All About Phuket Thailand Tour.
Official Name: Kingdom of Thailand
Geography
Area: 513,115 sq. km. (198,114 sq. mi.); equivalent to the size of France, or slightly smaller than Texas.
Cities: Capital--Bangkok (population 9,668,854); Nakhon Ratchasima (pop. 437,386 for Muang district and 2,565,685 for the whole province), Chiang Mai (pop. 247,672 for Muang district and 1,595,855 for the whole province).
Terrain: Densely populated central plain; northeastern plateau; mountain range in the west; southern isthmus joins the land mass with Malaysia.
Climate: Tropical monsoon.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Thai.
Population (2009 est.): 67.0 million. (Data based on the Thailand National Statistic Office and the National Economic and Social Development Board.)
Labor force (2009 est.): 38.24 million.
Annual population growth rate (2009 est.): 0.5%.
Ethnic groups: Thai 89%, other 11%.
Religions: Buddhist 93%-94%, Muslim 5%-6%, Christian 1%, Hindu, Brahmin, other.
Languages: Thai (official language); English is the second language of the elite; Malay and regional dialects.
Education: Years compulsory--12. Literacy--94.9% male, 90.5% female.
Health (2008 est.): Infant mortality rate--18.23/1,000. Life expectancy--70.51 years male, 75.27 years female.
Government
Type: Constitutional monarchy.
Constitution: Thailand adopted its current constitution following an August 19, 2007 referendum.
Independence: Never colonized; traditional founding date 1238.
Branches: Executive--King (chief of state), Prime Minister (head of government). Legislative--bicameral, with a fully-elected House of Representatives and a partially-elected Senate. Judicial--composed of the Constitutional Tribunal, the Courts of Justice, and the Administrative Courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 76 provinces, including Bangkok municipality, subdivided into 877 districts, 7,255 tambon administration, and 74,944 villages.
Political parties: Multi-party system; Communist Party is prohibited.
Suffrage: Universal and compulsory at 18 years of age.
Economy
GDP (2009 prelim.): $264 billion. (Data based on the National Economic and Social Development Board)
Annual GDP growth rate (2009 prelim.): -2.2%.
Per capita income (2009 prelim.): $3,940.
Unemployment rate (2009 prelim.): 1.5% of total labor force.
Natural resources: Tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite.
Agriculture (8.9% of GDP): Products--rice, tapioca, rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans.
Industry: Types--tourism, textiles, garments, agricultural processing, cement, integrated circuits, jewelry, electronics, petrochemical, and auto assembly.
Trade (2009 preliminary): Merchandise exports--$150.7 billion. Products--automatic data processing machines and parts, automobiles and parts, precious stones and jewelry, refined fuels, rubber, electronic integrated circuits, polymers of ethylene and propylene, rice, iron and steel and their products, rubber products, chemical products. Major markets--ASEAN, EU, U.S., Japan, China, and Hong Kong. Merchandise imports--$131.4 billion. Products--crude oil, machinery and parts, electrical machinery and parts, chemicals, iron and steel and their products, electrical circuits panels, computers and parts, other metal ores and metal waste scrap, ships and boats and floating structure, jewelry including silver and gold. Major suppliers--ASEAN, Japan, China, the Middle East, EU, and U.S.
PEOPLE
Thailand's population is relatively homogeneous. More than 85% speak a dialect of Thai and share a common culture. This core population includes the central Thai (33.7% of this population, including Bangkok), northeastern Thai (34.2%), northern Thai (18.8%), and southern Thai (13.3%). Ethnic Malay Muslims comprise a majority in the three southernmost provinces.
The language of the central Thai population is the language taught in schools and used in government. Lao, or “Isaan dialect” is spoken widely in northeastern Thailand; several other Thai dialects are spoken among smaller groups, such as the Shan, Lue, and Phutai.
Up to 12% of Thai are of significant Chinese heritage, but the Sino-Thai community is the best integrated in Southeast Asia. Other groups include the Khmer in border provinces with Cambodia; the Mon, who are substantially assimilated with the Thai; and the Vietnamese. Smaller mountain-dwelling tribes, such as the Hmong, Mein, and the Karen, number about 788,024.
The population is mostly rural, concentrated in the rice-growing areas of the central, northeastern, and northern regions. However, as Thailand continues to industrialize, its urban population--31.6% of total population, principally in the Bangkok area--is growing.
Thailand's highly successful government-sponsored family planning program has resulted in a dramatic decline in population growth from 3.1% in 1960 to less than 1% today. Life expectancy also has risen, a positive reflection of Thailand's public health efforts. Thailand’s model intervention programs in the 1990s also averted what could have been a major AIDS epidemic. Even so, today, approximately 1.4% of the adult population lives with HIV/AIDS.
The constitution mandates at least 12 years of free education; however, the Abhisit administration in early 2009 started to provide 15 years of free education (3 years in preschool and grades 1-12). Education accounts for approximately 18.0% of total government expenditures.
Theravada Buddhism is the major religion of Thailand, practiced by about 90% of its people. The government permits religious diversity, and other major religions are represented, with Muslim communities scattered throughout Thailand. Spirit worship/animism and Hindu-Brahmic rituals are widely practiced.
