Thailand - a brief summary

The Thai language belongs to the family of sino-tibetan languages. Like Chinese, Thai is a monosyllabic language, a structure that is totally unknown to westerners. In Thai a word can have five different meanings, depending in which tone it is spoken. In the common language there are five different tones: Rising, falling, the high, the middle and the dropped tone. This is even for the keen learner among foreigners quite a challenge. A well developed sense of hearing could be an advantage here. The Dewanagari Alphabet used by the Thais, which was introduced in the 13. century and is based on the South-Indian Pali writing, represents a further difficulty. But there is one consolation: The structure of sentences and the grammar of the Thai language are relatively simple.

Good language classes are being offered, among others, by the AUA (American University Alumni Association), which can be found not only in Bangkok but also in various tourist centres.

The history of Thailand starts with the migration of the ethnic Thai from their ancestral homelands in the south of China to the regions of Southeast Asia during the 10th century. Before that time the Mon, Khmer and the Malays ruled the region. The Thais founded their own kingdoms, one in Sukhothai and one in Ayutthaya. These states fought constantly against each other while they were simultaneously threatened by the Khmers, the Burmese and the Vietnamese. Only much later, in the 19th and early 20th century was Thailand under threat from the European colonial powers, but managed, as the only Southeast Asian state, to avoid colonial rule. This is mainly due to the fact, that Thailand had several very able rulers during the 19th century who exploited the rivalry between the colonial powers, France and Great Britain, who controlled Indochina and Burma respectively, to keep them out of their own country. Nevertheless, Thailand was forced to give up three of its southern provinces, which are now part of Malaysia. A fourth of those predominantly muslim provinces, namely Pattani, remains to this day Thai territory and has in recent years been the scene of violent ethnic clashes.

When, in 1932, a bloodless revolution ended the absolute monarchy, Thailand came under the rule of successive military governments before a democratic system was finally established in the 1980s.

Thailand managed, as the only Southeast Asian state, to avoid colonial rule

Because of its geographical location the culture of the Thai people has always been influenced by other cultures in the region such as the Indian and the Chinese. The Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, however, is generally considered to be the first Siamese state. It was founded in 1238, at a time when the Khmer empire started to decline, which eventually disintegrated during the 15th century.

During the 16th century Sukhothai succumbed to the larger Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, which had its origins in the 14th century. After Angkor was sacked by the Siamese armies in 1431, more and more of the Khmer culture and customs were adopted by the Siamese of Ayutthaya.

After the Burmese conquered Ayutthaya in 1767, Thonburi became for a short period the capital of Thailand during the reign of King Taksin The Great. The modern era of the Thai history began in 1782, when Bangkok became the capital under King Rama I, the founder of the Chakri Dynasty.

As already mentioned, the absolute monarchy was turned into a constitutional monarchy in 1932, and since then Thailand has suffered from continuous political ups and downs. During World War II Thailand, although under duress, sided with the Japanese and became therefore the staging area for Japans campaign against Malaysia. In July 1944 the government renewed its alliance with the western powers. During the Vietnam War American troops used Thailand, and in particular Pattaya in the province of Chonburi, as a base for rest and recreation and Map Ta Phut (U-Tapao) became a landing place for their bombers who executed bombing missions over Vietnam and parts of Cambodia.

The first of several major military coups took place in 1976. Others followed in 1981 and 1985 and another one in 1991, which in the following year led to a popular rebellion that was brutally suppressed by the military, an event that has become known as the “Black May”".

Subsequently, after several years of strong economic growth, Thailand became an economic powerhouse, but the year 1997 put an end to that, when the Baht collapsed under the weight of foreign debts. This downfall led to a chain reaction that sparked the Asian currency crisis. Meanwhile Thailand has recuperated and is once again in a stable financial position.

