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Thailand

Thailand. The only nation in SE Asia that was not colonized. Economy. With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, generally pro-investment policies, and strong export industries, Thailand enjoyed solid growth from 2000 to 2008 - averaging more than 4% per year

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Thailand

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  1. Thailand • The only nation in SE Asia that was not colonized

  2. Economy • With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, generally pro-investment policies, and strong export industries, Thailand enjoyed solid growth from 2000 to 2008 - averaging more than 4% per year • The global financial crisis of 2008-09 severely cut Thailand's exports, with most sectors experiencing double-digit drops. • In 2010, Thailand's economy expanded 7.6%, its fastest pace since 1995, as exports rebounded from their depressed 2009 level. • 2011- 0.1% growth • 2012- 6.5% growth • 2013- 3.1% growth • 2014- 1% growth • 2015- 2.5 % growth

  3. Economy • Thai exports - machinery and electronic components, #2 rice exporter, textiles, footwear, and automobiles • 4.3 billion dollar a year sex trade (tourism) (120,000 people) • Unemployment, 1% of the labor force, stands as one of the lowest levels in the world. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBAs13AL1Jg • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW4bCsi9qnc

  4. Media • The government and military control nearly all the national television networks and operate many of Thailand's radio networks • The media are free to criticize government policies, and cover instances of corruption and human rights abuses, but journalists tend to exercise self-censorship regarding the military, the monarchy, the judiciary and other sensitive issues. • Ranked 166 in press freedom by Freedom House

  5. HIV • The large-scale sex industry which flourishes there contributed to the incidences of HIV infection • Infected drug users are common as well • Thailand has taken the lead in the region in distributing cheaper generic drugs for AIDS sufferers and awareness campaigns are credited with reducing the number of new infections. • 100% Condom Program • Every time a Sex Worker comes in for testing, she would be given as many boxes of condoms as she might need. The commercial sex establishments were also provided with condoms. Millions upon millions of condoms were sent throughout the country, enough so that no one should ever need to buy one to engage in sex. • Within 5 years, the percentage of commercial sex acts where condoms were used increased from 15% to over 90%, and the number of men coming in with STDs decreased enormously.

  6. Removal of U.S Aid • By the late 1960s the nation's problems largely stemmed from conflicts brewing in neighboring Cambodia and Vietnam. • Although Thailand had received $2 billion in U.S. economic and military aid since 1950 the collapse of South Vietnam and Cambodia in spring 1975 brought rapid changes in the country's diplomatic posture. • At the Thai government's insistence, the U.S. agreed to withdraw all 23,000 U.S. military personnel remaining in Thailand by March 1976.

  7. Anti-Communist military rule • Three years of civilian rule under SeniPramoj ended with a military coup on Oct. 6, 1976. • It stemmed from a rightwing backlash against leftist student demonstrators which culminated in the Thammasat University massacre on October 6, 1976.

  8. Partial Freedom returns • Political parties, banned after the coup, gained limited freedom in 1980. • The same year, the national assembly elected Gen. PremTinsulanonda as prime minister. Prem continued as prime minister following the 1983 and 1986 elections. Prem promoted King Bhumibol's ideologies and royal projects and he has sometimes represented himself as being the voice of the king. • He founded several welfare projects related to education, drug suppression, poverty, and national unity.

  9. Refugees • Fleeing from Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia refugees flooded into Thailand in 1978 and 1979. • Despite efforts by the United States and other Western countries to resettle them, a total of 130,000 Laotians and Vietnamese were living in camps along the Cambodian border in mid-1980.

  10. New Leadership • In 1991 after two failed coups, yet another coup yielded another junta, which declared a state of emergency and abolished the constitution. • The military formed a National Peace Keeping Council to run the country. • The NPKC appointed AnandPanyarachun as interim Prime Minister • Anand, closely linked to the palace and held in respect by both the bureaucracy and the business community, proved acceptable to the people and the international community.

  11. Political chaos • A scandal over a land-reform program caused the fall of the government in May 1995. • A succession of ineffective governments followed.

  12. Economic collapse • Following several years of unprecedented economic growth, Thailand's economy, once one of the strongest in the region, collapsed under the weight of foreign debt in 1997. • The Thai economy's downfall set off a chain reaction in the region, sparking the Asian currency crisis. • The Thai government quickly accepted restructuring guidelines as a condition of the International Monetary Fund's $17 billion bailout. • Thailand's economy, while far from completely recovered, continued to improve over the next several years.

  13. Thaksin takes power • ThaksinShinawatra, head of the Thai Rak Thai Party, became prime minister in Jan. 2001. • The hugely popular Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications mogul, was indicted in Dec. 2000 on corruption charges but acquitted in Aug. 2001.

