Bitesize: Thailand

History Brief

Thai Buddha

A huge number of kings, kingdoms and cultures have had their hand in shaping the Indochina region over past centuries, and as the only South East Asian nation never to be colonized by Europeans, Thailand has remained culturally intact throughout. During the early centuries cultural and religious influences spread east along trade routes from India, inspiring the grand structures and art of a once powerful and extensive Khmer Empire. The capital of that era – Angkor Wat – can be visited near Siam Reap in present day Cambodia, but remnants can be seen throughout Thailand.  Thai princes created the first Siamese capital at Sukhothai in 1238. After a series of relocations and attacks from their Burmese neighbours, power eventually migrated to Bangkok in 1782.

What The Locals Say

Your Safe Planet Thailand contact Tapanee lives on the outskirts of Bangkok:

YSP Thailand contact, Tapanee

“The hustle and bustle of Bangkok is constant. Some people fall in love with it, while some may long for a quieter and calmer destination. But one thing is for certain, Bangkok is dynamic and full of energy and you will be hard pressed to find a more exciting destination anywhere in the world. Here you can see the glitz and the glam next to the traditional and cultural: shiny Mercedes parked in traffic next to aluminium fruit carts; street food vendors talking on mobile phones; the skytrain flying over golden temples as they glitter in the sun. Whether you want to see traditional dancing or go to dance clubs; taste scrumptious traditional Thai food or dine on fine Italian cuisine; shop in air-conditioned malls offering Louis Vuitton and Prada or in the bustling flea market stalls on the side of the street, Bangkok has it all. You can pick and choose exactly what you want to do according to your taste and budget.”

Socially

Thailand timeline

75% Thai, 11% Chinese, 3.5% Malay, Mon, Khmer, Phuan and Karen minorities.

• The Chinese migrated south into Thailand. Wealthy Chinese introduced their daughters to the royal court as consorts, developing royal connections and adding a Chinese bloodline that extends to the current king.

• The Malay migrated north

• The Mon were one of the earliest distinct groups to occupy Myanmar (Burma). They gradually spread east into present day Thailand and were the ethnic majority in this vast region by the late 14th century. Following the Second Anglo-Burmese War, Mon territories were taken over by the British and they were freed from Burmese rule, under which many had been massacred and large numbers had sought asylum in neighbouring Thailand. The Mon have remained a repressed and defiant group in Myanmar since then and have been fighting long and hard for an independent state.

• The Khmer are the predominant ethinic group in Cambodia, and relatives of the Mon who settled further west in Myanmar (Burma). Some believe that the Mon-Khmer were originally displaced from further north by invading Sino-Tibetans. The Khmers ruled over large parts of present-day Thailand and Laos during the early centuries, as well as the northern reaches of Peninsular Malaysia. Angkor Wat was constructed during this period and stands to today in testimony to a once great Khmer civilization.

• Ethnic minorities in the hills of northern Thailand are often referred to as ‘hill tribes’. These people tend to have some of the lowest standards of living in Thailand as a result of their very traditional lifestyle, but without Thai citizenship they don’t have access to some very basic human needs. They do not have the right to own land, to receive the minimum wage, and may be denied access to health care and education. Recent efforts to integrate hill tribes into Thai society through the availability of free education and Thai identity cards have improved things for a number of these hill tribes.

• The Phuan are spread out in small pockets over north east and central Thailand, and Laos.

• The Karen people live mostly in the hilly eastern border region of Myanmar.

Religion

95% Buddhist, 4% Muslim. The Muslim minority are mostly resident in the southern provinces.

The Tiratana (Triple Gems) revered by Thai Buddhists are:

1. The Buddha – this can be seen on display everywhere in a variety of sculptural forms.
2. The Dhamma – the teachings are chanted morning and evening in every wat and taught to every Thai citizen in primary school.
3. The Sangha – the Buddhist community is seen everywhere in the presence of orange-robed monks.

Politics

Constitutional Monarchy

Environmentally

• Thailand’s forest cover has fallen dramatically over the last 50 years from 70% to 25%, largely due to logging and agriculture. A move by the government to prohibit logging in the late 1980s is however beginning to show, and following a government drive that began in the 1970s 13.9% of Thailand’s land and sea area is now nationally protected – one of the higest percentages of any nation in the world. The conventional target is 10%.

