INTRODUCTION
Geography and population Thailand is located in South East Asia. It is bordered by Burma on the
west and north, Laos on the east and north, Cambodia on the east and Malaysia
on the south. Its eastern coast runs along the Pacific Ocean, whilst its west
coast abuts on the Andaman Sea.
The area of Thailand is roughly
similar to those of France, that is roughly 511,000 square kilometers. In July
2004, the population was estimated to be 64.9 million. The majority of the
population still live in rural areas and are engaged in agricultural activities,
although Thailand now qualifies as a ‘newly industrialized country.’
Name
The name Thailand was adopted in 1939 after the change from an absolute to a
constitutional monarchy, but in fact, the people have always been known as thai,
meaning free. The name ‘Siam’ pronounced sayam refers to the
geographical location of the country and is still used, especially in royal
titles.
Capital/historical era The present era of Thai history, known as the Rattanakosin era,
commenced on April 6, 1782 with the ascension to the throne of King Rama I, the
founder of the present ruling Chakri dynasty, and the founding of the present
capital, now called Bangkok. In Thai the name Bangkok means ‘Village of
Olives.’ It was later changed to Rattanakosin meaning ‘Bejeweled City of
the God Indra.’ Later other names were added to Rattanakosin. Today,
most Thai people refer to their capital as Krung Thep meaning ‘City of
Angels’ which is the first part of the full name of the capital. In English and
other languages however, the city continues to be known by its original name:
Bangkok.
Thai calendar The present dating system in Thailand uses the Buddhist Era (‘B.E.’)
which is 543 years older than the Christian Era (‘A.D.’). To convert a BE date
into an AD date, simply subtract 543. Thus B.E. 2541 = A.D. 1998. Before April
1, 1889, Thailand used a lunar calendar of 12 or 13 months (as necessary to
synchronize the lunar calendar with the solar cycle), each of 29 or 30 days,
with each month starting with the new moon of a cycle, very similar to the
Jewish Calendar.
The solar calendar of 12 months and
seven-day weeks, corresponding exactly to the Gregorian calendar, including
leap years, was adopted on April 1, 1889. The only difference was that the year
started on April 1st. On January 1, 1941, (January 1, B.E. 2484) the calendar
was adjusted so that with effect from that date, the official year commenced on
January 1st.
All official and most private Thai
documents for domestic use are dated in accordance with the Buddhist Era
calendar.
Government Thailand is a democratic country with a constitutional government. The
King is head of state. Sovereignty emanates from the Thai people and is
exercised by the King through the National Assembly, the Senate, the cabinet
and the courts of law. Thailand has a written constitution. After the coup
d'etat of September 2006, the 1997 constitution was abrogated and an
interim constitution was approved. It is the intention of the government to
draft a new full constitution, prior to democratic elections being held by
October 2007.
Courts Each province has a provincial court that hears civil and criminal
cases. Some of the larger provinces have District Courts that hear petty cases.
Bangkok has a separate Civil Court and
Criminal Court, and District Courts for petty cases.
There are also special courts as
follows: the Juvenile Court, the Family Court, the Labor Court, the Tax Court,
the Bankruptcy Court, the Administrative Court, the Constitutional Court, and
the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court.
Local government For administrative purposes, Thailand is divided into 76 provinces each
of which is called a changwat, each of which is headed by a governor
appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. However, in Bangkok and Pattaya City
the local government is elected.
Each changwat is divided into
several amphur. In Bangkok, an amphur is officially called a khet,
but is still popularly called an amphur. Both words may be translated as
‘District.’ Such matters as registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces
and adoptions, tax collection, residence registrations, the issue of identity
cards, house and certain land transfers are dealt with at this level of
government. For ordinary citizens, the Amphur represents their most significant
form of regular contact with the government.
The Amphur are divided into tambon
(sub‑districts) and mooban (villages). These divisions play a greater
role in rural areas, where access to the Amphur may be difficult. The Tambon
usually elects a headman (kamnan) who serves as an intermediary for the
villagers to the higher levels of government, often mediates disputes, acts as
a witness to contracts, and also serves as a registrar to certify the births
and deaths of persons in his area of administration.
