In The Name Of Allah The
Almighty
(5 December: National Day)
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, country in Southeast Asia.
Thailand is bordered on the west and northwest by Burma; on the northeast and
east by Laos and Cambodia; and on the south by the Gulf of Thailand, the
northwestern portion of the South China Sea, peninsular Malaysia, and the
Andaman Sea. With an area of 198,115 sq miles. The country as a whole pivots
around the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand has a long and intricate coastline
measuring 2,000 miles. It faces the Andaman Sea in the west and the Gulf of
Thailand in the east and south. Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, has many
canals, which makes it well suited for water-based activities such as this
floating market.
early peoples of this region were among the first in the world to make and use
bronze tools and weapons, to which they later added iron. They domesticated pigs
and chickens, cultivated rice and caught fish, and produced fabrics from bark
and fibrous plants. They lived in small villages scattered over a broad area. In
early historic times, the peoples living in what is now central Thailand and
were absorbed into a number of local states that developed in the area.
Especially between the 6th and 9th centuries. Thailand is the only Southeast
Asian country never to have been occupied by any European or other foreign
power, except in war. The country was an absolute monarchy from 1782 until 1932,
when rebels seized power in a coup and established a constitutional monarchy.
Since then, Thailand has come under the rule of many governments, both civil and
military. The country was known as Siam until 1939 (when it was renamed
Thailand), and again for a few years in the late 1940s. In 1949 the name
Thailand was adopted a second time.
Thailand (known until 1939 as Siam) has never been heavily populated. In 1668 an
Indian king was reported to have commented somewhat disparagingly to a Siamese
visitor that “the King of Golconda is a king of men, while your king is only a
king of the forests and the mosquitoes!” By the 1800s Thailand’s population
remained low at 2,000,000, and by 1950 it had risen to only 20,041,628. By 2008
the total population had increased to 65,493,298, still one of the lowest in
Asia. In 2008 the birthrate was 13.6 births per 1,000 people.
Residents of cities are 32 percent of Thailand’s inhabitants. More than 10
percent is concentrated in Bangkok, where serious problems of overcrowding do
exist. Since World War II, a significant number of rural Thai have moved from
the countryside to cities in search of better economic opportunities. Many Thai
people also have migrated abroad either on a permanent basis, mainly to the
United States and Canada, or on a temporary one, as migrant laborers, to other
Southeast Asian countries (such as Singapore) and to countries of the Middle
East.
Thailand’s official language is standard Thai, formerly known as Siamese, which
is spoken by about 40 percent of the population. Thai is the predominant member
of the Tai family of languages, which includes about 60 languages spoken
throughout Southeast Asia. Standard Thai is written in the Thai alphabet,
derived from the Indian Devanagari script, and is characterized by the use of
five tones. A strong Thai literary tradition goes back to the 13th century.
Another 50 percent of Thailand’s population speak Tai languages other than Thai,
such as Lao, spoken in the northeast. Most educated Thai speak English, and
Chinese is also widely used. English, Chinese, and Japanese are often the
languages of commerce. Some Malay is spoken in the south.
Thai people form the large majority of Thailand’s population, and most of them
practice Buddhism. Other ethnic groups within the population include Chinese,
Malays, and indigenous hill peoples, such as the Hmong and Karen. Although the
majority of Thailand’s people (about 75 percent) are classified as Thai, the
country has a complex ethnic composition. Many Thai have some Chinese ancestry,
and Chinese constitute the largest single minority group in the country (about
14 percent of the total population). Theravada Buddhism is the prevailing
religion in Thailand, with about 95 percent of the Thai majority being Theravada
Buddhist. Theravada is a school of Buddhist belief that spread to Thailand
beginning in the 13th century, primarily via Sri Lanka. Despite the predominance
of Buddhism, Thai religion is highly syncretic, meaning that it combines
different systems of religious practice and belief. Many Buddhist ceremonies
include elements of animism (worship of objects and phenomena of nature),
Hinduism, and even Christianity. Muslim groups, comprising about 7 percent of
the population, are found throughout the country, especially in the southern
peninsula. Very few ethnic Thai have converted to Western religions.