  14. War on drugs • In Feb. 2003, Thaksin announced plans to eliminate the drug trade from Thailand within three months. • When the operation concluded at the end of April, nearly 2,300 people had been killed. • Government officials claimed responsibility for about 35 of the casualties, blaming drug dealers and gang members for the other deaths. • Human rights activists, however, suspected police forces had been overly aggressive in their campaign.

  15. Separatists in the south • Violence has plagued Thailand's Muslim-dominated southern provinces since the beginning of 2004. • Armed insurgents attacking police stations, security stations, and military depots. • Nearly 800 people have been killed in the attacks, which officials attribute to Islamic militants. • The violence intensified in July 2005, prompting Thaksin to declare a state of emergency in the south. • PattaniProvince was hit by attacks in Feb. 2007, when some 30 coordinated bombs exploded at bars, hotels, and electricity transmitters. • While the insurgents have been vague in explaining their motivation for such attacks, the most recent bombings suggest they are targeting Buddhists as well as other Muslims.

  16. Thaksin wins again • Thaksinbecome the first prime minister to serve two consecutive terms. His Thai Rak Thai Party won in a landslide. • He was criticized during his first term for alleged corruption, for failing to control the insurgency in the south, and for an ineffective response to Thailand's avian flu outbreak, but he retained support from the rural and poor sectors,

  17. Brief resignation • Thaksin faced intense criticism when he sold his family's share of a communications company for nearly $2 billion without paying taxes. • About 60,000 demonstrators gathered in Bangkok and called for his resignation. • Facing mounting criticism over the sale, Thaksin dissolved parliament and called for early elections. • He announced his resignation in April, just days after his Thai Rak Thai Party won 57% of the vote in national elections. After leaving office for seven weeks, Thaksin again returned to the role of prime minister.

  18. Thaksin removed • In September 2006, the military, led by Gen. SondhiBoonyaratkalin, staged a bloodless coup and declared martial law while Prime Minister ThaksinShinawatra was at the meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.

  19. Chulanont in • In October, SurayudChulanont, a respected retired general, was sworn in as prime minister. • The military council that installed Chulanont announced that a new general election will be held in late 2007, after a new constitution had been written.

  20. Sanctions on the party • In May 2007, a constitutional court found the political party of former Prime Minister ThaksinShinawatra, Thai Rak Thai, guilty of election fraud and banned it from participating in government for five years.

  21. People Power Party takes up Thaksin • In the country's first referendum, held in August 2007, Thailand voted in favor of a new constitution, which set the stage for parliamentary elections and a return to democracy after a year of military rule. • In parliamentary elections, the People Power Party, which supports former prime minister Thaksin, won 233 out of 480 seats in parliamentary elections.Thaksin, who had been in self-imposed exile in London, said he would return to Thailand but not enter politics.

  22. Sundaravej “proxy PM” • SamakSundaravej, of the People Power Party, was elected prime minister by Parliament in January 2008, thus completing the transition back to democracy. • Samak, a controversial and contentious figure, called himself a "proxy" for Thaksin and said he would work to tackle poverty in rural Thailand. • In the 1970s and 1990s, Samak supported violent crackdowns on students and pro-democracy campaigners.

  23. Thaksin faced charges • Thaksin returned to Thailand in February 2008 after 17 months in exile. • He said he was prepared to face corruption charges • In July, his wife, PojamanShinawatra, was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to three years in jail. • Thaksinfailed to appear for a court appearance in August and fled with his wife to London. • He left behind about $2 billion in assets that was frozen by the military when it assumed power in 2006. He said he would not receive a fair trial in Thailand.

  24. PAD emerges • In August 2008, thousands of yellow shirted protesters, called People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), staged a sit-in outside the government buildings in Bangkok, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister SamakSundaravej, who they call a proxy for Thaksin. • Demonstrators were seeking to change the governing and electoral process that has empowered the rural majority, who PAD members say are “ill educated,” at the expense of the elite.

  25. Conflict intensifies • The PAD has recommended introducing an appointed, rather than elected, legislature. • About a week into the sit-in, pro-government protesters launched a counter-demonstration, which turned violent, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. • The military and police did not enforce the state of emergency, however. • "We are not taking sides," the army said. "If the nation is the people, we are the army of the people."

