Timeline Thailand: formerly Siam
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The capital is Bangkok. It is located
on
a bend of the Chao Phraya River.
Within its borders once flourished the kingdoms of Sukhothai,
Ayuthaya and Lanna. The Thai language has 44 consonants and 32
vowels.
The country covers 513,000 sq km. Six main tribes inhabit the
region:
Karen,
Hmong, Lahu, Lisu, Mien, and Akha. The Thai new year,
Songkran,
is
celebrated in mid-April.
(WSJ, 11/22/95, p.A-7) (Hem., Nov. '95, p.33)(Hem., 3/97,
p.27-29)
12,000BC-10,000BC The site at
Chiang Saen indicates long term occupation that dates back to the
late Pleistocene.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
1000BC Ban Prasat pottery from the site at Prasat
Hin Phanom Wan dates to this time.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.H)
1000-1BC A cemetery at the Noen U-Loke site has
revealed jewelry, bronze and iron tools and pottery.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
500BC Black Phimai pottery and
bracelets indicate that the site of Prasat Hin Phanom Wan was
occupied at this time.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
300-200BC Ban Chaibadan on the Pasak River is one
of several sites that has archaeological remains that show the
development of a complex society.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
1-600AD The Non Muang Kao was a moated settlement
of this time.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
800-900 Sadokkokthom was a Khmer sanctuary on the
Thai-Cambodian border in the Aranyaphrathet region.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.H)
900-1000 The site of Prasat Hin Phanom Wan was an
important Khmer sanctuary in the Upper Mun River Valley of
northeastern Thailand.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
1200-1300 The site at Prang Ku was probably one of
108 hospital sites built by the Khmer king Jayavarman VII.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
c1200-1500 In 2005 researchers using
mitochondrial DNA estimated that 3-6 individuals founded the Mlabri
hunter gatherers of Northern Thailand about this time.
(Econ, 4/16/05, p.71)
1300-1400 A monarchy was established in Thailand.
(SFC, 6/10/96, C3)
1300-1700 Kilns at Intrakil date from the Lanna
kingdom of this time.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)
1351-1767 The port city of Ayutthaya (Thailand)
was one of the capitals of the kingdom of Siam until the Burmese
invaded, sacked the city and left it in ruins. The capital was then
moved to Bangkok. Prior to this Phananchoeng was the capital.
(AM, Mar/Apr 97 p.G)(WSJ, 4/21/05, p.D7)
1431 Thai armies invaded and
plundered the Khmer civilization at Angkor Thom in Cambodia. The
court moved south of the great lake Tonle Sap and later to Phnom
Penh.
(SFEC, 7/26/98, p.T6)
1457 Pattani, later southern
Thailand, was declared an Islamic kingdom.
(AP, 9/23/05)
1534 The King of Siam died of
smallpox.
(SFC, 10/19/01, p.A17)
c1538 A colossal gilded statue
of Buddha was erected at Ayutthaya (Siam). It survived the sacking
of the city in 1767 and in 1854 was renamed Si Mongkhon Bophit by
King Monghut.
(WSJ, 4/21/05, p.D7)
1548 In Thailand King Chakrapat
was saved by his wife Suriyothai, who maneuvered her elephant in
front of the invading Burmese King Tabinshweeti and took the sword
thrust intended for her husband. The historical film “Suriyothai”
was directed by Chatri Chalerm Yukol and premiered in August, 2001.
It was about the 16th Queen Suriyothai who saved her husband King
Thianracha during a war with invaders from Myanmar.
(SFC, 9/30/99, p.E6)(WSJ, 8/30/01, p.A11)(SFC,
7/3/03, p.E1)
1569 Burmese King Bayinnaung
invaded Thailand and took as hostage Princess Suphankalaya. It was
later believed that the princess gave up her freedom in exchange for
her kingdom's independence from Burma. In 1999 The Thai government
offered to help Burma restore a palace in exchange for information
about the princess.
(SFEC, 7/4/99, p.A11)
1571 Siam’s Naresuan the Great
(8) was taken hostage by Burmese invaders. It was the custom of the
time for the victorious nation in a battle to take a royal child of
the defeated monarch home as insurance against further aggression.
(www.muaythaionline.org/disciplines/naresuan1.html)
1590 Prince Naresuan (35)
became King upon the death of his father (the puppet monarch).
Naresuan continued to drive the Burmese from the Kingdom of
Ayutthaya (Siam-Thailand).
(www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/two-great-kings.html)
1767 Burmese invaded the port
city of Ayutthaya (Siam-Thailand), sacked the city and left it in
ruins. The capital was then moved to Bangkok.
(WSJ, 4/21/05, p.D7)
1782 The Wat Phra Kaew Temple
was built in Bangkok, Thailand. It houses the most sacred image of
Thai Buddhism, the Emerald Buddha.
(Hem, 3/95, p.58)(SFCM, 9/23/07, p.22)
1782 The Grand Palace was built
by King Rama I on the Chao Phraya River. The city of Bangkok grew up
around it.
(SFEC, 7/16/00, p.T14)
1800-1900 King Chulalongkorn enacted reforms that
espoused entrepreneurism, hard work, and self-reliance. King Mongkut
accepted the fealty of his subjects, but also pledged his loyalty to
them.
(Hem., Nov. '95, p.33)(SFC, 6/10/96, C3)
1828 Siamese forces invaded
Laos.
(SFEC, 8/28/98, p.T4)
1833 Mar 20, the United States
and Siam (now Thailand) concluded a commercial treaty in Bangkok.
(AP, 3/20/97)
1834 Pres. Jackson had special
1804 silver dollars minted for the sultan of Muscat (later Oman) and
the King of Siam (later Thailand) for trade treaties negotiated by
Edmund Roberts.
(SFEC, 8/8/99, p.A6)
1851 Rama IV (d.1868) began his
rule over Siam and played off European powers against each other.
(Econ, 1/10/04, p.76)
1854 King Monghut, a devout
reformist, renamed the colossal gilded statue of Buddha at Ayutthaya
(Siam) to Si Mongkhon Bophit.
(WSJ, 4/21/05, p.D7)
1868 Oct 1, Rama IV, [Phra
Chomklao Chaoyuhua], died at 63. He served as king of Siam
(Thailand) from 1851-68. His son Chulalongkorn, Rama V (d.1910),
took over and encouraged the beginnings of a modern state.
(MC, 10/1/01)(Econ, 1/10/04, p.76)
1895 Anna Leonowens wrote her
memoirs that included King Rama IV. These memoirs formed the basis
for the 1946 film “Anna and the King of Siam,” the Broadway
musical “The King and I” and the 1956 film “The King and I.”
Leonowens was at the court of King Mongkut.
(Hem., Nov. '95, p.34)(SFC, 11/10/98, p.E4)(SFC,
9/30/99, p.E6)
1902 Thailand annexed 3
southern provinces, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, that had been part
of a Malay Muslim sultanate called the Kingdom of Pattani.
(SFC, 1/23/04, p.A7)(Econ, 6/4/05, p.40)
1904 The Siam Society, a
bastion of Thai culture, was founded.
(WSJ, 3/5/97, p.A16)
1910 Oct 23, The reign of King
Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ended. He had introduced state corporations
as a way to modernize Thailand. Rama V (b.1853) lived in the
Vimanmek Mansion in Bangkok. It was made entirely of golden teak
wood. King Vajiravudh succeeded his father as Rama VI.
(SFC, 7/9/99, p.A12)(Econ, 3/20/10,
p.27)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chulalongkorn)
1923 King Rama VI wrote the
poetic drama “Madanabhada.” The 5-act play was dedicated to one of
his queen. In 2001 Somtow Sucharitkul premiered it in opera form.
(WSJ, 3/15/00, p.A16)
1923 The Bangkok Snake Farm was
established to help Thais co-exist with native poisonous snakes.
Venom was harvested to produce antivenin. It is the 2nd oldest such
farm in the world. An older one was in Brazil.
(SFEC, 3/15/98, p.T5)
1927 Dec 5, King Bhumibol
Adulyadej was born.
(SFC, 12/6/99, p.A14)
1932 Jun 24, A coup ended the
absolute monarchy in Thailand.
(http://countrystudies.us/thailand/19.htm)(SFC,
5/28/96, p.A17)
1932 Jun 27, In Thailand King
Prajadhipok (Rama VII) signed a new provisional constitution. The
absolute power of kings ended and a constitutional monarchy began.
By 2008 Thailand had gone thru 17 permanent or temporary
constitutions.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Thailand)(Econ,
5/24/08, p.27)
1932 Jun 29, Siam’s army seized
Bangkok and announced an end to the absolute monarchy.
(HN, 6/29/98)
1932-2001 The country experienced 16 successful
military coups, 17 constitutions and 23 prime ministers.
(SFC, 1/6/01, p.A8)
1933 Silpakorn, Thailand’s
largest fine arts university, was founded by the Italian sculptor
Corrado Feroci.
(WSJ, 3/5/97, p.A16)
1935 Mar 2, King
Prajadhipok abdicated and left for England. He was replaced by
Ananda Mahidol (1925-1946), who became Rama VIII.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananda_Mahidol)
1939 Siam became Thailand. [see
1949]
(Hem., 3/97, p.27)
1941 Japanese forces land in
Thailand. After negotiations Thailand allows Japanese to advance
towards British-controlled Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Burma.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243059.stm)
1942 Thailand declared war on
Britain and US, but Thai ambassador in Washington refuses to deliver
declaration to US government.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243059.stm)
1943 Oct 25, Japanese
forces held an official ceremony for the 415-km Thailand-Burma
railroad. The rail was completed Oct 17 at Konkuita, Thailand.
During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died
and were buried along the “Death Railway.” An estimated 80,000 to
100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly
forced labor brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or
conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). The movie “The
Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957) was a part of this effort and is
today a big tourist attraction in Thailand.
(www.bmw.ukf.net/3pagodas/TBRandON.htm)
1944 Jun 5, The first B-29
bombing raid struck the Japanese rail line in Bangkok, Thailand.
