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 THAILAND
March
2006
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 TABLE
OF CONTENTS
General
Information
Country Name
Capital
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Transnational
Issues
History
Human Rights
Institution & Treaties
Recent
Justice & Peace Issues
A) Restriction
on Media
B) Tension in
southern provinces
Source
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| General Information Country
Name:
Kingdom of Thailand
Capital:
Bangkok
Geography
| Location |
Southeastern
Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf
of Thailand, southeast of Burma. Its
geographic coordinates are 15 00 N, 100 00 E.
|
| Area |
- total: 514,000 sq km
- land: 511,770 sq km
- water: 2,230 sq km
|
| Land
boundaries |
- total: 4,863 km
- border countries: Burma 1,800 km,
Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km,
Malaysia 506 km
|
| Coastline |
3,219 km |
| Climate |
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest
monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool
northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
southern isthmus always hot and humid |
| Terrain |
- central plain;
- Khorat Plateau in the east;
- mountains elsewhere
|
| Natural resources |
tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten,
tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite,
fluorite, arable land |
| Land use |
- arable land: 29.36%
- permanent crops: 6.46%
- other: 64.18% (2001)
|
| Irrigated land |
- 47,490 sq km (1998 est.)
- Natural hazards:
- land subsidence in Bangkok area
resulting from the depletion of the
water table; droughts
|
Environment -
current issues |
- Air pollution from vehicle emissions;
- water pollution from organic and
factory wastes;
- deforestation;
- soil erosion;
- wildlife populations threatened by
illegal hunting
|
Environment -
international
agreements |
A party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation,
Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Misc |
Controls only land route to Malaysia and
Singapore. |
People
| Population |
65,444,371
note: estimates for this country explicitly
take into account the effects of excess
mortality due to AIDS; this can result in
lower life expectancy, higher infant
mortality and death rates, lower population
and growth rates, and changes in the
distribution of population by age and sex
than would otherwise be expected (July 2005
est.) |
| Age structure |
- 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 7,988,529/female
7,633,405)
- 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 22,195,625/female
22,731,767)
- 65 years and over: 7.5% (male 2,251,112/female
2,643,933) (2005 est.)
|
| Population growth rate |
0.87% (2005 est.) |
| Birth rate |
15.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Death rate |
7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Net migration rate |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
|
| Sex ratio |
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
- total population: 0.98 male(s)/female
(2005 est.)
|
| Ethnic groups |
- Thai 75%
- Chinese 14%
- other 11%
|
| Religions |
- Buddhism 95%
- Muslim 3.8%
- Christianity 0.5%
- Hinduism 0.1%
- other 0.6%
|
| Languages |
- Thai
- English (secondary language of the
elite)
- ethnic and regional dialects
|
| Literacy |
- 92.6% of total population aged 15 and
over can read and write
- 94.9% of male and 90.5% aged 15 and
over can read and write (2002)
|
| HIV |
- deaths: 58,000 (2003 est.)
- adult prevalence rate: 1.5% (2003 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: 570,000
(2003 est.)
|
Major infectious diseases:
|
- Food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
- Vector borne diseases: dengue fever,
malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and
plague are high risks in some
locations
- Animal contact disease: rabies
- Water contact disease: leptospirosis
At present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a
minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds,
rare cases could occur among US personnel who
have close contact with infected birds or
poultry (2005)
|
|
Government
| Government type |
Constitutional monarchy |
| Administrative divisions |
76 provinces (or "changwat");
Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram,
Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum,
Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon
Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet,
Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep
Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei,
Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham,
Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon
Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan,
Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, Narathiwat, Nong
Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum
Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao,
Phetchabun, Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok,
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket,
Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong,
Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon
Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut
Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri,
Sisaket, Songkhla, Sukhothai, Suphan Buri,
Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon
Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani,
Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon |
| Constitution |
New constitution signed by King Phumiphon
on 11 October 1997 |
| Legal system |
Based on civil law system, with
influences of common law; has not accepted
compulsory International Court of Justice (ICJ)
jurisdiction |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
|
| Political parties and leaders: |
- Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat
Party) [Leader: Abhisit Wetchachiwa]
- People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party)
[Leader: Anek Laothamatas]
- Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai
Party) [Leader: Barnharn Silpa-Archa]
- Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [Leader:
Thaksin Shinawatra]
|
| Executive branch |
- Chief of state: King
Phumiphon Adunyadet (since 9 June
1946)
- Head of government: Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (since 9
February 2001) and Deputy Prime
Ministers Chaturon Chaisaeng,
Chitchai Wannasathi, Phinit
Charusombat, Somkit Chatusiphithak,
Surakiat Sathianthai; Wisanu Kruangam,
Suchai Charoenrattanakhun, Suriya
Chungrungruangkit, Suwat Liptapanlop.
