Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 694

1767 Ayutthaya is recaptured by the Burmese, who raze it
to the ground, take tens of thousands of prisoners and
abandon the city to the jungle.
1768 Phraya Taksin, a charismatic general, emerges out of
the lawless mess, and is crowned king at Thonburi, on the
opposite bank to modern-day Bangkok. He conquers all of
Ayutthaya's territories, plus Cambodia and Laos.
1782 Taksin is ousted in a coup led by his military
commander, Chao Phraya Chakri.
1782-1809 Chakri - reigning as Rama I - moves the
capital across the river to Bangkok and builds a new royal
palace in Ratanakosin.
1809 Rama I's son, Rama II, succeeds the throne, securing
the Chakri dynasty, still in place today.
1851-68 The reign of Rama IV, known as Mongkut. Signs
trade treaties with the British, French and the US. By
avoiding a close relationship with one power, he protects
Thailand from annexation.
1868 Mongkut's son, fifteen-year-old Chulalongkorn
(who had been educated by Mrs Anna Leonowens, subject
of The King and I ), takes the throne as Rama V.
1893 Thailand comes under pressure from Western powers,
most notably during the Franco-Siamese Crisis when the
French send gunboats as far as Bangkok. Chulalongkorn
cedes Laos and parts of Cambodia to France.
June 24, 1932 Lawyer Pridi Phanomyong and an army
major, Luang Phibunsongkhram (Phibun), lead a coup.
Siam's absolute monarchy comes to an end as King Rama
VII is sidelined to a symbolic position.
1938 Phibun is elected prime minister. A year later he
renames the country Thailand.
December 8, 1941 The Japanese invade, and, after initially
resisting, Phibun's government allies with Japan. Pridi
secretly coordinates the resistance movement. More than
100,000 people (POWs and Asian labourers) die constructing
the notorious Death Railway linking Thailand and Burma.
January 1946 Pridi is elected prime minister.
June 9, 1946 Rama VII's successor, King Ananda, is shot
dead in his bed. Three palace servants are convicted, but
the murder has never been satisfactorily explained. He is
succeeded by King Bhumibol, the current king (Rama IX).
April 1948 Phibun becomes prime minister, and allies
with the US against the communist threat.
1957 Phibun narrowly wins a general election, but only by
vote-rigging and coercion. He is overthrown by army chief
General Sarit, who encourages the monarchy into a more
active role.
1963 Sarit dies and is succeeded by General Thanom. The
Thais, with US backing, conduct covert military operations in
Laos. By 1968, around 45,000 US military personnel are in
Thailand, and the economy swells with dollars. Prostitution
proliferates, especially in Bangkok's Patpong district.
October 1973 Bloody student demonstrations bring the
downfall of Thanom.

October 1976 Students demonstrate again, and
hundreds are beaten by police; the military take control
and suspend the constitution.
1980 General Prem Tinsulanonda becomes prime
minister, with broad popular and parliamentary support,
and rules with a unique mixture of dictatorship and
democracy. He stands down in 1988 to allow for a
democratic prime minister.
February 23, 1991 Prem's successor, Chatichai
Choonhavan, is overthrown in a coup. General Suchinda
becomes premier.
May 1992 Mass demonstrations against Suchinda are
brutally crushed, with hundreds killed or injured, but
Suchinda is forced to resign when King Bhumibol expresses
his disapproval.
1997 Foreign-exchange dealers mount speculative
attacks on the baht and the currency collapses, causing a
currency crisis across the region.
2001 One of Thailand's wealthiest men, telecoms tycoon
Thaksin Shinawatra, and his new party, Thai Rak Thai (Thai
Loves Thai), win the elections.
2004 Violence in the Islamic southern provinces escalates
sharply, with frequent attacks on police, soldiers, and also
Buddhist monks.
September 2006 Thaksin's government is overthrown in
a bloodless army coup.
December 2007 The pro-Thaksin People Power Party
wins parliamentary elections.
October 2008 Pro-royalist “Yellow Shirts” escalate their
protests, blockading Bangkok Airport.
December 2008 The Democrat Party's Abhisit Vejjajiva
becomes prime minister.
March 2010 Thousands of “Red Shirts” or pro-Thaksin
supporters seize a part of central Bangkok, demanding the
resignation of Abhisit, who sends in the troops in May,
resulting in 91 deaths.
May 2011 Thaksin's sister, Yingluck, wins a general
election and begins to work on a pardon for her brother,
who, convicted of corruption, has been living in exile.
January 2014 Royalist, nationalist protesters attempt to
shut Bangkok down and postpone elections indefinitely.

10

ARRIVAL
hailand has land borders with Myanmar
(Burma), Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia,
and all these countries have embassies in
Bangkok. Bangkok is a major transport
hub in Southeast Asia and there are
flights in from all over the world. here
are also international airports at Phuket,
Chiang Mai, Ko Samui and Krabi with
flights from regional hubs, including
Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.