Residence registration and
identification cards All Thai nationals residing
in Thailand, and foreigners who hold residence permits (this excludes
businessmen staying in Thailand on non‑immigrant visas) must have their names
appear on a residence registration certificate. In addition, Thai nationals
from the age of 15 to 70 must have an identification card. Normally, the
residence registration and identification card must be presented when
performing any official act. In such situations, foreigners normally present
their passports as proof of identity.
The Thai language The language used throughout the country is Thai, with some minor
regional variations. It is a tonal language with a phonetic alphabet consisting
of 44 consonants and 32 vowels. Two of the consonants are obsolete and many of
the vowels consist of two or more characters, so in total there are 57
characters on a Thai typewriter keyboard, together with such items as tone and
punctuation marks. Non‑Thai speakers often have difficulty when trying to read
Thai words and names which have been transliterated into Roman characters. For
example, in Thai, syllables ending in the Thai equivalent of the letters 'R'
and 'L' are pronounced as 'N' thus Ubol is pronounced Ubon.
Syllables ending in the Thai
equivalent of 'D,' 'J,' 'CH,' and 'S' are pronounced as if the word ended in
the letter 'T.' ‘V’ is pronounced as a ‘W.’ Thus the name Viros would be
pronounced Virot.
In most cases, two consonants cannot
be pronounced as a cluster. Thus where two consonants are together there is
often an unwritten but pronounced vowel "a" added. Thus the name
written as Swas would be pronounced Sawat.
Very often words in Thai contain
written letters that are not pronounced. This is done to preserve the original
spelling. However, a mark is written over these letters, to show that they are
silent. When a word or name is transliterated, the silent letters are often
included. Therefore Surawongse is pronounced Surawong and Silpa
is pronounced Sin.
Where a Thai name is derived from
Pali or Sanskrit, the transliteration may be according to the original
pronunciation, and not the actual Thai pronunciation. Accordingly, one should
try to listen to how a Thai name is pronounced and less reliance should be
placed on its transliteration.
A difficult aspect of the Thai
language for non-Thais, is that it is tonal, that is every syllable of every
word has a distinct tone. There are five tones: level, low, falling, high or
rising. The tone is as much a part of the word as the pronunciation of the
letters, and a change in tone can have a dramatic effect on the meaning. The
word glai means near using a falling tone and far, when using a level
tone.
Business language International business dealings in Thailand are often conducted in
English and many Thai businessmen have high English language fluency. Most
international contracts and the documentation in virtually all international
banking transactions are written in English.
Although most official dealings with
Thai governmental agencies are conducted in Thai, those agencies dealing with
foreigners, such as the Board of Investment, the Immigration Division and the
Labor Department (Work Permit Section), and others, accept documents in
English. Contracts written in any language are legally enforceable, but
translations may be required in some cases. Translation services are readily
available.
Religion Buddhism is the state religion, but there is complete religious freedom.
His Majesty the King is Buddhist, as required by the constitution. The King is
the protector of all religions. Approximately 95% of the population is
Buddhist. The second largest religion is Islam, representing about 4% of the
population overall. There is a Muslim majority in the four southernmost
provinces, where Islamic law is permitted to apply in certain family matters.
Christians of all denominations comprise less than 1% of the population. Their
organizations run many hospitals and schools. There are several churches that
conduct services in English and other languages. The Jewish community has three
synagogues in Bangkok.
Money The unit of currency is the Baht, which is divided into one
hundred Satang. Occasionally one sees references to Ticals, which
was the name formerly used by foreigners to describe the Baht. The Baht was
originally a coin containing approximately 15.244 grams of silver.
According to the earliest published
official rates of exchange, five silver Baht were worth three Mexican Eight‑Real
coins, or about 60 to 62 US cents. The over issuance of paper money and other
problems caused by the Second World War led the Baht to be devalued.
For many years, the Baht had a fixed
exchange rate of 25 Baht: 1US$. After the financial crisis of 1997, the Baht
was allowed to float on the international currency markets. In 2006, the
exchange rate was 38 Baht: 1US$.
