Throughout the era of
Western imperialism in Asia, Siam remained the only nation in the region to avoid
colonization by foreign powers, although it was often forced to cede both territory, trade and legal concessions in unequal treaties. The Siamese system of government was centralised and transformed into a modern unitary
absolute monarchy in the reign of
Chulalongkorn. In
World War I, Siam sided with
the Allies, a political decision made in order to amend the unequal treaties. Following a bloodless
revolution in 1932, it became a constitutional monarchy and changed its official name to Thailand, becoming an
ally of Japan in
World War II. In the late 1950s, a military coup under Field Marshal
Sarit Thanarat revived the monarchy's historically influential role in politics. Thailand became a
major ally of the United States, and played an
anti-communist role in the region as a member of the failed
SEATO, but from 1975 sought to improve relations with Communist China and Thailand's neighbours.
Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram (
Thai: แปลก พิบูลสงคราม[plɛ̀ːk pʰí.būːn.sǒŋ.kʰrāːm]; alternatively transcribed as Pibulsongkram or Pibulsonggram; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. (
Thai: จอมพล ป.;[tɕɔ̄ːm.pʰōn.pɔ̄ː]), contemporarily known as Phibun (Pibul) in the
West, was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the
Prime Minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and 1948 to 1957.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in
Thailand may face legal challenges not experienced by non-
LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Thailand, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. About eight percent of the Thai population, five million people, are thought to be in the LGBT demographic.
In 2013, the Bangkok Post said that "while Thailand is viewed as a tourist haven for same-sex couples, the reality for locals is that the law, and often public sentiment, is not so liberal." A 2014 report by the
United States Agency for International Development and the
United Nations Development Programme said that LGBT people "still face discrimination affecting their social rights and job opportunities", and "face difficulty gaining acceptance for non-traditional sexuality, even though the tourism authority has been promoting Thailand as a gay-friendly country". (Full article...)
Thailand was relatively successful in containing the pandemic throughout most of 2020, but has been experiencing an uncontrolled resurgent outbreak since April 2021. An initial wave of infections, mostly traced to nightlife venues and a boxing match in
Bangkok, peaked on 22 March 2020 at 188 newly confirmed cases per day. As preventive measures were implemented, the outbreak subsided by May, and the country reported almost no locally transmitted infections until December, when it saw a surge of infections primarily clustered around large migrant worker communities in
Samut Sakhon Province. The new outbreak spread to many provinces, with a maximum daily of 959 cases reported on 26 January 2021, before partially subsiding in February. In April, however, a new wave of infections originated from Bangkok's
Thong Lo–area nightlife venues and rapidly spread in Bangkok as well as throughout the country. It was identified to be of the highly transmissible Alpha variant first reported from the United Kingdom, and by 14 April, over a thousand cases per day were being identified, causing a shortage of hospital beds as government policy required admission of all confirmed cases. (Full article...)
Image 5
The Legend of Suriyothai is a 2001
Thai film directed by
Chatrichalerm Yukol, which portrays the life of
Queen Suriyothai, who is regarded by Thai people as the "great feminist". It records the climax when she takes her battle elephant in front of the Burmese army and sacrifices herself to save the life of her
King Maha Chakkraphat and his kingdom. It was Thailand's most expensive film and the highest-grossing, until it was surpassed by Pee Mak. (Full article...)
In the regional competition, Thailand is the most successful football team in Southeast Asia with six
AFF Championship trophies and nine senior-level gold medals from the
Southeast Asian Games, the most of any Southeast Asian country. In higher levels, Thailand achieved the third place in the
1972 AFC Asian Cup where it was the host, and has totally seven appearances in the
AFC Asian Cup so far. Furthermore, the team reached the fourth-place in the
1990 and
1998Asian Games and participated in the
Summer Olympics twice. However, Thailand has failed to obtain higher achievements in
the continental and global records. The team obtained first ever win in the AFC Asian Cup in
2007 and had to wait 47 years to finally sneak out of the group stage in
2019. Thailand also advanced to the final round of
World Cup qualification twice, in
2002 and
2018, but all failed to qualify for the
FIFA World Cup. (Full article...)
As a result of
government policy during the 1930s and 1940s resulting in successful
forced assimilation of many the various ethno-linguistic groups in the country into the dominant Thai language and culture, the term Thai people has come to refer to the
population of Thailand in general. This includes other subgroups of the Tai ethno-linguistic group, such as the
Yuan people and the
Isan people, as well as non-Tai groups, the largest of which is that of the ethnic
Chinese. (Full article...)
Image 3Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, the royal reception hall built in European architectural style. Construction was started by Rama V, but was completed in 1915. (from History of Thailand)
Image 23Map showing linguistic family tree overlaid on a geographic distribution map of Tai-Kadai family. This map only shows general pattern of the migration of Tai-speaking tribes, not specific routes, which would have snaked along the rivers and over the lower passes. (from History of Thailand)
Image 24People floating krathong rafts during the Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand (from Culture of Thailand)
Image 35Wat Arun, the most prominent temple of the Thonburi period, derives its name from the Hindu god
Aruṇa. Its main prang was constructed later in the Rattanakosin period. (from History of Thailand)
Image 36Funeral pyre of Chan Kusalo, the patriarch-abbot of northern Thailand. (from Culture of Thailand)
Image 40A salad made with deep-fried banana blossoms at a vegetarian restaurant in
Chiang Mai (from Culture of Thailand)
Image 41Display of respect of the younger towards the elder is a cornerstone value in Thailand. A family during the
Buddhist ceremony for young men who are to be
ordained as
monks. (from Culture of Thailand)
This is a
Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
Typhoon Xangsane, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Milenyo, was a typhoon that affected the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand during the
2006 Pacific typhoon season. The name Xangsane was submitted by Laos and means elephant.
Xangsane made landfall in the Philippines, battering the northern islands with torrential rains and strong winds, and causing widespread flooding and landslides. After passing over
Manila and emerging over the
South China Sea, the typhoon made a second landfall in central Vietnam, also causing flooding and landslides there and in Thailand. The storm was responsible for at least 312 deaths, mostly in the Philippines and Vietnam, and at least US$747 million in damage. (Full article...)
... that Chinese entrepreneur Frank Tsao co-founded the national shipping lines of both Malaysia and Thailand, and was awarded the nobility title
Tan Sri by the king of Malaysia?
... that following the controversial success of Amarin Plaza,
Rangsan Torsuwan went on to design the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in the same vein, but with Thai-style columns replacing Ionic ones?
... that the wildly popular Jatukham Rammathep amulet was created by a policeman in 1987 who believed the amulet's spirit helped him solve a murder case?
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