History UsefulNotes / Thailand

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thailand_flag_9880.png

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* [[MoeAnthropomorphism Thailand]] in ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'' is a PerpetualSmiler with a pet elephant named Toto.

* Many American films about UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar are [[CaliforniaDoubling actually filmed here]].

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.

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

* [[MoeAnthropomorphism Thailand]] in Manga/AxisPowersHetalia is a PerpetualSmiler with a pet elephant named Toto.

Several dynasties have ruled the country. The current King is Maha Vajiralongkorn, tenth King of the Chakri Dynasty, a.k.a. Rama X, who is taking over from his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), who died on 13 October 2016 after a seventy-year reign, making him the world's longest-serving head of state. Yellow is considered to be the [[ColorCodedPatrician color of the monarchy]], and [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience many people wear yellow clothing on occasion]] to show respect to the king. (Don't confuse this with ''Literature/TheKingInYellow''.)

Thailand lost half its territory to France and Britain in the 1800s, but it was the only South or Southeast Asian country never colonized by a Western power, by China, or by Japan (or one of two, if one counts Afghanistan). Thailand survived through a combination of luck and having rulers whose skills were far TheChessmaster levels, playing the British, French, Burmese, Chinese, and Vietnamese off one another.

* ''Series/SEALTeam'' Season 2 Episode 20 opens in Phuket as Bravo Team takes down the [[DirtyCommies Asian Liberation Army]] to disrupt a plot to commit a mass shooting on a beach targeting off-duty U.S. Navy sailors. One of the ALA fighters turns out to be Pakistani and reveals a previously unknown connection to a major Islamic terrorist leader.

* ''Film/RamboIII'' briefly includes some scenes set in Thailand, which borders [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Burma]].
* ''Film/{{Stealth}}'' - early part of the film is in Thailand.

* Thailand also has a devoted DeathMetal scene, with a festival titled "Live in Bang-Cock" held annually with big bands such as Music/{{Obituary}}, Music/{{Vader]}, Incantation, and even Music/CannibalCorpse themselves headlining. The longest-running and best-known death metal band native to Thailand is Macaroni. Their name is not a mistranslation, as their guitar player (who came up with their name) speaks English, but is intentionally humorous to distance themselves from other bands. They formed in 1991 and have released four albums: ''Cremation'' in 1996, ''13th'' in 2000, ''A Gift for Corpse'' in 2012, and ''Deliverance from Despair'' in 2018.

Several dynasties have ruled the country. The current King is Maha Vajiralongkorn, tenth King of the Chakri Dynasty, a.k.a. Rama X, who is taking over from his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), who died on 13 October 2016 after a seventy-year reign, making him the world's longest-serving head of state. Yellow is considered to be the color of the monarchy, and [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience many people wear yellow clothing on occasion]] to show respect to the king. (Don't confuse this with ''Literature/TheKingInYellow''.)

Most people know Thailand for Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), elephants, and Thai cuisine. Fans of Youtube may be familiar with the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2orcn5tw3m8 Thai Insurance]]" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWA2GbcnJU commercials]] which can be TearJerker, SugarWiki/Heartwarming [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oujqv98ZsZM or]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s22HX18wDY both]].

Thailand lost half its territory to France and Britain in the 1800s, but it was the only South or Southeast Asian country never colonized by a Western power, by China, or by Japan (or one of two, if one counts Afghanistan). Thailand survived through a combination of luck and having rulers whose skills were far into MagnificentBastard levels, playing the British, French, Burmese, Chinese, and Vietnamese off one another.

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 "people," not "free;" Wiki/TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#Etymology here]])

The country was originally named "Siam"; [[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 "people," not "free;" Wiki/TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#Etymology here]])

The monarchy is considered to be sacred by the Thai people and ''any'' criticism of the monarchy is illegal – including from foreign nationals speaking or publishing from their own country. This has caused several works to be [[BannedInChina censored in Thailand]], like ''The King Never Smiles'', and ''The King and I'' (which is sufficiently far from completely accurate that it scandalized Thailand when it was released; see [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_and_I#Reaction_in_Thailand The Other Wiki]]). The worst case of censorship was in early 2007 when the government [[NewMediaAreEvil blocked access to YouTube]] because there were videos that were considered to be anti-monarchy. For what it's worth, the King himself has implied that he thinks the anti-criticism laws are too strict.

Most people know Thailand for Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), elephants, and Thai cuisine.

The country was originally named "Siam"; [[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 "people," not "free;" TheOtherWiki has more [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#Etymology here]])

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 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]].

* Many American films about TheVietnamWar are [[CaliforniaDoubling actually filmed here]].

* ''Bangkok Hilton'' - the real prison that is usually associated with that title is Bang Kwang - a ''male-only'' prison also known as the "Big Tiger."

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 ('''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.

'''History'''

'''Monarchy'''

'''Other things'''

'''Thailand in fiction'''

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

* ''Bangkok Hilton''- the real prison that is usually associated with that title is Bangkwang- a ''male-only'' prison.

In Thailand, television series are called "lakhorns" and usually follow several broad categories. The biggest is revenge lakhorns, also known as "slap-slap-kiss", where the main male lead kidnaps, emotionally tortures, or destroys the corporation of the female love interest, only to find love in the end. A series is normally fifteen two-hour long episodes. Like many Asian dramas, they rarely, if ever, have a second season or extension. They are also strangely conservative; they frequently have rape scenes but never show any type of kissing.

* The AndrewVachss novel and later RecursiveAdaptation ''[[Franchise/{{Batman}} Batman: The Ultimate Evil]]'' features a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version called Udon Khai, which is notorious for its child sex industry (the story written at the height of the "Don't Buy Thai" movement), a vice that Batman helps a populist movement eradicate by overthrowing the oligarchy.

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* ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes'' - [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=199252 Jintara Sharpley]] is named for a popular Thai singer. She met her American husband Ben when he was on R&R in Bangkok and she was a [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=201394 sex worker.]]