• The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia flanked by the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to its west. Thailand shares borders with Burma (Myanmar) to the west and northwest, Laos and Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south.

  In April 2009, the country declared Bangkok to be under a state of emergency because of recent protests. The results of the protests include the delay of the ASEAN conference.Fox News: Thailand Announces State of Emergency in Capital (April 12, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Capital: Bangkok
  2. Government: Constitutional monarchy
  3. Thai monarch: His Majesty King Bhumibol AdulyadejThai Embassy: Thailand's Monarchy
  4. Official language: Thai
  5. Population: 63,121,000 (July 2008)Institute for Population and Social Research: Population of Thailand
  6. Currency: Thai Baht (THB)
  7. Country code: +66Greenwich Mean Time: Thailand
  8. Airport code: BKK
  9. Time zone: GMT + 07:00Greenwich Mean Time: Thailand
  10. Other cities, attractions: Chiang Mai, Phuket, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Samui, Ko Tao
  11. Climate: Tropical climate

• Background

  Thailand was named Siam until 1939. During World War II, Thailand was briefly occupied by the Japanese, and after the war became an ally of the United States. While Thailand has undergone a succession of largely bloodless military coups since the middle of the 20th century, the nation has increasingly embraced democracy and maintains one of the most stable and prosperous economies in Southeast Asia. Thailand's monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the oldest continuous ruling head of state on Earth, having assumed the throne in 1946 at the age of 18.

• Protests

  Protests in Thailand began in 2006 when the Royal Thai Army overthrew the government in a coup. The coup was thought to have been masterminded by General Prem Tinsulanond. During the coup the military disbanded the parliament and the constitution. Accusations of corruption, abuse of power and parliamentary interference are the are cited as the main reasons for the coup. Today the movement is being led by the People's Alliance for democracy, comprised mainly of middle and upper class citizens.Asia Times Online: Grumbles, revelations of a Thai coup maker The Nation: What Thaksin had done wrong

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