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Welcome to PCT Thailand's Free Web ArticlesHistory of ThailandThe origin of the Siam / Thailand is traditionally tied to the short-lived kingdom of Sukhothai founded in 1238 after which the larger kingdom of Ayutthaya was established in the mid-14th century. Thai culture was greatly influenced by Cambodia, China and India, although various indigenous cultures have existed in the area since the the early bronze age from the time of Ban Chiang (4420 BC-3400 BC) onwards. Contact with various European powers began in the 16th century but, despite continued pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. There are two main reasons for this. First, Thailand had a series of very able rulers in the 1800s. Secondly, it was able to utilize the rivalry and tension between the French and the British and thus remained as a buffer state between parts of S.E.Asia that were colonized by the two colonial powers. Western influence, however, including the threat of force, led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions to British mercantile interests. This included the loss of the three southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states. A mostly bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. Known previously as Siam, the country first changed its name to Thailand in 1939, and definitively in 1949 after reverting to the old name post-World War II. During that conflict Thailand was in a loose alliance with Japan; following its conclusion Thailand became an ally of the United States. Thailand then saw a series of military coups d'tat, but progressed towards democracy from the 1980s onward. In 1997, Thailand was hit with the Asian financial crisis and the Thai baht was soon worth 56 baht to the US Dollar compared to about 25 baht to the dollar before 1997. Since then the baht has regained some strength and currently trades around 30 baht to the dollar. The official calendar in Thailand is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2006 is equal to the year 2549 BE in Thailand. Until the coup on 19 September 2006, Thailand was a constitutional monarchy. The King is extremely respected and revered and it is illegal to insult the Royal Family. The Thai King recently celebrated 60 years on the throne and millions of Thai citizens commemorated the event and showed their reverence by donning yellow t-shirts - the official royal colour. The government is now a military junta headed by Sonthi Boonyaratkalin. Sondhi has vowed to appoint an interim prime minister within two weeks of the coup. His promise was kept. Up-to-date information on PCT Thailand's Blog At 44-years-old Abhisit Vejjajiva is Thailand's youngest prime minister in more than 60 years. But perhaps more immediately significantly, he is the country's third prime minister in four months after a period of immense upheaval in Thailand. Thailand's recent political turmoil, which included national demonstrations and the forced closures of international airports, dates back to the 2006 coup that overthrew former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the former People's Power Party leader. In September, the Constitutional Court forced out his replacement Samak Sundaravej, finding that he had violated the constitution by appearing as a paid guest on a television cooking show. In turn he was replaced by Thaksin's brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, who immediately found himself beset by opposition demonstrations that accused him of leading a proxy government for Thaksin. He too was thrown out by a Constitutional Court ruling. Abhisit was named as the new Prime Minister on December 15, and his biggest challenge will be to steady a country that until recently was known as one of the most region's most stable. 2011 sees Thaksin's younger sister (Yingluck Shinawatra) take over controll of Thailand and the worst floods in the last 40 years. She also tried in November to arange a royal pardon for her brother thaksin, which seems to have backfired
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