(HN, 6/5/98)
1944 The Bangkok Bank was
founded. In 2004 it was Thailand’s biggest commercial lender and the
Sophonpanich family, whose patriarch helped found the bank, still
owned 10-20%.
(WSJ, 5/19/04, p.A16)
1945 At the end of World War II
Thailand was compelled to return territory it had seized from Laos,
Cambodia and Malaya. The exiled King Ananda returned.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243059.stm)
1945-1949 A series of wars for independence during
this period spread from India to Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and
Singapore. In 2007 Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper authored
“Forgotten Wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia.”
(WSJ, 8/9/07, p.D7)
1946 Jun 9, In Thailand King
Ananda was assassinated. Bhumibol Adulyadej (b.1927) ascended the
throne as a teenage King after his older brother’s death.
(SFC, 6/10/96, C3)(AP, 6/12/06)
1946 The film “Anna and the
King of Siam” starred Rex Harrison and Irene Dunne and was directed
by John Cromwell.
(TVM, 1975, p.19)(SFC, 11/10/98, p.E4)
1947 In Thailand Phibun
Songkhram, a wartime pro-Japanese leader, led a Military coup. The
military retain power until 1973.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243059.stm)
1949 May 11, Siam changed its
named to Thailand. [see 1939]
(AP, 5/11/97)
1949 Thailand’s Grand Palace
Coup took place.
(Econ, 1/10/04, p.76)
1950 May 21, French sources
reported that Viet Minh guerrillas had infiltrated Cambodia and
opened an arms-smuggling corridor to Thailand.
(www.geocities.com/khmerchronology/1950.htm)
1951 Thailand’s Manhattan Coup
took place, named after a ship stormed by coup leaders.
(Econ, 1/10/04, p.76)
1954 Albert Pickerell (d.1999
at 86) served in Thailand as a Fulbright lecturer and helped
establish a School of Journalism at Thammasatt Univ.
(SFC, 2/19/99, p.A19)
1954 Sep 8, SEATO (Southeast
Asia Treaty Organization), a sister organization to NATO, was
created under the Manila Pact by the Southeast Asia Collective
Defense Treaty, to stop communist spread in Southeast Asia (Vietnam,
Cambodia and Laos). The United States, Australia, France, Great
Britain, New Zealand, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand signed
the mutual defense treaty. SEATO dissolved in 1977.
(HNQ, 4/2/01)(http://tinyurl.com/hpawj)
1955 Feb 23, Eight nations (the
United States, Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, the
Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand) met in Bangkok for the first
SEATO council.
(HN, 2/23/98)(HN, 9/8/98)
1955 Paul Grimes (1924-2002)
worked as an editor for the Bangkok Post. He joined the NY Times in
1957 and helped establish Conde Nast Traveler in 1987.
(SFC, 5/2/02, p.A27)
1957 Sep 17, The Thai army
seized power in Bangkok.
(HN, 9/17/98)
1957 Thieves looted a sacred
chamber at Wat Ratchaburana at Ayuthaya, Thailand. Much, but not
all, of the booty was recovered.
(SFC, 3/5/05, p.A2)
1960s-1973 Thanom Kittikachorn (d.2004) ran
Thailand in the 1960s and early 1970s with his son, Col. Narong
Kittikachorn, and Narong's father-in-law, Field Marshal Praphas
Charusathien.
(AP, 6/17/04)
1962 Mar 6, US promised
Thailand assistance against "communist" aggression.
(MC, 3/6/02)
1962 May 11, US sent troops to
Thailand.
(MC, 5/11/02)
1962 The Int’l. Court of
Justice awarded the Preah Vihear temple, located on the
Cambodia-Thai border, to Cambodia, but did not specify where the
border should be drawn.
(Econ, 7/26/08, p.47)
1967 Mar 26, Jim Thompson,
American ex-serviceman, disappeared while on holiday in the Cameron
Highlands of Northern Malaysia. He revived the Thai silk industry
after WW II. He was one of the first to adopt a classic Thai house
to the requirements of modern life, and his home is now a museum in
Bangkok, Thailand.
(Hem, Mar. 95, p.63)(SFEC, 7/16/00, p.T14)
1967 Aug 8, The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN was established in Bangkok by the
five original Member Countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined
on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23
July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.
(www.aseansec.org/64.htm)
1968 Mar 22, In southern
Thailand Tuanku Biyo Kodoniyo set up the Pattani United Liberation
Organization (PULO). It called for an independent Islamic country.
(www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/pulo.htm)
1968 Dec 10, Thomas Merton
(b.1915), American Trappist monk and writer, died in Bangkok,
Thailand from accidental electrocution. He had just finished his 7th
journal "The Other side of the Mountain." Merton was influenced by
the Hindu scholar Mahanambrata Brahmachari (d.1999). Merton's work
also the spiritual autobiography "The Seven Story Mountain." In 1978
Monica Furlong (d.2003) authored a biography of Merton.
(SFC, 2/24/98, p.A22)(SFEC, 9/27/98, BR p.3)(SFC,
11/2/99, p.A26)(SFC, 2/3/03, p.B4)(WSJ, 3/26/03,
p.D8)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton)
1969 At their peak in 1969,
68,889 combat troops from Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of
Korea, Thailand and the Philippines were deployed in Vietnam.
(HNQ, 4/14/00)
1973 Oct 14, In Thailand
thousands demonstrated against the military dictatorship and some 77
people were killed.
(www.prachatai.com/english/news.php?id=531)
1973 Oct, Thailand’s King
Bhumibol Adulyadej sheltered pro-democracy demonstrators from the
military dictators they were seeking to overthrow. The generals who
were in power saw it was time to exit. A student-led uprising ousted
3 military figures who had ruled Thailand for much of the 1960s and
early 1970s. Thanom Kittikachorn (d.2004) was ousted in a popular
uprising. The military ruler of Thailand had helped the US during
the Vietnam War.
(AP, 12/19/05)(AP, 6/17/04)(WSJ, 9/20/06, p.A12)
1974 Jun 3, The last Air
America aircraft crossed the border from Laos into Thailand.
American forces left Laos and abandoned some 36,000 Laotians hired
to battle North Vietnamese troops. The Hmong and Iu Mien were 2 hill
tribes hired by the Americans to break codes and rescue downed
pilots. Many of the soldiers fled to Thailand where they lived in
refugee camps. Some 35,000 Iu Mien later moved to the US.
(SFC,12/27/97, p.A15)(SFEC, 1/24/99,
p.A8)(http://tinyurl.com/3mzgcy)
1975 Jul 1, Thailand and China
signed a formal agreement on diplomatic relations.
(www.thaiembdc.org/politics/foreign/diprelat.htm)
1975 Jul 31, The Bangkok
Agreement was signed as an initiative of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). As Asia’s 1st
preferential trade agreement between developing countries it aimed
at promoting intra-regional trade through exchange of mutually
agreed concessions by member countries. Five countries, Republic of
Korea, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, were the initial signatories. China joined in April, 2000.
Thailand and the Philippines did not ratify the agreement due to
their ASEAN commitments.
(www.unescap.org/tid/apta.asp)(www.siamindia.com/scripts/Bankong.aspx)
1975 Thailand issued a warrant
for the arrest of Charles Sobhraj on charges of drugging and killing
six women, all wearing bikinis, on a beach at Pattaya. Sobhraj is
also accused of killing more than 20 young Western backpackers
across Asia, usually by drugging their food or drink, in the 1970s
and 1980s. Sobhraj, serving 20 years in India, escaped from prison
in the mid-1980s, but was caught and returned to jail until 1997. In
2003 French national Sobhraj was arrested from a casino in Kathmandu
on charges that he traveled to the Himalayan nation on a fake
passport 32 years ago. He was subsequently sentenced to life in
prison for murdering an American backpacker in 1975.
(Reuters, 12/19/07)
1976 Jul 20, US Air Force
Brigadier General Harry Aderholt lowered the American flag for the
last time at Military Assistance Command Thailand headquarters on
Bangkok’s Sathorn Road.
(www.nationmultimedia.com/sunday/20060709/)
1976 Aug 6, Thailand and
Vietnam established diplomatic relations.
(WSJ, 3/5/97,
p.A16)(www.vietnamembassy.or.th/relations.html)
1976 Oct 6, In Thailand
right-wing political power-brokers, including Kriangsak Chomanan and
Samak Sundaravej, provoked mobs to lynch left-wing pro-democracy
student protesters at Bangkok's Thammasat University. At least 46
protesters were killed and hundreds wounded by the police and army.
A coup installed a new military-guided, right-wing government.
(AP, 12/23/03)(WSJ, 9/20/06, p.A12)(Econ, 9/6/08,
p.14)
1976 Nov 23, The Thai
government returned 26 refugees to Cambodia saying that they are a
threat to the national security. The government said some 70,000
refugees in Thailand who escaped Communist rule in other Indochina
states, including 10,000 Cambodians, would also not be permitted to
stay.
(AP, 11/23/02)
1976 Thailand’s King Bhumibol
Adulyadej showed sympathy to the forces of the establishment who
believed that students and other liberal forces were leading the
country into chaos. In response the military again took the reins of
power.
(AP, 12/19/05)
1977 Oct 20, A bloodless
military coup was staged in Thailand. Kriangsak Chomanan was
appointed prime minister, Thailand's 15th since it became a
constitutional monarchy in 1932.
(AP, 12/23/03)(WSJ, 9/20/06, p.A12)
1978 Sep 15, In Thailand PM
Kriangsak Chomanan submitted an amnesty bill for the "Bangkok 18"
left-wing students and labor activists jailed in connection with the
1976 crackdown. He also initiated an amnesty program for former
members of the Communist Party, a reconciliation policy that
eventually helped quash its insurgency.
(AP, 12/23/03)(http://tinyurl.com/2w4xdx)
1878 PM Kriangsak's government
promulgated a constitution setting up a timetable for the
restoration of parliamentary democracy, beginning with a 1979
election.
