GEOGRAPHY:
Thailand
has a land area of 513,115 sq.km. bordered by Malaysia (South), Myanmar
(West & North), Loas (North & East) and Combodia (Southeast).
POPULATION:
Total
61,446,6178 (end of 1998), including 30591602 males and 30874576 females,
9.2% lived in Bangkok.
LANGUAGE:
Thai
is the national language. English is widely understood.
CAPITAL:
Bangkok
which is locally called "Krung Thep" which means the City of Angels established
in 1782 by King Rama I as the capital of Siam at that time. Bangkok has
retained its traditional charm with a mixture of old cultural heritage
and new modern skyscrapers, luxurious hotels, shopping centers, street
shoppings, famous
Thai
food, restaurants, sports, entertainment, etc.
GOVERMENT:
A
constitutional monarchy headed King Bhumibol Adulyadej, with 76 provinces,
each sub-divided into amphur, tambon, and moobaan.
TIME:
GMT+7
throughout the country.
CLIMATE:
Temperature
varies from 38 C to 19 C; humidity from 82.8% to 66%. Summer (March - May),
Rainy (June - October), Winter (November - Febuary)
RELIGION:
Buddhist
92.5 5%, Muslim 5.29%, Christian 1.34%, others 0.79%.
NATION
FLAG:
The
red, white blue bands symbolize the nation, religion and the monarchy respectively.
Ancient
Roots: Thailand as a nation dates only from the 13th century
but its history stretches back more than 5,500 years to a mysterious Bronze
Age culture that flourished in the Northeast. Shaped by the empires that
surrounded it, it evolved a history and a sense of independence that ensured
it would never be colonised, never be the vassal of a foreign nation, a
distinction unique in Asia.
Who
are the Thais?: No one really knows. Bronze Age artists of indeterminate
origin flourished 5,500 years ago in the Northeastern town of Ban Chiang.
They disappeared, leaving behind a wealth of beautiful bronze art objects
and a distinctive, whorl-patterned pottery. In the 6th-8th centuries, the
Central valley was inhabited by Mon peoples who filtered in from southern
Burma. They established religious communities at Lopburi and built the
world's tallest stupa at Nakhon Prathom just west of Bangkok, drawing pilgrims
from as far away as Sri Lanka.
Scholars debate the origins of the Thais--some claim they came from China, others that they were indigenous. What is known is that by the 13th century, they were well established in Chiengsaen and Chiang Rai in the far north. In 1296, the Thai King Mengrai founded Chiang Mai as his capital in what was known as the Kingdom of Lanna (Land of a Million Rice Fields).
The emergence of Siam, as the country was once known, occurred in the 13th century. In Sukhothai , at the head of the Chao Phya River Valley, King Intradit in 1238 coalesced a confederation of petty rulers into the Thai nation, supplanting Cambodia's Khmers whose great empire was waning. Intradit's son, Ramkamhaeng was responsible for giving his people an alphabet and for erecting the city of beautiful monuments that now dominate Sukhothai. Sukhothai owed much of its income to the "double fish" design pottery that it created at kilns at Sawankhaloke and shipped down the river and across the sea to sell in China
In 1351, Thai power shifted to the south. Over the next 417 years Ayutthaya would build an empire that would encompass half of present-day Cambodia, most of Laos, the southern Burmese peninsula, and the four northern states of Malaysia. The city was built on a man-made island in the Chao Phya River north of Bangkok. Within its walls and in the surrounding countryside, it built a wealth of temples and monuments that even in ruins convey the majesty of the rulers who erected them. Its artisans created beautiful art objects and cast fine Buddha images in bronze, some of them weighing tonnes and standing several metres high.
By the 17th century, it would have a population of one million, larger than London of the day. The tall ships of merchants from China, Japan, England, Portugal, Holland, and France, lined the wharves below the gated city. Thai fabrics, spices, and other fabulous products were sold in the markets of the world and it ranked as one of the leading cities of Asia.
Throughout its history, Ayutthayan kings were involved in wars with their neighbours, in particular, Burma. In 1767, after two centuries of war, the Burmese overran and destroyed Ayutthaya. Remnants of the Thai army moved south to Thonburi, leaving behind a ruined city, stripped of its art and its people.
Bangkok's
Rise: After 15 years of warfare against the Burmese and neighbours
who took advantage of the Thai kingdom's weakened state, the Thai armies
triumphed and its rulers could turn their attention to rebuilding their
shattered kingdom. In 1782, the first king of the present royal dynasty
moved his palace across the river to Bangkok and declared it his capital.