  26. Samak resigns • Samak was forced to resign in September when Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled that he violated the constitution, which prohibits working in the private sector while in office, by being paid to appear on the cooking show "Tasting and Complaining.“

  27. New PM • SomchaiWongsawat, the first deputy prime minister, became acting prime minister. • October 2008, Wongsawat was unable to gain access to his offices, which were occupied by protesters from the PAD

  28. Protests turn violent • Demonstrators, trying to prevent the inauguration of Somchai, barricaded lawmakers inside the Parliament building and the army was deployed. • PAD protesters were helped by an October ruling by Thailand's anticorruption court that found Thaksin guilty of corruption over a land deal. • The court sentenced him to two years in prison. • On November 25, the protesters shut down Bangkok's Airport, creating a national crisis and stranding tourists. • The next day, Thailand's army chief urged Prime Minister Somchai to resign and call new elections. • Somchairefused and then declared a state of emergency and authorized the police and military to evict the protesters.

  29. PPP is banned • Thailand's Constitutional Court disbanded the governing People Power Party on Dec. 2, ruling that it engaged in fraud during the 2007 elections. • The decision forced Somchai from power and banned party members from politics for five years. • Supporters of Thaksin maintained their parliamentary majority and hoped to continue governing by forming a new party. • The ruling prompted protesters to end their blockade of Airport.

  30. New PM again • Days later, after some political maneuvering, Parliament elected AbhisitVejjajiva, the head of the Democrat Party, as prime minister. • His supporters are mainly from Thailand's educated middle class, unlike former PM ThaksinShinawatra and his allies, who draw their support from working class and rural Thais.

  31. Protest resumes • By April of 2009 protesters loyal to former prime minister ThaksinShinawatra, called red shirts, interrupted a meeting of Asian leaders that was being held at a Thai resort. • Prime minister AbhisitVejjajiva quickly cancelled the meeting and declared a state of emergency. • He then ordered the Thai army to break up the protest in the capital of Bangkok. • On April 14th, the protestors surrendered and peace was restored to the streets, but Thaksin and his supporters had proven that they remain a threat to Thailand's political stability. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ap6dDxwKGI&NR=1

  32. Red Shirts protesting again • Pro- and anti-Thaksinprotests continued throughout 2009, when some 20,000 Thaksinsupporters gathered in Bangkok to demand new elections. • In March 2010, about 100,000 red shirts assembled in Bangkok and demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit dissolve Parliament and call new elections. • Abhisitrefused, but did agree to meet with opposition leaders. • At the meeting in late March, he agreed to call new elections but did not set a timetable. • Abhisitdeclared a state of emergency in early April after protesters broke into the Parliament building, prompting government officials to flee the structure by helicopter. • The protests continued into May, with the red shirts taking over central Bangkok and essentially crippling the busy metropolis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLuqDJViK-o&feature=related

  33. Violence in the streets again • In May, Abhisit offered to hold early elections if the protesters called off their demonstrations, but they rejected the gesture. • Abhisitwithdrew his offer and ordered troops to blockade the protest area. • What started as a peaceful protest disintegrated into violence, and the military fired upon the protesters, killing a general who sided with the red shirts. • His death sparked further violence, and the protesters retaliated with grenade attacks. • The red shirts offered to negotiate with government, but were rebuffed and engaged in large-scale rioting, looting, and the firebombing of several buildings, including Thailand's stock exchange and largest department store. • The government cracked down on the movement in May and the rioters dispersed and protest leaders surrendered and will face terrorism charges. • In the 68 days of the protests, 68 people died. The red shirts gained little from their protracted demonstration. • http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6383254n

  34. Plan for peace • Abhisit introduced a five-point plan in June aimed at reconciliation. • The plan, though vague, seeks to bridge the economic and social divide that led to the recent turmoil. • In addition, Abhisit said he would move to put controls on the news media, which many believe stoked the unrest, consider constitutional reform, appoint a commission to investigate the violence, and reinforce respect of the monarchy.

  35. 2011 elections • Thaksin’syoungest sister, Yinglak, led the Puea Thai party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government in August. • Her leadership faced an immediately challenge with by historic flooding in late 2011 that had large swathes of the country underwater and threatened to inundate Bangkok itself. • At the beginning of 2012 the Puea Thai-led government began fulfilling one of its main election promises, the pursuit of constitutional reform.

  36. Flood • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi3EL_PKXcM

  37. Insurgency • In Feb. 2013, the government of Prime Minister YingluckShinawatra agreed to peace talks with leaders of the BarisanRevolusiNasional (BRN), one of the oldest and most formidable Muslim rebel insurgent groups operating in the country's south. • The provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat are home to ethnic Malays and form a Muslim majority. Resistance to Buddhist rule turned violent in 2004; since then more than 5,400 people have been killed.

