In the reign of King Rama II the town was transferred to Songkhla and elevated to a third-class mueang.

In 1901 as part of the thesaphiban administrative reforms the mueang was reduced to a district of Songkhla.

The 700 million baht factory is a joint venture by Thai and Chinese investors.

This has raised environmental and health concerns among residents, aside from the eviction of 240 families, two mosques, two Muslim cemeteries, a religious school, and a Buddhist temple to make way for the 2,960 rai site.

[4] The villagers of Pattani's Nong Chik district, who live some eight kilometres from the site, but who will also be affected by the power plant, were excluded from the hearings.

Some attendees admitted being transported to the hearing by local village leaders, who also provided them with gifts and food coupons.

Songkhla Governor Thamrong Charoenkul chaired the hearing despite questions raised regarding his neutrality.

EGAT officials maintain that 95 percent of Pak Bang Sub-district residents welcomed the project and that those opposing it were outsiders.

The Bangkok Post commented that, "These...assessments turn out to be just another rubber stamp for operators — in this case...EGAT...."[7] A construction schedule has not yet been published.