Thailand Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Kingdom of Thailand.

【 Area 】 513000 square kilometers.

The population is 67.9 million. There are over 30 ethnic groups in the country. The Thai ethnic group is the main ethnic group, accounting for about 40% of the total population, while the rest are Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Khmer and other ethnic groups. Thai is the national language. More than 90% of the population believes in Buddhism, and about 5% of the population believes in Islam.

【 Capital 】 Bangkok.

Head of State: HIS MAJESTY KING MAHA VAJIRALONGKORN PHRA VAJIRAKLAOCHAOYUHUA, King Rama X. He ascended to the throne in October 2016. The coronation ceremony will be held from May 4th to 6th, 2019.

[Important Festival] Song Gan Festival (April 13-15 in the Gregorian calendar); Water Lantern Festival (15th day of the twelfth lunar month); National Day (December 5th in the Gregorian calendar).

【 Overview 】 Located in the central southern part of the Indochinese Peninsula. It borders Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Malaysia, with the Gulf of Thailand (Pacific) to the southeast and the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) to the southwest. It belongs to a tropical monsoon climate, with three seasons of hot, rainy, and cool throughout the year, and an average annual temperature of 27 ℃.

In 1238 AD, a relatively unified country was formed, which went through the Sukhothai Dynasty, the Dacheng Dynasty, the Thonburi Dynasty, and the Bangkok Dynasty, originally named Siam. In the 16th century, colonialists such as Portugal, the Netherlands, England, and France invaded successively. In 1896, Britain and France signed a treaty, which stipulated that Siam was a buffer country between British Myanmar and French Indian **. Siam became the only country in Southeast Asia that did not become a colony. At the end of the 19th century, King Rama IV began to implement opening up to the outside world, and King V drew on Western experience to carry out social reforms. In June 1932, the People's Party launched a coup and changed the absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. In 1939, it was renamed Thailand, and after several changes, it was officially named Thailand in 1949.

Implement a constitutional monarchy in politics. After World War II, the military group held power for a long time and the government changed frequently. Starting from the 1990s, soldiers gradually faded out of politics. In 2001, the Thai Rak Thai Party won the national election and Thaksin became the Prime Minister. He was re elected in 2005. In September 2006, a military coup occurred and Thaksin stepped down. In the 2007 national elections, the People's Power Party won and party leader Shama became the Prime Minister. In September 2008, Shama was found unconstitutional and stepped down, and the People Power Party elected Somchai as the new Prime Minister. In December, the People's Power Party was found guilty of election bribery and dissolved, Song Cha stepped down, and Democratic Party leader Abhisit was elected as Prime Minister. In May 2011, Abhisit announced the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, and in July, the Thai party won more than half of the seats in the lower house of parliament in the general election. In August, the Yingluck government was established. In December 2013, Yingluck Shinawatra announced the dissolution of the lower house of parliament and called for a new general election. In March 2014, the Constitutional Court ruled that the election was invalid. In May, the military took over the government under the name of the "National Stabilization Mission". In August, the Legislative Assembly elected Prayut Prayut, the Chairman of the National Stabilization Mission and Commander of the Army, as the new Prime Minister. On October 13, 2016, King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away and King Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne. In June 2019, Prayut was re elected. In May 2023, Thailand will hold new elections for the lower house of parliament. On August 22nd, Saita was elected as the new Prime Minister in the parliamentary elections, and a new government was established in early September. In May 2024, Thailand will hold a new election for the upper house of parliament. In August, Saita was dismissed for violating the constitution, and the parliament elected Petongtan as the new prime minister.

The current constitution came into effect on April 6, 2017 with the royal approval of King Vajiralongkorn, and is the 20th constitution of Thailand.

The parliament consists of a lower house and an upper house, with 500 members in the lower house and 200 members in the upper house. The current House of Commons will be formed in July 2023, and the House of Lords will be formed in July 2024. Wan Nuo serves as the Chairman and Lower Speaker of the National Assembly, while Meng Kun serves as the Vice Chairman and Upper Speaker of the National Assembly.

The current government has a total of 36 members, mainly including Prime Minister Petongtan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Putan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Pirapan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Pichai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society Baser, etc.

[Administrative divisions] The country is divided into five regions: central, southern, eastern, northern, and northeastern, with a total of 77 prefectures, which are subordinate to counties, districts, and villages. Bangkok is the only prefecture level municipality directly under the central government. The governors of each prefecture are civil servants appointed by the Ministry of the Interior. The mayor of Bangkok is directly elected.