"Bangkok" means "Town of the Plum Olives". The more formal, 163-letter,
name for the city-- Krungthepmahanakhonamonrattanakosinmahintarayutthaya-
mahadilokphopnoppharatratchathaniburiromudomratchaniwetmahasatharnamornphimanawatan-
sathitsakkathatiyawitsanukamprasit
--
is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest in any
language. A shortened version, "Krung Thep", "City of Angels", is the name
by which Thais know it.
The two monarch credited with modernising Thailand were King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910) and King Vajiravudh (1910-1925). King Chulalongkorn thwarted the colonisers abolished the slave trade, brought the country firmly into th 20th century, and erected most of the colonial-style public buildings now visible in the capital. King Vajiravudh introduced democratic reforms, encouraged public discussion of government policy, and instituted universal education.
A revolution in 1932 replaced 700 years of monarchical rule with a constitutional monarchy. Thailand was occupied by the Japanese in World War II. Bangkok's emergence as a regional power began after the war as tall buildings began to rise and the canals, formerly the principal transport channels, were filled to make roads. In the 1960s, the rural areas began to experience the same growth. New roads were built, industries were initiated, and provincial towns began to prosper. Even today, there are rural pockets still relatively untouched by modernity.
An economic boom in the late 1980s transformed the nation. The changes were most visible in Bangkok which went from horizontal to vertical within half a decade, but it also changed the rural areas, knitting together formerly remote villages.
Despite the cosmetic changes, Thailand is a resilient nation and the natural beauty that drew visitors centuries ago can still be found in most of the country. Moreover, despite the events that propelled them into the modern age, the peoples' basic values that have drawn others to them for centuries are unaltered. Thais are still gracious and welcoming, a trait that has endeared them to visitors since the first foreigner set foot on Thailand's shores.
Thailand Today: Thailand is a constitutional democracy with
a Parliament elected by popular vote and a Prime Minister selected from
the dominant party. It is a leader in Asian affairs as one of the founding
members
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and as the Asian
headquarters for the United Nations.
Topographically , the country is flat and fertile. Aside from the somewhat arid Northeast, the entire country is blessed with an abundance of water, both in its 2,600 km. coastline, and in the many rivers and canals which nourish its crops. Its chief agricultural products are rice, maize, sugar, tapioca, pineapple, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. It also nets and packages fish and shellfish and is the world's third largest producer of tin and rubber.
In the past decade, Thailand has taken a gigantic step forward into the forefront of Asian nations. The impetus was an economic boom that began in the 1980s that saw the manufacturing sector grow so rapidly that during the early 1990s Thailand enjoyed double-digit GNP growth and for three years was regarded as one of the three fastest-growing economies in the world.
The impact has been far-reaching. Everywhere, one can find evidence of a nation on the move, whether it be in the dozens of 30-storey plus skyscrapers (the tallest rising 90 floors) in Bangkok or the formerly-remote villages of the Northeast which are inter-linked by telephone and television. While most of its labour force is engaged in agriculture, it now manufactures a wide number of high-tech export products. Modern factories produce everything from IC boards and precision engineering products, to clothing, cars, and consumer goods.
While much of the economic growth has been concentrated in the capital and its environs, many companies have moved into the provinces. Key cities outside of Bangkok like Chiang Mai in the North, Khon Kaen in the Northeast, Hat Yai in the South, and the region in the vicinity of Pattaya known as the Eastern Seaboard, are experiencing rapid development as manufacturing centres.
A Rich Cultural Heritage: One of Thailand's chief attractions
for the visitor is its rich culture, evident in its art, its spiritual
attainments, and its enduring social values. Thais have used the wealth
their land produced to create stunning art, architecture, and dance/drama
that are prized as much for their visual splendour as for the artefacts
that travellers can take home with them. The range of its artistic production
is not limited to palace arts but extends into regional folk and tribal
crafts.
Art and Architecture: Thais are bored by the mundane and strive
to transform even the most ordinary object into a work of art. This sensibility
can be seen in something as spectacular as the glittering Wat Phra Kaew
(Temple of the Emerald Buddha) or as practical as a farmhouse water dipper
with a coconut shell bowl and an ornately-carved handle.
Although Thailand lies in the shadow of two giants--India and China--it evolved a classical culture uniquely its own. It's arts are devoted primarily to a veneration of Buddha. In most instances, architecture means temples, sculpture depicts Buddha, and painting refers to temple murals relating the story of Buddha's life or of his last ten incarnations before he was born as the Buddha.
