Dados informativos da Tailândia - preparação do pessoal

Capital
Bangkok Area
513,115 square km (1 km = 0.62 miles), of which 41 percent is cultivated and 27 percent forest. Bounded by Myanmar to the north and west, Malaysia to the south, Laos to the northeast and Cambodia to the east, Thailand has coastline on the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

Language
The official national language is Thai or Siamese; Chinese and English are also spoken, as well as minority languages.

DETAILS

Population
64.3 million (2002), 82.5 million (2050) Ethnic group
Virtually the entire indigenous population belongs to the Thai ethnic group, with Malays in the far south, a smaller number of Cambodians near the eastern borders and about 300,000 hill peoples: Meo, Lahu, Yao, Lisu, Lawa, Lolo and Karen in the far north and west of the country.

Religion
94 percent practice Buddhism. Muslims, concentrated in the south, make up about 4 percent of the population. There is a small Christian minority. Climate
Equatorial climate in the south, tropical monsoon climate in the centre and north, with abundant rainfall throughout the country between June and October when it is warm, humid and cloudy. November to April period is much drier, and the hottest months are April and May. Hot and humid for most of the year particularly during the monsoon season between May and October.

Currency
Bhat Time zone
GMT +7 Public holidays
2004: Jan 1, Feb*, April 6, 13-15, May*, May 5, July*, 1, Aug 12, Oct 23, Dec 5, 10, 31 *These days and months are regulated by the Buddhist lunar calendar

Electricity
220V AC 50Hz

Travel rules
Passport required, and must be valid within six months beyond period of stay. Visa required.

Driving
Driving is on the left; International Driving Permit required.

Health rules
Yellow fever certificate required, if arriving within six days from or through infected areas.Hepatitis A, polio, tetanus and typhoid immunisation recommended. Hepatitis B, diphtheria and malaria immunisation recommended in some circumsances; seek further advice.

Malaria exists all year in rural areas throughout the country.

There is no risk in cities.

Highly resistant to chloroquine. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance has been reported. Mefloquine and quinine resistance reported from area near to borders with Cambodia and Myanmar. Risk of rabies.

Source: Europa World Year Book 2003; NI World Guide 2003/2004

POLITICAL PROFILE

Throughout the 19th century, control of Siam was disputed by the French and the British. In 1896, the two powers agreed to leave the state formally independent, but continued to compete for control of its flourishing agricultural resources. In World War I, Siam fought alongside the Allies and later joined the League of Nations.

There have been 17 coups or attempted coups and a number of short-lived constitutions since 1932, when young, well-educated military officers and civilians seized power in a bloodless coup and abolished the absolute monarchy. The country became a constitutional monarchy that year.

During World War II, the Bangkok government allowed Japan to use its territory, becoming a virtual satellite. During the conflict, Siamese troops occupied part of Malaysia, but were forced to abandon it in 1946 after the allied victory. King Ananda Mahidol was assassinated under mysterious circumstances in June 1946 and his pro-United States brother Rama IX took over.

Since then, Thailand has remained under Washington's patronage. U.S. interests in Thailand were strategic, because of plans to build a channel through the Kra Isthmus, and later its proximity to Communist Vietnam.

In 1954, the Southeast Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) -- a military pact designed to counterbalance the growing power of revolutionary focres in the region -- set up headquarters in Bangkok. In 1961, U.S. troops entered Thailand in response to insurrection in Laos, and maintained a presence for 14 years. U.S. support of Thai military regimes cost over $2 billion.

In 1973, student-led protests toppled the military-backed government. More than 70 people were killed in the violence that led to three years of unstable elected civilian governments, until the right-wing military staged a coup in October 1976. Thousands of students and intellectuals joined a guerrilla struggle led by the Communist party in rural areas. Tanin was replaced by General Kriangsak Chomanan, who in 1979 allowed a cautious return to parliamentary elections under a constitution amended in 1978. In 1979, Thailand granted asylum to Cambodian refugees, but camps along the border became the rearguard of Cambodian strongman Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge guerrillas, thereby receiving aid from unwitting international organisations. Kriangsak resigned in February 1980 after criticism of his handling of the economy. Army commander-in-chief Prem Tinsulanonda replaced Kriangsak and weathered political storms, including two coup attempts by dissident young army colonels. Public pressure for an elected leader prompted Prem to step down after elections in 1988. He was replaced by Chatichai Choonhaven, whose Chart Thai party won most seats in the polls, becoming Thailand's first democratically elected premier in more than a decade. Chatichai was overthrown in a February 1991 coup led by a junta which appointed the respected diplomat-turned-businessman Anand Panyarachun as interim prime minister during the run-up to April 1992 polls. Following the coup, a new constitution was adopted in December 1991 under which the military would appoint the members of the Senate and enshrine its place in Thai politics. Parties aligned with the military won the general election in March 1992, but opposition to the military-dominated government grew and mass demonstrations held in Bangkok during May, which eventually forced the government from power, with the help of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Military power was curbed, the 1978 constitution was restored and the interim government sacked. Parliamentary elections in September 1992 resulted in a majority for 'democratic parties', i.e. those not allied with the military. Chuan Leekpai became prime minister at the head of a five-party governing coalition which implemented a series of reforms in education, land tenure and the constitution. The coalition government lost power in May 1995 when one of the main parties withdrew over corruption allegations. In the ensuing general election in July, the opposition and military-aligned Chart Thai party emerged as the largest party and formed a coalition government with six other parties. The Prachakorn Thai party withdrew from the coalition in June 1996.

