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Kaleidoscopic Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is unique among Southeast Asian nations in having developed its rich culture independently of Western colonialism. The kingdom's Buddhism is the purest in the region. Its language, which is like no other, is enormously rich, with an extraordinary capacity for exact expression of the nuances of human relationships, a sign of the importance Thais place on dealing with one another peaceably and with dignity. Contrasts abound in the country, both geographically and socially. In a land the size of France, beach resorts run the gamut from sleazy Pattaya to dignified Hua Hin. Idyllic island hideaways of virgin beaches sheltered by palm groves and lapped by gentle waters contrast with the frenetic capital.

Bangkok is a sensory kaleidoscope in which temples and palaces of amazing beauty stand alongside ramshackle homes on the banks of evil-smelling klongs (canals); appetizing odors of exotic street food mix with the earthy pungency of open drains; and graceful classic dancers perform on stages next door to bars where go-go girls gyrate in clinical nakedness. BMWs stall in traffic jams while tuk-tuks (three-wheel cabs) scoot between them; deluxe hotels share the same block with tin-roof stalls; and designer boutiques compete with street vendors hawking knockoff Pierre Cardin shirts.

Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city, is in the mountainous north. Older than Bangkok -- in fact, older than the Thai kingdom -- Chiang Mai has a cultural heritage that reflects those of its neighbors, Burma (now Myanmar) and Laos, as much as it does Thailand's. The surrounding hills are dotted with small villages of a people collectively known as the hill tribes, whose way of life has, until the last two decades, remained independent from Thailand's national development and the 20th century.

At the northern tip, the Golden Triangle, once notorious for opium trafficking, is still famous for mountain scenery spread over three countries -- Thailand, Burma, and Laos. The small, sleepy market towns of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya contain restored ruins that bear witness to their might as past capitals of a powerful kingdom.

Thailand has no fewer than 50 national parks. Phu Kradung in the northeast, for example, is 60 square mi of tableland covered with pine trees and tropical flora. Just south of Bangkok, the province of Kanchanaburi is filled with breathtakingly lush forests and cascades. Forest cover, though, is declining fast. The mighty elephant, which used to work the great teak forests, has joined the ranks of the unemployed. What work he picks up nowadays comes from performing for tourists a charade euphemistically called "Elephants at Work."

Just as tourism has given elephants a new lease on life, so has it created alternative opportunities for a population that is 70% agrarian. More than 4 million visitors flock to Thailand each year to seek a quick fix of the exotic at bargain prices. Their demands and willingness to pay top dollar for their pleasures have changed the Thai view of the foreigner. No longer a guest, the visitor is something akin to a one-armed bandit: if the Thai can jerk the tourist just right, he will hit the jackpot. Because the Thai does this with a smile, the foreigner keeps coming back for more. This is not the Thai heritage. In the past, making money for its own sake was frowned upon. Important to the Thai was social harmony and the simple goal of enough "fish in the rivers and rice in the fields" for everybody -- an idyllic state associated with the 13th-century founding of the kingdom.

Thailand's origins may reach as far back as 5,600 years to the world's oldest Bronze Age civilization. Much later, from the 6th to the 13th centuries, known as the Dvaravati period, people from the southern Chinese province of Yunnan moved into the fertile basin of the Chao Phraya River. The Sukhothai period began when two Siamese chieftains banded together, captured the Khmer outpost of Sukhothai, and established the first Thai kingdom in 1238. Early in the Sukhothai period, Thailand's first great king, Ramkhamhoeng, came to power. Not only was he an outstanding warrior, but he made two lasting and significant contributions to Thai culture. He revised and adapted the Khmer alphabet to the requirements of the Thai language, and he invited Ceylonese monks to purify the Khmer-corrupted Theravada (sometimes called Hinayana) Buddhism and establish the religion in a form that is, for the most part, still practiced today.

By 1350, Sukhothai's strength had waned sufficiently for the rising and dynamic young state of Ayutthaya to usurp the reins of power. For four centuries and 33 kings, Ayutthaya was the heart and brain of Thailand. In the 1650s, the city's population exceeded that of London and -- according to many foreign travelers -- with its golden spires, waterways, and roads, it was the most glorious capital not just in Asia, but in all the world.

In 1766 the Burmese attacked the city. After a 15-month siege, they finally captured Ayutthaya and plundered it. Golden Buddhas were melted down, treasuries ransacked, and buildings burned. Thais who were unable to escape were killed or sent into slavery; by the time the Burmese left, Ayutthaya's population had dropped from 1 million to 10,000.

Under General Taksin, the Thais regrouped, established a capital on the Chao Phraya River at Thonburi (opposite present-day Bangkok), and set about successfully expelling the Burmese from Thailand. In 1782, Chao P'ya Chakri, a supporter of General Taksin, who had briefly been crowned king, became the first king of the current Chakri dynasty. (The present monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is the ninth in the line.) One of the first acts of P'ya Chakri, or Rama I (all kings of the Chakri dynasty are given the title Rama), was to move the Thai capital to Bangkok.

During the past 200 years, Thailand has had two prime concerns: staving off foreign encroachment on its sovereignty and restructuring its society to meet the demands of modern industrialism. Despite the economic crisis and devaluation of its currency in 1998, Thailand has managed to succeed quite well with both.

Western powers were first welcomed when they arrived in 1512, but the French (from whom the Thai word farang, meaning foreigner, is derived) tried to overthrow the legitimate government and install a puppet regime. The result was that the Thais not only threw out the French, but also closed their doors to all outsiders until the middle of the 19th century. When the West again threatened Thailand's sovereignty, King Mongkut (Rama IV, 1851-68) kept the colonial forces at bay through a series of adroit treaties. His efforts were continued by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868-1910). Thai independence was eventually secured by the cession to the British of a little of what is now Malaysia and to the French of a little of Cambodia.

Thailand's other concern was adapting to modern social pressures. Under King Chulalongkorn, slavery was abolished, hospitals and schools were established, and some upper-class Thais received a European education so they could replace Western advisers. Under King Prajadhipok (Rama VII, 1925-35), the world's economic depression brought its share of discontent to Thailand. The pressure for sweeping reform ended in 1932 with the military demanding the establishment of a constitutional monarchy on lines similar to that of Great Britain. Since then, quasimilitary governments and a strong bureaucracy have administered the country. Changes in government have been by coup as often as by election. Despite such occasional upheavals, the nation's policies have been remarkably consistent in fostering the expansion of the industrial economy. But in their increasing affluence, Thais are developing a desire for pluralistic representation and accepting less the dictates of unelected officials.

Throughout all this, the monarchy, which has enormous respect at all levels of society, has been a powerful stabilizing influence (it is an indictable offense to show disrespect for the monarch). The much-loved king is seen as the father of the nation, and the queen has won the heart of every Thai. This trust and respect for the royal family had a calming effect during the democracy demonstrations that brought down the military-backed government in 1992 and the economic woes of 1998. They bind Thai society and permit the nation, unlike any other in Asia, to progress peacefully into the 21st century.

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It is red holiday for Abhisit

IT is 10pm on a Wednesday night in Bangkok. And there’s a picnic in front of the residence of General Prem Tinsulanonda, the 88 year-old chief adviser to the Thai king. A “picnic” if you disregard the phalanx of riot policemen standing guard along the concrete fence of Prem’s home, the red-shirted protesters shouting “ok pai Prem (Prem get out in Thai)” and a poster depicting Thaksin Shinawatra as Superman. Free food - fried noodles and bottled mineral water - is flowing. Most of the protesters are sitting picnic-style on the road listening to stinging speeches condemning Prem.

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