(AP, 12/23/03)
1979 Jan 7, The Vietnamese army
captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh overthrowing the Khmer
Rouge government. The People’s Party, a Hanoi installed Khmer Rouge
faction, took power with Hun Sen as prime minister. This finally
ended the mass genocide depicted in the 1984 film "The Killing
Fields." The Khmer Rouge retreated into sanctuaries along the Thai
border, set up bases and picked up support from Thailand and China.
(NG, 5/85, p.574-5)(WSJ, 2/27/96, p.A-1)(SFC,
6/14/97, p.A15)(WSJ, 5/3/96, p.A-10)(SFC, 4/29/97, p.A8)(AP, 1/7/98)
1980 PM Kriangsak
resigned after losing the support of an influential faction of
independent-minded middle-ranking army officers known as the Young
Turks.
(AP, 12/23/03)
1981 Former PM Kriangsak
staged a minor comeback, successfully running for a seat in
parliament at the helm of his own National Democracy Party.
(AP, 12/23/03)
1983 Thailand experienced
severe flooding.
(Econ, 1/14/12, p.60)
1984 Karen refugees from
Myanmar began settling in camps in Thailand. By 2011 some 140,000
refugees were living in 9 camps behind barbed wire near the border
town of Mae Sot.
(Econ, 5/21/11, p.44)
1985 Sep 9, In Thailand there
was a failed coup attempt. Former PM Kriangsak was caught with other
retired military officers at the headquarters of the plotters.
(AP, 12/23/03)
1986 Karen refugees established
the Huay Ko Lok refugee camp in Thailand. The camp was burned 3
times between 1996-1998 by the Burmese military. Residents were
relocated in Aug, 1999, to Um Phien.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, Z1 p.4)
1987 Rebel leaders of a
Thailand southern insurgency were offered general amnesty.
(SFC, 1/23/04, p.A7)
1988 Aug 28, The Yan Hee
Polyclinic in Bangkok, Thailand, reported on a new slimming
technique. Overweight Thais were suppressing their appetites by
sticking lettuce seeds in their ears and pressing them in ten times
before meals.
(HTnet, 8/28/99)
1988 In Thailand a general
amnesty freed all those involved in the 1985 coup attempt.
(AP, 12/23/03)
1988 Thailand introduced its
10-baht coin. In 2002 the EU complained that it was being used in
vending machines all over Europe due to its similarity to the 2-euro
coin.
(SSFC, 2/24/02, p.C7)
1989 The government granted
investment incentives to the Sahaviriya group to build the first
mills for making steel.
(WSJ, 8/27/96, p.A10)
1989 John Gray formed Sea
Canoe, an ecotourism venture, to show tourists the southwestern
coast limestone caves known as hongs.
(SFC, 11/23/99, p.A14)
1989 Saudi diplomat Abdullah
al-Maliki was gunned down in Bangkok. Adbullah A al-Besri, Fahad AZ
Albahli and Ahmed A Alsaif were assassinated in January 1990. All
were linked to the so-called Blue Diamond theft committed by Thai
laborer Kriangkrai Techamong, who was working at Prince Faisal's
palace in Saudi Arabia in 1989. The legendary diamond was among
several valuable stones and jewelry pieces stolen from the palace of
a Saudi Prince when he was employed as a gardener in the Arab
kingdom.
(www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/04/07/opinion/opinion_30070238.php)
1991 Feb 23, Tanks rolled in
the streets of Bangkok and a coup was held to get rid of the corrupt
government of Chatichai Choonhavan. After months of investigations a
military-appointed committee seized the assets of 10 men from the
ousted administration. Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon toppled a civilian
government in a bloodless takeover. He was ousted in 1992 following
street demonstrations.
(WSJ, 12/11/96, p.A16)(AP, 9/20/06)
1991 May 26, An Austrian Lauda
Air Boeing 767 crashed in Thailand, killing all 223 people aboard.
Crash investigators blamed an engine thrust reverser that had
inexplicably deployed shortly after takeoff. The plane was enroute
to Vienna and crashed shortly after takeoff from the Bangkok
airport.
(AP, 5/26/97)(WSJ, 11/13/01, p.A14)
1991 In Bangkok the Kaset Thai
sugar mill was built for some $200 million by the Siriviriyakul
family.
(WSJ, 4/2/99, p.A9)
1992 Mar 8, Ninety people were
killed when a ferry carrying pilgrims to a Buddhist shrine collided
with an oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand.
(AP, 3/8/02)
1992 Mar, The military Junta
formed a party with politicians it had investigated in 1991 to
contest the elections.
(WSJ, 12/11/96, p.A16)
1992 Apr 7, Suchinda
Kraprayoon, leader of a military coup, became PM of Thailand he
served until 24 May 1992.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suchinda_Kraprayoon)(Econ, 6/17/06,
p.49)
1992 May 17, Pro-democracy
protests began in Thailand; in four days of clashes with troops, 44
people reportedly were killed, although activists charged that
hundreds died.
(AP, 5/17/97)
1992 May 20, Thailand's
much-revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, called for an end to
violent clashes between troops and pro-democracy protesters.
(AP, 5/20/02)
1992 May 24, Thailand protests,
supported by numerous political movements, climaxed with the
resignation of PM Suchinda. Deputy PM Meechai Ruchuphan took office
for a transitional period until the new government was assigned. He
was succeeded by Anand Panyarachun.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suchinda_Kraprayoon)
1992 The Hmong began living at
the Tham Krabok Buddhist monastery after monks traveled into the
mountains to free 2,000 Hmong from opium addiction.
(SFC, 6/18/97, p.A10)
1992 The Asian Development Bank
began building and improving transport and telecom links between
China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
(Econ, 11/8/03, p.42)
1992 The Greater Mekong
Subregion was created grouping 5 South-East Asian countries
(Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam) and 2 Chinese
provinces.
(Econ, 2/6/10,
p.48)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Mekong_Subregion)
1992-1995 Chuan Leekpai served as Prime Minister
until a land scandal split his coalition and the government
collapsed.
(SFC,11/8/97, p.A12)
1993 Mar, The Supreme Court
threw out the cases against the 10 politicians who were ousted in
the 1991 coup.
(WSJ, 12/11/96, p.A16)
1993 May, A fire at Bangkok’s
Kader doll factory killed 187 people and injured 600.
(SFC, 11/26/96, p.B1)
1993 Jul, In Nakhon Ratchasima
a 6-story hotel collapsed and crushed 102 people.
(SFC, 11/26/96, p.B1)
1993 Southeast Asia accounted
for 1.4% of the world’s agricultural land and 3.6% of global
pesticide imports by value. The highest use was in Thailand.
(WSJ, 10/3/96, p.B11B)
1994 Feb, Hot-rolled coil steel
production began.
(WSJ, 8/27/96, p.A10)
1994 The lower Mekong River was
spanned for the first time with a bridge between Nong Khai, Thailand
and Vientiane, Laos.
(SFC, 5/14/97, p.A22)(Econ, 1/3/04, p.29)
1994 In Thailand The Pak Mun
Dam along the Mun River, a major tributary of the Mekong, was
completed with money from the World Bank. It is a 56 foot high, 984
foot long wall of concrete and severely impacted fish life on the
river.
(WSJ, 3/12/96, p. A-15)(Econ, 1/3/04, p.30)
1994 The Australian foreign
minister, Gareth Evans, accused “freelance military personnel and
business spivs” (shady dealers) in Thailand of providing refuge for
Khmer Rouge leaders and helping them get gems and timber out of
Cambodia. The statement was made after 2 Australians were murdered
by the Khmer Rouge.
(SFC, 6/7/96, p.A12)
1995 Apr 5, The Mekong
Agreement created the Mekong River Commission with Cambodia, Laos,
Thailand and Vietnam as members.
(Econ, 1/7/12,
p.34)(www.kellnielsen.dk/mekong/agreem.htm)
1995 Aug 21, Prince Thitiphan
Yugala (60), aka Luk Pla (Baby fish) was poisoned by his new wife
Chalasai Yugala (23). He died after 8 days and Luk Pla ran off with
Uthet Choopwa (19), a chestnut peddler. She had become his lover at
14 and wife at 23. In 2002 she was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
(SFC, 2/20/02, p.A2)
1995 Thailand announced that it
would close all of its refugee camps. This would force the 4,500
Hmong remaining in those camps to either go to the US or return to
Laos.
(SFC, 5/26/96, p.C-8)
1995 PepsiCo Inc. bought out
its Thai partner and took over a production plant and hired 1500
farmers to grow potatoes according to company spec.
(WSJ, 6/13/96, p.A1)
1995 Thailand experienced
severe flooding.
(Econ, 1/14/12, p.60)
1996 Mar 1, The first
Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) opened in Bangkok, Thailand, with 25
countries and the EU Commission participating.
(Econ, 10/9/10, p.63)(http://tinyurl.com/25mhkw7)
1996 Mar, Thailand authorities
arrested 3 N. Korean diplomats and Yoshimi Tanaka for supplying
counterfeit US $100 bills. The bills were very high quality and
called “Super K” notes. The arrest opened up the possibility for the
first case of state-sponsored counterfeiting since WW II.
(SFC, 6/16/96, p.A10)
1996 May 16, GM is expected to
pick Thailand over the Philippines for a $1 billion vehicle assembly
plant.
(WSJ, 5/16/96, p.A-1)
1996 May 16, A joint venture
between Texas Instruments, Acer of Taiwan, and Alphatec of Thailand
plan a $200 million chip facility. Operations are to start in 1997.
(WSJ, 5/16/96, p.A-11)
1996 Jun 2, Bangkok voters
elected Pichit Rattakul, an independent environ-mentalist, as mayor.
The city is one of the most polluted in the world.
(SFC, 6/3/96, p.A11)
1996 Jun 13, Citicorp’s
Citibank has captured 40% of Thailand’s credit-card market.
(WSJ, 6/13/96, p.A1)
1996 Jul 7, The average cost of
a Big Mac in Thailand was $1.90.