HISTORY
Southeast Asia has been inhabited for more than half a million years. Archaeological studies suggest that by 4000 BC, communities in what is now Thailand had emerged as centers of early bronze metallurgy. This development, along with the cultivation of wet rice, provided the impetus for social and political organization. Research suggests that these innovations may actually have been transmitted from there to the rest of Asia, including to China.
The Thai are related linguistically to Tai groups originating in southern China. Migrations from southern China to Southeast Asia may have occurred in the 6th and 7th centuries. Malay, Mon, and Khmer civilizations flourished in the region prior to the arrival of the ethnic Tai.
The Thai date the founding of their nation to the 13th century. According to tradition, in 1238, Thai chieftains overthrew their Khmer overlords at Sukhothai and established a Thai kingdom. After its decline, a new Thai kingdom emerged in 1350 on the Chao Praya River at Ayutthaya. At the same time, there was the equally important Tai kingdom of Lanna, centered in Chiang Mai, which for centuries rivaled Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, and still defines northern Thai identity.
The first ruler of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, King Rama Thibodi, made two important contributions to Thai history: the establishment and promotion of Theravada Buddhism as the official religion--to differentiate his kingdom from the neighboring Hindu kingdom of Angkor--and the compilation of the Dharmashastra, a legal code based on Hindu sources and traditional Thai custom. The Dharmashastra remained a tool of Thai law until late in the 19th century. Beginning with the Portuguese in the 16th century, Ayutthaya had some contact with the West, but until the 1800s, its relations with neighboring kingdoms and principalities, as well as with China, were of primary importance.
After more than 400 years of power, in 1767, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was brought down by invading Burmese armies and its capital burned. After a single-reign capital established at Thonburi by Taksin, a new capital city was founded in 1782, across the Chao Phraya at the site of present-day Bangkok, by the founder of the current Chakri dynasty. The first Chakri king was crowned Rama I. Rama I's heirs became increasingly concerned with the threat of European colonialism after British victories in neighboring Burma in 1826.
The first Thai recognition of Western power in the region was the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United Kingdom in 1826. In 1833, the United States began diplomatic exchanges with Siam, as Thailand was called until 1938. However, it was during the later reigns of Rama IV (or King Mongkut, 1851-68), and his son Rama V (King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910), that Thailand established firm rapprochement with Western powers. The Thais believe it was the diplomatic skills of these monarchs, combined with the modernizing reforms of the governments, that made Siam the only country in South and Southeast Asia to avoid European colonization.
In 1932, a bloodless coup transformed Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) initially accepted this change but later surrendered the kingship to his 10-year-old nephew. Upon his abdication, King Prajadhipok said that the obligation of a ruler was to reign for the good of the whole people, not for a select few.
Although nominally a democracy with a constitutional monarchy after 1932, Thailand was ruled by a series of military governments interspersed with brief periods of democracy. Following the 1932 revolution that imposed constitutional limits on the monarchy, Thai politics was dominated for a half-century by the military and bureaucratic elite. Changes of government were effected primarily by means of a long series of mostly bloodless coups. Thailand was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War until Japan's defeat in 1945.
Beginning with a brief experiment in democracy during the mid-1970s, civilian democratic political institutions slowly gained greater authority, culminating in 1988 when Chatichai Choonhaven--leader of the Thai Nation Party--assumed office as the country's first democratically elected Prime Minister in more than a decade. In 1991, yet another bloodless coup ended his term. After a year-long largely civilian interim government and inconclusive elections, former army commander Suchinda Kraprayoon was appointed Prime Minister. The military violently suppressed demonstrations in May 1992, with at least 50 protesters killed. Reaction to the violence, including a televised meeting with King Bhumibol, forced Suchinda to resign, leading to new elections in September 1992.
Political parties that had opposed the military in May 1992 won by a narrow majority, and Democrat Party leader Chuan Leekpai served as Prime Minister until May 1995. The Thai Nation Party won the largest number of parliamentary seats in subsequent elections, with party leader Banharn Silpa-Archa serving as Prime Minister for little more than a year. New Aspiration Party leader Chavalit Youngchaiyudh formed a coalition government after November 1996 elections. The onset of the Asian financial crisis caused a loss of confidence in the Chavalit government, led to a new constitution, and returned Chuan Leekpai to power in November 1997.
In January 2001, telecommunications multimillionaire Thaksin Shinawatra and his new Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party won a decisive plurality victory on a populist platform of economic growth and development. Thaksin’s premiership was marked by a confident foreign policy, implementation of his populist policies, and accusations of anti-democratic actions, including undermining independent bodies, limiting freedom of the press, and a 2003 war on drugs which led to 1,300 unsolved murders. In February 2005, Thaksin was re-elected by an overwhelming majority, sweeping 377 out of 500 parliamentary seats for Thailand’s first-ever single-party outright electoral victory. Soon after Prime Minister Thaksin's second term began, allegations of corruption emerged against his government. Peaceful anti-government mass demonstrations grew, and hundreds of thousands marched in the streets to demand Thaksin's resignation. Prime Minister Thaksin dissolved the parliament in February 2006 and called snap elections in April. The main opposition parties boycotted the polls, and the judiciary subsequently annulled the elections.
