Political Divisions
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces (changwats). The provinces
are further subdivided into districts (amphurs), subdistricts
(king amphurs), communes (tambons), villages (moobans),
municipalities (tesabans), and sanitation districts (sukhaphibans).
Principal Cities
Bangkok is the capital, chief seaport, and largest city (population,
1992 estimate, Bangkok Metropolis, 5,562,141). Other important towns
include Chiang Mai (170,269), the largest in northern Thailand;
Songkhla (80,881), on the Malay Peninsula; and Nakon Si Thammarat
(79,447), also on the Malay Peninsula.
Labour
In the late 1980s, the labour force totaled 27.7 million, of which
about 54 percent was engaged in agriculture. Organized labour is
represented by more than 530 unions with a combined total of nearly
300,000 members.
Government
A revolution in 1932 transformed Thailand into a constitutional
monarchy after centuries of rule by absolute monarchs, but until
recently the country was largely controlled by the military. Although
King Phumiphon Adunyadet has little direct power, he exercises considerable
influence on political leaders. The nation's 15th constitution took
effect in 1991, although it has since been amended significantly.
Executive
Under the constitution, the king is Thailand's head of state and
Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. A cabinet is headed by a
prime minister, who is the country's chief executive official. According
to a 1992 amendment to the constitution, the prime minister must
be an elected member of the House of Representatives. The prime
minister may take any steps necessary to preserve the stability
of the throne, to maintain public order, or to ensure that the economy
functions smoothly.
Legislature
Legislative power in Thailand is vested in the bicameral National
Assembly, which consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate.
Under the 1995 constitutional amendment package, the number of legislators
in the House of Representatives was changed from a fixed 360 members
to a floating number based on population, and the number of appointed
senators was reduced from 270 to 245. Representatives are elected
to four-year terms; senators, appointed by the military, also serve
four-year terms.
Judiciary
Under constitutional amendments that took effect in 1995, Thai
citizens are guaranteed due process and equal justice under the
law. The highest court is the Sarn Dika (Supreme Court), sitting
in Bangkok, which is the court of final appeal in all civil, criminal,
and bankruptcy cases. A single court of appeals (Sarn Uthorn) has
appellate jurisdiction in all cases. Courts of first instance include
magistrates' courts with limited civil and criminal jurisdiction,
provincial courts with unlimited jurisdiction, and civil and criminal
courts with exclusive jurisdiction in Bangkok proper and Thon Buri.
The 1991 constitution recognizes the independence of the judiciary.
Local Government
Each of Thailand's 76 provinces, or changwats, are under
the control of a governor appointed by the Ministry of the Interior,
except Bangkok Metropolis where the governor is elected by popular
vote. District (amphur) officials are also appointed. Larger
towns are governed by elected and appointed officials, and elected
heads hold power at local levels.
Health and Welfare
The Ministry of Public Health is charged with disaster relief,
child welfare, protection of the disabled and destitute, and development
programmes for northern hill tribes. Special programmes were initiated
in the 1980s to assist refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia in the
east. The spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is a serious public
health problem in Thailand. According to the Thai Ministry of Public
Health, the number of estimated HIV-infected people in Thailand
was about 600,000 in 1994. Thailand's anti-AIDS campaign, launched
in 1991, was among the first in Southeast Asia. The campaign includes
AIDS awareness programs, encouraging Thai to avoid brothels and
use condoms. Clinics offer anonymous testing for HIV infection,
and a vaccine trial on volunteers was started in June 1994. Thailand
has some 12,500 physicians and about 960 hospitals.
On the political front, the government took gradual steps toward
the restoration of political rights suspended in 1958. Elections
to municipal councils were held for the first time in a decade in
December 1967. A permanent constitution was promulgated in June
1968. Parliamentary elections were held in February 1969, in which
the United Thai People's party won a plurality of 75 seats in the
house of representatives. The largest opposition group, the Democratic
party, won 56 seats.
Beginning about 1969, the United States changed its role in Southeast
Asia by gradually withdrawing its forces from Vietnam and by seeking
friendly relations with China. These developments caused Thailand
to establish a more flexible foreign policy, especially toward China
and North Vietnam. At the same time, Thailand continued to face
guerrilla activities in the north and along the border with Malaysia.
The U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia had an adverse effect on
the Thai economy. The declining economy and guerrilla activities
were given as reasons for the establishment of a military government
in November 1971. The military, led by General Thanom, abolished
the constitution and dissolved parliament. In December 1972 a new
constitution was proclaimed.
In 1973 a series of student-led demonstrations against the military
government resulted in Thanom's resignation in October and the appointment
of a civilian cabinet. In late 1974 a new constitution was approved,
and a freely elected government was formed in early 1975. Stability,
however, remained elusive, and new elections in April 1976 made
little difference. In September of that year the return of former
Prime Minister Thanom from exile in Singapore led to bloody battles
in Bangkok between leftist students and his right-wing supporters.
In early October, as disorder was spreading, a military group led
by Admiral Sa-ngad Chaloryu seized control of the country and installed
a conservative government. A year later, however, that government
also was brought down by Sa-ngad and his group. Sa-ngad instructed
a new cabinet to try to bridge the divisions of Thai society and
improve relations with the neighbouring Communist regimes. Yet another
constitution was promulgated in December 1978, and in April 1979
elections were held for a new House of Representatives. The military-installed
government, however, remained in power until March 1980, when it
was replaced by a new cabinet, headed by General Prem Tinsulanonda.
Elections in 1983 left General Prem as head of a new coalition government.
He dissolved the National Assembly in 1986 and called new elections.
His party won, without a majority, and he again formed a coalition
government.
Democracy
After elections in July 1988, Chatichai Choonhavan became prime
minister. A military junta ousted him in February 1991 and installed
an interim civilian government. After pro-military parties won the
elections of March 1992, demonstrations in Bangkok calling for democratic
reforms were violently suppressed. New elections in September resulted
in another coalition government, with a veteran politician, Chuan
Leekpai, as prime minister. In February 1995 the government passed
a sweeping package that amended almost all the articles of the 1991
constitution. The pro-democracy changes included lowering the voting
age from 20 to 18 years and changing the number of representatives
from a fixed number to one based on population. In addition, Thai
citizens were guaranteed due process and equal justice under the
law.
Plagued by scandal and a popular perception of ineffectuality,
finally, the Chuan Leekpai government lost a national election to
a coalition of opposition parties under the leadership of Banharn
Silpha-archa. As of mid-1996, PM Banharn Silpha-archa is governing
an uneasy party coalition and an economy that has temporarily slowed
in terms of exports and foreign investment. Charges of corruption
in high places recall the "Buffet Cabinet" of Chatichai Choonhavan's
day. Popular sentiment seems to suggest a change of leadership,
if not a dissolution of Parliament, is in order. To everyone's relief,
it also appears that the old pattern of succession by military coup
is indeed a thing of the past. Many people expect the investment
climate to enjoy an upswing upon the accession of a new leadership.
Phuket, meanwhile, is experiencing a prosperity unparalleled in
its history.
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