Political Climate
In the previous post I relayed some information about the year-round warm climate in Thailand. It might be helpful to talk a little about Thailand’s political climate and some recent events.
Beginning around the 13th century Thailand had been ruled by a succession of kings. On June 24, 1932 the bloodless Siamese coup d’état transitioned the government from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Since the founding of this modern state, Thailand has 17 different charters and constitutions, and 19 separate coups reflecting a rather high degree of political instability.
From 1932 until 1973 Thailand was mostly dominatedy by a military dictatorship with a number of different army generals acting as Prime Minister. World War II saw Thailand allied with Japan, yet Thailand boasts to have never been occupied by another power in its history. After WWII and through the 60s the country saw very little political change.
In October of 1973, 13 students were arrested on charges of conspiracy to over throw the government. This was preceded by multiple student demonstrations starting in the late 60s. As a result, the student protesters were joined by workers, businessmen, and ordinary citizens. Demonstrations swelled to several hundred thousand people, who called for the release of the students, a new constitution, and the replacement of the current government. The police responded eventually resulting in city-wide violence. Ignoring his own safety concerns, King Bhumibol opened the gates of his palace to the fleeing students who were being gunned down by police. In the end, the junta had fallen at the cost of some 1,500 lives. The king subsequently, for the first time in modern history, openly involved himself in the transition of political power. He condemned the government’s inability to handle the demonstrations and ordered political leaders to leave the country.
The king at that time, Bhumibol Adulyadej, is still reigning the Kingdom of Thailand. He is the worlds longest serving Head of State. The king uses his great wealth to fund numerous development projects, particularly in rural areas, and spearheads many environmental efforts. He is immensely popular in Thailand, and is revered as a semi-divine figure by many Thais.
Recently, the framework of the country has changed from a parliamentary democracy back to a constitutional monarchy after another bloodless coup in September of 2006, the first coup in 15 years. The coup was preceded by a year-long political crisis involving then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and political opponents and occurred less than a month before nation-wide House elections were originally scheduled to be held. The military canceled the upcoming elections, suspended the Constitution, dissolved Parliament, banned protests and all political activities, suppressed and censored the media, declared martial law, and arrested Cabinet members.
Currently, Thailand is controlled by a military junta calling themselves the Council for Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy. The junta has said it will stay in place until a civilian government is appointed. The junta then would be transformed into a permanent “Council of National Security”, disolving itself once the general election are held.
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