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Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a country in Southeast Asia. Located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, it is composed of 76 provinces spanning 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi), with a population of over 66 million people; Thailand is the world's 50th-largest country by land area and the 22nd-most-populous. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, a special administrative area. Thailand is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Myanmar. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. Nominally, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy; however, in recent history, its government has experienced multiple coups and periods of military dictatorships.
Tai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 11th century; the oldest known mention of their presence in the region by the exonym Siamese dates to the 12th century. Various Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon kingdoms, Khmer Empire and Malay states ruled the region, competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang, Sukhothai, Lan Na and Ayutthaya, which rivalled each other. Documented European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya, which became a regional power by the end of the 15th century. Ayutthaya reached its peak during cosmopolitan Narai's reign (1656-1688), gradually declining thereafter until being ultimately destroyed in the 1767 Burmese-Siamese War. Taksin (r. 1767-1782) quickly reunified the fragmented territory and established the short-lived Thonburi Kingdom. He was succeeded in 1782 by Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (r. 1782-1809), the first monarch of the current Chakri dynasty.
Throughout the era of Western imperialism in Asia, Siam remained the only nation in the region to avoid being colonized by foreign powers, although the Siamese government was often forced to cede both territory and trade concessions in unequal treaties. The Siamese system of government was centralized and transformed into modern unitary absolute monarchy in the reign of Chulalongkorn (r. 1868-1910). Siam joined World War I siding with the allies, a political decision to amend the unequal treaties. Following a bloodless revolution in 1932, Siam became a constitutional monarchy and changed its official name to "Thailand". Thailand was a satellite 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 a key anti-communist role in the region as a member of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Apart from a brief period of parliamentary democracy in the mid-1970s, Thailand has periodically alternated between democracy and military rule. Since the 2000s, Thailand has been caught in a bitter political conflict between supporters and opponents of Thaksin Shinawatra, which culminated in two coups, most recently in 2014 and the establishment of its current and 20th constitution and faces the ongoing 2020 Thai protests. (Full article...)
The Democracy Monument (in Thai: Anusawari Prachathipatai) is a public monument in the centre of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. It occupies a traffic circle on the wide east-west boulevard Thanon Ratchadamnoen Klang, at the intersection of Thanon Dinso. The monument is roughly halfway between Sanam Luang, the former royal cremation ground in front of Wat Phra Kaew, and the temple of the Golden Mount (Phu Kao Thong).
The monument was commissioned in 1939 by the military ruler of Thailand, Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram (known as Phibun), to commemorate the June 1932 military coup which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in what was then the Kingdom of Siam. Phibun saw the monument as the centre of what he envisaged as a new, westernised Bangkok, "making Thanon Ratchadamnoen the Champs-Élysées and the Democracy Monument the Arc de Triomphe.
Credit:User:Diliff
A spectacular sunset in Bangkok, showing the skytrain and modern skyline, taken from the corner of Thanon Silom. Taken on the 4th of June, 2004.
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Sondhi speaking at a mass rally, February 2006
In Thailand politics, the Finland Plot, Finland Plan, Finland Strategy, Finland Conspiracy or Finland Declaration (Thai?, , ) are names of a controversial conspiracy theory espoused by Sondhi Limthongkul and supporters affiliated with the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in 2006 describing a plot allegedly developed by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and former left-wing student leaders to overthrow the former Thai monarch, take control of the nation, and establish a communist state. The plot allegedly originated in Finland.
The allegations damaged the popularity of Thaksin and his government, despite the fact that no evidence was ever produced to verify the existence of a plot. Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party vehemently denied the accusations and sued the accusers. The leaders of the 2006 military coup claimed Thaksin's alleged disloyalty as one of their rationales for seizing power. ( Full article...)
- ... 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?
General images The following are images from various Thailand-related articles on Wikipedia.
A salad made with deep-fried banana blossoms at a vegetarian restaurant in Chiang Mai
Gurkhas guide disarmed Japanese soldiers from Bangkok to prisoner of war camps outside the city, September 1945
Muay Thai match in Bangkok, Thailand
Display 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.