(SFC, 7/7/96, Parade, p.17)
1996 Jul, 29, A report from the
economics faculty of Bangkok’s Thammasat Univ. warned that the
economy was sick.
(WSJ, 7/29/96, p.A8)
1996 Sep 21, Thai Prime
Minister Banharn Silpa-archa resigned after 14 months in offices
under charges of corruption and ineptitude.
(SFC, 9/21/96, p.A10)
1996 Nov 18, Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh, former defense minister, led the New Aspiration Party
to victory in elections and recruited 5 other parties to form a
coalition government. He was later endorsed and called “fatso” by
Buddhist monk Luang Phor Khoon Parisuttho. The government lasted
into 1997.
(SFEC, 11/19/96, p.A15)(SFC, 11/26/96, p.B1)
1996 Thanong Siriprechapong, a
former member of the Thai parliament, was arrested for smuggling 49
tons of hashish into the US. The case was later hampered due to a
kickback made by a key informant to US Customs agent, Frank
Gervacio, in Aug, 1992.
(SFC, 9/11/98, p.A18)
1996 In Thailand Salang Bunnag
directed a hostage rescue operation that freed all the captives from
a drug gang. Bunnag was later accused of ordering the summary
execution of the 6 kidnappers while they were in custody.
(SFC, 8/27/01, p.A9)
1997 Jan 1, The Buddhist Era
year is 2540.
(Hem., 3/97, p.27)
1997 Feb 26, Thai soldiers
pushed Karen refugees back across the border into Burma as Burmese
troops massed for an offensive.
(WSJ, 2/27/97, p.A1)
1997 Jun 5, The film "Sunset at
Chaopraya" by Euthana Mukdasnit was an Int’l. film festival award
winner and premiered in the Bay Area.
(SFC, 6/5/97, p.E3)
1997 Jun 18, It was reported
that in this year 25,000 Hmong lived in Laos, 18,000 in Thailand and
140,000 in the US with some 48,500 in the San Joaquin Valley of
Calif. A clan of 15,000 lived at the Tham Krabok Buddhist monastery
north of Bangkok.
(SFC, 6/18/97, p.A8)
1997 Jun 21, It was reported
that operators of illegal logging ventures in northern Thailand were
feeding their elephants amphetamine-laced bananas to speed up work
before the rainy season. The practice began a few years ago and 10
animals have died of overwork and exhaustion.
(SFC, 6/21/97, p.A11)
1997 Jul 1, Thailand let its
currency, the baht, float and it devalued about 20%. This event
marked the beginning of the Asian economic crises. In 1999 Thailand
sought to extradite Rakesh Saxena, a currency trader, from Canada
for his role in an alleged fraud that drained over $2 billion from
the Bangkok Bank of Commerce, which led to the devaluation of the
baht. Pin Chakkaphak was blamed for the collapse of the currency and
fled Asia. He was ordered back from Britain in 2001 to face
accounting and theft charges. In 2009 Saxena (57) arrived in
Thailand after his extradition from Canada to face charges he
embezzled $88 million from the Bangkok Bank of Commerce, which
collapsed in 1995. Saxena was also implicated in backing the
attempted 1997 coup in Sierra Leone.
(SFC, 7/3/97, p.D4)(WSJ, 7/21/97, p.A1)(SFEC,
5/31/98, p.D1)(WSJ, 5/7/99, p.A1)(SFC, 3/9/01, p.A16)(Econ, 3/25/06,
p.80)(AP, 10/30/09)(Econ, 11/7/09, p.42)
1997 Jul 9, It was reported
that elephants were dying around pineapple orchards, possibly from
chemical poisoning. Only some 500 elephants remained in Thailand.
(SFC, 7/9/97, p.A7)
1997 Jul 11, In Thailand a
kitchen fire went out of control at the 450-room Royal Jomtien Hotel
in Pattaya and killed 91 people with 64 injured.
(SFC, 7/12/97, p.A10)(WSJ, 7/11/97, p.A12)(AP,
7/11/07)
1997 Aug 11, Int’l. donors
offered Thailand a $16-17 bil loan package.
(SFC, 8/12/97, p.A8)(SFC, 1/8/98, p.A7)
1997 Sep 15, From Thailand it
was reported that layoffs, salary cuts and downsizing was spreading
across the economy under an expensive foreign debt load and a 40%
fall in the value of the baht.
(SFC, 9/15/97, p.A10)
1997 Sep 27, The parliament
passed a “good governance” constitution intended to fight government
corruption and rejected a no-confidence motion against Prime
Minister Chavilit. It called for the old-guard politicians to be
replaced by a new, 200-member elected body. National
Counter-Corruption Commission was formed.
(WSJ, 9/29/97, p.A1)(SFC, 3/3/00, p.A20)(SFC,
3/30/00, p.A18)
1997 Sep 30, The cabinet
officially scrapped the $3.2 billion rail and road system under
construction by Hopewell Holdings. The Bangkok Elevated Rail and
Transport System known as Berts was one fifth built and several
years behind schedule.
(WSJ, 10/1/97, p.A18)
1997 Nov 3, Prime Minister
Chavalit Yongchaiyudh announced that he would step down later in the
week. Stock and currency markets rallied on the news.
(SFC,11/4/97, p.A8)
1997 Nov 9, Former Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai formed a new government with a coalition of 8
parties.
(SFEC,11/10/97, p.A12)
1997 Dec 8, The government
announced that it will liquidate 56 of 58 insolvent finance
companies shut down by the Central Bank earlier in the year. The
move was part of the conditions of the $17.2 billion IMF bailout.
(SFC,12/897, p.A15)
1997 The radio program “Ruam
Duay Chuay Kan” (Let’s Get Together and Help Each Other) began
broadcasting from Bangkok.
(SFC, 6/20/00, p.A12)
1997 The Thai constitution
guaranteed citizens 12 years of free education. This effectively
reduced the number of Thai girls sold into the sex industry.
(SFC, 2/6/02, p.A12)
1997 Thailand’s King Bhumibol
developed his “sufficiency economy” theory during the Asian economic
crises of this year. In 2007 it was described as a plan for
sustainability, moderation and broad-based development.
(Econ, 1/13/07, p.38)
1997 In Rangoon, Burma, talks
between the Karen National Union and Burmese officials broke down
when the Karen refused to disarm. After the talks broke the Burmese
army swept through Karen territory and forced thousands of refugees
into Thailand.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, Z1 p.4)
c1997 Luangta Maha Bua, a
revered monk from Wat Pa Ban Tad Temple, used his status and the
threat of suicide to urge the Thai people to help replenish the
state coffers with donations.
(SFC, 9/26/00, p.A11)
1997-2002 Thailand and Indonesia were hit the
hardest in an Asian financial crises and suffered a slump in GDP
during this period of around 35%.
(Econ, 6/30/07, p.79)
1998 Jan 28, Officials at
Chulalongkorn Univ. posted posters forbidding the wearing of
miniskirts.
(SFC, 1/29/98, p.A11)
1998 Mar 31, It was reported
that in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province, women of the Padaung tribe
of Burma were attracting tourists with their necks elongated by
wearing brass coils. They began fleeing Burma’s Kayah state over a
decade ago
(SFC, 3/31/98, p.B4)
1998 Apr 17, A Thai military
team collected evidence from the body of Pol Pot, former chief of
Cambodia's Khmer Rouge guerrillas, to confirm that one of the
century's worst tyrants was truly dead.
(AP, 4/17/99)
1998 Jun 26, Four Pakistanis
were reported to have been arrested in Bangkok. They were suspected
of planning to assassinate US Ambassador William Itoh and to launch
a terrorist strike against the US embassy.
(SFC, 6/27/98, p.A14)
1998 Jul 8, Thailand was
expected to withdraw a plan to deport foreign workers and planned to
announce proposals to widen work opportunities for migrant workers
from Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh.
(SFC, 7/9/98, p.A10)
1998 Sep 23, The economy was
expected to contract by 7-10%. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai called
for an investigation into the sale of medical supplies.
(SFC, 9/24/98, p.A12,16)
1998 Nov 2, In Thailand 6
Buddhist worshippers were killed and dozens injured when 3 giant
ceremonial incense sticks collapsed at the Phra Pathom Pagoda.
(SFC, 11/2/98, p.A16)
1998 Dec 11, A Thai Airways
Airbus A310-200 jet crashed near the airport at Surat Thani. 45
people survived and 101 died.
(SFC, 12/12/98, p.A15)(WSJ, 12/14/98, p.A1)
1998 Three prominent academics
published the book “Guns, Girls, Gambling and Ganja.”
(SFC, 9/24/98, p.A16)
1998 Dr. Chris Baker and Pasuk
Pongpaichit published “Thailand’s Boom and Bust.”
(SFC, 9/24/98, p.A16)
1998 The film “Fun, Bar,
Karaoke” was directed Penek Ratanaruang. It satirized Bangkok’s
juxtaposition of modern ways and ancient folk religion.
(SFC, 5/20/98, p.E3)
1998 Thaksin Shinawatra, former
police officer and telecom entrepreneur, founded the Thais Love
Thais (Thai Rak Thai) party.
(SFC, 1/6/01, p.A8)
1998 Hong Kong suffered a slump
in GDP of over 6% as did Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and
Thailand.
(Econ, 11/22/08, p.51)
1998 Burmese refugees in
Thailand created the Backpack Health Worker Team to effectively
sneak health into eastern Burma (Myanmar), where the military junta
provides little health care.
(SSFC, 3/22/09, p.A8)
1998 Officials in 2001 reported
that AIDS accounted for 16% of all deaths in 1998.
(SFC, 9/1/01, p.A10)
1999 Mar 10, Michael Wansley
(58), an auditor for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, was shot to death on
his way to the Kaset Thai sugar mill. The murder was traced to
Pradit Siriviriyakul, one of the brothers running the family mill.