Before new elections could be held, in September 2006 a group of top military officers overthrew the caretaker Thaksin administration in a non-violent coup d’etat, repealed the 1997 constitution, and dissolved both houses of parliament. The coup leaders promulgated an interim constitution and appointed Surayud Chulanont as interim Prime Minister. In a national referendum in August 2007, a majority of Thai voters approved a new constitution drafted by an assembly appointed by the coup leaders. The interim government held multi-party elections under provisions of the new constitution in December 2007 and the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party (PPP) won a plurality of 233 of the 480 seats in the lower house of parliament. PPP leader Samak Sundaravej formed a coalition government and formally took office as Prime Minister in February 2008.
Samak was forced from office in September 2008 by a Constitutional Court ruling that he had violated the constitution’s conflict of interest provisions by hosting a televised cooking show. His successor, Somchai Wongsawat, PPP leader and brother-in-law of former Prime Minister Thaksin, also was forced from office by the Constitutional Court when it dissolved the PPP and two other coalition parties on December 2, 2008 for election law violations in the December 2007 elections. A split among ex-PPP members of parliament paved the way for parliament’s election of Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva as Prime Minister on December 15, 2008.
Efforts by the two PPP leaders to amend the 2007 constitution and provide amnesty to banned politicians, including ex-Prime Minister Thaksin, led to a renewal of street protests in mid-2008, some of which resulted in violence between security forces and protesters and between pro- and anti-government demonstrators. In 2008, anti-government “yellow-shirt” protesters occupied Government House from late August until early December; blockaded parliament in October; and occupied and forced the closure of Bangkok’s airports for several days in late November through early December. “Red-shirt” protests against the Abhisit government commenced in early 2009, leading to the disruption of a major Asian summit in Pattaya and riots in Bangkok in April 2009.
The “red-shirts” continued to hold short demonstrations through 2009 and into 2010 and intensified their protests on March 12, 2010, two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that the government seize $1.4 billion of Thaksin’s assets. Demonstrators occupied an area near Democracy Monument and Government House; a few weeks later they established a second protest site in the heart of Bangkok’s shopping district. The tense standoff between government security forces and protesters came to a head on April 10; 21 people were killed in street clashes, 5 of them security personnel. The protesters subsequently consolidated their presence around the Ratchaprasong intersection in central Bangkok, effectively shutting down the commercial heart of the city.
Government efforts to negotiate a settlement with “red-shirt” leaders ultimately failed, and on May 14 troops began to seal off the protest site. A week of street battles ensued, climaxing on May 19 when the “red-shirt” leaders surrendered to police and in the aftermath several buildings, including Thailand’s largest shopping mall, were torched by elements of the “red-shirt” demonstrators. Protesters also set fire to government offices in several provinces. Ninety people were killed and over 800 injured in the fighting. Most of the core leaders of the “red-shirts” were arrested or surrendered; several of the hard-core leaders, however, evaded authorities and were presumed to be hiding in Cambodia.
Thailand's southern border provinces have long been host to an ethno-nationalist Malay Muslim separatist movement rallying around a regional “Patani” identity. Since 2004, separatists have conducted an increasingly violent insurgency in the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, and Songkhla against symbols and representatives of central government authority, as well as against civilians, both Buddhist and Muslim, which has resulted in thousands of deaths.
Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, Thailand has had close relations with the United States. Threatened by communist revolutions in neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during the Cold War, Thailand actively sought U.S. assistance to contain communist expansion in the region. Thailand also has been an active member in multilateral organizations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. From 1992 and until the 2006 coup, the country was considered a functioning democracy with constitutional changes of government. Generally free and fair multi-party elections held in December 2007 subsequently restored democratic governance one year after the coup. The King has little direct power under Thailand's constitutions but is a symbol of national identity and unity. King Bhumibol (Rama IX)--who has been on the throne since 1946--commands enormous popular respect and moral authority, which he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened national stability.
Under the 2007 constitution, the National Assembly consists of two chambers--the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is a non-partisan body with 150 members, 76 of whom are directly elected (one per province). The remaining 74 are appointed by a panel comprised of judges and senior independent officials from a list of candidates compiled by the Election Commission. The House has 480 members, 400 of whom are directly elected from constituent districts and the remainder drawn proportionally from party lists.
Thailand's legal system blends principles of traditional Thai and Western laws. Under the constitution, the Constitutional Court is the highest court of appeals, though its jurisdiction is limited to clearly defined constitutional issues. Its members are nominated by a committee of judges, leaders in parliament, and senior independent officials, whose nominees are confirmed by the Senate and appointed by the King. The Courts of Justice have jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases and are organized in three tiers: Courts of First Instance, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Justice. Administrative courts have jurisdiction over suits between private parties and the government, and cases in which one government entity is suing another. In Thailand's southern border provinces, where Muslims constitute the majority of the population, Provincial Islamic Committees have limited jurisdiction over probate, family, marriage, and divorce cases.
Thailand's 76 provinces include the metropolis of greater Bangkok. Bangkok's governor is popularly elected, but those of the remaining provinces are career civil servants appointed by the Ministry of Interior.
