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1 Chapter Basic knowledge
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Basic knowledge
■Official name of country
Thailand, officially name is the Kingdom of Thailand. Its former known as Siam, the land of smile.
■National flag
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■National land / Area
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Thailand has a total area of approximately 513,000 Km2 which has border with many country such as Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
■Capital
The capital city of Thailand is Bangkok which locates in the middle part of Thailand. There are approximately 10 Million people live in Bangkok.
■Year number
Thailand has established after pre-historical year approximately 777 years. Since B.E. 1238 to present.
■Weather
The weather in Thailand is marked by three seasons; rainy season between May to October, hot season between February to April and cold season between November to January.
■Time difference
Thailand use the time zone as UTC+7.00 which will be faster than United State of America around 12.00 hrs.
■Population
The population of Thailand is now estimate 67 Million people base on statistic of 2014.
■Language
Thai people has only one main language which is Thai language, but there are some different accent in some part of country.
■Currency
Thai “Baht”
■The Thailand’s main history
There is evidence of human habitation in Thailand that has been dated at 40,000 years before the present, with stone artefacts dated to this period at Tham Lod Rockshelter in Mae Hong Son. Similar to other regions in Southeast Asia, Thailand was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, starting with the Kingdom of Funan around the 1st century CE to the Khmer Empire.
Ayutthaya was burned and sacked in 1767 by a Burmese army under King Hsinbyushin. Indian influence on Siamese culture was partly the result of direct contact with Indian settlers, but mainly it was brought about indirectly via the Indianized kingdoms of Dvaravati, Srivijaya, and Cambodia. E:A Voretzsch believes that Buddhism must have been flowing into Siam from India in the time of the Indian Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire and far on into the first millennium after Christ. Later Thailand was influenced by the south Indian Pallava Dynasty and north Indian Gupta Empire.
After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th century, various states thrived there, such as the various Tai, Mon, Khmer, and Malay Kingdoms, as seen through the numerous archaeological sites and artefacts that are scattered throughout the Siamese landscape. Prior to the 12th century however, the first Thai or Siamese state is traditionally considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238
Following the decline and fall of the Khmer empire in the 13th–15th century, the Buddhist Tai kingdoms of Sukhothai, Lanna, and Lan Xang (now Laos) were on the rise. However, a century later, the power of Sukhothai was overshadowed by the new Kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century in the lower Chao Phraya River or Menam area.
Ayutthaya's expansion centred along the Menam while in the northern valleys the Lanna Kingdom and other small Tai city-states ruled the area. In 1431, the Khmer abandoned Angkor after Ayutthaya forces invaded the city. Thailand retained a tradition of trade with its neighbouring states, from China to India, Persia, and Arab lands. Ayutthaya became one of the most vibrant trading centres in Asia. European traders arrived in the 16th century, beginning with the Portuguese, followed by the French, Dutch, and English.
After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 to the Burmese, King Taksin the Great moved the capital of Thailand to Thonburi for approximately 15 years. The current Rattanakosin era of Thai history began in 1782, following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "A quarter to a third of the population of some areas of Thailand and Burma were slaves in the 17th through the 19th centuries.
Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation to never have been colonised. This has been ascribed to the long succession of able rulers in the past four centuries who exploited the rivalry and tension between French Indochina and the British Empire. As a result, the country remained a buffer state between parts of Southeast Asia that were colonised by the two colonial powers, Great Britain and France. Western influence nevertheless led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions, most notably the loss of a large territory on the east side of the Mekong to the French and the step-by-step absorption by Britain of the Shan and Karen people areas and Malay Peninsula.
In 20th Century, The losses initially included Penang and eventually culminated in the loss of four predominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's four northern states, under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.
In 1932, a bloodless revolution carried out by the Khana Ratsadon group of military and civilian officials resulted in a transition of power, when King Prajadhipok was forced to grant the people of Siam their first constitution, thereby ending centuries of absolute monarchy.
In 1939, the name of the kingdom, "Siam", was changed to "Thailand".
During World War II, the Empire of Japan demanded the right to move troops across Thailand to the Malayan frontier. Japan invaded Thailand on 8 December 1941, in co-ordination with attacks throughout Asia, and engaged the Thai Army for six to eight hours before Plaek Pibulsonggram ordered an armistice. Shortly thereafter, Japan was granted free passage, and on 21 December 1941, Thailand and Japan signed a military alliance with a secret protocol, wherein Tokyo agreed to help Thailand regain territories lost to the British and French.