• It is illegal to sell timber felled in Thailand, and the coutry is hoping to raise its forest cover to 40% by the middle of this centutry.

• Around 40 of Thailand’s 300 mammal species are on the list of endangered species.

• Strong economic growth over recent years has brought its share of environmental problems to Thailand, such as degraded land and water quality, loss of natural habitats, increased levels of air and water pollution. The Government and people of Thailand have launched a series of new initiatives to combat these problems, to adopt energy efficient technologies and invest in pollution abatement schemes.

• The Thai government’s policy on tourism has been gearing more and more towards sustainable tourism development. The nature-based tourism potential of Thailand, particularly the North East Mekong region – an area that the Tourism Authority (TAT) has identified as a priority for tourism development – is huge. National Parks in close proximity to the Mekong River include sites of prehistoric, archaeological and natural significance.

Geography

• The geography and the people of the south are very different from the rest of the country. Rice paddies of Central Thailand give way to rubber and palm oil plantations as you move south, and can be seen right down through Malaysia. The Mekong River and the Khorat Plateau extending into neighbouring Laos and Cambodia were inhabited 10,000 years ago. Some of the best archaeological evidence can be found at Ban Chiang and Ban Prasat.

For economic, social and ecological reasons, Thailand is often classified into four geographical regions:

• The Central Region (including Bangkok Metropolitan Region), comprising the basin of the Chao Phrya River which flows north to south into the Gulf of Thailand. The central region is often referred to as the “rice bowl” of Thailand since it’s the most fertile area of the country. After the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, it enjoys the highest per capita income in the country.

• The Northern Region is mountainous and was traditionally the most heavily forested area of the country. In the recent years, however, overcutting has considerably reduced tree cover. The main centres of population are in the narrow alluvial valleys along the four north-south flowing rivers which unite in the northern central plain to form the Chao Phraya.

• The North-Eastern Region constitutes approximately one third of the area of Thailand and comprises the Khorat Plateau (>300m above the central plain) which is bounded on the north and east by the Mekong River and the south by the Dongrek escarpment. The region is drained by the Mun and Chi rivers, both tributaries of the Mekong. Largely owing to lower and erratic rainfall and poorer soils than in other parts of the country, the north-eastern provinces have the lowest per capita income in the country.

• The South-Eastern region comprises the hilly countryside from Bangkok to the Cambodian border, and is characterized by higher rainfall and poorer soils than the adjoining central region. It is an important fruit, maize and cassava-growing area, its coastline offers extensive opportunities for fisheries and tourism. The high rainfall also permits some rubber to be grown.

• The Southern Region has the highest rainfall in the country. It is the principal rubber-growing area and contains extensive alluvial deposits of tin. The forests of the south have been seriously overcut as elsewhere in the Kingdom. In recent years, the region has suffered from severe floodings which are believed to have been amplified by deforestation and subsequent soil erosion.

Economically

• Thailand has undergone a remarkable economic transformation since the financial crisis in 1997. Rapid industrialization, urbanization, intensified agricultural production and fishing have relied heavily on the country’s abundant and diverse natural resources. A ban on timber exports by neighbouring Cambodia, and a sour reltionship with the Burmese means that Laos is now the number one source of Thailand’s timber.

• The benefits of economic growth have accrued fastest for those with jobs linked to the international economy, such as manufacturing for export. Those in the domestic economy, such as small scale farmers, have received relatively fewer benefits. Cities have grown fast whilst the countryside has lagged behind in many areas; poverty is a genuine concern and widespread in the rural northeast, far north and far south of the country.

• A new bridge across the Mekong River has connected the central coast of Viet Nam through Laos to Thailand and Burma. The bridge is part of the Trans-Asia highway or the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) initiative which aims to boost trade, tourism and transportation through the region.

• Thai Silk is considered the best in the world – the coarse weave and soft texture of the silk means it is more easily dyed than harder, smoother silks, resulting in brighter colours and a unique lustre.