Principal Government Officials
Chief of State--King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Prime Minister--Abhisit Vejjajiva
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Kasit Piromya
Ambassador to the U.S.--Don Pramudwinai
Ambassador to the UN--Norachit Sinhaseni
ECONOMY
The Thai economy is export-dependent, with exports of goods and services equivalent to over 60% of GDP in 2009. Thailand's recovery from the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis (which brought a double-digit drop in GDP) relied largely on external demand from the United States and other foreign markets. From 2001-2006, the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin embraced a "dual track" economic policy that combined domestic stimulus programs with Thailand's traditional promotion of open markets and foreign investment. Real GDP growth strengthened sharply from 2.2% in 2001 to 7.1% in 2003 and 6.3% in 2004. In 2005-2007, economic expansion moderated, averaging 4.9% real GDP growth, due to domestic political uncertainty, rising violence in Thailand's three southernmost provinces, and repercussions from the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Thailand's economy in 2007 relied heavily on resilient export growth (at a 18.2% annual rate), particularly in the automobile, petrochemicals, and electronics sectors.
Political uncertainty and the global financial crisis in 2008 weakened Thailand’s economic growth by reducing domestic and international demand for both its goods and services (including tourism). Due to minimum exposure to toxic assets, Thai banks experienced limited direct impact from the global financial crisis. Nonetheless, Thai economic growth slowed to 2.5% in 2008, with fourth-quarter growth dropping below zero. In 2009, the contraction continued. Over the first three quarters, GDP contracted by 5.0% year-on-year on average and hit bottom in the first quarter. To offset weak external demand and to shore up confidence, the Abhisit administration introduced two non-budgetary stimulus packages worth $43.4 billion focusing on key sectors such as mass transit and transportation, irrigation, education, public health, and energy. The Thai economy reversed to positive growth in the fourth quarter (5.9% year-on-year), improving the 2009 full-year average to minus 2.2% year-on-year.
In the first quarter of 2010, the Thai economy surged by 12.0% year-on-year, the highest quarterly growth since 1995. The uptick was mostly due to strong exports (up 32%) from continued global growth; however, growth continued through the second quarter of the year despite the political protests in Bangkok. The government projected that the Thai economy in 2010 would grow between 5% and 7% year-on-year.
The Royal Thai Government welcomes foreign investment, and investors who are willing to meet certain requirements can apply for special investment privileges through the Board of Investment. U.S. investors may qualify for additional privileges under the Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations. To attract additional foreign investment, the government of Prime Minister Abhisit has promised to look for ways to expand investment opportunities, focusing more on green technology/manufacturers.
The organized labor movement remains weak and divided in Thailand. Less than 2% of the total work force is unionized, although nearly 10% of industrial workers and more than 59% of state enterprise workers are unionized. In 2009, efforts to restructure the State Railway authority met resistance from the powerful railways union, including a short strike that halted trains nationwide, showing that organized labor still has potential political clout. As a result of the global financial crisis and business restructuring, employers have hired large numbers of short-term contract workers. While employers claimed to have done this in order to maintain business flexibility for greater competitiveness during financially uncertain times, labor advocates viewed these actions as reducing job security and attempts to weaken the organized labor movement.
Roughly 40% of Thailand's labor force is employed in agriculture (data based on the Bank of Thailand.) Rice is the country's most important crop; Thailand is the largest exporter in the world rice market. Other agricultural commodities produced in significant amounts include fish and fishery products, tapioca, rubber, corn, and sugar. Exports of processed foods such as canned tuna, canned pineapples, and frozen shrimp are also significant.
Thailand's increasingly diversified manufacturing sector is the largest contributor to growth. Industries registering rapid increases in production have included computers and electronics, furniture, wood products, canned food, toys, plastic products, gems, and jewelry. High-technology products such as integrated circuits and parts, hard disc drives, electrical appliances, vehicles, and vehicle parts are now leading Thailand's growth in exports. With stronger exports and a rise in inflationary pressure, the Bank of Thailand started to tighten its monetary policy in mid-July 2010 after having followed a low interest rate policy since April 2009. Large surpluses in both the current and capital accounts contributed to the Thai baht's appreciation relative to the dollar in 2009, and through the first half of 2010. Machinery and parts, vehicles, electronic integrated circuits, chemicals, crude oil and fuels, and iron and steel are among Thailand's principal imports.
Through 2009, the United States remained Thailand's largest single-country export market and third-largest supplier after Japan and China. Thailand's traditional major markets have been the United States, Japan, Europe, and ASEAN member countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam). Growing export markets include China, Hong Kong, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and India. Due to the global economic crisis, Thai exports in 2009 contracted by 14% from 2008. After exports surged by more than 30% during the first six months of 2010, the Thai Government expects export growth to be close to 20% for the year. Thailand is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters.
Tourism contributes significantly to the Thai economy (about 6%). As a result of political protests that closed Bangkok’s airports from late November to early December 2008, tourism figures declined significantly at the end of December, a time when tourism is normally at its peak in Thailand. The contraction continued in 2009, recording minus 3% from 2008. Tourism is expected to rebound in 2010, despite the political turmoil in April and May, but the convention trade may take longer to recover.
Bangkok and its environs are the most prosperous part of Thailand, and the seasonally barren northeast is the poorest. An overriding concern of successive Thai governments has been to reduce these regional income differentials, which have been exacerbated by rapid economic growth in and around Bangkok. The government has tried to stimulate provincial economic growth with programs such as the Eastern Seaboard project and various populist and crop price support policies.
