In 2002, Thailand was a Southeast Asian country with a population of around 60 million people. It had been an independent kingdom since 1350 and its official language was Thai, although English and Chinese were also widely spoken. The economy of Thailand was largely driven by its export-oriented manufacturing sector which accounted for around 40% of GDP in 2002, while other important industries included tourism, agriculture and mining. Despite its wealth there were still some social issues such as gender inequality with women holding fewer positions in politics than men. In addition to this, there were also high levels of poverty due to low levels of economic development leading to an estimated 20-30% living below the poverty line in 2002. Healthcare services were provided free of charge for all residents regardless of their nationality or income level but education was not free and only available to those who could afford it or had access through family connections. According to computerannals, Thailand had achieved a certain degree of stability by 2002 while still striving towards greater social equality and economic prosperity for all its citizens.

Yearbook 2002

Thailand. After the big election victory in 2001, support for the dominant ruling party Thai straight Thai (‘Thais love Thais’) seemed to begin to decline. In the March elections in 14 constituencies, announced by the Electoral Commission due to irregularities in 2001, the party lost five of its seats. That did not weaken the government, which instead strengthened its majority to 354 of the lower house’s 500 seats by including Chart Pattana (the “National Development Party”) in the coalition.

But that Thai straight Thai was in some headwinds was shown at the Bangkok City Council election in June, when the Democratic Party defeated the ruling party. The dissatisfaction was believed to be partly rooted in the government’s difficulties in fulfilling an election promise of cheap healthcare for all.

According to Countryaah website, national day of Thailand is every December 5. The government was also criticized for its narrow attitude towards the media. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was accused of exerting pressure on the etheric media to reduce his critical oversight of the government’s work.

In February, the government threatened to expel two correspondents for the journal Far Eastern Economic Review following a note on financial relations between the prime minister and a member of the royal family. The threat was withdrawn since the editorial team apologized.

In October, several Western governments called for extreme caution in popular tourist resorts in southern Thailand, especially on the island of Phuket. The risk was felt that new terrorist acts would be targeted at Westerners following the Bali attack in Indonesia shortly before. A few days later, a series of blast attacks were targeted at schools and a hotel in Songkhla Province in the south, but they were believed to be part of a settlement between criminal leagues.

The Pheu Thai Party (PTP) won the parliamentary elections in July 2011 and the party’s ex- wife Yingluck Shinawatra was subsequently deployed as prime minister. Her big brother is Thaksim Shinawatra, who was removed by the military from the same post 5 years earlier. PTP was the 3rd incarnation of Thaksim’s original TRT party. The PTP gained an absolute majority in the House of Representatives with 265 out of 500 seats, yet chose to form a coalition government with 5 smaller parties. A number of countries with Germany and Japan in the lead after the PTP election victory lifted the band listing of Thaksim, which had been in effect since 2006.

In July 2011, Thailand was hit by heavy floods that affected the country for the next six months. Only in January 2012 had the water fully withdrawn. The combination of an unusually heavy monsoon in July with tropical hurricane Nockten led to extensive flooding in northern, northeast and central Thailand. In a matter of months, the disaster had spread to the entire country as 65 of its 77 provinces were affected. 13.6 million people were affected and the floods cost 815 lives. Costs rose to $ 45.7 billion. US $. Especially because Thai production was also hit hard. Many industrial areas were under 3 m of water. It also affected the world market, where there was a shortage of hard drives, of which Thailand was the main producer.

In September 2012, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report on the events of 2010 leading to 92 deaths. The report placed responsibility both on the authorities, the police and the military, as well as on the UDD and a militant black-shirt group that appeared as part of the “Red Shirts”. However, it was the security forces that had the main responsibility. The government had already declared in January that it would pay compensation to the survivors. In May 2012, a court placed responsibility for the murder of UDD member Phan Khamkong on the security forces. In December, former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban were therefore charged with murder. At the same time, the trial began against 24 UDD terrorist activists.

The government continues to apply the Computer Crime Act of 2007 to sentence journalists, bloggers and opposition harsh punishments. In 2011-12, activists and journalists were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for their activities.

In the south, in 2012, fighting between the military and affiliated paramilitary groups on one side and Muslim separatists on the other flared up. The new government agreed well enough to provide compensation to Malay and Muslim Thai victims, but at the same time, no progress was made in prosecuting those responsible for the abuses. The military and paramilitary groups enjoyed almost complete impunity for their assaults.

Although armed conflict continued in southern Thailand, positive progress towards peace was made during 2013. In February, the government and Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) began negotiations to end peacefully. During the year, the government paid reparations to hundreds of Muslim families who had been attacked by security forces.

Thailand Country Overview

Visas
Finnish citizens do not need a visa for trips of less than a month.

Insurance
Everyone participating in the trip must have a valid travel insurance that covers medical expenses in the event of illness or other similar need. Please check the validity of your own insurance and the terms and conditions of the insurance cancellation cover.

• According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, THA stands for Thailand.

Please pay attention to the special nature of your trip and check the coverage of the insurance in that respect as well. In many locations, the insurance must also be valid when moving at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, in which case it also covers mountain sickness.

Many hiking or diving trips require more extensive insurance, which covers, for example, diving or moving on a glacier. Please check the contents of your insurance with your insurance company.

Recommended vaccinations In
addition to the basic vaccinations (tetanus, diphtheria and polio), hepatitis A and B vaccinations are recommended for the trip. Based on a risk assessment is also worth considering Typhoid fever and Japanese encephalitis and typhoid rokotteita.Tarkistathan always vaccination requirements, local health clinic or travel vaccination advice

Currency: Baht (THB). Currency can be obtained from Finland by booking in advance.

Time difference
GMT +7

Electricity
220v, 50Hz

Mobile phones
Check coverage with your operator.

Climate
Tropical monsoon climate, warm all year round.

Religion: Theravada Buddhism (about 94% of the population)

Eco-friendly tourism
We try to act according to ecological principles and respect local people, as well as customs in all our travels.