The Baht is also a unit of weight
equivalent to 15.244 grams, and is still regularly used for measuring silver
and gold.
The following coins are in
circulation:
25 Satang - brass
50 Satang - brass
1 Baht nickel
5 Baht - copper core and nickel outer layers
10 Baht - nickel with a brass center
The following currency notes are in
circulation:
20 Baht (green)
50 Baht (blue)
100 Baht (red)
500 Baht (violet)
1000 Baht (grey)
Communications Communications in Thailand are now much better than they were in the
early 1990s. International phone calls can be made without difficulty. Internet
and email facilities are available at most hotels and in most offices. Mobile
telephones are seen everywhere and most businesses receive and send e-mail. Not
only is the internet gaining in popularity, but there are an increasing number
of Thai language websites.
Transportation Domestic transportation by air, rail, road as well as by waterways is
well developed. International air transport facilities are excellent. The new
Suvannaphoumi international airport located in eastern Bangkok opened in
September 2006 and the former international airport at Don Muang was
closed. International shipping
facilities are being improved and there are projects for additional deep sea
ports. In Bangkok, a commuter light railway known as the Skytrain opened for
service in 1999 and the Underground Line opened in August 2004. These transport
developments have helped considerably to alleviate Bangkok’s notorious road
traffic problems.
International schools In Bangkok, there are a considerable number of international schools
under American, British, Singaporean, French, Japanese and Swiss (German),
United Nations management. Children of both expatriates and Thais may attend
such schools. Outside Bangkok, there are fewer international schools except in
areas where there is a significant foreign community, e.g. in Pattaya, Phuket
or Chiang Mai.
Economy Tourism and tourist related industries such as air transport and
hotels, are a major employer of labor and the country's leading foreign
exchange earner.
Agriculture and the agro‑industry is
still the largest employer of labor, though it contributes proportionately less
to Thailand’s GDP than other sectors. Thailand is a major producer and exporter
of rice, tapioca, palm oil, rubber and tropical fruit. There is a growing tend
towards producing higher value processed food and agricultural products.
In recent years, there has been
major growth in fish and prawn farming, and processed meat production. As to
manufactured goods, Thailand has a prominent reputation in the production and
export of clothing and textiles, automobiles and auto parts, footwear, jewelry,
vehicles and vehicle parts, electronics and electrical goods, cement, and
handicrafts. Diversity is one of the strengths of the Thai economy.
Foreigners doing business in
Thailand Foreigners who wish to do business
in Thailand are subject to several specific laws such as: the Foreign Business
Act, which restricts foreign participation in certain businesses; the Foreign
Employment Act, which requires that foreigners working in Thailand hold work
permits; and the Immigration Act, which requires that foreigners who wish to
enter or remain in Thailand must hold an appropriate visa.
Overall, the laws that affect
foreigners are fairly administered and do not appear to have discouraged
investment in Thailand.
Legal system The earliest recorded evidence of the legal system in Thailand is to be
found in the Sukhothai period of 1238‑1350 A.D., A number of years ago, an inscribed
stone monument from this period was discovered, which described how a citizen
with a complaint could ring a bell and call upon the King to resolve a dispute.
Unfortunately, most Thai historical records including legal records were
destroyed in 1767, during the Burmese invasion and occupation of the former
capital of Ayuthaya.
During the early twentieth century,
the influence of French and German jurists lead to the drafting of various
written codes of law based on the continental civil law system. The present
Civil and Commercial Code was issued in 1933 and the Civil Procedure Code in
1935. Later, a Criminal Code and a Criminal Procedure Code were drafted. These
four Codes form the basis of Thai law. A separate Revenue Code dealing with
taxation, and a Land Code have also been drafrt5ed.
Although English common law has been
influential in some areas, the legal system is essentially a civil law system
closely related to the legal systems of continental Europe. Decisions of the
highest court, the Supreme Court, are referred to as precedents but are not
binding on lower courts.
Revised 1 December 2006