The judicial system belongs to the civil law system, which uses written law as the main basis for court judgments. The judicial system consists of the Constitutional Court, Judicial Court, Administrative Court, and Military Court

The main function of the Constitutional Court is to make final rulings on cases where members of parliament or the Prime Minister question constitutionality, bills that have already been reviewed by parliament, and politicians suspected of concealing assets, with a simple majority ruling. Composed of one dean and eight judges, the dean and judges are nominated by the Speaker of the House and submitted to the King for approval.

Administrative courts mainly hear litigation disputes involving state organs, state-owned enterprises, local governments, or between civil servants and private enterprises. The Administrative Court is divided into two levels: the Supreme Administrative Court and the Junior Administrative Court, and has an Administrative Judicial Committee composed of the President of the Supreme Administrative Court and nine experts. The appointment of the President of the Supreme Administrative Court requires the approval of the Administrative Judicial Committee and the House of Lords, and is nominated by the Prime Minister for approval by the King.

Military courts mainly hear military crimes and other cases stipulated by law.

The judicial court mainly hears all cases that are not handled by the Constitutional Court, Administrative Court, and Military Court, and is divided into three levels: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of First Instance. It also has a dedicated Criminal Department for Political Personnel. There is also a judicial committee responsible for the appointment, promotion, salary increase, and punishment of judges at all levels. The judicial court has a secretariat responsible for handling daily administrative affairs.

[Important Person] Vajiralongkorn, King. The tenth king of the Rama dynasty. Born on July 28, 1952 in Bangkok. He was crowned Crown Prince in December 1972 and ascended to the throne in October 2016. The coronation ceremony will be held from May 4th to 6th, 2019. In his early years, he studied at the Royal Preparatory Schools in the UK and Australia, and later went to study at the Royal Military Academy in Canberra, Australia, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. He once served in the Royal Thai Army as a general in the army, navy, and air force.

Petongtan Chinnawa, Prime Minister, born on August 21, 1986. Bachelor of Political Science from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and Master of International Hotel Management from Surrey University in the UK. Having been in business for a long time, he entered politics in 2021 and was appointed as the leader of the Thai Communist Party in October 2023. Elected as the 31st Prime Minister of Thailand in August 2024. Implement a free economic policy. Belonging to an outward oriented economy, relying on external markets such as China, the United States, and Japan. In traditional agricultural countries, agricultural products are one of the main sources of foreign exchange income and the world's largest exporter of natural rubber. In the 1980s, manufacturing industries such as electronics developed rapidly, with significant changes in industrial structure, sustained high-speed economic growth, and corresponding improvements in people's living standards. The minimum wage for workers and the salaries of civil servants were raised multiple times, and the education, health, and social welfare conditions of residents continued to improve. In 1996, it was classified as a middle-income country. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, it fell into recession. The economy began to recover in 1999. In July 2003, the International Monetary Fund repaid the $17.2 billion loan provided during the financial crisis two years in advance.

The main economic data for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 513 billion US dollars.

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate: 1.9%.

Currency name: Zhu.

Exchange rate (annual average): 1 US dollar ≈ 34.81 baht.

Inflation rate: 1.2%.

Unemployment rate: 0.98%.

The main resources include potassium salt, tin, brown coal, oil shale, natural gas, as well as zinc, lead, tungsten, iron, antimony, chromium, barite, gemstones, and petroleum.

Export oriented industry. The main categories include mining, textiles, electronics, plastics, food processing, toys, automotive assembly, building materials, petrochemicals, software, tires, furniture, etc. The proportion of industry in the gross domestic product continues to rise.

Agriculture, a traditional economic industry, accounts for about 40% of the country's arable land area. The main crops include rice, corn, cassava, rubber, sugarcane, mung beans, hemp, tobacco, coffee beans, cotton, palm oil, coconut, etc.

The vast sea area has a coastline of 2705 kilometers, and the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea are unique natural marine fishing grounds. Bangkok, Songkhla, Phuket and other places are important fishing centers and distribution centers for fishery products. Thailand is one of the major suppliers of fish products to the world market.

The tourism industry maintains a stable development momentum and is one of the important sources of foreign exchange income. The main tourist destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Chiang Rai, Hua Hin, and Koh Samui.

Transportation mainly involves road and air transportation. Each prefecture and county is connected by highways, which extend in all directions.

The Mekong River and the Mekong River are the two major waterway transportation arteries in Thailand. There are a total of 47 ports in the country, including 26 seaports and 21 international ports. The main ports include Lianchabang Port, Bangkok Port, Songkhla Port, Phuket Port, Cheongsam Port, Cheongkong Port, Lanong Port, and Seracha Port. The sea freight lines can reach China, Japan, the United States, Europe, and Singapore, among others. There are a total of 57 airports in the country, including 8 international airports. After the opening of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, it replaced the original Don Mueang International Airport and became an important air transportation hub in Southeast Asia. International routes can reach over 40 cities in Europe, America, Asia, and Oceania, while domestic routes cover more than 20 large and medium-sized cities across the country.