Thailand faced military coups in 1976, 1981, 1985, 1991 and 2006

In January 2001 the leader of the newly created Thai Rak Thai Party, Thaksin Shinawatra, became prime minister of Thailand. This billionaire telecommunications mogul was immensely popular, mainly because of his populistic policies, but when he announced plans in 2003 to put an end to the drug trade in Thailand and some 2,300 people were killed in the process of that campaign, his popularity began to dwindle.

Meanwhile on December 26, 2004, a powerful tsunami which hit 12 Asian countries devastated wide areas of Thailand`s Andaman coast (Phuket, Phi-Phi, Krabi, Khao-Lak), where an estimated 5,300 people lost their lives.

Despite allegations of corruption and all sorts of other “irregularities” Thaksin made history one year later by becoming the first Thai prime minister to serve two consecutive terms in office. But his misdeeds finally caught up with him, when he sold his telecommunications company for nearly 2 billion Dollars and didn`t pay one cent tax. Thaksin was forced to resign, but after only a few weeks he was once again at the helm of the nation. Finally, in September 2006, the military, led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, staged yet another coup while Thaksin attended a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Thaksin went into self imposed exile, while his Thai Rak Thai Party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court. The military meanwhile set up an interim government which took charge of the nation's affairs until in December 2007 new parliamentary elections were held which were won by the People Power Party, composed mainly of former Thai Rak Thai politicians.

Thaksin returned to Thailand in February 2008, saying that he was prepared to face the courts in relation to the corruption charges brought against him. When his wife, Potjaman Shinawatra, was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to three years jail, while Thaksin himself did not show up for a scheduled court appearance, the couple fled the country. They had to leave their vast fortune behind, after it had been frozen when the military ousted Thaksin from his post as prime minister. Thaksin was later found guilty of corruption and convicted in absentia to two years in prison.

The new government of the People Power Party didn`t last long either, because many people in Thailand, especially the business community as well as certain elements in the middle class, weren`t happy to be governed by former Thai Rak Thai politicians. Mass demonstrations finally forced the government out of office. It was officially disbanded by the Constitutional Court on December 2, 2008 on the grounds that it had committed electoral fraud during the 2007 elections.

On December 15, parliament elected Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the Democrat Party, prime minister of Thailand. Only God knows how this government will fare and how long it will last.

Why is Thailand known worldwide as the "Land of Smiles"? When you visit Thailand, you will notice immediately that Thai people put on a smile in all situations of life. Even though because of modern pressures this smile is slightly fading, especially among the city population, it is still an ever present feature of Thai culture.

This smile can be a sign of friendliness and good will, an attempt to instill confidence in another person or to appease someone in a confrontation, or it may be an expression of hope to camouflage one's own insecurity in an embarrassing situation. Then there is the smile when making a request or to show one's respect or to appear less blunt when denying a request. Even though foreigners may find this difficult to understand, the Thai people's smile makes the daily contact with them extremely pleasant.

The famous smile is an ever present feature of Thai culture

Today in 2009 there are around 66 million people living in Thailand. The life expectancy is about 69 years. In 1960 it was only 52 years. Population growth, which is at present 0.7% p/a, has in recent years slowed down considerably. Especially in rural areas around 30% of all people still live below the poverty line. Parents endeavour to have many children, as they are in many cases the only support they`ll have in their old age. The urbanization with the widening social and political divide that comes with it, cannot be held back. Cities and tourism centres, and of course the huge capital Bangkok, have a magnetic effect on the young and the often unemployed people of the rural areas. Their dream of a better life, however, often leads to miserable jobs in factories and brothels.

Apart from Bangkok with its estimated population of 14 million people there is no other city in the country that has a million or more inhabitants. Just under 80% of the total population are Thais who emigrated over the course of several centuries from the Chinese province of Yunnan.

Several ethnic minorities live mainly in either the northern or the southern provinces of the country. Yala, Narathiwat and Satun in the south, for example, are the home of islamic Malays, who constitute 80% of the local population. In this region several guerilla groups fight for greater autonomy or even total independence from Thailand. Other minorities live in the north. They are often stateless people who work illegally to support themselves. They are certainly the most pitiful of all inhabitants of the country.

