History UsefulNotes / Thailand

In 2014, in the face of mass anti-government protests in Bangkok, the military staged yet ''another'' coup, and remains in control of the country for much longer than the previous time — first as an undisguised military junta, and later under a cilivian-in-name-only administration between 2019 and 2023. This military regime became enormously unpopular, with the 2023 elections yielding a [[LandslideElection 70% majority for its opponents - the centrist Pheu Thai and the social-democratic Move Forward Party in the 2023 elections]]... but because the Military has a hand in picking the Prime Minister until 2024, they managed to force Pheu Thai into ditching the MFP as a coalition partner in favor of the pro-military right.

** Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha

** House Speaker: Chuan Leekpai

* '''Area:''' 513,120 km
(198,120 sq mi) (50th)

The country is infamous for its sex tourism (people don't talk about it openly, though; most Thai follow a fairly strict Buddhism), especially in Pattaya, and its massive drug trade which has led to UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}}'s reputation as a WretchedHive and DenOfIniquity. During UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, it was a place where American soldiers went on rest and recreation. The sex shows are considered to be [[CrossesTheLineTwice some of the most unbelievably raunchy in the world]], minors of both genders are reportedly available for purchase, and UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} women hold a [[TransgenderFetishization special, almost revered place in the subculture]]. It apparently also has some number of MailOrderBride businesses, if the page ads above are to be believed. Some caution is needed here; [[SelfDeprecation Thai women themselves will admit]] that they make [[MadonnaWhoreComplex wonderful girlfriends but terrible wives]].

In 2014, in the face of mass anti-government protests in Bangkok, the military staged yet ''another'' coup, and remains in control of the country for much longer than the previous time — first as an undisguised military junta, and later under a cilivian-in-name-only administration between 2019 and 2023. This military regime became enormously unpopular, with the 2023 elections yielding a [[LandslideVictory 70% majority for its opponents - the centrist Pheu Thai and the social-democratic Move Forward Party in the 2023 elections]]... but because the Military has a hand in picking the Prime Minister until 2024, they managed to force Pheu Thai into ditching the MFP as a coalition partner in favor of the pro-military right.

In 2014, in the face of mass anti-government protests in Bangkok, the military staged yet ''another'' coup, and remains in control of the country for much longer than last time — first as an undisguised military junta, and later under a cilivian-in-name-only administration between 2019 and 2023.

In 2014, in the face of mass anti-government protests in Bangkok, the military staged yet ''another'' coup, and remains in control of the country today, though they insist elections will happen eventually.

Thailand (''Thai:'' ''ประเทศไทย, Prathet Thai''), officially known as the Kingdom of Thailand (''Thai:'' ''ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anachak Thai''), formerly known as Siam (''Thai:'' ''สยาม, Sayam''), is a country in Southeast Asia.

Asian elephants are revered in Thai culture. "White" ones (they're often actually pinkish albinos--not to be confused with PinkElephants) are all officially owned by the king, in much the way that all mute swans in Britain are owned by the Queen (actually it's only some swans, but never mind). This is the origin of the English phrase 'white elephant', as white elephants were considered desirable by Thai nobles but cost a lot to maintain and could not be used for practical purposes… so they looked big and impressive but were money sinks; in past eras, a savvy monarch could use a gift of a white elephant to ruin an annoying courtier or overly-ambitious noble. Elephants are seen in daily life being used as work animals as they have been for hundreds of years, and vehicle/elephant car crashes used to be a leading form of road accident. (Elephant vs. tiny Asian car, [[MightyGlacier elephant wins]]; now it's more about reckless motorcycle drivers as bringing elephants out on the road is strictly prohibited). The Thai flag used to be three stripes of red on white with a white elephant on the middle stripe – apparently a Thai King took the elephant off when he realised it could be flown upside down in a disrespectful way. In UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, the middle red stripe was then changed to blue to more resemble the British and French flags, Siam's allies at the time.

Thailand was occupied by Japan in the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Second World War]], and became a Japanese ally – but how much the Japanese trusted their new ally can be deduced from the fact that they issued the Thais rifles of a caliber made nowhere else in the world, and never issued them more ammunition than the bare minimum necessary for the next battle. The [[LaResistance Free Thai Movement]] was significantly more active than the Thai military although the difference between the two was a bit fuzzy. The Army Chief of Staff was the head of the Free Thai movement and the pipeline for escaped allied air crew was run by the Thai police. Allied personnel in Thailand were driven around in official limousines. See ''Bangkok - Top Secret'' for the gruesome details of how the Thais made the Japanese look like idiots. After the war, free of the Japanese threat, Thailand immediately allied itself with the United States.

