Overview

Historical background

The earliest recorded inhabitants of the area now known as Thailand were the Mon, who formed the Dvaravati Kingdom in the Chao Phya basin from the sixth to the eleventh centuries. From the eighth to the twelfth century, the area was encroached upon by the powerful Hindu kingdom of Angkor that expanded westward from what is modern-day Cambodia.

The Thai people are believed to have migrated from southern China in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, settling among the established Mon and Khmers. As the kingdom of Angkor declined in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Thais were able to shake off Cambodian rule and establish the first Thai kingdom at Sukothai. The Sukothai period lasted less than 200 years, from 1220 to 1378. Under King Ramkamheng (1278-1318), who is considered the father of Thailand, the kingdom fused Mon and Khmer traditions with their own, creating a unique style of architecture, art, and politics. Sukothai's military and economic might ruled an empire from Laos to Malaysia.

Sukothai's decline coincided with the rise of the Thai kingdom of Ayuthaya, with Sukothai eventually becoming a vassal state of Ayuthaya. The Ayuthaya period, which began in the middle of the fourteenth century, is considered to be Thailand's golden age. Not only was the kingdom militarily and economically powerful, but it also had significant artistic and architectural achievements. This period came to an end when the Burmese attacked the kingdom and brutally sacked Ayuthaya towards the end of the eighteenth century. The actions of the Burmese that caused the end of the Golden Era are still remembered today.

A half-Chinese soldier by the name of Taksin fought back the Burmese and established a new capital at Thonburi on the Chao Phya River. King Taksin was executed after he became insane, and was replaced by his general Chakri, who was proclaimed King Rama I, forming the modern-day Chakri Dynasty. Rama I moved the capital across the river to the site of present-day Bangkok and named the city with a sixty-syllable Sanskrit title that is abbreviated to Krungthep.

Thailand's modernization began under the rule of King Mongkut (Rama IV). King Mongkut was an enlightened leader who saw that Thailand would have to implement Western-style reforms to ensure its political independence. In line with this way of thinking, he employed several Westerners as consultants, teachers, and technicians. His reforms were continued under the rule of his son, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), the most revered of all past kings. He is credited with transforming Thailand from a medieval kingdom to a modern, progressive nation and maintaining Thailand's sovereignty despite British and French ambitions. In fact, Thailand was the only country in Southeast Asia never to be colonized by a European power - a source of great pride for the Thai people.

The absolute monarchy came to an end in 1932, when a bloodless coup was lead by European educated intellectuals with the support of the military. A constitutional monarchy was proclaimed, with an army general as the head of the government. The Thai government declared war on the Allies after being invaded by the Japanese in World War II. The post-war period has been politically turbulent, characterized by many military coups and rapid changes in coalition governments.

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Politics

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. The absolute monarchy ended with a coup in 1932, but the King remains the chief of state and retains a Privy Council. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who appoints the Cabinet. The National Assembly consists of the Senate (Wuthisapha) and the House of Representatives (Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon). The houses consist of 200 and 500 seats, respectively.

Elections are held every four years, and the members of both houses are elected by the people. The main political parties are the Democratic Party or DP (Prachathipat Party); National Development Party or NDP (Chat Phattana); Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party); and Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT.

Traditionally, the military has played a strong role in Thai politics, culminating in many coups since 1932. In 1973 there was a Thai student uprising now known as 'October 14'. Since a bloody confrontation between the military and pro-democracy demonstrators in 1991, the military has been playing an increasingly professional role.

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Culture

Thailand is a predominately Buddhist nation, with Buddhists making up 95 per cent of the population. The other significant religion is Islam, which is mostly found in the south, with 3.8 per cent of the population.

Thailand is one of the more ethnically homogeneous nations in Southeast Asia. Approximately 80 per cent of the population is Thai. The next most significant ethnic group is the Chinese (about 11 per cent), but extensive intermarriage between Thais and Chinese means that many Thais, particularly in Bangkok, are of mixed decent. Other major groups are Malay, Mon, Khmer, and Shan.

The official language, Thai, is spoken in four different dialects: Northern, Northeastern, Central, and Southern. All dialects are mutually intelligible, but with some degree of difficulty. Central Thai is the official dialect.

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Geography, society, and economy

Thailand is one of the 'Asian Tigers'. It experienced a period of rapid growth in the 1980s and 1990s; in fact, it had the highest growth rate in the world between 1985 and 1995, averaging almost 9 per cent per annum. Thailand was the first to succumb to the Asian Currency Crisis in 1997. Although Thailand experienced a limited recovery after the crisis, failure to implement reforms and to restructure industry, along with the recent global economic downturn, have further stunted its growth.

The economy is primarily service- and industry-based, but agriculture plays an important economic role as well, particularly in terms of employment: over half the nation's workforce is employed in this sector, despite contributing only 11 per cent of the GDP. In fact, Thailand experiences labour shortages in the agricultural, seafood, and domestic-help sectors, among others. This shortfall is made up by illegal migrant workers, the vast majority of whom come from Burma. There are also many Laotian and Khmer illegal migrant workers. The overall unemployment rate stands at around 3.9 per cent. Major exports are: computers, transistors, seafood, clothing, and rice.

The nation has a population of around 62 million, of which over 10 million live in the capital city, Bangkok. Bangkok is the political and economic centre of Thailand. The country is divided into 76 provinces.

Infant mortality is 29.5 per 1,000 live births, down from 47.7 in 1984. In 1986, the life expectancy for women was 65 years, and 61 years for men. Current estimates place it at 73 years for women and 66 years for men. Fertility is 1.86 children born per woman. The Thai government has made significant advances in the provision of public health care, with 10.3 per cent of the budget being spent on public health and related social welfare issues. Two major threats to public health are HIV, which currently affects around 2.19 per cent of the population, and the domestic drug problem.

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