Although the economy has demonstrated moderate positive growth in recent years, future performance depends on moving up on the value-added ladder away from low-wage industries where regional competition is growing. Key reforms are needed to open the financial sector; improve the foreign investment climate, including updating telecommunications capabilities; and stimulate domestic investment and consumption to balance reliance on exports. Logistics networks and electricity generation increasingly run the risk of bottlenecks and may pose a challenge to growth. Thailand's relative shortage of engineers and skilled technical personnel may limit its future technological creativity and productivity, even as the government is pushing for an increase in the proportion that creative industries contribute to GDP from 12% to 20% by 2015.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Thailand's foreign policy includes a close and longstanding security relationship with the United States. It also strongly supports ASEAN's efforts to promote economic development, social integration, and stability throughout the region. Relations with China are steadily increasing across the board. Thailand served as the chair of ASEAN from July 2008 to December 2009 and served as host to the ASEAN Summit (heads of government meeting) in February 2009, as well as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Post Ministerial Conference, and Regional Forum in July 2009. At the July 2009 meeting in Phuket, the United States acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation with ASEAN.
Thailand participates fully in international and regional organizations. It has developed increasingly close ties with other ASEAN members--Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, and Vietnam--whose foreign and economic ministers hold annual meetings. Regional cooperation is progressing in economic, trade, banking, political, and cultural matters.
On the international stage, Thailand contributed troops and UN force commanders to the international peacekeeping effort in East Timor. As part of its effort to increase international ties, Thailand has reached out to such regional organizations as the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Thailand has contributed troops to reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In May 2010 Thailand was chosen to serve on the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year term; in June 2010 Thailand was elected as chair of that body for one year.
U.S.-THAI RELATIONS
On March 20, 1833, the United States and Thailand, then Siam, signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, the United States’ first treaty with a country in Asia.
Since World War II, the United States and Thailand have developed close relations, as reflected in several bilateral treaties and by both countries' participation in UN multilateral activities and agreements. Thailand and the U.S. became treaty allies in 1954 (Manila Pact). The principal bilateral arrangement is the 1966 Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations, which facilitates U.S. and Thai companies' economic access to one another's markets. Other important agreements address civil uses of atomic energy, sales of agricultural commodities, investment guarantees, and military and economic assistance. In June 2004, the United States and Thailand initiated negotiations on a free trade agreement which, if concluded, would reduce and eliminate barriers to trade and investment between the two countries. These negotiations have been on hold since 2006.
The United States and Thailand are among the signatories of the 1954 Manila Pact of the former Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Article IV(1) of this treaty provides that, in the event of armed attack in the treaty area (which includes Thailand), each member would "act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes." Despite the dissolution of the SEATO in 1977, the Manila Pact remains in force and, together with the Thanat-Rusk communiqué of 1962, constitutes the basis of U.S. security commitments to Thailand. Thailand continues to be a key security ally in Asia, along with Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea. In December 2003, Thailand was designated a Major Non-NATO Ally.
Thailand's stability and independence are important to the maintenance of peace in the region. Economic assistance has been extended in various fields, including rural development, health, family planning, education, and science and technology. The formal U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) bilateral program, ended in 1995, was rejuvenated in 2010. There are also a number of targeted assistance programs which continue in areas of mutually defined importance, including: health and HIV/AIDS programming; refugee assistance; and trafficking in persons. The U.S. Peace Corps in Thailand has approximately 100 volunteers, focused on primary education, with an integrated program involving teacher training, health education, and environmental education. In late 2003, the Peace Corps also established an organizational development program aimed at promoting sustainable rural development in Thai communities. The United States and Thailand, through programs with USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medial Sciences (AFRIMS), cooperate closely on a range of public health initiatives, including efforts to fight malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, HIV/AIDS, and avian/pandemic influenza.
Thailand has received U.S. military equipment, essential supplies, training, and assistance in the construction and improvement of facilities and installations for much of the period since 1950; since then more Thai have been trained under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program than any other country. Over recent decades, U.S. security assistance included military training programs carried out in the United States and elsewhere. A small U.S. military advisory group in Thailand oversaw the delivery of equipment to the Thai Armed Forces and the training of Thai military personnel in its use and maintenance. As part of the mutual defense cooperation over the last three decades, Thailand and the United States have developed a vigorous joint military exercise program, which engages all the services of each nation and averages 40 joint exercises per year.
Thailand and the U.S. have longstanding cooperation in international law enforcement efforts. The large-scale production and shipment of opium and heroin shipments from Burma of previous years have largely been replaced by widespread smuggling of methamphetamine tablets, although heroin seizures along the border continue to take place with some frequency. The United States and Thailand continue to work closely together and with the United Nations on a broad range of programs to halt illicit drug trafficking and other criminal activity, such as trafficking in persons. Thailand cooperates fully in efforts to return felons fleeing justice to the U.S. The U.S. supports the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok, which provides counter-narcotics and anti-crime capacity-building programs to law enforcement and judicial officials from a number of regional countries.
Trade and Investment
The United States is Thailand's third-largest single-country trading partner after Japan and China; in 2009 merchandise imports from Thailand totaled $19.1 billion, and merchandise exports totaled $6.9 billion, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S., and the European Union are Thailand's largest foreign investors. U.S. investment, concentrated in the petroleum and chemicals, finance, consumer products, computer components, and automobile production sectors, is estimated by the American Chamber of Commerce at over $35 billion.