An estimated 96 percent of Thailand’s population is literate. The country has a
comprehensive educational system that extends from kindergarten to university
and adult education. Education is free and compulsory for 9 years beginning at
age 6, and 97 percent of primary-school aged children are enrolled. About 81
percent of students continue to secondary education, which normally finishes at
age 17. The country has a wide range of private schools, from international
schools to palace and experimental schools.
Agriculture was traditionally the mainstay of the Thai economy. However, along
with the remarkable acceleration of economic growth in the 1980s came rapid
changes in the country’s economic structure. While agricultural production
increased, the economic contributions of industry and services grew faster,
which decreased the relative importance of farming. most of the country’s major
crop, rice. Other important crops include sugarcane, natural rubber, corn,
soybeans, coconuts, and other tropical fruits. Agricultural exports, especially
of rice, were the basis for most of Thailand’s early trade. The country is still
a major exporter of rice, but its agricultural trade has diversified to include
rubber, cassava, fruits, flowers, and many other products. Many animal species
inhabit Thailand’s forests. Elephants, traditionally used as beasts of burden,
are raised in captivity but also live in the wild. Other large animals native to
Thailand include the rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, gaur (wild ox), water buffalo,
and gibbon. Thailand has more than 50 species of snakes, including several
poisonous varieties. Crocodiles are numerous, as are fish and birds.
The king is Thailand’s head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed
forces. Although the king has little direct power, he may exercise considerable
influence on political leaders and moral influence on society as a whole.The
country’s chief executive official is the prime minister. The prime minister is
designated from among the members of the House of Representatives and is usually
the leader of the dominant party following elections. The king formally appoints
the prime minister. The prime minister heads the cabinet, which consists of no
more than 35 members. Under the 2007 constitution the prime minister is limited
to two four-year terms in office. Legislative power in Thailand is vested in a
bicameral (two-chamber) National Assembly, consisting of a House of
Representatives and a Senate. Most provinces have a single representative in the
Senate, but the larger ones have additional representatives. The elected members
of the Senate serve six-year terms, and the appointed senators serve three-year
terms.
Thailand is divided into provinces, each headed by a governor. Except for the
governor of Bangkok, who is elected by popular vote, the provincial governors
are appointed by the minister of the interior. The provinces are divided into
districts, headed by appointed district officers. Municipalities are governed by
elected and appointed officials, while elected heads hold power at the village
level.
Popular opinion seems to hold that a vast majority of the country's Muslims are
found in the Thailand's three Southernmost provinces of Yala,Pattani and
Narathiwat. However, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs' research indicates
that only 18% of Thai Muslims live in those three provinces. The rest are
scattered throughout Thailand, with the largest concentrations being in Bangkok
and throughout the larger Southern region. In the three Southernmost border
provinces, the vast majority of the local Muslim population is predominantly
Malay in origin. These people, known colloquially as Yawi, speak a dialect of
Malay that is not mutually understood by Thai speakers. According to National
Statistic Office of Thailand in 2007, the country has 3,494 mosques, with the
largest number (636) in Pattani province.
The National Council for Muslims, consisting of at least five persons (all
Muslims) and appointed by royal proclamation, advised the ministries of
education and interior on Islamic matters. Its presiding officer, the state
counselor for Muslim affairs, was appointed by the king and held the office of
division chief in the Department of Religious Affairs in the Ministry of
Education. Provincial councils for Muslim affairs existed in the provinces that
had substantial Muslim minorities, and there were other links between the
government and the Muslim community, including government financial assistance
to Islamic education institutions, assistance with construction of some of the
larger mosques, and the funding of pilgrimages by Thai Muslims. Thailand also
maintains several hundred Islamic schools at the primary and secondary levels,
as well as Islamic banks, (Pattanakarn, Bangkok), shops and other institutions.
In some Muslim pockets unrest and anxiety is there due to some grievances to the
system. Some years ago the security forces tried to crush the violence, but it
is still going to strengthen in more.