(WSJ, 4/2/99, p.A9)
1999 Oct 1, In Thailand the
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors took 38 diplomats as hostages at
the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. Two Thai officials were exchanged
for the hostages and 12 [5] students were reported to have flown to
the Thai-Burma border by helicopter, where they were released. The
students demanded the release of political prisoners, dialogue
between the military and Aung San Suu Kyi and an elected parliament.
(SFC, 10/2/99, p.A12)(SFEC, 10/3/99, p.A25)
1999 Oct 2, Bo Mya, leader of
the Karen National Union, said he would grant sanctuary to the
Burmese students who were flown to the Thai-Burma following a 26
hour takeover of the Burmese Embassy.
(SFEC, 10/3/99, p.A25)
1999 Nov 27, It was reported
that at least 26 people had died recently in Phrae province from
leptospirosis, a disease transmitted by rat urine. Farmers not
wearing boots and gloves in their fields were vulnerable.
(SFC, 11/27/99, p.A17)
1999 Dec 5, In Bangkok the
15-mile $1.4 billion light rail Sky Train began operating on the
72nd birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
(SFC, 12/21/99, p.A16)
1999 The Thai film "Nang Nak"
was a stylish ghost story.
(SFC, 9/30/99, p.E6)
1999 The Thai historical film
"Suriyothai" was directed by Chatri Chalerm Yukol. It was about the
16th century Queen Suriyothai who saved her husband King Thianracha
during a war with invaders from Myanmar.
(SFC, 9/30/99, p.E6)
1999 Thailand’s Siam Winery
launched its first label, Chatemp. In 2003 the "Monsoon Valley"
range was introduced abroad by Chalerm Yoovidhya, whose father
Chaleo gave the world the "Red Bull" energy drink.
(AFP, 1/24/07)
2000 Jan 24, Security forces
stormed a hospital and ended a 22-hour standoff with Burmese
guerrillas. 10 rebels of the "God's Army" were reported killed. The
hostage-takers were executed after surrendering to security forces.
(SFC, 1/25/00, p.A10)(SFC, 1/27/00, p.A12)
2000 Jan, The Karen of Burma,
displaced in Thailand, celebrated their new year 2739.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, Z1 p.4)
2000 Jan 26, In Thailand the
legendary 24-year leader of the Karen National Union (KNU), was
voted out of the chairmanship. Saw Ba Thin was elected as the new
chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU).
(SFC, 1/28/00, p.A14)(SFC, 2/22/00, p.A8)
2000 Mar 29, Sanan
Kachornprasart (64) resigned as interior minister after the National
Counter-Corruption Commission charged that he had concealed his
assets in a fabricated million-dollar loan.
(SFC, 3/30/00, p.A18)
2000 Apr 2, It was reported
that some 100,000 Karen refugees from Burma lived in 8 refugee camps
along the Thailand border.
(SFEC, 4/2/00, Z1 p.1)
2000 May 7, In Thailand
thousands of protestors besieged the annual meeting of the Asian
Development Bank. The 13 nations agreed to rescue each other’s
currencies to fend off economic crises.
(SFC, 5/8/00, p.A14)
2000 Sep 25, Flooding left 47
people dead.
(WSJ, 9/26/00, p.A1)
2000 Nov 22, In Thailand 9
inmates escaped from Samut Sakorn prison with 7 prison officials.
Thai commandos killed the inmates.
(SFC, 11/23/00, p.D8)
2000 Nov 24, It was reported
that recent monsoon flooding killed 10 people in Malaysia and at
least 5 people in Thailand. The death toll from flooding in Thailand
reached over 30, mostly children. At least 49 died from mudslides in
West Sumatra.
(SFC, 11/24/00, p.D8)(WSJ, 11/27/00, p.A1)
2000 Dec 19, It was reported
that swiftlet colonies in Thailand were threatened due to the
excessive harvesting of their edible nests for Chinese restaurants.
(SFC, 12/19/00, p.A16)
2000 Dec 26, An anti-corruption
body ruled that Thaksin Shinawatra, the leading candidate for prime
minister, engaged in financial wrongdoings that disqualified him
from holding office.
(SFC, 12/27/00, p.A15)
2001 Jan 6, Thailand government
elections pitted PM Chuan Leekpai’s Democratic Party against the
Thais Love Thais (Thai Rak Thai) party of Thaksin Shinawatra (51).
Elections for 500 seats in the lower parliament were scheduled with
new laws to reduce vote-buying. Shinawatra, Thailand’s richest man,
won with 248 seats and divested his assets to relatives.
(SFC, 1/6/01, p.A8)(SSFC, 1/7/01, p.D1)(WSJ,
2/2/01, p.A1)(Econ, 2/5/05, p.11,24)
2001 Jan 16, Luther and Johnny
Htoo, twin adolescent leaders of an ethnic Karen rebel group,
surrendered to Thai border police.
(WSJ, 1/17/01, p.A1)
2001 Jan 17, Electoral
officials annulled the victories of 14 candidates.
(WSJ, 1/18/01, p.A1)
2001 Jan 18, A court agreed to
hear a corruption case against Prime Minister-elect Thakson
Shinawatra.
(SFC, 1/19/01, p.D4)
2001 Jan 18, In Bangkok 2 bombs
exploded and at least 8 people were killed.
(SFC, 1/19/01, p.A17)
2001 Jan 23, Electoral
authorities ordered re-votes in 62 of 400 districts.
(WSJ, 1/24/01, p.A1)
2001 Feb 6, It was reported
that Thailand planned to open a chain of over 3,000 Thai restaurants
world-wide over the next 5 years with 1,000 slated for the US. The
fast-food branches would be named Elephant Jump, Cool Basil for the
mid-priced, and Golden Leaf for the upscale eateries.
(WSJ, 2/6/01, p.B1)
2001 Feb 11, Thai troops fought
a gunbattle with some 200 Burmese soldiers who crossed the border
chasing Shan rebels.
(SFC, 2/12/01, p.B2)
2001 Feb 12, It was reported
that Thailand’s bad loans mounted to 20 billion and accounted for
20% of all bank lending. Thai Petrochemical Industries (TPI) was the
largest debtor and owed banks over $3.5 billion.
(WSJ, 2/12/01, p.A1)
2001 Mar 2, In Thailand a bomb
blast gutted a Thai Airways Boeing 737-400 in Bangkok just before PM
Shinawatra was to board. One crew member was killed. It was later
reported that the empty center fuel tank of the plane had exploded.
(SFC, 3/5/01, p.A12)(WSJ, 6/26/08, p.A12)
2001 Apr 15, The annual water
festival of Songkran was reported to have turned from a gentle
ritual of respect to a youthful melee that included water bombs,
squirt guns, water rifles and vats of ice.
(SSFC, 4/15/01, p.D8)
2001 Aug 3, The Constitutional
Court acquitted PM Thaksin Shinawatra of corruption charges.
(SFC, 8/4/01, p.A7)
2001 Aug 11, In northern
Thailand heavy rains triggered flash floods that left at least 86
people dead and 70 missing.
(SSFC, 8/12/01, p.A18)(WSJ, 8/14/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 27, It was reported
that AIDS victims in Thailand were packing stadiums to receive V-1
Immunitor, a locally produced drug advertised as a clinically tested
oral AIDS vaccine. Salang Bunnag sponsored the giveaway directed at
Thailand’s 755,000 AIDS patients.
(SFC, 8/27/01, p.A1)
2001 In Thailand Jaruvan
Maintaka (54) was appointed to head the new auditor-general's
office, an independent body created to track state financial
transactions and spot signs of corruption. By 2005 with only half of
her term gone she amassed a menagerie of adversaries, from vested
interests to corrupt politicians, and in the process became a target
for elimination. In 2004 a court ruled that she was illegally
appointed. In 2005 the Senate endorsed a replacement, but the king
did not approve. In 2006 she was reinstated.
(AP, 9/19/05)(WSJ, 2/9/06, p.A7)
2002 Apr 8, It was reported
that a Thai version of the TV show “The Weakest Link” was “promoting
fierce competition and selfishness among recipients,” in contrast to
general Thai generosity.
(SFC, 4/8/02, p.A2)
2002 Jun 3, In Thailand 3
gunmen attacked a school bus and killed 2 teenage students in the
Ratchaburi province near Burma. 15 others were injured.
(SFC, 6/4/02, p.A12)
2002 Jul 8, In southern
Thailand a bomb tore through a parked passenger railway coach
injuring a policeman and a security guard.
(Reuters, 7/8/02)
2002 Jul 29, On a mission to
stamp out Islamic militancy in Southeast Asia, U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell held talks with Thai leaders, who deny their
country is facing a Muslim insurgency.
(Reuters, 7/29/02)
2002 Aug 29, A joint force of
Thai police and soldiers killed six armed drug traffickers and
seized a million methamphetamine pills after ambushing a drug convoy
near the Golden Triangle.
(Reuters, 8/29/02)
2002 Aug 30, Floodwaters along
the lower stretches of the Mekong have wreaked havoc in Laos,
Cambodia (18), Thailand (12) and Vietnam (25), claiming at least 55
lives and leaving thousands homeless across the region.
(AP, 8/30/02)
2002 Sep 2, At least 14 people
were killed and more than 20 were missing after their makeshift
houses on the banks of an overflowing stream collapsed after heavy
rain in northern Thailand.
(Reuters, 9/3/02)
2002 Dec 4, Thailand released
thousands of prisoners, including many jailed for minor narcotics
offences, to mark the 75th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the
world's longest reigning monarch.
(Reuters, 12/4/02)
2002 Dec 19, It was reported
that AIDS in Thailand infected 1 in 60 people and that by 2006 some
50,000 annual deaths would result from AIDS-related causes.
(SFC, 12/19/02, p.A18)
2003 Jan 29, In Cambodia
protesters looted and set fire to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh.
The protest was against a Thai TV star who was quoted in the media
as saying Cambodia had stolen the famous Angkor Wat temple from
Thailand.
(AP, 1/29/03)
2003 Jan 30, Thailand sealed
its border with Cambodia, recalled its ambassador and sent military
planes to evacuate hundreds of terrified Thais after rioters looted
and torched its embassy in the Cambodian capital.