An economically influential minority at the other end of the social scale are the Thais of Chinese origin. In the time from the beginning of the 18th till the middle of the 20th century, about 4 million Chinese fled their homeland because of its political turmoil. A study conducted by Thammasat University has revealed that 63 out of a 100 of the largest industrial companies of the country are controlled by ethnic Chinese. Furthermore, 23 out of the 25 most influential industry leaders are of Chinese origin.

In rural areas, an estimated 30% of the population still lives below the poverty line

About 94% of all Thais are Buddhists, 4% are Muslims and 2% are Christians or belong to some other denominations. It is probably the influence of Buddhism that contributes to the easy and relaxed way of life of the Thai people. Their ambitions and their work ethos are rather limited. They always seem to be in a happy mood and would never pass up an opportunity to enjoy themselves. The political battles of recent times are very foreign to the peace loving Thai people and the majority of them feel very upset about the situation. A great measure of tolerance has for centuries and to this very day enabled all the different inhabitants of this country to live in peace and harmony, and has allowed foreigners of all religions and ethnic backgrounds to live their lives according to their own beliefs and cultures.

Name of country:
Thailand (prathet Thai, which means "land of the free")

Capital city:
Bangkok (in Thai: Krung Thep, which means "city of angels") The full name is:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit - which makes it the longest geographical name in the world.

Head of state:
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. Its present monarch is His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, known as King Rama IX, as he is the ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty. The king, who has been reigning since July 9, 1946 and was crowned on May 5, 1950, is now the world`s longest reigning monarch.  

Prime Minister:
Abhisit Vejjajiva (since December 2008)

National holiday:
December 5 (it`s the king`s birthday)

Land area:
514,000 sq km or 198,455 sq miles (including territorial waters)

Population:
66.001.652 inhabitants (2009) = 128,4 inhabitants per sq km 

Currency:
Thai Baht (THB)
1 Baht = 100 satang (hardly used anymore)
Coins: 1, 2, 5, and 10 Baht
Notes: 10 ( phased out), 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 Baht

Rail system:
Total length of tracks: 4,218 km (2008)

Road network:
Roads with solid surface: 64,712 km (2009)

The main ports:
Laem Chabang, Bangkok (Klong Toey), Sattahip, Phuket, Pattani, Songkhla

Airports:
116 in all (2007)

Local time:
Seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+7 hours GMT)

Highest mountains:

• Doi Inthanon (province of Chiang-Mai) - 2,565 m.
• Doi Luang (province of Chiang-Rai) - 2,175 m.
• Loi Un (province of Chiang-Rai) - 2,131 m
• Phu Soi Dao (province of Uttaradit) - 2,102 m
• Khao Mokochu (province of Khampaeng Phet) - 1,960 m

The largest rivers:

• Chao Phraya 372 km / 231 miles - this is the country`s main waterway
• Chi    765 km / 475 miles
• Mekhong 4,880 km / 3,000 miles - a few hundred kilometres of it form the border to Burma, Laos and Cambodia
• Mun   750 km / 466 miles
• Nan   740 km / / 460 miles
• Ping River 658 km / 409 miles

Because of the confluence of tributaries he lengths of the rivers are somewhat disputed.

The main islands:

• Phuket (province of Phuket) - 543 sq km
• Koh Samui (province of Surat Thani) - 229 sq km
• Koh Chang (province of Trat) - 217 sq km
• Koh Lanta Yai (province of Krabi) - 180 sq km
• Koh Pha Ngan (province of Surat Thani) - 168 sq km 

Electrical voltage:
220 volt  

Geographical location:

Thailand is a tropical country of Southeast Asia and is located between the 6° and 20` of latitude north and 98° and 105` of longitude east.