On March 22, 1996, Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-Archa became the first democratically-elected prime minister to appoint the Senate, with only 39 serving military officers among its 260 members. In September 1996, Banharn Silpa-Archa dissolved parliament and called fresh elections after his coalition partners forced him to resign in return for support in a no-confidence vote. The New Aspiration Party (NAP), led by Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, won the polls in November with a two-seat majority in the 393-member parliament. He formed a coalition government with four allies. Economic and political instability, sparking intense speculation on the currency market, forced the Bank of Thailand to devalue the baht. On one day the currency went down by 15-20 percent. An $17.2 billion IMF loan forced the government to make redundancies in the state sector and to sell off 59 state companies, including telecommunications, electricity, petrochemicals and finance. In November 1997, the government resigned and was succeeded by a seven-party coalition under Prime Minister Chuan Leepai of the Democratic Party.

The crisis, having since spread across Asia, forced the closure of thousands of firms. Unemployment doubled in the year after devaluation to around 2.7 million, or six percent of the workforce. The country's GDP fell by eight percent in 1998. The government decided not to renew the work permits of half a million immigrant workers, but finally gave in to pressure from rice-growers and other entrepreneurs who employ cheap labour, granting 95,000 work permits. After months of tension with political refugees from Myanmar (formerly Burma), the government demanded they register with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to be relocated. Deportations continued through 1999, with the government saying it wanted to create openings for unemployed Thais.

In January 2000, under pressure from the business sector, the authorities once again allowed foreigners in as seasonal workers. The March elections for the direct appointment of senators were plagued with irregularities.

The electoral authority disqualified 78 of the 200 legislators elected, accusing them of corruption and fraud. Two of the disqualified senators were wives of ministers. It was the first time senators had been elected by popular vote.

Source: (Reuters and NI World Guide 2001/2002)

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS
Infant mortality
74 per 1,000 live births (2001)
Maternal mortality
44 per 100,000 live births (1985-2001)
Life expectancy
64.9 years male, 73.2 years female (2001)
Illiteracy
2.7 percent male, 5.9 percent female (2001)
Access to basic care
95-100 percent access to essential drugs (1999)
Access to safe water
81 percent (access to an improved water source) (2000)
Human development index value
0.768 (2001)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2003

ECONOMIC INDICATORS GDP
$121 billion (2002) Per capita
$1,890 (2002) Growth
2.5 percent (2002) Inflation
2.0 percent (2002) Debt
$67 billion (2001) Defence budget
$1.9 billion (2002) Defence expenditure
$1.8 billion (2002)

Source: Military Balance 2003/2004, IISS

MILITARY STATISTICS
Armed forces
314,200 active forces (estimated); 200,000 reserves Army
190,000 forces with 50 main battle tanks and three attack helicopters Navy
79,200 forces with 12 frigates and 115 patrol and coastal combat vesselsNaval Air: 1,700 forces with 44 combat aircraft and 8 armed helicopters Air force
45,000 forces (estimated) with 194 combat aircraft and no armed helicopters

Source: Military Balance 2003/2004, IISS

COMMUNICATIONS
Civil aviation
Bangkok International Airport is 24 km north of the city.
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Phuket and Surat Thani airports are all of international standard. U-Tapao is an alternative airport.
Construction began in 1995 to build a new airport at Nong Hao, southeast of Bangkok, intended for completion in the year 2000, but it was suspended in 1997. Priority was given instead to the existing airport at Don Muang in Bangkok, which was to be expanded to handle 45 million passengers by 2007.
Railways
Thailand has a railway network of 4,041 km, connecting Bangkok with Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, Ubon Ratchathani, Nam Tok and towns on the isthmus.Bangkok Transit System Corp. Ltd. plans to build a two-line 23.7 km elevated train project in Bangkok; 21 km of the line would be underground.
Roads
The total length of the road network was 53,436 km in 2001. A network of toll roads has been introduced in Bangkok to alleviate severe congestion problems there.
Telecomms
5.9 million main telephone lines in use (2001); 7.6 million mobile cellular telephone subscribers (2001)

Source: Europa World Year Book 2003