Thailand: Thailand Art / Culture Profile

The geographical heart of Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand is more than a pulsating, vibrant tourist destination – it is one of the biggest economies in the region. Heavily export-oriented, Thailand, or the Land of Smiles as it is popularly known, is recognized for the openness of its economy, and willingness to accept foreign direct investment. From virtual collapse during the Asian crisis of 1997-98, Thailand has managed to weather political storms, including the disruption caused by the military coup of 2006, and a disastrous and calamitous tsunami, to build on its status as an emerging Asian giant.

Thailand today is the world’s largest rice exporter, the second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer. Having made significant progress in social and economic development in recent years, Thailand’s growth from 2002-2006 has averaged 5.6%. Unlike its other neighbors in Southeast Asia such as Laos, Vietnam, or Burma, Thailand was never colonized – and the country’s developing, free-enterprise economy is slowly shifting from agriculture to manufacturing.

Coups and political turmoil

Thailand, known as Siam until 1939, has been inhabited for around 5,000 years with the earliest civilization believed to be that of the Mons in central Siam, although the first Siam state is the Theravada Buddhist kingdom of Sukohthai. Among the most glorious periods in its history was the reign of Ayutthaya, which was founded in 1351 by King Ramathibodi. One of the greatest centers of trade and commerce in Southeast Asia, Ayutthaya attracted the scorn of the Burmese, who invaded the kingdom twice in the 16th and 18th centuries. On the second occasion, the once glorious capital of Siam was plundered, laid to waste, and left in ruins, a pale specter of its ancient glory.

Thailand has one of the oldest surviving monarchies, and the current Chakri dynasty was founded in 1782 by King Rama I with the capital shifting for the first time to Bangkok. The 20th century saw the beginning of great change in Thailand. King Mongkut (Rama IV) was instrumental in developing a strategy that enabled them to avoid the yoke of imperialism that overtook Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam –Siam’s closest neighbors. The King’s strategy was simple: his ministers signed unequal treaties that gave free trade, extraterritorial rights, and special privileges to imperial powers like Great Britain , France , the U.S. , and Japan. The result was that by playing each one of these powers against another, Siam managed to maintain its independence. In 1932, a peaceful coup turned the country into a constitutional monarchy, before Siam became known as Thailand in 1939.

Controversially, Thailand sided with Japan during World War II. The period following the war was a chaotic one for Thailand as it battled a number of military coups even as dissatisfaction rose against rising inflation, food shortages and inexperienced public officials. The democratic elections of 1979 marked the first period of relative stability, as the economy grew with the collapse of military rule.

The country was rocked by several coups over the next two decades before violent demonstrations in February 1991 forced the military to relinquish power to a civilian government led by Chuan Leekpai, leader of the Prachatipat (Democrat) Party. He is credited with beginning the process of creating a completely new constitution, and instituted several reforms that led to Thailand having one of the highest growth rates during this period. At the turn of the 20th century, a relatively unknown party called the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) led by the charismatic Thaksin Shinawatra came to power on the promise of economic reforms.

Thaksin delivered on his promises but was dogged by allegations of mass corruption. The devastating tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in December 2004 affected Thailand too, causing nearly 5,000 deaths, and eroding a major source of its revenue from tourism. In 2006, General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin led a bloodless coup, deposing the unpopular Thaksin and holding fresh elections in December 2007.

A new party called the People’s Power Party, which consisted largely of members of the dissolved TRT, won the most number of seats under the leadership of Samak Sundaravej, who assumed power in February 2008. The then Prime Minister Sundaravej headed a six-party coalition. However, following a court order that ruled that Sundaravej had violated the constitution by hosting a television cooking show, he had to step down and was replaced by Somchai Wongsawat as the prime minister. The situation though, continued to remain tense, as the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) insisted that both Sundaravej and Wongsawat were puppets of Thaksin. Repeated protests have been held in Bangkok since May 2008 and five months of these protests considerably weakened the government’s ability to implement policy. Matters came to a head when the PAD occupied the Bangkok International Airport in November, stranding around 350,000 travelers. This resulted in a substantial loss of tourism revenue and wielded a body blow to the country’s image as a tourist-friendly nation. Eventually, Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of the opposition Democrat Party, rose to become Thailand’s third prime minister over the course of four months.

Thailand functions as a constitutional monarchy with the Head of State being King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Bangkok boasts of Thailand’s largest temple, Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, which is famous for its 46 meter long Buddha. The city also serves as the seat for traditional Thai massage, in a country where tourism contributes to 6% of the GDP.

Rich tradition creates immensely colorful nation

The land of Theravada Buddhism has had a long tradition of being one of Asia’s most culturally vibrant countries. With miles of extended coastline, Thailand has some of the world’s best beaches, ancient architecture, friendly people and unique cuisine. Effervescent with life, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The wats or Thai Buddhist temple complexes are richly ornamented structures, replete with scenes from the Buddha’s life as well as the ancient Hindu mythological text, the Ramayana.

The Thai traditional greeting, the wai, involves pressing the fingers and palms together at chest level while slightly bowing the head. The wai is always returned, and performs the twin functions of greeting and showing respect.

Among the most famous of Thai cultural shows is the khon dance, which traces its heritage to the royal courts of Siam. Nang Yai or the shadow puppet show is a dramatic art form that originated during the Ayutthaya period, and today is confined almost exclusively to the southern part of Thailand. Various tribes such as the Akha, Karen, Hmong, Yao, and Lisu have their own unique and diverse way of life –which all contribute to the rich cultural tapestry of Thailand.

A Thai Yao woman in traditional wear

One of Thailand’s major tribes, the Yao, migrated from southern China at the end of the 19th century. Farming remains the predominant occupation among the Yao, known to be the only Thai tribe to possess command over the written language.