(AP, 1/30/03)
2003 Feb 13, Thailand officials
arrested SF financier Thomas Frank White at the request of the
Mexican government for the rape of a teenage boy. In 2004 White was
indicted in SF on 2 counts of sex tourism.
(SSFC, 9/11/05, p.A2)
2003 Feb 14, A Thai court ruled
to extradite Florida millionaire James Vincent Sullivan (61), wanted
in the US for the 1987 murder of his socialite wife. He was accused
of paying another man $25,000 to kill Lita McClinton Sullivan to
avoid losing property in a divorce. In 2006 he was convicted of
murder and sentenced to life in prison.
(AP, 2/15/03)(AP, 3/14/06)
2003 Feb, Thailand’s PM Thaksin
Shinawatra began a war on drugs aimed primarily at the
methamphetamine market. Some 5% of the population were reported to
be addicts. A 3-month shooting spree left some 2,500 people dead.
(SFC, 5/29/03, p.A7)(Econ, 1/26/08, p.42)
2003 Mar 5, Cambodia
sealed its border with Thailand, due to sluggish progress “to
normalize relations in border areas” since January’s anti-Thai
riots.
(AP, 3/5/03)
2003 Mar 25, In Thailand police
said they shot and killed 42 people during a 7-week-old crackdown on
drugs that has drawn protest from human rights groups. Nearly 400
drug makers and more than 12,000 dealers were arrested.
(AP, 3/26/03)
2003 Apr 11, Cambodia and
Thailand agreed to resume full diplomatic relations, which were
suspended after anti-Thai riots shook Cambodia's capital in January.
(AP, 4/11/03)
2003 May 2, Chuwit Kamolvisit,
A sex club operator in Thailand, was arrested for unlawfully
demolishing a downtown Bangkok block housing scores of bars and
shops to make way for another massage parlor, the Taj Mahal. He soon
claimed to have spent about $289,156 each month in payoffs to
policemen.
(AP, 8/2/03)
2003 Jun 5, Thailand's
Constitutional Court ruled that Thai women will no longer be
required to take their husband's family name when they marry.
(AP, 6/5/03)
2003 Jun 13, In Thailand Narong
Penaman (44) was arrested with as much as 66 pounds of radioactive
cesium-137 for sale.
(SFC, 6/14/03, p.A3)
2003 Aug 11, Hambali (39), an
Indonesian whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, was captured in a
raid in the ancient temple city of Ayutthaya, Thailand. Hambali, the
operational head of Jemaah Islamiyah, was handed over to US
authorities and flown out of the country. He was al Qaeda's top man
in Southeast Asia and the suspected mastermind behind a string of
deadly bombings including the Bali attacks.
(Reuters, 8/15/03)(SFC, 8/15/03, p.A3)(AP,
8/16/03)
2003 Oct 16, Laos and Thailand
signed a pact aimed at stamping out border attacks by unknown
militants.
(ST, 10/17/03, p.A13)
2003 Oct 19, President Bush met
with Thailand's PM Thaksin Shinawatra and pressed him to help
restore democracy in neighboring Myanmar. Some 1,000 protesters
marched in downtown Bangkok on against a summit of 21 economic
leaders.
(AP, 10/19/03)(SFC, 10/20/03, p.A1)
2003 Oct 21, Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation leaders ended their two-day annual summit in
Thailand with a statement seeking to boost trade and intensify the
fight on terror.
(AP, 10/21/03)
2003 Oct, The Thai government
planned to launch 2 "Vayupak" mutual funds for retail and
institutional investors.
(Econ, 8/23/03, p.59)
2003 Nov 19, In Canada Justice
Minister Martin Cauchon has ordered fugitive banker Rakesh Saxena to
surrender to Thailand to face allegations that he looted a Bangkok
bank.
(AP, 11/19/03)
2003 Dec 23, Kriangsak Chomanan
(b.1917), an army general who became PM of Thailand in 1977 through
a series of coups, died at age 87. He helped steer Thailand to
democracy.
(AP, 12/23/03)(Econ, 1/10/04, p.76)
2003 Dec 27, In Iraq insurgents
launched 3 coordinated attacks in the southern city of Karbala,
killing 12 people, including six Iraqi police officers, 2 Thai
soldiers and 5 Bulgarians.
(AP, 12/27/03)(AP, 12/28/03)(SSFC, 12/28/03,
p.A3)(WSJ, 12/29/03, p.A1)
2003 PM Thaksin Shinawatra set
a 2005 growth target for Thailand of 10%. The rate for 2003 was
projected to be 6.4% and 7.5% for 2004. The economic boom raised
some concerns.
(WSJ, 11/28/03, p.A6)
2003 In Thailand Chuvit
Kamolvisit was accused of the unauthorized, overnight demolition of
scores of unlicensed bars and shops from a downtown Bangkok block he
owned. The move erupted into a major public scandal. When the police
failed to protect him, Chuvit fought back by exposing the behemoth
bribes he had to pay to keep his mighty empire of flesh running.
(AP, 6/28/11)
2003 Thailand produced some
470,000 pick-up trucks and ranked behind the US as the world’s 2nd
largest producer. Production in 2004 was expected to approach
600,000.
(Econ, 9/11/04, p.60)
2004 Jan 4, In southern
Thailand assailants set fire to 21 schools and stormed a military
armory, killing four soldiers in nearly simultaneous raids. The
attacks took place in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala provinces.
(AP, 1/4/04)(SFC, 1/24/04, p.A7)
2004 Jan 5, In Thailand 2 bombs
exploded in the southern town of Pattani, killing 2 policemen and
injuring several people, police said. Two other bombs were found
before they could go off.
(AP, 1/5/04)(WPR, 3/04, p.32)
2004 Jan 8, It was reported
that Thailand's PM Thaksin Shinawatra had ordered the Finance
Ministry and stock exchange to set up a task force to examine the
balance sheets of listed companies.
(WSJ, 1/8/04, p.A14)
2004 Jan 13, Thai and Malaysian
military forces began joint land and air patrols along their jungle
border for the first time since the 1970s.
(AP, 1/14/04)
2004 Jan 22, In southern
Thailand a Buddhist monk was hacked to death. Muslim extremists were
blamed.
(WSJ, 1/23/04, p.A1)
2004 Jan 24, In Bangkok,
Thailand, a world record for a mass jump was set by 672 skydivers
from 42 countries who leaped from six aircraft.
(AP, 1/25/04)
2004 Jan 26, A 6-year-old Thai
boy became Asia's seventh confirmed bird flu fatality.
(AP, 1/26/04)
2004 Feb 2, A 6-year-old
Thai boy, who had been in contact with roosters used in cock fights,
died in Bangkok of bird flu. Thailand breeders began hiding their
valuable fighting roosters.
(WSJ, 2/10/04, p.A1)
2004 Feb 16, Thailand officials
said bird flu has been detected in a previously unaffected Thai
province and has resurfaced in eight other provinces that were under
observation.
(AP, 2/16/04)
2004 Mar 10, Thai PM Thaksin
Shinawatra replaced his finance, interior and defense ministers in a
Cabinet reshuffle as the government faces a Muslim insurgency in the
south, a volatile stock market and a public outcry over a
privatization plan.
(AP, 3/10/04)
2004 Mar 12, Somchai
Neelapaichit, Thailand human rights lawyer, was kidnapped in Bangkok
and never heard from again. 2 days before he vanished he had
formally accused the police of torturing 5 Muslim men in custody.
(Econ, 3/14/09, p.46)
2004 Mar 16, China declared
victory in its fight against bird flu, saying it had "stamped out"
all of its known cases, while a factory worker in Thailand became
Asia's 23rd victim of the virus.
(AP, 3/16/04)
2004 Mar 28, The Thailand
government said violence in the Muslim-dominated south was at a
"crucial stage" and pledged tougher measures, after a bombing in the
region injured 29 people, including 10 Malaysian tourists.
(AP, 3/28/04)
2004 Apr 23, In Thailand a
massive fire raced through a slum in downtown Bangkok, snarling
traffic and spewing plumes of black smoke over embassies and
five-star hotels in the area. Armed assailants fatally shot an army
officer, just hours after unidentified attackers set fire to about
50 public buildings in all 13 districts of Narathiwat in the worst
day of arson attacks in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south.
(AP, 4/23/04)
2004 Apr 28, In Thailand police
gunned down machete-wielding militants who stormed security outposts
in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south, killing at least 112 people.
The 16th century Krue-sae Mosque was damaged by soldiers who fired
automatic weapons, tear gas and grenades at it and killed 32
suspected Islamic insurgents.
(AP, 4/28/04)
2004 Jun 10, In Thailand hooded
assailants with assault rifles slashed the throat of a night guard
outside a government school in the Muslim south and seized weapons
from other security personnel who were inside.
(AP, 6/11/04)
2004 Jun 16, Thanom
Kittikachorn (92), ex-military ruler of Thailand died at the age of
92. He helped the US during the Vietnam War before being ousted in a
popular uprising in 1973. Thanom came to be known as one of
Thailand's "Three Tyrants" when he ran the country in the 1960s and
early 1970s with his son, Col. Narong Kittikachorn, and Narong's
father-in-law, Field Marshal Praphas Charusathien.
(AP, 6/17/04)
2004 Jul 4, Australia and
Thailand signed a free-trade agreement that officials believe will
boost the economies of both countries by billions of dollars over
the next two decades.
(AP, 7/5/04)
2004 Jul 11, The 15th Int’l.
AIDS conference began in Bangkok, Thailand. UN chief Kofi Annan
challenging world leaders to do more to combat the raging global
epidemic.
(SFC, 7/13/04, p.A1)(AP, 7/11/05)
2004 Jul 15, The Gates
Foundation announced a $44.7 million award at the AIDS Conference in
Bangkok to a consortium of TB and AIDS researchers. The 2 diseases
were often linked.