Mother-of-pearl was refined to decorate temple doors and royal utensils. Black and gold lacquer scenes cover temples doors and windows and the cabinets that hold religious manuscripts. The other plastic arts--silversmithing, goldsmithing, jewellery and neilloware--were applied to beautify utensils used in royal ceremonies.
While many of its arts--woodcarving, silver and gold crafting, lacquerware--were originally perfected for religious purposes, over the years they have been utilised to create exquisite utilitarian items. Village crafts like basketry, silk and cotton weaving, pottery are as beautiful as they are useful. The theatre has produced papier mache masks and carved puppets. These arts form the basis for thriving cottage industries that modify and adapt traditional crafts to create an endless variety of art and practical objects that have made shopping a mainstay activity in a traveller's visit.
Chiang Mai is considered by many to be Thailand's cultural capital. Its temples, reflecting Burmese and Laotian styles, are among the most beautiful in Asia. Its art also has a distinctive style as do its fabric, jade, porcelain, wooden, bronze, and silver gift and decor items.
Northeastern culture reflects Laotian artistic sensibilities and is most evident in festivals, songs, and dance. Southern culture is heavily influenced by Malaysian designs, drama, and music.
Performance Arts: At some point in a visit, the traveller
will stumble across a street theatre or musical performance. It may be
"likay", a variant of the palace dance/drama, or a Chinese opera. The sheer
verve displayed can make it the highlight of a day.
The theatre has been the principal mode of transmitting ancient stories. The most important theme for drama is the "Ramakhien". This Thai version of the Indian classical tale, "Ramayana", tells the story of the abduction of the beauteous Sita, wife of the god-king Phra Ram, by the treacherous demon king Tosakan. It details her rescue by Phra Ram and his brother, Phra Lak, aided by an army of animals led by a magical albino monkey-god named Hanuman. The ancient tale has been told by huge leather shadow puppets, actors, masked actors, and puppets.
Most visitors' brush with Thai dance or drama will be the short pieces normally presented in a restaurant as part of cultural programme accompanying a Thai dinner in Bangkok, or a "khantoke" dinner in Chiang Mai. Although they are crafted as tourist entertainment, they convey the spirit and essence of the original in an easily-digestible form and should be enjoyed as part of the Thai experience.
Thai music was created to accompany theatrical productions but Thais love to sing and it is difficult to escape the lilting melodies, even if travelling in the distant countryside.
Religion: Hinayana Buddhism, practised by 92% of Thailand's people,
teaches acceptance of life's vagaries. This, coupled with a strong belief
in "sanuk" or "fun", gives Thais their enjoyment of life. It sounds trite
but look at a group of Thais and invariably you will see them laughing
together.
At some point in his life, every Buddhist man usually spends 15 or more days as a monk. So ingrained is this practice that it is customary for his company or the military to grant him leave to do so. Tradition decrees that women cannot be ordained (although some women shave their heads and don white robes to become lay nuns), so a monk makes merit for himself and for his mother and his sisters.
The Buddhist "wat" (monastery) is the anchor for a village. Monks were once teachers, herbal doctors, and arbitrators in village disputes but today, many of their roles have been assumed by government agencies. Nonetheless, they still play important roles as arbiters in village disputes and as psychological counsellors.
Buddhist tolerance extends to all faiths. Mosques, Chinese Mahayana Buddhist shrines, Christian churches, Sikh temples and Hindu temples stand side by side with Buddhist "wats". They are testament to Thai respect for all religions, a freedom granted by the Constitution but also accepted as a natural fact of life. Thailand is unique in never having experiences a religious (or civil, for that matter) war.
Beneath the faith in Buddhism is an older belief in animism. Trees and other objects are thought to contain spirits which must be placated to avoid bringing harm to oneself. Every home and office yard has a tiny house where the rampant spirits of the dead or of felled trees can reside. Thais take these beliefs very seriously, placing incense and flowers on the tiny houses each day.
Thai Muslims, the second largest religion, adhere to the Sunni sect, a peaceful belief lacking the stridency of its neighbours to the west. Although many Muslim women cover their heads, they hold important positions in the community. The hilltribes are animist, believing in protector spirits who must be propitiated to persuade them not to harm the village.
Thai values: Thais generally take a "sabai" or "relaxed" view
of life, tolerating others' foibles and inconsistencies. As Buddhists,
they recognise the transitoriness of life, an attitude evident in the phrase
"mai pen rai", translated as "it doesn't matter" or "no problem". Women
enjoy a level of freedom not found in many countries, and it is no longer
unusual to find a female executive at the helm of a major company. While
Thais are gracious towards foreigners, they are especially receptive to
those who talk and deal politely and respect the ground rules of Thai society.
