Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A New Beginning
You may be wondering what happened to Thailand in all of this? Well, compared with the
earth-shattering events unfolding in Indochina, things were rather dull. Thailand profited as
its neighbours suffered, providing air bases and logistical support to the Americans during
the war in Vietnam. As the war and revolution consumed a generation in Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam, Thailand's economy prospered and democracy slowly took root, although
coups remain common currency right up to the present day - largely because of the divis-
iveness of billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, who served as prime minister from 2001
to 2006 before being ousted by the military and forced into exile. The power struggle
between Thaksin's 'red shirt' supporters and their 'yellow shirt' opponents has dominated
the headlines in Thailand for the better part of a decade. Meanwhile, southern Thailand
continues to be gripped by an Islamic insurgency that has claimed hundreds of lives.
Cambodia was welcomed back to the world stage in 1991 with the signing of the Paris
Peace Accords, which set out a UN roadmap to free and fair elections. There have been
many hiccups along the way, including coups and a culture of impunity, but Cambodia has
come a long way from the dark days of the Khmer Rouge. Democracy is hardly flourish-
ing, corruption most certainly is, but life is better for many than it has been for a long time.
Attempts to bring the surviving Khmer Rouge leadership to trial continue to stumble along.
Vietnam has followed the Chinese road to riches, taking the brakes off the economy
while keeping a firm hand on the political steering wheel. With only two million paid-up
members of the Communist Party and around 90 million Vietnamese, it is a road they must
follow carefully. However, the economy has been booming since the the country joined the
World Trade Organisation in 2006. Industry and manufacturing have led the way, along
with tourism‒the country welcomed more than 7.5 million visitors in 2013, up from 5 mil-
lion in 2010.
In Laos, hydroelectric power is a big industry and looks set to subsidise the economy in
the future. On the flip side, illegal logging remains a major problem, as in Cambodia, with
demand for timber in China, Thailand and Vietnam driving the destruction. Tourism has
good prospects and Laos is carving a niche for itself as the ecotourism destination of
Southeast Asia.
Like the river that binds them, the countries of the Mekong region have a turbulent past
and an uncertain future.
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