Thailand

• tropical;
• rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September);
• dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
• southern isthmus always hot and humid

• central plain;
• Khorat Plateau in the east;
• mountains elsewhere

agricultural land:

41.2%;

• arable land 30.8%;
• permanent crops 8.8%;
• permanent pasture 1.6%

forest:

37.2%

other:

21.6% (2011 est.)

total:

57.31 cu km/yr (5%/5%/90%)

per capita:

845.3 cu m/yr (2007)

• air pollution from vehicle emissions;
• water pollution from organic and factory wastes;
• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

noun:

Thai (singular and plural)

adjective:

Thai

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.78 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)

total number:

818,399

percentage:

8% (2006 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Thailand

conventional short form:

Thailand

local long form:

Ratcha Anachak Thai

local short form:

Prathet Thai

former:

Siam

name:

Bangkok

geographic coordinates:

13 45 N, 100 31 E

time difference:

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

description:

• in transition;
• following the May 2014 military coup, a National Legislative Assembly or Sapha Nitibanyat of no more than 220 members replaced the bicameral National Assembly;
• elections for a permanent legislative body are currently unscheduled and may not occur until February 2017

elections:

Senate - last held on 30 March 2014; House of Representatives - last held on 2 February 2014, but later declared invalid by the Constitutional Court

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - NA;
• House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - NA

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Justice (consists of court president, 6 vice-presidents, and NA judges, and organized into civil and criminal divisions);
• Constitutional Court (consists of court president and 8 judges);
• Supreme Administrative Court (number of judges determined by Judicial Commission of the Administrative Courts)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges selected by the Judicial Commission of the Courts of Justice and approved by the monarch;
• judges' terms NA;
• Constitutional Court justices - 3 judges drawn from the Supreme Court, 2 judges drawn from the Administrative Court, and 4 judge candidates selected by the Selective Committee for Judges of the Constitutional Court and confirmed by the Senate;
• judges appointed by the monarch to serve single 9-year terms;
• Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the Judicial Commission of the Administrative Courts and appointed by the monarch;
• judge tenure NA

subordinate courts:

courts of first instance and appeals courts within both the judicial and administrative systems; military courts

• Chat Pattana Party or CPN (Nation Development Party) [WANNARAT Channukul]
• Chat Thai Phattana Party or CTP (Thai Nation Development Party) [THEERA Wongsamut]
• Mahachon Party or Mass Party [APHIRAT Sirinawin]
• Matubhum Party (Motherland Party) [Gen. SONTHI Bunyaratkalin]
• Phalang Chon Party (People Chonburi Power Party) [SONTHAYA Khunpluem]
• Phumjai (Bhumjai) Thai Party or PJT (Thai Pride) [ANUTIN Charnvirakul]
• Prachathipat Party or DP (Democrat Party) [ABHISIT Wechachiwa, also spelled ABHISIT Vejjajiva]
• Prachathipathai Mai Party (New Democracy Party) [SURATIN Phijarn]
• Puea Thai Party (For Thais Party) or PTP [acting leader VIROJ Paoin]
• Rak Prathet Thai Party (Love Thailand Party) [CHUWIT Kamonwisit]
• Rak Santi Party (Peace Conservation Party) [Pol. Lt. Gen. THAWIL Surachetphong]

• Multicolor Group
• People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD
• People's Democratic Reform Committee or PDRC
• Student and People Network for Thailand's Reform or STR
• United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship or UDD

chief of mission:

Ambassador PHISAN Manawaphat (since 23 February 2015)

chancery:

1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:

[1] (202) 944-3600

FAX:

[1] (202) 944-3611

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires W. Patrick MURPHY (November 2014)

embassy:

120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330

mailing address:

APO AP 96546

telephone:

[66] (2) 205-4000

FAX:

[66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131

consulate(s) general:

Chiang Mai

• five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red;
• the red color symbolizes the nation and the blood of life;
• white represents religion and the purity of Buddhism;
• blue stands for the monarchy

note: similar to the flag of Costa Rica but with the blue and red colors reversed

tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts, agricultural machinery, air conditioning and refrigeration, ceramics, aluminum, chemical, environmental management, glass, granite and marble, leather, machinery and metal work, petrochemical, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, printing, pulp and paper, rubber, sugar, rice, fishing, casava, world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

agriculture:

32.2%

industry:

16.7%

services:

51.1% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

31.5% (2009 est.)

general assessment:

high quality system, especially in urban areas like Bangkok

domestic:

fixed-line system provided by both a government-owned and commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly

international:

• country code - 66;
• connected to major submarine cable systems providing links throughout Asia, Australia, Middle East, Europe, and US;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2011)

• 6 terrestrial TV stations in Bangkok broadcast nationally via relay stations - 2 of the networks are owned by the military, the other 4 are government-owned or controlled, leased to private enterprise, and all are required to broadcast government-produced news programs twice a day;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV subscription services are available;
• radio frequencies have been allotted for more than 500 government and commercial radio stations;
• many small community radio stations operate with low-power transmitters (2008)

• condensate 2 km;
• gas 5,900 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 85 km;
• oil 1 km;
• refined products 1,097 km (2013)

total:

4,070.8 km

standard gauge:

28.8 km 1.435-m gauge (28.8 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

4,042 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 43

major seaport(s):

Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Map Ta Phut, Prachuap Port, Si Racha

container port(s) TEUs):

Bangkok (1,305,229), Laem Chabang (5,731,063)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Map Ta Phut

• 21 years of age for compulsory military service;
• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• males register at 18 years of age;
• 2-year conscript service obligation (2012)

males age 16-49:

17,689,921

females age 16-49:

17,754,795 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

13,308,372

females age 16-49:

14,182,567 (2010 est.)

male:

533,424

female:

509,780 (2010 est.)

• separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Malay-Muslim southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem insurgent activities;
• Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu;
• talks continue on completion of demarcation with Laos but disputes remain over several islands in the Mekong River;
• despite continuing border committee talks, Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities;
• Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary;
• in 2011 Thailand and Cambodia resorted to arms in the dispute over the location of the boundary on the precipice surmounted by Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962 and part of a planned UN World Heritage site;
• Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween river near the border with Burma;
• in 2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt construction of 13 dams on the Salween River that flows through China, Burma, and Thailand;
• 140,000 mostly Karen refugees fleeing civil strife, political upheaval and economic stagnation in Burma live in remote camps in Thailand near the border

refugees (country of origin):

128,863 (Burma) (2014)

IDPs:

up to 35,000 (resurgence in ethno-nationalist violence in south of country since 2004) (2015)

stateless persons:

• 506,197 (2014);
• note - about half of Thailand's northern hill tribe people do not have citizenship and make up the bulk of Thailand's stateless population;
• most lack documentation showing they or one of their parents were born in Thailand;
• children born to Burmese refugees are not eligible for Burmese or Thai citizenship and are stateless;
• most Chao Lay, maritime nomadic peoples, who travel from island to island in the Andaman Sea west of Thailand are also stateless;
• stateless Rohingya refugees from Burma are considered illegal migrants by Thai authorities and are detained in inhumane conditions or expelled;
• stateless persons are denied access to voting, property, education, employment, healthcare, and driving

current situation:

• Thailand is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• victims, who are most often from neighboring countries (especially Burma) but also China, Vietnam, Russia, Uzbekistan, India, and Fiji, migrate to Thailand in search of economic opportunities but are forced, coerced, or defrauded into labor in fishing, low-end garment production, factories, domestic work, street begging, or the sex trade;
• men from Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand who are forced to work on fishing boats have reportedly been kept at sea for years;
• migrants, members of ethnic minorities, and stateless persons are most vulnerable to forced labor and debt bondage;
• sex trafficking of Thai and migrant children and sex tourism remain significant problems;
• Thailand is a transit country for victims from North Korea, China, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Burma destined for exploitation in third countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Russia, South Korea, the US, and Western European countries

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Thailand does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• anti-trafficking efforts remain insufficient compared with the size of Thailand’s human trafficking problem, which is compounded by widespread corruption among law enforcement personnel;
• few efforts were made in 2013 to address frequent reports of forced labor and debt bondage among migrants in Thailand’s fishing and other commercial sectors;
• authorities systematically failed to investigate, prosecute, and convict owners, captains, or complicit officials for involvement in forced labor;
• government labor inspections did not result in the identification of any suspected cases of labor trafficking (2014)

• a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana;
• transit point for illicit heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos;
• eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries;
• opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts;
• also a drug money-laundering center;
• minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption;
• major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s despite a series of government crackdowns