- Cabinet: Council of
Ministers (note: there is also a
Privy Council)
- Elections: The monarch is
hereditary;
Prime minister is designated from among
the members of the House of Representatives;
following national elections for the House of
Representatives, the leader of the party that
can organize a majority coalition usually is
appointed prime minister by the king
|
| Legislative branch |
- Bicameral National Assembly or
Rathasapha consists of:
a) The Senate or Wuthisapha (200
seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms) and
b) The House of Representatives or
Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats;
members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
- Elections:
a) Senate - next to be held by March
2006
b) House of Representatives - last
held 6 February 2005, next to be held
in February 2009. Seats by party -
Thai Rak Thai 376, Democrat Party 97,
Thai Nation Party 25, People's Party
2
|
| Judicial branch |
Supreme Court or Sandika (judges
appointed by the monarch) |
| Military |
- Military branches:
Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes
Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai
Air Force
- Military service age and obligation:
males serves compulsory military
service at 21 years of age; conscript
service obligation - 2 years
- Military expenditures - percent of
GDP:
1.8% (2003)
|
Economy
| Currency |
Baht (1 USD = 39 Baht, Mar 2006) |
| Economy - overview |
Thailand has a well developed
infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy,
and welcomes foreign investment. Thailand has
fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian
Financial Crisis and was one of East Asia's
best performers in 2002-04. Increased
consumption and investment spending and
strong export growth pushed GDP growth up to
6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a
sluggish global economy. The highly popular
government's expansionist policy, including
major support of village economic development,
has raised concerns about fiscal discipline
and the health of financial institutions.
Bangkok has pursued preferential trade
agreements with a variety of partners in an
effort to boost exports and maintain high
growth, and in 2004 began negotiations on a
Free Trade Agreement with the US. In late
December 2004, a major tsunami took 8,500
lives in Thailand and caused massive
destruction of property in the southern
provinces of Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity) |
$545.8 billion (2005 est.) |
| Public debt |
35.9% of GDP (2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line |
10% (2004 est.) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini
index |
51.1 (2002) |
| Unemployment rate |
1.4% (September 2005) |
Transnatioanl Issues
| International disputes |
- Separatist violence in Thailand's
predominantly Muslim southern
provinces prompt border closures and
controls with Malaysia to stem
separatist activities;
- Southeast Asian states have enhanced
border surveillance to check the
spread of avian flu;
- Laos and Thailand pledge to complete
demarcation of their boundary in 2005;
- Despite continuing border committee
talks, significant differences remain
with Burma over boundary alignment
and the handling of ethnic rebels,
refugees, and illegal cross-border
activities;
- Cambodia and Thailand dispute
sections of boundary with missing
boundary markers - Cambodia claims
Thai encroachments into Cambodian
territory and obstructing access to
Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to
Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962;
- Ethnic Karens from Burma flee into
Thailand to escape fighting between
Karen rebels and Burmese troops
resulting in Thailand sheltering
about 118,000 Burmese refugees in
2004; Karens also protest Thai
support for a Burmese hydroelectric
dam construction on the Salween River
near the border;
- Environmentalists in Burma and
Thailand remain concerned about China's
construction of hydroelectric dams
upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River
in Yunnan Province.
|
| Refugees and internally displaced persons |
refugees: 118,407 from Burma (2004) |
| Illicit drugs |
A minor producer of opium, heroin, and
marijuana; illicit transit point for heroin
en route to the international drug market
from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have
reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and
shifted some production to neighboring
countries; opium poppy cultivation has been
reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug
money-laundering center; minor role in
amphetamine production for regional
consumption; increasing indigenous abuse of
methamphetamine |
History
| 1782 |
Beginning of the Chakri dynasty under
King Rama I, which rules to this present day.