Many U.S. businesses enjoy investment benefits through the U.S.-Thailand Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations (AER), originally signed in 1833. The 1966 iteration of the treaty allows U.S. citizens and businesses incorporated in the U.S., or in Thailand that are majority-owned by U.S. citizens, to engage in business on the same basis as Thai companies, exempting them from most of the restrictions on foreign investment imposed by the Foreign Business Act. Under the treaty, Thailand restricts American investment only in the fields of communications, transport, fiduciary functions, banking involving depository functions, the exploitation of land or other natural resources, and domestic trade in agricultural products. Notwithstanding their treaty rights, many Americans choose to form joint ventures with Thai partners, allowing the Thai side to hold the majority stake because of the advantages that come from familiarity with the Thai economy and local regulations. In recent decades, Thailand has been a major destination for foreign direct investment, and hundreds of U.S. companies have operated there successfully.
A little guide about contemporary Thai culture, my personal afresh whit the fantastic help of these wonderful images, thanks to those who created them. SANUK TO EVERYONE
Thailand is often referred to as a golden land, not because there is precious metal buried underground but because the country gives off a certain lustre, be it the fertile rice fields of the central plains, white sandy beaches or the warm hospitality of its citizenry.
Thailand's cool season runs from November until the end of February. With its low humidity, relatively low temperatures and clear skies, the cool season is the best time to visit, though regular days of high 20s and low 30s might leave you wondering just who came up with the term ‘cool’. It is also the peak tourist season, so expect lots of new friends at the more popular spots like the islands and major towns.
First introductions are made in Bangkok, a modern behemoth of screaming traffic, gleaming shopping centres and international sensibilities interwoven with devout Buddhism. Chiang Mai, the country's bohemian centre, is where the unique and precise elements of Thai culture become a classroom, for cooking courses and language lessons; while climbing into the mountain ranges around Mae Hong Sonyou'll find stupa-studded peaks and villages of post-Stone Age cultures. Sliding down the coastal tail are the evergreen limestone islands of KoTao and Kho Phi Phi Don, filled with tall palms angling over pearlescent sand. Thailand's beaches are stunning, hedonistic and mythic among residents of northern latitudes.
People come here as miners: first perhaps for the uniquely Western concept of R&R. And while they toast themselves to a bronze hue on the sandy beaches, they find in the daily rhythm of Thailand a tranquillity that isn't confined to vacation time. The northeast is a region better suited for homestays and teaching gigs than quick souvenir snapshots: here, you can dive deep into the Thai psyche, emerging with a tolerance for searingly spicy food and a mastery of this strange tonal language. Welcome to a life-altering experience disguised as a holiday.
Thailand map, Thailand famous streets, Thailand famous Cities, Thailand famous Roads.
Phi Phi Island located in Thailand is fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most outstanding reefs and spectacular scenery in the Andaman Sea. Each day tourists are enchanted by the natural beauty and charismatic charm that this tiny island has to offer, protected as a National Marine Park. Phi Phi’s beauty is a large chunk of the allure. The islands, when approached by boat, rise from the sea like a fortress. Sheer cliffs tower overhead, then give way to beach-fronted jungle. It’s love at first sight. The second part of the why-we-love-this-place story is attitude: few places on the planet are this laid-back. Of the two islands, one is completely free of human inhabitants (Phi Phi Lei), and the other is without roads (Phi Phi Don). There’s no schedule, no hustle-and-bustle, no reason to be in a hurry.
Activities
Diving and snorkelling top the list of exciting ways to spend a day (or three), and the clear waters around Phi Phi are perfect for checking out the rich marine life. Hire a longtail boat – the beach-to-beach water taxi of choice – and let a local show you the area’s many remote beaches and private coves. Cliff diving, sunbathing, reading, exercising, hiking, rock climbing – the possibilities are plentiful.
Where to stay on Phi Phi Island
Bungalows is the accommodation of choice on Phi Phi. The place is very kind to budget-minded backpackers, but there are a few havens of luxury for those who wish to experience paradise in style. For those who aren’t carrying all their worldly possessions on their back, the quiet northern tip of Phi Phi Don offers excellent accommodation
Thailand, land of warm smiles, old wats (temples) and many Buddha statues,
paradise-like beaches and vast national parks.
I am sure there is something for everyone’s liking in Thailand.
Accommodations vary from the cheapest guesthouses to the most luxurious 5-star resorts.
The transporting system is very regular and cheap.
Some parts of Thailand are becoming overdeveloped.
We think that Thailand travel has something for everyone. It is a sun drenched country packed with colour, culture, wildlife and scenery. From the moment you arrive, you'll know why Thailand is called the 'Land of Smiles'. Tuk-tuk drivers pass by with friendly grins, street traders peddle weird and wonderful wares, and the air is thick with inviting aromas. The Thai people radiate warmth and humor, making you feels instantly welcome.
Thailand travel offers more than its beautiful Phuket beaches, you can trek amongst the colourful mountain tribes in the north, visit rainforests alive with monkeys and wild elephants, and explore the exotic marine life. Travel Thailand and spend lazy days on a remote island paradise, swaying on a hammock while you overlook white sandy beaches with a cocktail in hand.