Etiquette: Buddhist, Chinese, and Muslim shrines are open to foreigners
but you should dress appropriately when visiting. Shorts and sleeveless
shirts are discouraged and you should remove your shoes before entering.
You may photograph monks (but women may not touch them), "wats" (temples),
images (except the Emerald Buddha) and all Buddhist ceremonies. A non-Muslim
can enter a mosque except during prayer time; some areas are off-limits
to women. Ask first. Hilltribe houses have special spirit rooms which are
closed to outsiders; entering them will violate their sanctity.
Thais regard the feet as unclean and do not point them at others or step over those seated or lying on the floor. Remove your shoes before entering a Thai home and "wai" (palms together at chin level in an attitude of prayer) to greet the host. Thais are amenable to being photographed but, if in doubt, ask first.
The Wai: The raising of the hands, palms joined and placed
in a position lightly touching the body somewhere between the chest and
the forehead- is an important social custom that reinforces both social
structure and religious observance.. The graceful gesture is a combination
of greeting, display of respect and statement of a person's rank in the
social hierarchy. The Thai wai [pronounced "wye"] is not just " hello."
Who wais whom, who wais first, and exactly how one places the hands in
relation to other person are all involved in the act of wai-ing.
Drivers passing the Erawan Shrine, at one of the busiest intersections in central Bangkok, will take both hands off the steering wheel to wai the image of Brahma housed there. A younger person wais an older; a Buddhist monk never wais a layman, not even the King.
The lower the inclination of the head over the joined hands, the greater the amount of respect shown. Those of lower status always initiate the wai, and the gesture may or may not be retured by the person of higher status. Social equals will wai each other, and it is age that counts, not sex. Thus a younger man will wai an older woman first if she is of the same social status. It is inappropriate for an older person to wai a younger person first. Such an action is supposed to take seven years off the younger person's life.
The shape formed by the hands in making the wai is like the closed lotus bud, which is often offered to the Lord Buddha as a symbol of purity.
A Diverse People: Whether Thailand's inhabitants originated
in Thailand or migrated from China or Burma, their ethnic blood has been
richly infused by Vietnamese, Cambodian, Lao, Mon Burmese, Malay, Indian,
and even Persian strains.
The most prominent minority group is the Chinese who, while retaining much of the culture of the Middle Kingdom, have been absorbed into the Thai fabric without the conflict with the indigenous majority as has often occurred in Southeast Asia. Northern Thailand is Burmese and Laotian influenced while Northeastern culture betrays strong Lao ancestry. The South has been richly endowed by its proximity to the Muslim culture of Malaysia.
Both the North and the South hold tribal peoples of surprising diversity. Each of the six principal groupings--Hmong (Meo), Lisu, Akha, Lahu (Musur), Mien (Yao) and Karen--in the North have ancient origins in China and northern Burma, arriving in Thailand's northern hills in recent centuries. Each has a distinct language incomprehensible to the others, yet despite their differences, there is little conflict among them. The South has Chao Lay Sea Gypsies, an animist seafaring people with their own language and customs.
Thai Food: Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot
or comparatively bland, harmony is the guiding principle behind each
dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and
Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai.The
characteristics of Thai food depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked,
for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates. Originally,
Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic
animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat
were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced the use of sizeable
chunks to Thai cooking.
With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.
Thais were very adapt at 'Siamese-ising' foreign cooking methods, and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other daily products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting dinners to enjoy complementary combinations of different tastes.
A
proper Thai meal should consist of a soup, a curry dish with condiments,
a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad may replace
the curry dish. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced
by non spiced items. There must be a harmony of tastes and textures within
individual dishes and the entire meal.
His Majesty King Bhumibol: His Majesty King Bhumibol, the
world's longest-reigning monarch, born in 1927 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
where his father studied medicine at Harvard University, he was educated
in Switzerland. A series of events propelled him into acceding to the throne
in 1946. In 1950, he married the future Queen Sirikit and was crowned the
same year.
While he has no official role, he is highly respected and a quiet word from his lips has more than once shifted the course of political events. His popularity is due in large part to his selfless efforts to improve the lives of rural people. In an age when a monarch could simply fulfil a purely ceremonial role, he has spent much of his life--up to eight months a year--in the countryside. In some of Thailand's remotest provinces, where family needs are greatest, he walks through the fields, talking with officials and villagers about rural development projects. He concentrates his energies on developing local irrigation projects, relying on his training as an engineer. On these trips, he is joined by other members of the royal family who oversee their own aid projects.
An
accomplished musician, composer, sailor, and photographer, His Majesty
is widely revered for his many talents.