The country was known as Siam. New capital of
Bangkok founded. |
| 1868-1910 |
Reign of King Chulalongkorn. Employment
of Western advisers to modernise Siam's
administration and commerce. Railway network
developed. |
| 1917 |
Siam becomes ally of Great Britain in
World War I. |
| 1932 |
Bloodless coup against absolute monarch
King Prajadhipok. Constitutional monarchy
introduced with parliamentary government. |
| 1939 |
Siam changed its name to Thailand ("Land
of the Free"). |
| 1941 |
Japanese forces land. After negotiations
Thailand allowed Japanese to advance towards
British-controlled Malay Peninsula, Singapore
and Burma. |
| 1942 |
Thailand declared war on Britain and US,
but Thai ambassador in Washington refused to
deliver declaration to US government. |
| Post-war uncertainty |
| 1945 |
End of World War II. Thailand compelled
to return territory it had seized from Laos,
Cambodia and Malaya. Exiled King Ananda
returnd. |
| 1946 |
King Ananda assassinated. |
| 1947 |
Military coup by the wartime, pro-Japanese
leader Phibun Songkhram. The military
retained power until 1973. |
| 1965 onwards |
Thailand permited US to use bases there
during the Vietnam War. Thai troops fought in
South Vietnam. |
| Short-lived civilian rule
|
| 1973 |
Student riots in Bangkok brought about
the fall of the military government. Free
elections were held but the resulting
governments lacked stability. |
| 1976 |
Military took over again. |
| 1978 |
New constitution promulgated. |
| 1980 |
General Prem Tinsulanonda assumed power. |
| 1983 |
Prem gave up his military position and
headed a civilian government. He was re-elected
in 1986. |
| 1988 |
General Chatichai Choonhaven replaced
Prem after elections. |
| 1991 |
the 17th Military coup since 1932. A
civilian, Anand Panyarachun, was installed as
prime minister. |
| 1992 |
New elections in March replaced Anand
with General Suchinda Kraprayoon. There were
demonstrations against him, forcing him to
resign. Anand was re-instated temporarily.
Elections in September see Chuan Leekpai,
leader of the Democratic Party, chosen as
prime minister. |
| 1995 |
Government collapsed. Banharn Silpa-archa,
of the Thai Nation party, was elected prime
minister. |
| 1996 |
Accused of corruption, Banharn's
government resigned. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh of
the New Aspiration party won elections. |
| Financial turmoil |
| 1997 |
Asian financial crisis: The baht fell
sharply against the dollar, leading to
bankruptcies and unemployment. The IMF steppe
in. Chuan Leekpai becomes prime minister. |
| 1998 |
Tens of thousands of migrant workers are
sent back to their countries of origin. Chuan
involved the opposition in his government in
order to push through economic reforms. |
| 1999 |
Econoy began to pick up again. Thai media
highlight high cost of drug treatments for
Aids and HIV. Thailand begins to pressurise
drugs companies to find ways to make the
drugs cheaper. |
| 2001 January |
Election was won by Thaksin Shinawatra of
new Thai Love Thai (or Thai Pak Thai) party.
Allegations of vote-buying forced partial re-run
of poll. Thaksin formed a coalition
government. |
| 2001 March |
A plane which Thaksin was due to board
explodes. Police said a bomb was to blame. |
| 2001 June |
Prime Minister Thaksin visits Burma to
discuss drugs and border tensions. He said
relations were now back on track. Within days
the Mae Sai-Tachilek border crossing was
opened again after clashes between Thai and
Burmese troops in February. |
| 2001 August |
Thaksin was cleared of assets concealment.
A conviction by the Thai Constitutional Court
could have meant a five-year ban from
politics. |
| 2002 May |
Burma closed its border with Thailand
after Thai army fires shells into Burma
during battle between Burmese army and ethnic
Shan rebels. Border was reopened in October. |
| 2003 January |
Serious diplomatic upset with Cambodia
over comments that Cambodia's Angkor Wat
temple complex was stolen from Thailand.
Angry crowds attacked the Thai embassy in the
Cambodian capital. More than 500 Thai
nationals were evacuated. |
| 2003 February |
Controversial crackdown on drugs started;
more than 2000 suspects were killed by end of
April. Government blamed many killings on
criminal gangs; rights groups said extra-judicial
killings were encouraged by authorities. |
| 2004 January-March |
More than 100 killed in wave of attacks
in largely-Muslim south. Government blamed
Islamic militants. Martial law imposed. |
| 2004 April |
More than 100 suspected Islamic
insurgents were killed after launching
coordinated dawn attacks on police bases in
the south.
|
| 2004 October |
85 Muslim protesters died, many from
suffocation, while they were in army custody
following violence at a rally in the south.