* '''Capital and largest city:''' Bangkok

Thailand (''Thai:'' ''ประเทศไทย, Prathet Thai''), officially known as the Kingdom of Thailand (''Thai:'' ''ราชอาณาจักรไทย Ratcha Anachak''), formerly known as Siam (''Thai:'' ''สยาม, Sayam''), is a country in Southeast Asia.

Censorship is pretty bad (although getting better), with AnimationAgeGhetto in full effect, leading to massive blurring of scenes like [[BareYourMidriff exposed midriffs]]. This carries over to other works, to the extent where even a mannequin used in an education show was censored because it was female-breasted. Video games are also viewed in a bad light, too. Thailand also censors unflattering portrayals of the monarchy, as stated above.

* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': Roanapur, the WretchedHive where the Lagoon company is based, is in Thailand. [[note]] However, the creator made a CriticalResearchFailure – traffic in Roanapur is consistently shown to drive on the right (as in America, Russia, Mainland China, and neighboring Cambodia)… but Thailand actually drives on the ''left'' (like Japan and Hong Kong). The anime failed to correct this oversight, but it is not as upfront about Roanapur's location.[[/note]]

The country was originally named "Siam" in English; [[IstanbulNotConstantinople it renamed itself to "Thailand" in 1939, "Siam" in 1945, and "Thailand" again in 1949]]. The name "Thailand" is often thought to derive from ''tai'' – "free", in commemoration of the independence of Thailand in the 18th century; it's more likely that it derives from the name of the Thai ethnic group, the predominant one in the country, with the connotation of "free" as a bonus. (''Tai'' may actually mean "[[OfThePeople people]]," not "free" -- Wiki/TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#Etymology here]])

* '''Highest point:''' Doi Inthanon (2565 m/8,415 ft) (101st)

* '''Highest point:''' Doi Inthanon (2565 m/8,415 ft) (111st)

* '''Highest point:''' Doi Inthanon (2565 m/8,415 ft) (101st)

* ''{{Theatre/Chess}}'': One of the more well-known songs is "One Night in Bangkok". No points for guessing what gets described [[note]]Transgender hookers, Buddhist temples and chess.[[/note]]

* The ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series features two prominent Thai characters, both muay thai fighters -- the giant Sagat (whose name means "intercept" in Thai, though "guardian" is probably a better, more lyrical translation) and the more disreputable Adon (whose name isn't actually Thai). Both fighters have been a part of the series from the very beginning. Their stages depict Thailand as being very beautiful, featuring ancient temples, exotic jungles and giant reclining Buddha statues.

* '''Highest point:''' Doi Inthanon (2565 m/8,415 ft) (96th)

* '''Highest point:''' Doi Inthanon (2565 m/8,415 ft) (115th)

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' TH

* ''Film/RamboIV'' briefly includes some scenes set in Thailand, which borders [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Burma]].

The country is infamous for its sex tourism (people don't talk about it openly, though; most Thai follow a fairly strict Buddhism), especially in Pattaya, and its massive drug trade which has led to UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}}'s reputation as a WretchedHive and DenOfIniquity. During UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, it was a place where American soldiers went on rest and recreation. The sex shows are considered to be [[CrossesTheLineTwice some of the most unbelievably raunchy in the world]], minors of both genders are reportedly available for purchase, and UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} women hold a special, almost revered place in the subculture. It apparently also has some number of MailOrderBride businesses, if the page ads above are to be believed. Some caution is needed here; [[SelfDeprecation Thai women themselves will admit]] that they make [[MadonnaWhoreComplex wonderful girlfriends but terrible wives]].

* '''Area:''' 513,120 km (198,120 sq mi) (50th)

** The BigBad of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', M. Bison (Vega in Japan) also has the headquarters of his Shadoloo criminal organization located in Thailand.

** House Speaker: Chuan Leekpai

->Due to the country's Indian influences, the garuda is a royal symbol for centuries until it was adopted in 1911. According to Hindu legend, the garuda is the vahana of Vishnu. Even though the Thai king is a Buddhist, he is believed to be an avatar of Vishnu. Due to this, the garuda is usually associated with monarchy (though that is not the case in UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}}).