Financial and fiscal year 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023) revenue of 2.66 trillion Thai baht (approximately 72.1 billion US dollars).

Foreign trade plays an important role in the national economy. In 2023, Thailand's total trade volume was 574.3 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 2.4%. Among them, exports amounted to 284.5 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 1%; Imports amounted to 289.7 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 3.8%. Industrial products are the main growth point for exports. China, Japan, ASEAN, the United States, the European Union, and others are important trading partners of Thailand.

The main export products include automobiles and spare parts, computers and spare parts, integrated circuit boards, electrical appliances, primary plastics, chemicals, petrochemical products, jewelry, ready to wear clothing, shoes, rubber, furniture, processed seafood and canned goods, rice, cassava, etc.

The main imported products include: mechanical and electrical products and spare parts, industrial machinery, electronic product spare parts, automotive spare parts, building materials, crude oil, papermaking machinery, steel, integrated circuit boards, chemical products, computer equipment and spare parts, household appliances, jewelry, metal products, feed, fruits and vegetables, etc.

[Foreign investment] It mainly invests in the United States, ASEAN, Chinese Mainland and Taiwan. The main companies investing in China include: Zhengda Group, Pangu Bank, etc.

Since 1961, the open market economy policy has been implemented, and a series of preferential policies have been adopted to encourage foreign investment in Thailand. The period from 1987 to 1990 was the peak of foreign investment in Thailand. In 1997, foreign investment in Thailand significantly decreased due to the impact of the Asian financial crisis. In recent years, the Thai government has increased investment, strengthened infrastructure construction, and created a favorable environment to attract foreign investment.

In the mid-19th century, following the example of the West, the army and navy were established, and in 1915, the air force was established. The constitution stipulates that the king is the supreme commander of the armed forces. The National Security Council is the highest national defense decision-making body, subordinate to the Cabinet, with the Prime Minister serving as its chairman. The Ministry of National Defense is the highest military administrative authority responsible for formulating and implementing national defense policies and plans. The Supreme Command is the highest command structure of the military, consisting of three branches of command: land, sea, and air, responsible for commanding and coordinating the actions of the three armed forces.

Education: Implement a 12 year compulsory education system. Primary and secondary education is a 12 year system, consisting of 6 years of primary school, 3 years of junior high school, and 3 years of high school. Secondary vocational schools have a 3-year program, universities generally have a 4-year program, and medical universities have a 5-year program. Famous higher education institutions include: Chulalongkorn University, Law and Politics University, Mahidol University, Agricultural University, Chiang Mai University, Khon Kaen University, Songkran Karin University, Sinan Karin Weiluo University, Yesan Tsang University, and Asia Institute of Technology. In addition, there are open universities such as Langan Heng University and Sukhothai University.

The media is mainly privately owned and operates according to market rules. Thai media is the mainstream media, while English and Chinese media play a supporting role. The main Thai language newspapers include "Minyi Bao", "Tai La Bao", "Manager Bao", "Daily News", etc. The main Chinese language newspapers include New Zhongyuan Daily, China Daily, Xingxian Daily, Asia Daily, Jinghua Zhongyuan, and World Daily. The main English newspapers include The Bangkok Post and The Nation. Thai Radio is a national radio station with an overseas branch, broadcasting in languages such as Thai, English, French, Chinese, Malay, Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodian, Burmese, and Japanese. Wireless television stations are located in Bangkok, and most television programs are broadcasted via satellite. The television network covers the whole country.

We adhere to an independent foreign policy in our foreign relations. Pay attention to neighboring diplomacy, actively develop good neighborly and friendly relations, and maintain the balance of major powers. Valuing regional cooperation, served as the coordinator of China ASEAN relations from 2012 to 2015, actively promoted ASEAN integration and the construction of the China ASEAN Free Trade Area, and supported cooperation between ASEAN and China, Japan, and South Korea. Emphasize economic diplomacy and promote trade liberalization. Initiate and promote the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) mechanism. Actively participate in multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM), World Trade Organization (WTO), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), Lancang Mekong Cooperation, and Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation. In June 2018, hosted the 8th summit of the "Irrawaddy Mekong Mekong Three River Basin Economic Cooperation Strategy" (ACMECS). Actively developing relations with Muslim countries. Strive to play an active role in regional and international affairs such as international peacekeeping, climate change, food security, energy security, and drug control cooperation. Served as the rotating chair of ASEAN in 2019, host of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2022, and co chair of Lancang Mekong Cooperation from 2024 to 2025.