Thailand online offers you the opportunity to put together your own unique trip by giving you a wide choice of building blocks (Thailand travel modules). These are bite-sized travel experiences usually lasting between two and three days each. Choose from 20 different modules which include classic highlights such as hill tribe jungle treks, hidden beach paradises and fantastic national parks. We have also come up with some more unusual options such as a different take on the River Kwai area, a homestay in the Thai countryside, and even a cycling trip in Bangkok.
If you want to organise your Thailand travel before you arrive, but don't want to book a group tour, we offer the perfect solution. You can put together an action packed Thailand trip or something more laid back, it's completely up to you - arrange as little or as much as you like.
Pattaya City is an internationally well-known seaside resort in Thailand, Pattaya is also a vibrant city by night and by day. Pattaya offers a colourful potpourri of mixed nationalities from near and far. Pattaya has a vast range of tourism-related activities. Pleasures of Pattaya range from relaxing on the beach, to sea-based sports, to visiting the scores of local attractions in and around Pattaya/Chonburi.
The half-moon-shaped Pattaya Beach is 4 kilometres long with a road running parallel to the beachfront. From middle-section to the southern end of Pattaya Beach are many restaurants, bars, department stores, souvenir stores, as well as other places of entertainment. Khao Pattaya (Khao Phra Bat) is a small hill to the south of Pattaya Beach. The view point on the hilltop offers a panoramic view of Pattaya City and Pattaya Bay.
Known among beach lovers and those familiar with Thai vibrant nightlife, Pattaya is a good place to live and invest. It’s a popular weekend escape from Bangkok, and only one hour from the new Suvarnabhumi airport. In addition to being a popular tourist resort town it’s also attracting more and more permanent expat residents, many of whom are employed along Thailand’s Eastern seaboard. This all helps keep demand for apartments in Pattaya robust.
As the Thai law restricts foreign ownership of land, condos and apartments are the prime option for foreigners willing to invest in Thai property, since up-to 49 per cent of the total units in a single building may belong to non-Thais. This means that Pattaya condos are the primary property sector in this city, with a mature industry and some very luxury developments. With values increasing by as much as 10 per cent a year, this is considered one of the best condos investment opportunities in Thailand. Leasing prospects are considered to be good.
Your search for the right condo will begin with a browse in the local press and online. There are numerous property agencies who have generous listings of apartments in Pattaya to suit all budgets and tastes. The styles are contemporary and modern, according to Western tastes, with Thailand being well known for its elegant décor and furnishings in tropical Asian style.
Bangkok Prowl a Sacred Labyrinth
Most travelers launch their Thailand odysseys from the country's pulsating capital, a convenient middle ground between the mountainous north and island-pocked south. With direct flights from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thai Airways, it's now an endurable 17 hours to Bangkok. Drop your bags at the Atlanta, a meticulously kept art deco hotel on the east side of town, then make your way down to the Chao Phraya River for an early evening ferry glide past Thon Buri. At night the ancient city's skyline glows with brightly lit sites such as Wat Arun, the stunning Temple of the Dawn. By day, one of the best ways to explore Bangkok's temple-ridden labyrinth of high-rises and twisting side streets is to hire a tuk-tuk, or local pedicab. (Be sure to bargain the price ahead of time; maximum $65 for half a day.) Itinerary musts: Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), with the adjoining Grand Palace; and the intricate, teakwood Jim Thompson House, where an American intelligence officer turned expat once lived before he mysteriously disappeared in 1967. If you'd prefer a day outside the city limits, hop a bus to the renowned Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Bangkok. Here merchants poling gondola-like canoes peddle fruits, vegetables, and souvenirs from boats and stalls along a series of khlongs (canals).
Scout Deserted Shores
Home to 582 islands, the southern half of Thailand offers world-class scuba diving, sea kayaking, and rock climbing. If you have more than two weeks to spare, explore both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand sides of the country. But if you've only got a few days, just pick one (neither will disappoint). The island of Ko Chang, a six-hour bus-and-ferry ride from Bangkok, makes an excellent gulf adventure, with mist-wrapped mountain peaks and offshore reefs. (For the best diving conditions, visit between November and April). Stay at the Tree House Lodge on the island's southwest coast, from which you can trek into Mu Ko Chang National Park or paddle out to sea. Rent a kayak from one of the vendors on nearby Lonely Beach ($10 for a half-day) and head for the largely deserted islands about an hour's glide from shore. An 80-minute flight from Bangkok, Phuket is the easiest island to reach off Thailand's west coast. Sybaritic swarms will forever throng its more popular sites (avoid Patong Beach), but Phuket still hides some sandy gems, including Nai Yang and Mai Khao Beaches. Sip a schooner of icy Thai lager at Nai Yang Beach's Mr. Kobi bar as the sun dips below the Andaman Sea. The next morning take a two-and-a-half-hour ferry due east to Laem Phra Nang Peninsula, commonly known as Railay, whose 500-foot (152-meter) limestone cliffs offer prime climbing routes and a fast-emerging DWS (Deep Water Solo) scene. The best part? That water landing.
Pattaya Beaches
Pattaya Beach - Pattaya Beach offers hotels, shopping malls, street stalls, many Western restaurants, watersports and other leisure activities, and, of course, world infamous Nightlife.
Jomtien Beach - Jomtien Beach is a 6km long stretch of sandy coastline. Its much more peaceful than Pattaya Beach.
