incompetence or quasi-incompetence;
* imprisonment by a final court decision, except for petty offences committed through negligence.
Section 11. At the meetings of the National Statistical Commission, not less than one half of all the members must be present so as to constitute a quorum.
If the Chairman is absent from the meeting, the Vice-Chairman shall act as Chairman. If both the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are absent from the meeting, the members shall elect a member to act as chairman.
Section 12. The decision of the meetings shall be by a majority vote.
Each member shall have one vote. In case of a tie, the Chairman shall cast an additional vote as the decisive vote.
Section 13. If, to perform its functions as charged, the National Statistical Commission deems it appropriate to appoint a Subcommittee to perform any activity as assigned, or to call upon any person for information, explanation, advice or opinion, it may do so.
The provisions of Section 11 and Section 12 shall apply to meetings of the Subcommittee, mutatis mutandis.
Section 15. Whenever a census or survey is to be conducted under any statistical project, it shall be prescribed in a Royal Decree.
In the Royal Decree, there shall be, at least, prescribed, the following;
* duration of Royal Decree;
* objectives of the census or survey;
* areas designated for the census or survey;
* persons who shall complete the forms or questionnaires;
* statistical agencies responsible for the undertaking of the census or survey.
Section 16. Upon prescription of a Royal Decree under Section 15, the Secretary-General shall issue a proclamation stating;
* the forms and questionnaires, and procedures for completing such documents;
* the period during which the competent officer or officer shall send the forms or questionnaires to the person who is to complete them;
* the period during which the information shall return the completed forms or questionnaires to the competent officer, officer or statistical agency.
The proclaimation under this section shall be published in the Government Gazette.
Section 17. If the competent officer or officer does not meet the person who is to complete the forms or questionnaires, or a person designated in his place, the competent officer or officer should deliver such forms or questionnaires to any person over 20 years of age, living or working in the dwelling place or office of such person, or post the forms or questionnaires in a place where they can be easily seen.
After a period of fifteen days from the date of posting such documents as stated above, it shall be considered as having been duly received by the said person.
Section 18. The competent officer or officer shall have the power to enter the dwelling place or office of the person who must complete the forms or questionnaires during any time between sunrise and sunset, in order to examine any evidence or documents relating to the completion of the forms or questionnaires, or to check the accuracy of the statements and figures which are recorded in the forms or questionnaires. In such a case, the individual concerned shall give reasonable facilities to the competent officer or officer.
Section 19. When performing his duties, the competent officer or officer shall, upon request, show his identity card to the person concerned.
Section 20. The identity card of the competent officer or officer shall follow the form stipulated under Section 20 of the Ministrial Regulations. The statistical agencies shall send copies of every statistical item which is compiled to the National Statistical Office.
Section 21. All statements or figures, on an individual basis, which are recorded in the forms or questionnaires shall be treated as strictly confidential. No person, performing his duties under this Act, shall reveal any information to any other person who has no duty to perform according to this Act, except for the purpose of an inquiry or trial of an individual accused of committing an offence under this Act.
Section 22. Whosoever does not complete the forms or questionnaires following the procedures as stipulated by the Secretary-General of the National Statistical Office according to Section 12(1),or who does not return the forms or questionnaires to the competent officer, officer or statistical agency within the period stipulated by the Secretary-General of the National Statistical Office according to Section 16(3), or who does not cooperate with the competent officer or officer under Section 18, shall be liable to fine not exceeding five hundred baht.
Section 23. whosoever records statements of figures in the form or questionnaires which he knows to false, or willfully gives any information which is false to the competent officer or officer performing his duty under Section 18, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three months, or a fine not exceeding five hundred baht, or both.
Section 24. Whosoever violates Section 21, shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding six months, or a fine not exceeding one thousand baht, or both.
Section 25. The Prime Minister shall have charge and control of the execution of this Act, and shall have the power to appoint competent officers, and to issue Ministerial Regulations.
Such Regulations shall come into force upon their publication in the Government Gazette.
Countersigned by,
Field Marshall Thanom Kittikhachon
Prime Minister