Thailand
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century; it was known as Siam until 1939. Thailand is the only southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict.
In 1997, during the southeast Asian financial crisis, stock and property prices plummeted, dragging down the currency and leading to bankruptcies, recession and unemployment. The government of the time - under Chuan Leekpai - worked with the IMF to bring economic reform, but the 1997 experience caused many Thais to regard international finance with deep distrust. Chuan lost the 2001 elections to an opponent who promised to help people with their daily difficulties.
Though its most-recent governments have been civilian and democratically-elected, Thailand has seen turbulent times. The military governed, on and off, between 1947 and 1992 - a period characterized by coups, coup attempts and popular protests. The latest coup occurred in September 2006, following a prolonged political crisis that centered on Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. A multi-millionaire telecommunications tycoon and head of the Thai Loves Thai party, his second term was mired in corruption allegations. In April 2006 he stepped aside after snap elections, called amid mass protests accusing him of abuse of power. He hoped that the vote would silence the demonstrators and give him a fresh mandate. But it was boycotted by the main opposition parties, leaving 39 empty seats in parliament. The poll was declared invalid and a fresh vote was ordered. After a seven-week break, he chaired a cabinet meeting in May and declared that he was fully back at work. His government faced setbacks ranging from bird flu outbreaks, the aftermath of the Asian tsunami disaster and an ongoing insurgency in the Muslim south where the prime minister has assumed emergency powers.
Shinawatra was ousted in a bloodless military coup on September 19, 2006 while he was out of the country, attending the UN General Assembly in New York. Commander-in-chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin took power as head of an interim "Political Reform Council" run by the military. He said the army had seized power to unite the nation after months of political turmoil but said a new prime minister would be named within two weeks (please see "Recent Incidents" below for subsequent updates).
King Bhumibol Adulyadej is deeply respected and has played a stabilizing, mainly behind-the-scenes, role in Thai politics during periods of crisis. An example was his intervention in May 1992 to end the confrontation between the army and protesters calling for an end to military involvement in politics. He kept a low profile in the latest coup; the junta emphasized that the king had no part in planning the coup, but supported it after it took place.
The military junta is conducting a crackdown on security and attempting to root out all officials who supported the ousted prime minister. There is also a blackout on media, and a ban on demonstrations, as well as gatherings of five or more people (see “Incidents” below).
In the aftermath of the October 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali, Indonesia, additional concerns were raised that similar attacks could occur in other Southeast Asian nations, including Thailand. Travelers should exercise caution, especially in locations where Westerners congregate, such as clubs, discos, bars, restaurants, hotels, places of worship, schools, outdoor recreation venues, tourist areas, beach resorts, and other places frequented by foreigners – especially in the southern provinces, where Islamic extremists conduct arson and bomb attacks.
Thailand has a minority Muslim population, concentrated in its southern provinces. A decades-old separatist struggle in the region - which abated in the 1980s - flared again in 2004 and has continued since. The violence, mostly targeting members of Thailand's majority Buddhist population, but now focusing on banking and tourism, has claimed more than 1,000 lives.
Thailand's major security concerns have traditionally been with its borders and the internal situations in Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Malaysia. Relations with Burma in particular remain tense. Issues of contention include the presence in Thailand of over 100,000 Burmese refugees, the trafficking of narcotics and the presence in Thailand of a large population of Burmese workers, which is estimated to be over one million.
Travelers should exercise caution in remote areas along the border with Myanmar. The border is the site of on-going conflicts between the Myanmar Army and armed opposition groups as well as clashes between Thai security forces and armed drug traffickers.