  38. Government crisis again • In early November 2013, Thailand's lower house passed a bill granting amnesty to those accused of offenses committed after the coup of 2006, during which Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted by the military. • Thaksin, facing charges of corruption and abuse of power, would be covered by the amnesty law. • More than 10,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest the bill's passage. The bill, however, failed to pass the Senate. • Anti-government protests continued into December, with thousands of people taking to the streets to demand the resignation of YingluckShinawatra, who they say is a puppet of her brother, former prime minister Thaksin.

  39. Elections of 2014 • On Dec. 9, Yingluck dissolved parliament and called for early elections, scheduled for February 2014. The opposition, which largely represents the urban middle class, feels the rural majority has accumulated too much power and elections would not solve the problem. Instead, it demanded that parliament be replaced with an unelected People's Council and that the king appoint a prime minister. • Despite ongoing protests, elections were held on Feb. 2, 2014. The opposition, which boycotted the vote, disrupted the election by preventing the delivery of ballot boxes to about 11% of the precincts. Under Thailand's constitution, 95% of parliament must be seated in order for a government to be formed. Therefore election results would not be final until elections are held in the affected precincts in April.

  40. Goodbye Yingluck • Thailand's Constitutional Court ordered Prime Minister YingluckShinawatra to resign in May 2014 after ruling that she abused power in 2011 when she removed a civil servant from his post and replaced him with a relative. • It was considered a blatantly political ruling that risked a return to violent protests. • Deputy Prime Minister NiwattumrongBoonsongpaisan took over as acting prime minister. • Both anti- and pro-government protests continued, and the anti-government demonstrators shut down several government buildings and took over the prime minister's office. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bodSHgCtWCc

  41. Coup • On May 20, 2014, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief, declared martial law throughout the country. He ordered the closure of 12 television stations and more than 1,000 radio stations. He said the move was to restore peace and order and requested that both sides stop protesting. • He explicitly said the military was not launching a coup—something it has carried out on numerous occasions. "We urge people not to panic. Please carry on your daily activities as usual. The imposition of martial law is not a coup d'état," Gen. Prayuth said. • U.S. officials were skeptical of Prayuth's motives, and the State Department called on the military to "honor its commitment to make this a temporary action to prevent violence, and to not undermine democratic institutions." • Two days later, Gen. Prayuth announced that he had indeed seized power from the interim government in a coup. He said the coup was necessary because "of the violence in Bangkok and many parts of the country that resulted in loss of innocent lives and property." It was the second military coup in less than 10 years. The military held power for more than a year after the last coup, in 2006. • http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/20/thai-army-declares-martial-law-amid-unrest

  42. Military rule solidified • In August 2014, Gen. Prayuth was elected prime minster by the military-dominated National Legislative Assembly whose members had been handpicked by Gen. Prayuth. • The assembly voted to impeach former prime minister YingluckShinawatra in January 2015, claiming rice subsidies she gave farmers amounted to corruption because the farmers were paid more than the market rate. • Under terms of the impeachment, Yingluck was banned from politics for five years. The military government formally charged her with corruption and negligence in February 2015. The subsidies helped rural farmers, the core of Yingluck's supporters.

  43. The promised future • The ruling junta has promised to hold new elections, but wants to enact a new constitution before the elections are held. • A national referendum, the first since the 2014 coup, on a newly drafted constitution is scheduled for early August 2016. • The new draft constitution would grant the constitutional court final authority in times of crisis, a power previously held by the King. • The draft would also allow a person other than a member of parliament to be the prime minister, which would open the prime minister post to a military official. • There are indications that public debate in the run up to the referendum will be severely curtailed by the military government. • The head of the Thai army, Gen. TheerachaiNakvanich, has announced the setting up of re-education camps for critics of the regime, "aimed at people who are still unable to understand the workings of the government and the National Council for Peace and Order

  44. Failure to pass • The first attempt to author a constitution failed in 2015 failed, after the junta itself withdrew its own draft charter, fearful that it might not win sufficient support in the referendum they had promised the public. • Last August they tried again. This time they made sure their amended draft would pass, by imposing a strict ban on any campaigning, so the public understood very little about it, and by warning that the only alternative was extended military rule.

  45. Constituion • A new Constitution was approved by a referendum in August of 2016 • It constrains future elected governments with an appointed senate, and commits governments to follow the military's 20-year development plan. • The generals say they need to impose some limits on democratic practice in order to prevent the need for military coups in the future. • The constitution stipulates that an unelected, 250-seat upper house, or senate, will wield significant influence in the years following the election, currently expected at the end of 2018.

  46. Video • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcoFlGvHAsg

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