An enquiry concluded that they were not
killed deliberately. |
| Tsunami disaster |
| 2004 December |
Thousands of people were killed when
massive waves, caused by a powerful undersea
earthquake off the Indonesian coast,
devastated communities on the western coast
of southern Thailand, including the tourist
resort of Phuket. |
| 2005 March |
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra began a
second term in office after his party won a
landslide victory in February's elections. |
|
| Human Rights Institution
& Treaties Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC)
As a result of struggles for political reform and
democracy, particularly over decades the major social
and academic movements in Thailand between 1996 and
1997, the 1997 Constitution was promulgated with the
full guarantee of human dignity and all basic rights
as well as fundamental freedoms for people.
The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC)
was established under Sections 199 and 200 of the
Constitution as a mechanism to guarantee the respect
for human rights as stipulated therein.
The 11 full-time Commissioners were elected by the
Senate from a short list of 22 people with extensive
human rights experience, gender balance and
pluralistic background. The Commission's statutory
term of office is 6 years, and each Commissioner
shall serve for only one term.
International Obligation
|
Recent Justice &
Peace Issues
[last updated: February 2006]The
immediate cause for the large scale protest on 26
February 2006 was the sale of major stack of Shin Corp,
the telecommunication conglomerate founded by the Prime
Minister himself.
The sale in January 2006 sparked outrage among many
because it was finessed in such a way as to be totally
tax free and amounted to putting national assets in
foreign hands i.e. a Singapore conglomerate, Temasek
Holdings. It was reported that Thaksin had built up his
Shin Corp business empire largely on lucrative government
concessions.
The demonstration on 26 February 2006 drew up to 100,000
protesters calling for the resignation of the Prime
Minister.
The following issues are the backdrop for the political
scene in recent years:
A) Restriction on Media
Media reform efforts to establish an independent National
Broadcast Commission (NBC) to assign broadcast
frequencies and regulate the broadcast sector remained
stalled. In 2003, the Supreme Court rejected a selection
committee's proposed NBC membership list due to a lack of
transparency in the selection process.
Repeated delays in the implementation of the broadcast
reforms resulted in attempts by some to establish their
own community radio studios and transmitters. Because
current broadcast regulations restrict radio frequencies
to government entities, these independent community radio
stations technically operated outside the law. A 2003
state community radio policy allowed the stations to
continue "extra-legal" operations until laws
and regulations were amended. By the end of the year,
over 1,000 independent community radio broadcast stations
were in operation. On 3 September, the Government Public
Relations Department (PRD) announced plans to allow 1,500
community radio stations and permit such stations to
broadcast 6 minutes of commercials a day but limit them
to 30 watts of power, a 30-foot antenna, and a range of
15 to 18 miles. The PRD has attempted to assert its
regulatory control over the community radio stations,
citing a 2003 cabinet resolution empowering the
department to regulate all radio stations. The PRD, with
the approval of the Deputy Prime Minister, attempted to
register all community radio stations by the end of the
year. Many community radio operators nationwide opposed
these efforts. According to press reports, on December 14,
approximately 200 members of the National Community Radio
Federation threatened to stage a public protest if the
PRD's efforts to register all community radio stations
went forward. They expressed concerns that, if placed
under PRD supervision, ruling government political
parties could use the stations as campaign tools. By mid-December,
despite PRD warnings that all unlicensed community radio
operators would be arrested after February 2005, the PRD
had received only approximately 500 applications.
During 2005, there were several court cases in which
entities in the Government or those associated with it
used libel laws in apparent attempts to suppress media
criticism. In June, a criminal court accepted a libel
case filed by the Shin Corporation against Ms. Supinya
Klangnarong, Secretary General of the NGO Campaign for
Popular Media Reform; the small, Thai-language Thai Post
newspaper; and Thai Post's three editors. The suit
stemmed from a July 2003 Thai Post story in which Ms.
