Most of these men took Thai wives because few women left China to accompany the men. The sixteenth century witnessed the rise of Burma, which, under an aggressive dynasty, had overrun Chiang Mai and Laos and made war on the Thai. In Burmese forces, joined by Thai rebels, captured the city of Ayutthaya and carried off the royal family to Burma. Dhammaraja , a Thai governor who had aided the Burmese, was installed as vassal king at Ayutthaya. Thai independence was restored by his son, King Naresuan , who turned on the Burmese and by had driven them from the country.
Determined to prevent another treason like his father's, Naresuan set about unifying the country's administration directly under the royal court at Ayutthaya. He ended the practice of nominating royal princes to govern Ayutthaya's provinces, assigning instead court officials who were expected to execute policies handed down by the king.
Thereafter royal princes were confined to the capital. Their power struggles continued, but at court under the king's watchful eye. In order to ensure his control over the new class of governors, Naresuan decreed that all freemen subject to phrai service had become phrai luang, bound directly to the king, who distributed the use of their services to his officials. This measure gave the king a theoretical monopoly on all manpower, and the idea developed that since the king owned the services of all the people, he also possessed all the land.
Ministerial offices and governorships--and the sakdi na that went with them--were usually inherited positions dominated by a few families often connected to the king by marriage. Indeed, marriage was frequently used by Thai kings to cement alliances between themselves and powerful families, a custom prevailing through the nineteenth century.
As a result of this policy, the king's wives usually numbered in the dozens. Even with Naresuan's reforms, the effectiveness of the royal government over the next years should not be overestimated. Royal power outside the crown lands--although in theory absolute- -was in practice limited by the looseness of the civil administration.
The influence of central government ministers was not extensive beyond the capital until the late nineteenth century.
The Thai never lacked a rich food supply. Peasants planted rice for their own consumption and to pay taxes. Whatever remained was used to support religious institutions. From the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, however, a remarkable transformation took place in Thai rice cultivation. In the highlands, where rainfall had to be supplemented by a system of irrigation that controlled the water level in flooded paddies, the Thai sowed the glutinous rice that is still the staple in the geographical regions of the North and Northeast.
But in the floodplain of the Chao Phraya, farmers turned to a different variety of rice--the so-called floating rice, a slender, nonglutinous grain introduced from Bengal--that would grow fast enough to keep pace with the rise of the water level in the lowland fields. The new strain grew easily and abundantly, producing a surplus that could be sold cheaply abroad.
Ayutthaya, situated at the southern extremity of the floodplain, thus became the hub of economic activity. Under royal patronage, corvee labor dug canals on which rice was brought from the fields to the king's ships for export to China.
In the process, the Chao Phraya Delta--mud flats between the sea and firm land hitherto considered unsuitable for habitation--was reclaimed and placed under cultivation. In Ayutthaya received a diplomatic mission from the Portuguese, who earlier that year had conquered Malacca.
Exiled King Ananda returns. The military retain power until Thai troops fight in South Vietnam. Free elections are held but the resulting governments lack stability. A civilian, Anand Panyarachun, is installed as prime minister. Banharn Silpa-archa, of the Thai Nation party, elected prime minister.
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh of the New Aspiration party wins elections. The IMF steps in. Chuan Leekpai becomes prime minister. As an active and responsible member of the international community, Thailand participates fully in regional and international organizations. Thailand seeks to play a constructive role in international affairs and address the challenges faced by the global community. Currently, Thailand enjoys diplomatic relations with over countries and maintains more than 90 embassies, consulates-general and diplomatic missions abroad.
Most recently, Thailand opened an embassy in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan in Thailand attaches great importance to the deepening and broadening of its relations and cooperation with neighboring countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. At the same time, it seeks to further strengthen partnerships at all levels with strategic countries and trade partners around the world.
As a founding member of ASEAN, Thailand has been a major player in contributing to the progress of the organization as well as enhancing its role on the global stage. Thailand is a key driving force in the efforts toward an ASEAN Community by and will further strengthen regional and sub-regional cooperation in a wide spectrum of issues.
Such fields include agriculture, public health, tourism and education, as well as projects inspired by the various royal initiatives and concepts such as the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy, crop substitution and the promotion of sustainable alternative livelihood. Thailand is strongly committed to multilateralism under the United Nations UN as a pillar of its foreign policy and as the most effective approach to addressing global challenges. As one of the earliest members of the UN since , Thailand has actively worked in cooperation with all UN agencies in Thailand, Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
In keeping with its international responsibilities, Thailand has played an active role in peace keeping operations in many parts of the world, such as in Timor Leste, Burundi and Darfur. Thailand attaches importance to the issues of piracy and maritime security , as a littoral state of the Malacca Straits. Thailand has also been working closely with many countries to prevent international terrorism in all aspects and also recognizes the importance of dealing with the root causes of terrorism, including poverty, social injustice, religious intolerance, and the existence of regional and international conflicts.
Additionally, the kingdom has worked to foster international partnerships to attain the UN Millennium Development Goals as well as to tackle various development challenges from food security to climate change and from environmental degradation, infectious diseases to health concerns.
Thailand is also active in area of disaster prevention and management and has a long-standing tradition of humanitarian assistance. It has provided aid to people affected by recent natural disasters in countries like Myanmar, Haiti, Indonesia, Pakistan, New Zealand and Japan. Thailand recognizes the importance of interfaith dialogue and has sought to build bridges across different cultures and religions to draw strength from diversity.
It is also firmly committed to promotinghuman security and human rights. Thailand is party to most international human rights instruments and seeks to play an active and constructive role in promoting human rights. In Bangkok you can see the Grand Palace, the former residence of the royal family. Its construction began in under Rama I, and it remained the official residence of the king until Other kings, especially Rama V, added new buildings and structures.
The palace is eclectic and not symmetrical, the result of a combination of many different styles that followed each other down through the centuries. Commerce with the west increased, and the Thai economy became connected with the world monetary system. Siam greatly benefited from relationships with Europe, and the country kept growing and prospering. Siam was forced to give up territorial claims in countries such as Cambodia and Laos.
Thanks to this, after the war ended, Siam signed favorable treaties with both France and Britain, including the right to use German ships in its merchant navy. The group of revolutionaries, called Khana Ratsadon, led a bloodless revolution that resulted in development of a constitutional monarchy. A new party seized power, however, and this led to a counter-coup in , the Boworadet Rebellion. The country was modernized while influenced by a strong nationalistic spirit.
In , Japan wanted to move its troops to Thailand, and Pibulsonggram, appointed acting regent for the absent king, ordered an armistice that led to an alliance between the two countries. With Japan almost defeated, a movement of resistance forced Pibulsonggram out, ending his six years of government. After the war, Thailand returned territory to Cambodia and Laos, and postwar deals with the Allies further weakened the government.
After the assassination of the young king Ananda Mahidol, however, Pridi was forced to resign and Pibulsonggram returned from exile and became prime minister. Political opponents were arrested, and the country was ruled by a series of military governments.
A site of historical interest is Death Railway, a km railway line built by the Japanese during the war. More than , people died during construction of the site. It is one of the most humbling places in all of Thailand, definitely worth a visit. The railway was extremely difficult to build.
Sarit Thanarat, the coup leader, became prime minister and stayed in power until his death, in The regime was strongly supported by the United States. During the Vietnam War, Thailand became more and more westernized. The local economy grew in an extraordinary way, and thousands of rural Thai moved to the cities.
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