History

Little is known about Thailand’s earliest inhabitants, but the Kingdom of Siam was founded at Sukhothai in the 13th century by the Tai, a people who migrated down from south-western China over many centuries. The capital was moved to Ayutthaya in the 14th century. After the sacking and complete destruction by the Burmese of Ayutthaya in 1767, the capital was moved south to Thonburi by General Taksin. He later drove the invaders from the country and became king. Following a palace revolt and Taksin’s execution, he was succeeded by King Chakri (Rama I), who moved the capital across the Chao Phraya River in 1782 to a site considered safer from attack. Moats, which later became city canals, were built around the new city to further discourage invaders. Chakri wanted to restore Thai confidence by recreating the majesty of Ayutthaya. He built the Royal Palace and named the city, setting a world record for the longest place name, which is generally shortened to Krung Thep (City of Angels). Krung Thep is still the Thai name for the city, not Bangkok (Village of Wild Plums), a name used by foreigners and taken from a tiny fishing community near the site of the existing city. Over the next century, the city spread out and its canal system became more elaborate. There were a few dusty roads, but it was a city that lived and moved on water. Later kings moved to modernise the city, adding roads. In 1932, the first bridge was built across the Chao Phraya, which for many stands out as a turning point—the arrival of traffic.

Politics

Through luck and guile, Thailand was never colonised. It was an absolute monarchy until a revolt by Western-educated military officers in 1932. It became a constitutional monarchy and the first general election was held the next year. There have been 20 general elections since, and in 2005 Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was re-elected in a landslide. There are 500 members of parliament, 400 elected in the constituency system, 100 on the party-list system. Thailand is one of those countries where the poorer segments of the population tend to vote in a higher percentage than their richer, better-educated compatriots. The 1950s were a period of political turmoil with several military coup d’etats. The current, much-loved king, Bhumipol Adulyadej (Rama IX), is the longest reigning monarch in the world.

Religion

Almost 95% of Thais are Buddhist, almost all followers of Theravada Buddhism which is also practised in Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia and Laos. Religion plays an important role in community life. Many young Thai males become monks for at least three months of their lives and a man will often retire to a monastery following the death of his wife. Each morning, monks go out from their temples to receive alms in the form of food from the local community. This is where practically all of their food comes from. Other religions are Muslims (4%), who live mostly along the border with Malaysia, Christians (0.6%) and others (0.6%), including the animist tribal people along the northern borders.

Economy

Following the turbulent ’50s, the ’60s saw both the war in neighbouring Vietnam and the start of Thailand’s economic rise. From 1985 to 1995, the country enjoyed the world’s fastest growth rate of about 9% annually. But this came to a screeching halt in 1997 with the Asian financial crisis, which began in Thailand with a collapse of the baht. In 1999, the baht stabilised and in the last few years the economy has turned around. The country is largely agricultural, but this is changing. Thailand is the world’s leading exporter of rice, prawns and canned pineapple and tuna.

It is also among the top five exporters of computer hard disks and integrated circuits. Tourism is also important, accounting for about 6% of GDP.

Population

About 76% of the 64 million people are ethnic Thai. The largest minority groups are ethnic Chinese (12%), and ethnic Malays (3.5%). Hill tribe people, such as the Hmong, Karen and Mein, account for less than 1% of the population. Most expatriates are migrant workers, legal or not, from Burma and Cambodia. Expats from elsewhere are insignificant in number, though they might appear plentiful in certain areas of Bangkok and in a few resort communities.