THAILAND. Kingdom of Thailand
Thailand (formerly Siam until 1939 and from 1945 to 1949) is a country in Southeast Asia, occupying part of the Indochinese and Malacca peninsulas. It borders Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. The area is 513.1 thousand km². The capital is Bangkok (9 million), other major cities include Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north, and Nakhon Si Thammarat and Hat Yai in the south. The administrative division consists of 76 provinces (changwat). The population is 63 million (2002); primarily Thai, with others including Lao, Chinese, Malays, Khmers, Vietnamese, Hmong, and Karen. The official language is Thai. The state religion is Buddhism (practiced by 89% of the population). Among other religions, the largest is Islam (about 4%, mainly in 5 border provinces with Malaysia). The currency is the baht = 100 satang. 1 US dollar = approximately 40 baht.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with Russia in July 1897; in March 1941, Thailand established diplomatic relations with the USSR, which were interrupted by World War II; restored in 1946).
The national holiday is December 5 - King’s Birthday (1927).
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy (since 1932). A new constitution was adopted in 1997. The head of state is the king, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. The current monarch is Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), who ascended to the throne on June 9, 1946 (crowned on May 5, 1950). The king has a Privy Council.
The highest legislative body is the National Assembly (parliament), consisting of the Senate (200 members) and the House of Representatives (500 members). Members of both chambers are elected. The executive power is held by the government headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the National Assembly. Typically, the cabinet is formed based on a multi-party coalition that has a majority in parliament. The current Prime Minister is Thaksin Shinawatra, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is Kantathi Suphamongkhon.
In February 2005, parliamentary elections were held in Thailand, resulting in the formation of a government again led by the leader of the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party, Thaksin Shinawatra. TRT won in most provinces of the country and received 377 parliamentary mandates; the Democratic Party (DP, leader - B. Bantattham) came in second with 95 mandates; the Chart Thai Party (leader - B. Sinlapaacha) - 25 mandates; the Mahachon Party (leader - S. Kachonprasat) - 2 mandates.
Southern branch Buddhism and traditional local cults have significantly influenced the ethnopsychology of the Thais, whose distinctive traits include balance, optimism, friendliness, and hospitality. Therefore, Thailand is often referred to as "the Land of Smiles."
The Thai state was formed in the 13th-14th centuries. Its greatest flourishing occurred in the 18th century. In the 19th century, Thailand (then Siam) became a "buffer" between the colonial possessions of Great Britain and France, which imposed a number of unequal treaties on the country. Despite this, as a result of the active diplomatic efforts of the reformist king Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and largely thanks to support from Russia, Thailand managed to maintain its independence. In 1932, a constitutional monarchy was proclaimed instead of an absolute one.
At the beginning of World War II, Thailand was occupied by Japan, which led to its entry into the war on the side of the Axis powers. In 1944, the rise of the liberation movement led to a change of government and Thailand's transition to the side of the Allied powers.
Since 1957, an authoritarian military regime was established in the country, openly conducting a restrictive policy regarding democratic freedoms under a parliamentary facade. In October 1973, it was overthrown as a result of student protests. The civilian government decided to withdraw American troops and eliminate U.S. military bases located in Thailand, implementing measures to liberalize domestic political life.
At the end of the last century, Thailand experienced rapid economic growth, reorienting its production towards export goods. Currently, there are all signs of overcoming the financial and economic crisis of the late 90s. In 2003, Thailand completed the implementation of the IMF financial assistance program, prematurely repaying debts on previously provided loans (out of the allocated 17.3 billion dollars, only 14 were used). In recent years, there has been a stable trend towards an increase in GDP growth rates, which reached 6.1% in 2004. The GDP volume in 2004 reached nearly 182.4 billion dollars. GDP per capita is about 2600 dollars. Thailand's external debt is 49.8 billion dollars. Gold and foreign exchange reserves are 49.2 billion dollars. The inflation rate is 2.8%. The unemployment rate is 1.8%.
The share of industrial production in GDP reaches about 30%. Developed industries include electronics, jewelry, automobile assembly, and petrochemicals. Despite the intensive industrial growth in the early 90s, about 50% of the working population is still employed in agriculture (its share in GDP is 10%). The main crops are rice, rubber, corn, sugarcane, tapioca, jute, and cotton. Livestock, poultry farming, floriculture, and the production and processing of seafood, fruits, and vegetables are developing.
An important source of income is tourism (7 billion dollars annually). In 2004, Thailand was visited by about 90 thousand tourists from Russia.
In 2004, Thailand's foreign trade turnover amounted to 192.6 billion dollars (in 2003 - 155.1 billion dollars). Exports - 97.7 billion dollars, imports - 94.9 billion dollars. The trade surplus remained at the previous level - 2.7 billion dollars. Major trading partners: Japan (35.96 billion dollars) and the USA (22.73 billion dollars), as well as China, ASEAN countries, and the EU. Within the framework of Thailand's policy to increase the share of "non-core" partners, the role of new export markets - the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, as well as Eastern Europe, including Russia (1.3 billion dollars) - is growing.
The basis of the foreign policy course is to create favorable external conditions for strengthening Thailand's political and economic positions in Southeast Asia and Asia as a whole. Thailand has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since its inception (1967). It is a member of APEC and seeks to play an active role in the processes of economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region and in the activities of the WTO. A member of the UN since 1946, a member of the Colombo Plan since 1954, it is part of the economic cooperation group - BIMSTEC (with Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka), and has been its chair since spring 2003. In 2002, Thailand initiated the creation of a new regional forum called the Dialogue on Cooperation in Asia (DCA), of which Russia became a participant in 2005.
A priority direction of foreign policy is the development of cooperation within ASEAN.
Thailand maintains close and diverse ties with its traditional partners - the USA, Japan, and leading European countries. There has been a growing interest in developing relations with Russia, other CIS countries, and Eastern European states. Relations with China are developing, with an emphasis on expanding trade and economic cooperation, unlike in previous years. Relations with developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are being intensified. In 1993, Thailand became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Daily newspapers: "Bangkok Post" (in English, 52 thousand copies), "Daily News" (650 thousand), "Nation" (in English, 46 thousand), "Siam Rat" (in Thai, 120 thousand), "Xinhua Daily" (in Chinese, 90 thousand), "Thai Rat" (in Thai, 800 thousand), "Jinghua Daily" (in Chinese, 80 thousand). In 1977, the Thailand News Agency - TNA was established.