(WSJ, 7/15/04, p.B1)
2004 Jul 15, Thailand officials
said avian flu had been detected in 10 of its 76 provinces.
(SFC, 7/16/04, p.A3)
2004 Jul 16, In Thailand the
15th Int’l. AIDS Conference ended in Bangkok.
(SFC, 7/17/04, p.A14)
2004 Aug 20, Thailand’s PM
Thaksin said he would overturn the country’s current ban on
commercial production and trade in genetically modified food (GMOs).
(WSJ, 10/29/04, p.A13)
2004 Sep 8, In Thailand a young
man died from bird flu and increased fears of a avian influenza
pandemic. Asian deaths from bird flu for the year totaled 28.
(WSJ, 9/10/04, p.A2)
2004 Sep 27, In Thailand
officials announced that a case of avian-flu was possibly caused by
human-to-human transmission.
(SFC, 9/28/04, p.A3)
2004 Oct 3, In central Thailand
a huge explosion at a fireworks factory killed eight workers and
injured three others.
(AP, 10/3/04)
2004 Oct 19, A Thailand tiger
zoo housing hundreds of the big cats was shut down as bird flu tests
confirmed 23 tigers had died of the virus since Oct 14, and another
30 had fallen ill. They caught the flu from feeding on chicken
carcasses.
(AFP, 10/20/04)(Econ, 4/16/05, p.36)
2004 Oct 25, In southern
Thailand 78 people were suffocated or crushed to death after being
arrested and packed into police trucks following a riot over the
detentions of Muslims suspected of giving weapons to Islamic
separatists. Over 1,300 people were packed in 6-wheeled trucks and
taken on a 5-hour journey to barracks in Pattani province.
(SFC, 10/27/04, p.A7)(AP, 10/25/05)(Econ,
10/28/06, p.52)
2004 Oct 28, In southern
Thailand a bomb exploded outside a bar, killing two people and
injuring 21.
(AP, 10/28/04)
2004 Nov 2, In Thailand Jaran
Torae, a local Buddhist official, was beheaded by suspected Muslim
insurgents as revenge for the deaths of 85 rioters last week.
(AP, 11/2/04)
2004 Nov 4, In southern
Thailand 9 Buddhists were killed including 2 policemen.
(WSJ, 11/5/04, p.A1)
2004 Nov 13, In Thailand's
Muslim-majority south a 60-year-old Buddhist man was killed and at
least 13 people injured in the 2 latest two bomb blasts. 5 bombs hit
in the last 24-hours.
(AP, 11/13/04)
2004 Nov 25, The 3rd IUCN World
Conservation Congress closed in Bangkok. Its final resolutions
included a resolution urging governments to limit the use of loud
noise sources in the world’s oceans.
(SFC, 12/13/04, p.C1)
2004 Nov, China signed a free
trade deal with Thailand.
(WSJ, 10/3/05, p.A1)
2004 Dec 5, Thailand airdropped
nearly 100 million Japanese-style origami cranes over the
predominantly Muslim southern region in a psychological effort
toward peace. A series of bomb attacks followed the next day.
(AP, 12/6/04)
2004 Dec 26, The world's most
powerful earthquake in 40 years triggered massive tidal waves that
slammed into villages and seaside resorts across southern and
southeast Asia. The initial estimated death toll of 9,000 soon rose
to some 230,000 people in 14 countries. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake
was the world's fifth-largest since 1900 and the largest since a 9.2
temblor hit Prince William Sound Alaska in 1964. The epicenter was
located 155 miles south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh
province on Sumatra, and six miles under the seabed of the Indian
Ocean. In Indonesia at least 166,320 people were killed.
Bangladesh reported 2 killed; India: at least 9,691 deaths:
thousands were missing and possibly dead in India's remote Andaman
and Nicobar Islands. Indonesia: At least 101,318 people were killed
on Sumatra island and small islands off its coast. Kenya reported 1
killed. Malaysia: At least 68 people, including an unknown number of
foreign tourists, were dead. Myanmar: At least 90 people were
killed. Sri Lanka: At least 30,680 were killed in government and
rebel controlled areas. The Maldives, an archipelago of 1,190
low-lying coral islands and a tiny population of 280,000, at least
82 people were killed and missing. At least 42 islands were
flattened in the low-lying atoll nation. Somalia: At least 298 were
killed. Tanzania: At least 10 killed. Thailand: The confirmed death
toll for Thailand reached 5,322, but many suspected Myanmar migrants
were not counted.
(SFC, 12/28/04, p.A1)(AP, 12/30/04)(SSFC, 1/2/05,
p.A12)(AP, 1/7/05)(Econ, 1/22/05, p.41)(AP, 12/25/09)
2004 Dec 26, The confirmed
death toll for Thailand reached 5,322, but many suspected Myanmar
migrants were not counted.
(Econ, 1/22/05, p.41)
2004 Dec 31, Thai authorities
said more than 2,230 foreigners from 36 nations were confirmed dead
from Thailand's southern resorts alone.
(AP, 12/31/04)(SFC, 1/1/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 1, Thailand was
forecast for 5.3% annual GDP growth with a population at 65.1
million and GDP per head at $2,610.
(Econ, 1/1/05, p.92)
2005 Jan 2, Thailand's
confirmed death toll from the Dec 26 tidal wave disaster approached
5,000, including more than 2,400 foreign holidaymakers.
(AP, 1/2/05)
2005 Jan 9, In Thailand a
6-story building caught fire and collapsed in Bangkok, trapping five
firefighters inside the wreckage.
(AP, 1/9/05)
2005 Jan 17, In Thailand a
collision on Bangkok’s new subway injured 200 and suspended service
for a week. A crew error was blamed.
(WSJ, 1/18/05, p.A1)
2005 Jan 24, In Thailand a
tourist boat returning from Pa Ngan island capsized and at least 7
people were dead. Another 20 were missing.
(WSJ, 1/25/05, p.A1)
2005 Feb 6, Thailand voters
handed PM Thaksin Shinawatra a 2nd term with an expanded mandate. In
his 1st term he broadly managed to keep 3 promises centering on
cheap health care, debt forgiveness for farmers and micro-credits
for villages. Under his tenure public debt fell from 54% of GDP to
39%.
(AP, 2/6/05)(Econ, 2/5/05, p.11,23)
2005 Feb 15, The Thailand
Cabinet approved establishing a new infantry division of 12,000
troops to be based permanently in southern Thailand, where violence
blamed on Muslim insurgents has claimed more than 650 lives in the
past year.
(AP, 2/15/05)
2005 Feb 17, In southern
Thailand a bomb exploded near a tourist hotel in the border town of
Sungai Kolok, killing 5 people and wounding over 40.
(AP, 2/17/05)(SFC, 2/18/05, p.A3)
2005 Feb 19, Former Presidents
George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton visited a Thai fishing village
that had been devastated by the December 2005 tsunami.
(AP, 2/19/06)
2005 Feb 26, Thailand police
reported 4 more people killed in surging violence in the Muslim
south. PM Shinawatra defended his hard-line policies and accused his
critics of sympathizing with separatists.
(AP, 2/26/05)
2005 Apr 3, in southern
Thailand 2 near-simultaneous bombs exploded, including one at the
airport in Hat Yai city killing one person and wounding a dozen.
(AFP, 4/3/05)
2005 Apr 4, Chevron announced
plans to purchase Unocal Corp. for $18.4 billion. Chevron’s eventual
acquisition of Unocal included a stake in the Yadana project in
Myanmar, in which Unocal invested in the 1990s along with France’s
Total, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise and the petroleum Authority of
Thailand. Total with a 31% stake operated the project. The Yadana
project brought in an estimated $969 million to the government
undercutting international sanctions to isolate the regime.
(SFC, 4/5/05, p.A1)(SFC, 10/4/07,
p.A10)(SFC, 4/29/08, p.D3)
2005 Apr 24, In southern
Thailand suspected Islamic separatists detonated a bomb, killing two
police officers and wounding three other people.
(AP, 4/24/05)
2005 May 1, Thai fishermen
netted a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish believed to have been the
world's largest freshwater fish ever caught in Thailand.
(AP, 6/30/05)
2005 May 13, In southern
Thailand a roadside bomb exploded near a passing military truck,
killing two Thai marines and seriously wounding eight others.
(AP, 5/13/05)
2005 May 26, In Tham Krabok,
Thailand, the largest refugee camp for ethnic Hmong, who had fled
communist Laos, was officially closed.
(AP, 5/27/05)
2005 May 30, Miss Canada,
Natalie Glebova, was crowned Miss Universe in the 54th annual
pageant held in the Thai capital of Bangkok.
(AP, 5/31/05)
2005 Jun 3, Thai Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in New Delhi, India, for talks on a free
trade agreement and civil aviation liberalization.
(AFP, 6/3/05)
2005 Jun 18, The beheaded
bodies of a Laotian couple were found in southern Thailand over the
weekend and were believed to be the latest victims of Muslim
separatist violence.
(AP, 6/19/05)
2005 Jun 20, In Thailand 3
Muslim men were shop dead in Pattani.
(Econ, 7/23/05, p.40)
2005 Jun 22, A lawmaker from
Thailand's ruling party fell to his death from his 10th floor
apartment, followed a few hours later by a woman with whom he had
been quarreling. Separately suspected Islamic separatists beheaded a
man at a teashop and then left his head in a sack on the side of the
road.
(AP, 6/22/05)
2005 Jun 24, Thailand police
reported that attackers in Yala province had slashed the necks of a
couple, almost severing their heads in the latest killings
attributed to Islamic separatists.
(AP, 6/25/05)
2005 Jun, India's tsunami-hit
Andaman islands signed a tourist deal with Thailand’s resort town of
Phuket. Environmentalists slammed the deal saying such a move would
destroy the fragile ecology of the Andaman and Nicobar islands and
encourage the sex trade.
(Reuters, 8/3/05)
2005 Jul 5, Thousands of poor
ethnic Hmong refugees from Laos were living without shelter in
northern Thailand, forced from their homes under a Thai campaign to
pressure them to return to their native land. Landlords said the
government had set a July 4 deadline for them to evict the some
6,500 refugees from their bamboo shelters.