Supinya said that it appeared the Shin Corporation was a
major beneficiary of the Prime Minister's policies. The
Shin Corporation also filed a $10 million (400 million
baht) civil case against the same defendants. The
criminal case was scheduled to begin in July 2005, and
the civil case was to follow the criminal case. (For more
detail, please refer to UA050727(3).)
In another high-profile case, in 2002, four
Constitutional Court judges and a state prosecutor filed
a libel suit against Mr. Prasong Soonsiri, a former
foreign minister and columnist for the opposition Naew Na
newspaper. Prasong had written an article quoting
academics who criticized the Court's acquittal of Prime
Minister Thaksin in the 2001 asset-concealment case. On 3
December 2003, a criminal court found Prasong not guilty
of defaming the judges but guilty of contempt of court by
failing to respect the acquittal verdict. Prasong
received a 1-year suspended sentence and had to pay a
fine of US$175 (7,000 baht). The verdict was generally
seen as a victory for Prasong.
According to US-based Human Rights Watch in December 2005,
Thaksin has used a potent combination of state and
corporate powers to put political and financial pressure
on the media since his office in 2001. This action
appears to limit negative reporting from outlets he does
not control. The government has restricted media freedom
by withholding or threatening to withhold advertising
contracts, operating licenses, and work permits from
media outlets, and by filing, or having surrogates file,
large defamation cases against prominent activists and
independent journalists and media organizations.
B) Tension in southern provinces
From January 2004, the tension due to violence and
increased security measure led to occasional clashes of
the police and the local residents in the southernmost
region of the country. The government has in many
occasions announced investigation over the alleged abuse,
but fail to prosecute.
The alienation of the southern people (in the provinces
of Songkhla, Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala), mostly Muslim
community, has been the source of decades-old separatist
struggle. The violence abated in the 1970s and died down
in 1990s - after the government promised to channel more
funds into the region and ensure the Muslim community an
adequate political representation. In fact, these
provinces have failed to capitalize on the economic boom
in the country in recent years. Academics say the
government has not accommodated the needs of the local
community. They also pointed that loan schemes intended
to promote development have excluded Muslims.
The government was not sure who to blame for the tensions.
Local gangs involved in smuggling and drug trafficking
were being blamed by the Prime Minister. On the other
hand various officials have blamed Muslim insurgents. As
a result, the government initiated a 3-month "War on
Drugs" from February through April 2003, during
which extrajudicial killings were carried out on 1,300
suspects.
In January 2004, a raid on an army depot signaled a
return to violence. Since then there have been frequent
incidents in which symbols of authority - including
police officers, teachers and Buddhist monks - have been
targeted by Muslim gunmen. On 28 April 2004, lightly
armed Islamic groups launched simultaneous attacks on
police bases and checkpoints in several districts of Yala,
Pattani and Songkhla provinces. As a result, a total of
107 suspected assailants were killed. Both local civil
society and international community were concerned with
the level of force used by security personnel in the
incident.
In July 2005, the government issued an emergency decree
on the 3 southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and
Pattani and parts of the Songkhla. The decree gives
authorities sweeping powers to declare a state of
emergency, arrest and detain suspects, restrict movement
and communication, censor the media, and deny access to
the Administrative Court and to redress for victims of
abuses by government officials and the security forces.
There have been reliable reports of surveillance and
harassment of human rights defenders, particularly those
working on issues related to violence in the south. In
March 2004, Somchai Neelapaijit, a prominent Muslim human
rights lawyer, was abducted in Bangkok and is now
presumed dead.
Growing fear and suspicion of the security forces have
caused hundreds of Muslims to seek asylum in Malaysia. It
was reported that the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) was in the process of determining
the status of 131 Thai Muslims who fled to Malaysia in
October 2005.
The latest mutiny was a bomb attack wounding 6 police
officers, and 3 villagers on 1 March 2006 in front of the
Chanae district administrative offices in Songhkla
Province.
Source
The World Factbook
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/th.html (updated January 10, 2006)
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/chiefs/chiefs176.html
The Bangkok Post
www.bangkokpost.com
Country reports on Human Rights Practice on Thailand,
2004
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41661.htm
National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
http://www.nhrc.or.th
Database of International Labour Standard
http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/english/index.htm
The Constitution of Thailand (English version)
http://www.ect.go.th/english/laws/constitutioneng.html
Human Rights Watch
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/thaila12251.htm
BBC News
Local source
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