Thailand was
known for centuries as Siam and is the only country in Southeast Asia that was
never colonized. It has been a constitutional monarchy ever since 1932 and
has a parliamentarian form of government.
Before 1932,
Thailand's history can be divided into three kingdoms. Under the Sukhothai
Kingdom (1257-1378), the
King had absolute power over his subjects and paid close attention to their
well-being, this was known as the paternalistic system of government.
Following the
Sukhothai Kingdom was the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which inherited extensive Khmer
traditions and customs. Their system of government was based on the
concept of divine rights. During this period, a clear division was seen
between the civil and military administration and a strong centralized
government.
In 1767, with
the establishment of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, the Ayutthaya system of
government was adapted. During the late 19th century, the basis of the
present system was formed by King Rama V when he carried out a a major
reorganization of the central regional and local administrations.
A unified Thai
kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known
as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian
country never to have been taken over by a European
power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a
constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during
World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally following
the conflict. A military coup in September 2006 ousted
then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat. The interim
government held elections in December 2007 that saw the
former pro-THAKSIN People's Power Party (PPP) emerge at
the head of a coalition government. The anti-THAKSIN
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in May 2008 began
street demonstrations against the new government,
eventually occupying the prime minister's office in
August and Bangkok's two international airports in
November. The PAD ended their protests in early December
2008 following a court ruling that dissolved the ruling
PPP and two other coalition parties for election
violations. The Democrat Party then formed a new
coalition government and ABHISIT Wetchachiwa became
prime minister. In October 2008 THAKSIN went into
voluntary exile to avoid imprisonment for a corruption
conviction, and has since agitated his followers from
abroad. THAKSIN supporters re-organized into the United
Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) and
rioted in April 2009, shutting down an ASEAN meeting in
Phuket, and in early 2010 protested a court verdict
confiscating most of THAKSIN's wealth. Between March and
May 2010, the UDD staged large protests and occupied
several blocks of downtown Bangkok. A government
operation to disperse the protesters after nine weeks
led to clashes that resulted in 89 deaths and an
estimated $1.5 billion in arson-related property losses.
These protests exposed major cleavages in the Thai body
politic which continue to hamper the current government.
Since January 2004, thousands have been killed as
separatists in Thailand's southern ethnic Malay-Muslim
provinces increased the violence associated with their
cause.
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