Subsequently, Thailand declared war on the United States and the United Kingdom on 25 January 1942, and undertook to "assist" Japan in its war against the Allies, while at the same time maintaining an active anti-Japanese resistance movement known as the Seri Thai. Approximately 200,000 Asian labourers (mainly romusha) and 60,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) worked on the Thailand–Burma Death Railway.
After the war, Thailand emerged as an ally of the United States. As with many of the developing nations during the Cold War, Thailand then went through decades of political instability characterised by a number of coups d'état, as one military regime replaced another, but eventually progressed towards a stable, prosperous democracy in the 1980s.
■Political system
Until 22 May 2014 the politics of Thailand were conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches.
Since the coup d'état of 22 May 2014, the 2007 Constitution was revoked, and Thailand has been under the rule of the military organization called National Council for Peace and Order, which has taken control of the national administration. The Chief of the NCPO abolished the National Assembly and assumed all responsibility of the legislative branch. Under the Martial Law that has been enforced throughout the Kingdom, the military courts have been tasked to be responsible for some cases that are normally under the civilian courts. However, the court system including the Constitutional Court still remains in existence, even without the Constitution.
Thai kingdoms and the late Kingdom of Siam were under absolute rule of the kings. However, after the 'democratic revolution' in 1932, led by westernized bureaucrats and traditional-oriented military, the country officially became under a constitutional monarchy with a prime minister as the head of government. The first written constitution was issued. Yet the politics became the arena of fighting factions among old and new elites, bureaucrats, and generals. Coups happened from time to time, often bringing the country under the rule of yet another junta. To date Thailand has had seventeen charters and constitutions, reflecting a high degree of political instability. After successful coups, military regimes have abrogated existing constitutions and promulgated interim charters. Negotiation among politicians, men of influence and generals has become the prime factor for restoration of temporary political stability.
■Education system
Education in Thailand is provided mainly by the Thai government through the Ministry of Education from pre-school to senior high school. A free basic education of twelve years is guaranteed by the constitution, and a minimum of nine years' school attendance is mandatory.
Formal education consists of at least twelve years of basic education, and higher education. Basic education is divided into six years of elementary education and six years of secondary education, the latter being further divided into three years of lower- and upper-secondary levels. Kindergarten levels of pre-elementary education, also part of the basic education level, span 2–3 years depending on the locale, and are variably provided. Non-formal education is also supported by the state. Independent schools contribute significantly to the general education infrastructure.
Administration and control of public and private universities are carried out by the Office of Higher Education Commission, a department of the Ministry of Education.
■Politics / Economic trends
Economic performance
A contraction in Thailand’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2014 was followed by a cautious recovery sufficient for the economy to post marginal growth of 0.7% for the year. Political unrest and street protests disrupted economic activity into the first half of 2014, culminating in a military takeover of the government in May. Various disruptions since 2007 have confined average growth over this period to 2.9%.
Economic prospects
The economy is expected to benefit this year from a relatively calm political environment, the restoration of government investment, better prospects for exports to the major industrial economies, and lower fuel costs for businesses and consumers. These factors are forecast to lift GDP growth to 3.6% in 2015 and 4.1% next year.
In particular, public fixed investment will rise in 2015 after last year’s decline and is expected to accelerate in 2016. The interim government has approved an infrastructure program that includes $95 billion in investments over 8 years in railways, roads, ports, airports, and special economic zones. This year, public investment will be confined to relatively small projects, with larger-scale construction to start from next year. The government plans to offer contracts for mass rapid transit rail lines in Bangkok and for double-tracking rail lines across the country. (Asian Development Bank, 2015)
■The relation between Japan and Thailand
Japan has become again a key trading partner and foreign investor for Thailand. Japan is Thailand's largest supplier, followed by the United States. Since 2005, the rapid ramp-up in export of automobiles of Japanese makes (esp. Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu) has helped to dramatically improve the trade balance, with over 1 million cars produced last year. As such, Thailand has joined the ranks of the world's top ten automobile exporting nations.[citation needed]
In 2007, a Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement was signed, aiming at free trade between the two countries after a transition period of 10 years.
■Religion
Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school. Nearly 95% of Thailand's population is Buddhist of the Theravada school, though Thai Buddhism is practiced alongside Chinese indigenous religions by the large Thai Chinese population.
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