Naklua Beach - Naklua Beach is on the northern tip of Pattaya Second Road, where it meets North Pattaya Road, marks the end of Pattaya Bay and the start of the area known as Naklua.
Wong Prachan Beach - Wong Prachan Beach is 1 km stretch of beach on the northern side of Pattaya Bay. Wong Prachan Beach is a quiet, and offers an exclusive serene beach that is best for swimming and relaxation. There are no shops or nightlife, and only fine high-rise hotels and condominiums in the area.
Koh Mak was our number one destination here in Trat region, eastern Thailand. The island is small with just an 400 inhabitants, few roads and approximately 12 cars...
It was a low-season when we were there, so it was a total laid-back place with maximum 15 tourists on the island. Very nice, though dirt roads were really slippery after the rain and riding a motorbike was an challenge.
Koh Kham is only few hundred meters away from Koh Mak. We rented a kayak and spend a day there. We were the only tourists there, i think. There is only one resort with some dozen of different kind of houses and huts. Very nice beach, lot of fishes, coral and clear water.
One day we rent a fishing boat with our friends for a day, and got into Koh Rayang. It is an private island(owned by Mr. Yodying Sudhidhanakul, the owner of Koh Mak Villa) and there is one resort, "Good Time Resort".
Beach is nice and the place is very peaceful and relaxing.
Town of Koh Pannyi, Phand Nga bay, Thailand. The south-western coast of Thailand offers a series of beautiful bays lined with many islands. Phang-nga Bay's special formations were created after the thawing of ice 15,000 years ago. Rising waters then submerged arid calcareous mountains, leaving only their peaks visible to the eye. The bay was turned into a marine park in 1981. One of its popular attractions is the village of Koh Panyi, which was built on piles two centuries ago by Muslim sailors coming from Malaysia. The inhabitants make a living via traditional fishing and tourism. Preserved by its configuration, the bay floor of Phang-nga Bay suffered much less from the tsunami of December 26, 2004 than nearby sites.
Phuket Nightlife Phuket has the most versatile nightlife entertainment establishments worldwide. It is not only famous for all kind of shows including the very famous transvestite shows and the incredible A Go Go presentation for men and women alike.
Age in fact is an unknown word in most parts of Asia but especially in Thailand. Live Music is these days hard to find but not so in Pattaya City. The bands from Thailand or the Philippines are great to watch and listen.
At present, the condo market in Pattaya is active and expensive compared with other places in Thailand. This can be explained by high demand from Thai and foreign buyers alike, as Pattaya is close to Bangkok and allows easy weekend breaks for Bangkokians. IN Pattaya, the higher your unit is in the condos, the higher the price will be. Sea views add to the price although they are not always guaranteed due to unregulated development, and unethical practices at the Land Department.
The market offers high and mid-range properties. High profile condos can be sold for up to 100,000 baht per square metre or more. It varies according to building, luxury furnishings, building position and height/views. The most popular locations are Jomtien Beach, Wong Amat Beach, Northshore in north Pattaya, and Pratumnak Hill. Central Pattaya is busy, touristy and dominated by commercial property. To cater to the ever increasing demand, the property market has even sprawled to the beautiful beaches of Bang Saray and Tawanron.
Buying apartments in older projects is a chance to make a good deal and you will enjoy renovating your unit, to match your own tastes and expectations. Make sure the building you buy in will be well maintained, however. These are from a previous era, and although presenting good bargains and suitable lodging they are outdated compared to the new generation of ‘Post ‘97’ buildings that learnt from the Asian Financial Crisis. Renovation costs are cheap, and there is a sector of less wealthy foreigners looking to rent or buy cheaper condos and apartments in Pattaya.
Trek the Jungle Highlands
With a hefty population of nearly 170,000 residents, the 700-year-old moated city of Chiang Mai is often referred to as the "capital of northern Thailand," but it's also the gateway to some of the country's best inland adventures, from elephant trekking to white-water rafting and mountain biking. Stay downtown at the newly renovated Eurana Boutique Hotel. Or splurge on a room at the local Four Seasons: The mesmerizingly tranquil grove of spacious Lanna-style huts sits just outside the city, overlooking a functioning rice paddy patrolled by placid water buffalo. Chiang Mai is brimming with mom-and-pop travel agents who are eager to help you organize excursions into the surrounding mountainscape (about $30 for a half-day trip; $50 for a full day). Or you can make plans directly with local outfitters. Hitch a shuttle with Mountain Biking Chiang Mai to
Doi Suthep, which is considered one of Thailand's holiest sites. The gold-encrusted Buddhist stupa affords views of pine-and-deciduous forests from its perch at 5,400 feet (1,646 meters)—and makes the perfect starting line for a screaming two-wheel descent back to town. Siam River Adventures runs white-water rafting trips on the Class III and IV Mae Taeng river, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of town. For an exotic thrill, head to the Maetaman Elephant Camp, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Chiang Mai, and climb atop a massive Asian elephant for a verdant jungle trek; then board a bamboo skiff to float a nearby bird-filled wilderness. However you spend the days, save some energy for Chiang Mai's flourishing culinary scene. The antique-laden Rachamankha is one of the best eateries in the city, with dishes such as egg noodles served with braised osso bucco. The don't-miss dessert: a mango sticky rice crepe drenched in chocolate sauce.
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