A civilian, Anand Panyarachun, is installed as prime minister. Banharn Silpa-archa, of the Thai Nation party, elected prime minister. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh of the New Aspiration party wins elections.
The IMF steps in. Chuan Leekpai becomes prime minister. Prime Minister Chuan involves the opposition in his government in order to push through economic reforms. Thaksin Shinawatra forms coalition government. Retired General Surayud Chulanont is appointed interim prime minister. Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra returns from exile. Troops eventually storm the protesters' barricades, leaving 91 dead.
Yingluck Shinawatra - the sister of Mr Thaksin Shinawatra - becomes prime minister. Army seizes power in coup. Greater political and cultural achievements were attained with the emergence of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya AD , known historically for its far-reaching diplomacy and commerce.
Following the destruction of Ayutthaya in , the Thai armed forced moved south to Thon Buri to regroup and restore their kingdom. The center of power moved across the Chao Phraya River, when Krung Thep, internationally known as Bangkok, was founded in Since then the Royal House of Chakri has reigned over the Kingdom. The institution of the monarchy in Thailand is in many ways unique. Not only does it have a history going back more than seven hundred years, but it has also managed to preserve its relevance in the contemporary world.
The love and reverence the Thai people have for their King stem in large part from the moral authority His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great has earned during his reign, one that involves a remarkable degree of personal contact with the people.
At the same time, it is rooted in attitudes that can be traced to the earliest days of Thailand as a nation state and in some of the past monarchs who continue to serve as models of kingship. Thai concepts of monarchy have their origins in Sukhothai, founded in the early part of the 13th century and generally regarded as the first truly independent Thai kingdom.
Here, particularly under the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great AD , was born the ideal of a paternalistic ruler alert to the needs of his people and aware of the fact that his duty was to guide them. Such forms part of Dasavidha-rajadhamma , or the ten precepts of kingship, which — rooted in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism — encompasses such virtues as willingness to give and sacrifice for a greater good, morality, honesty, open-mindedness, diligence, compassion, perseverance and righteousness.
With the founding of the Chakri dynasty in and the establishment of Bangkok as the capital, the kingship was based primarily on adherence to the said Buddhist concepts of virtue, which indeed has served to the present day as a code of conduct of a Thai monarch and made the monarchical institution one that is responsive to the needs of the people.
The Bangkok period has produced a succession of able kings, capable of meeting a variety of challenges to the country, to the people as well as to the monarchy itself. Today, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic form of government. The Thai monarch reigns, but does not rule. Thailand is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy.
The administration of the country is carried out by the prime minister — elected through an open vote by members of the House of Representatives — and the cabinet that the prime minister forms. The Kingdom has a bi-cameral legislature and an independent judiciary.
The Thai people and civil society organizations are increasingly taking part in political activities, enjoying the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. With the resiliency and fundamental strengths of the Thai society, the country has been able to continue its stride along the path of development, guided by the traditional Thai traits of tolerance, common sense and preference for peaceful solutions to problems.
Over the past decades, there has been a remarkable continuity in policy direction, providing a predictable framework for investors and businessmen. These policies are underpinned, among others, by the vibrant private sector and the strength and continuity of the civil service of the nation, which oversees the implementation of policies and execution of laws throughout the country.
With a free-market economy, the Kingdom has a strong domestic market and a growing middle class, with the private sector being the main engine of growth. Thailand also has a strong industrial sector 40 percent of GDP and a robust and growing services sector 50 percent of GDP centered on the tourism and financial services industries. Given the importance of exports to Thailand, it has been a leader in the region in terms of trade liberalization and facilitation with the rest of the world, starting with its Asian neighbors.
Thailand is a key player in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN , enjoying a strategic location that provides easy access to a larger market of over million people, making it a community of connectivity, a single market and production base.
With a favorable investment climate, an entrepreneurial spirit and an open society, Thailand has been chosen by many businesses, media firms, as well as international organizations and non-governmental organizations. They extended their domain into parts of modern Laos, Cambodia and Malaya, but in the late 19th and early 20th centuries they were forced to surrender their territories there to the French.
One of its founders was an army officer called Phibun in full, Luang Phibunsongkhram , who in helped to lead a coup against the Chakri king and set up a government closer to a western-style democracy, with a parliament.
The monarchy survived, but in Phibun took charge as dictator. There were many Chinese in the country and many prosperous Chinese businesses, but Phibun cut down immigration from China and government-backed Thai businesses were set up, while the use of Mandarin in Chinese schools was limited to two hours a week. Thailand adopted the western calendar, a new flag was created and a new national anthem, while Phibun demanded that Thais wore western-style clothes, including hats.
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