Protesters mobilising, 1 December 2013
A 14-year-old Vietnamese contaminated with Agent Orange.
Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, 2001-2006.
Funeral pyre of Chan Kusalo, the patriarch-abbot of northern Thailand.
A selection of northern Thai dishes, served as starters
Phra Maha Chedi Si Ratchakan at Wat Pho, Bangkok.
Som tam, lap, and sticky rice are common dishes in the Isan region of Thailand
Wat Arun, the most prominent temple of the Thonburi period, derives its name from the Hindu god Aru?a.
Thai meal in a village temple
Khon Dance, performance at Frankfurt, Germany
Map 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.
Thai greeting, the smile is an important symbol of refinement in Thai culture.
The Khmer temple of Wat Phra Prang Sam Yod, Lopburi.
People floating krathong rafts during the Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Schoolgirls and boys playing khrueang sai in front of a temple
Phibun welcomes students of Chulalongkorn University, at Bangkok's Grand Palace - 8 October 1940.
History:
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Ayutthaya Kingdom, Chakri dynasty, Constitution of Thailand, Early history of Thailand, Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Thailand, Hariphunchai, History of Thailand (1768-1932), History of Thailand (1932-1973), History of Thailand (1973-2001), History of Thailand since 2001, Lan Na, Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom, Pattani Kingdom, Plaek Pibulsonggram, Pridi Phanomyong, Sarit Dhanarajata, Siamese coup d'état of 1932, South Thailand insurgency, Srivijaya
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Politics:
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1997 Constitution of Thailand, 2006 interim constitution of Thailand, Administrative divisions of Thailand, Cabinet of Thailand, Constitution of Thailand, Constitutional Court of Thailand, Foreign relations of Thailand, Government of Thailand, National Assembly of Thailand, People's Alliance for Democracy, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, South Thailand insurgency, Pridiyathorn Devakula, Prem Tinsulanonda, Surayud Chulanont, 2006 Thai coup d'état, Thai 2006 interim civilian government, Thai Rak Thai, Thaksin Shinawatra, Samak Sundaravej
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Economy:
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Agriculture in Thailand, Baht, Bank of Thailand, List of banks in Thailand Bureau of the Crown Property, Stock Exchange of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thai Airways, Thaksinomics, Tourism in Thailand, Transport in Thailand, US-Thailand Free Trade Agreement, Rail transport in Thailand, Thai motorway network
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Geography:
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Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Chao Phraya River, Demographics of Thailand, Doi Inthanon, Gulf of Thailand, Khao Lak, Khao Yai National Park, Khorat Plateau, Ko Chang, Ko Samet, Ko Samui, Kra Isthmus, Kwai river, Mekong, Patong Beach, Phi Phi Islands, Three Pagodas Pass
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Provinces:
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Bangkok, Chiang Mai Province, Chiang Rai Province, Chonburi Province, Kanchanaburi Province, Khon Kaen Province, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Narathiwat Province, Pattani Province, Phuket Province, Songkhla Province, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Udon Thani Province, Yala Province
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Culture:
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Thai art, Buddhism in Thailand, Buddhist temples in Thailand, Cinema of Thailand, Cuisine of Thailand, Dance in Thailand, Education in Thailand, Farang, Flag of Thailand, Kathoey, Lakorn, Literature in Thailand, Thai language, Loi Krathong, Media of Thailand, Muay Thai, Music of Thailand, List of television stations in Thailand, Thai names, National Museum, Thai New Year, Public holidays in Thailand, Ramakien, Royal Flags of Thailand, Royal Flora Ratchaphruek, Thai greeting, Thai-style dresses, Traditional Thai musical instruments
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Others:
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Pridi Banomyong, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Communications in Thailand, Elephant Nature Park, Environmental issues in Thailand, Grand Palace, Bangkok, Prostitution in Thailand, Queen Sirikit, Military of Thailand, Thai royal and noble titles, List of shopping malls in Thailand, Thai studies
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