(AP, 7/6/05)
2005 Jul 11, Thailand reported
the discovery of 10 new cases of bird flu just as it was about to
declare the country free of the disease.
(AP, 7/11/05)
2005 Jul 14, In southern
Thailand at least 60 insurgents plunged Yala city into darkness by
destroying electrical transformers, then roamed the streets with
fire-bombs, explosives and guns, targeting an area near a hotel,
convenience stores, a restaurant and the railway station. Suspected
Islamic separatists set off 5 bombs and exchanged gunfire with
security personnel in an attack, killing a police officer and
wounding 19 other people.
(AP, 7/14/05)(AP, 7/17/05)
2005 Jul 15, Thailand's
government, reeling from bold attacks by suspected separatists in
the Muslim-dominated south, granted PM Thaksin Shinawatra sweeping
powers to tap phones, directly command security forces and order
curfews.
(AP, 7/15/05)
2005 Jul 17, In Thailand an
emergency decree was signed into law that granted PM Shinawatra
sweeping powers to tap phones, directly command security forces and
order curfews. It also granted immunity to security forces in
emergency zones.
(Econ, 7/23/05, p.40)
2005 Sep 19, Lukman B. Lima, a
veteran leader of Thailand's insurgency, issued a warning: militants
from Indonesia and Arab nations might join the fight for a separate
homeland if the Thai government continues a crackdown that's
provoking a new generation of Muslim fighters.
(AP, 9/23/05)
2005 Sep, In Thailand a weekly
talk show on government run TV hosted by Sondhi Limthongkul, founder
of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), was cancelled. Weekly
rallies soon followed in which Mr. Sondhi unveiled fresh allegations
of official corruption and misconduct.
(Econ, 12/17/05, p.42)(Econ, 9/6/08, p.47)
2005 Oct 5, In southern
Thailand suspected Islamic insurgents shot and killed five soldiers
as they ate dinner at a military outpost.
(AP, 10/5/05)
2005 Oct 16, In southern
Thailand about 20 suspected Muslim separatists stormed a monastery,
hacked an elderly Buddhist monk to death and fatally shot two temple
boys.
(AP, 10/17/05)
2005 Oct 18, Thailand's Cabinet
announced it was extending a state of emergency in three southern
provinces to cope with an escalating Muslim insurgency.
(AP, 10/18/05)
2005 Oct 20, Thailand PM
Thaksin Shinawatra said new lab results confirmed the country's 13th
death from bird flu.
(AP, 10/20/05)
2005 Oct 26, Suspected Muslim
insurgents raided 60 targets in southern Thailand, stealing 90
weapons and causing at least seven deaths.
(AP, 10/27/05)
2005 Nov 2, In southern
Thailand several bombs exploded in Narathiwat, killing one attacker
and knocking out electricity.
(AP, 11/2/05)
2005 Nov 3, Thailand's
government imposed martial law in two Muslim-dominated districts of
its insurgency-wracked south, a day after Islamic separatists staged
a new show of strength with bombings that blacked out a provincial
capital.
(AP, 11/3/05)
2005 Nov 7, In Thailand at
least three people were killed, two others injured and dozens of
suspected Muslim insurgents arrested as militants attacked more than
20 government targets in the southern Yala province.
(AP, 11/8/05)
2005 Nov 16, In Thailand
suspected Muslim separatists stormed 2 houses in a southern village
and opened fire on the families with assault rifles, killing 9
people and injuring 9 others.
(AP, 11/16/05)
2005 Dec 7, In Thailand a
5-year-old boy became the country’s 2nd bird flu fatality in two
months.
(AP, 12/9/05)
2005 Dec 4, Thailand's King
Bhumibol Adulyadej publicly rebuked PM Thaksin for pursuing lawsuits
against media outlets that oppose his policies.
(www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=69917)
2005 Dec 20, Troops in southern
Thailand struggled through mountains of mud in an effort to reach
thousands stranded by floods and landslides that have killed at
least 35 people.
(AP, 12/20/05)
2005 Dec, In Thailand Steward
Keith McLeod of Australia beat his Canadian wife, Barbara Lynn (61),
to death with a hammer and dumped her battered body in bushes along
a residential street in Bangkok. In 2006 McLeod (45) was sentenced
to 34 years in prison.
(AP, 12/28/06)
2005 In southern Thailand the
Buddhist vigilante group Ruam Thai, or Thais United, was established
late this year by police officials led by Maj. Gen. Phitak Ladkaew,
then chief of investigation in Yala, one of the 3 Muslim-majority
provinces.
(AP, 8/8/07)
2006 Jan 9, Jaruvan Maintaka,
locked out of her auditor-general office, launched a Web site with
other activists to track graft in Thailand.
(WSJ, 2/9/06, p.A7)
2006 Jan 10, In Thailand
protesters pushed through a police barricade outside a hotel where
negotiators were trying to hammer out a US-Thai free trade pact, as
demonstrations against the deal gained momentum but failed to
disrupt the talks.
(AP, 1/10/06)
2006 Jan 18, In Thailand 2
fishermen were sentenced to death in the rape and murder of a
British tourist, a crime that prompted the PM to demand the maximum
penalty. Bualoi Posit (23) and Wichai Somkhaoyai (24) pleaded guilty
to the New Year's Day slaying of Katherine Horton, a 21-year-old
student from Wales.
(AP, 1/18/06)
2006 Jan 18, An American couple
claiming to be of Lao royal descent were shot dead in northeastern
Thailand. Anouwong Sethathirath IV (49) and Oulayvanh Sethathirath
(38) were killed at a Buddhist monastery in Nong Khai. The next day
Thai police said they might have been targeted by Laos' government
on suspicions that they were working against the communist regime.
(AP, 1/19/06)
2006 Jan 23, The family of Thai
PM Thaksin Shinawatra sold their controlling stake in the telecom
Shin Corp. for $1.87 billion to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. Legal
loopholes were used to avoid taxes on the sale.
(WSJ, 2/6/06, p.C10)(Econ, 3/4/06, p.39)
2006 Feb 4, Tens of thousands
of people filled a plaza near the Thai parliament, chanting slogans
demanding that PM Thaksin Shinawatra step down amid allegations of
official corruption. Thaksin said he would step down if the king
asked.
(AP, 2/4/06)
2006 Feb 8, In Thailand
skydivers from 31 countries set a new world record of 400 people
holding hands in a midair free-fall formation.
(AP, 2/8/06)
2006 Feb 11, Thailand's PM
Shinawatra, facing growing calls for his resignation, agreed to hold
a national referendum on amending the country's constitution.
(AP, 2/11/06)
2006 Feb 17, French President
Jacques Chirac has arrived for his first visit to Thailand as head
of state, with Paris hoping to secure lucrative contracts in one of
the most dynamic countries in the region.
(AFP, 2/17/06)
2006 Feb 24, Thailand's
embattled PM Shinawatra dissolved parliament, a move forcing
national elections three years early and guaranteeing a showdown
with his political opponents.
(AP, 2/24/06)
2006 Feb 26, In Thailand some
50 thousand people gathered in Bangkok for a new mass rally to
demand the ousting of PM Thaksin Shinawatra as opposition parties
said they were considering boycotting a snap election which he has
called in response.
(AFP, 2/26/06)
2006 Mar 5, Tens of thousands
of Thais marched to Government House, demanding the resignation of
PM Thaksin Shinawatra in the fourth protest against him in as many
weeks.
(AP, 3/5/06)
2006 Mar 14, Thailand's PM
Thaksin Shinawatra vowed to declare an emergency if anti-government
protests turned violent, as tens of thousands marched on his office
to demand his resignation for alleged corruption.
(AP, 3/14/06)
2006 Mar 21, In Thailand
demonstrators seeking the resignation of PM Thaksin Shinawatra
brought their protests to Bangkok's commercial district.
(AP, 3/21/06)
2006 Mar 22, In Thailand a
truck crashed through a railroad crossing barrier and slammed into a
passenger train in Ratchaburi, causing a derailment and killing at
least six people.
(AP, 3/22/06)
2006 Mar 25, Tens of thousands
rallied in Bangkok, begging their king to intervene in a last-ditch
effort to force PM Thaksin Shinawatra from office.
(AP, 3/25/06)
2006 Mar 29, In Thailand tens
of thousands of protesters seeking the ouster of PM Thaksin
Shinawatra descended on Bangkok's busiest shopping district,
disrupting business and traffic in the heart of the capital.
(AP, 3/29/06)
2006 Mar 29, In Thailand 7
decomposed bodies found in a jungle near the border with Myanmar.
The remains of four Hmong Americans are believed to be among the
dead. Eight men, including four Hmong with US citizenship, were
reported missing March 16.
(AP, 3/29/06)
2006 Apr 2, Thailand citizens
voted in snap parliamentary elections. Thailand's PM urged citizens
to ignore an opposition boycott, saying the vote was crucial to
ending the country's deepening political stalemate amid demands for
his resignation. Bombs exploded at three polling stations in restive
southern Thailand, injuring four soldiers and a police officer.
(AP, 4/2/06)
2006 Apr 3, PM Thaksin claimed
victory in Thailand's general election that followed weeks of
anti-government protests, saying his party won more than half of the
popular vote, the threshold he had set for staying in office.
(AP, 4/3/06)
2006 Apr 4, Thailand’s
Embattled PM Thaksin Shinawatra abruptly announced he will step down
from office, bowing to a mounting opposition campaign seeking his
ouster over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
(AP, 4/4/06)
2006 Apr 5, Thailand’s PM
Thaksin Shinawatra handed over power to a longtime friend and fellow
police officer, less than 24 hours after saying he would step down
over allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
(AP, 4/5/06)
2006 Apr 18, Thailand's
government said it will extend a state of emergency in southern
Thailand as part of measures to combat a Muslim insurgency that has
left over 1,000 people dead.
(AP, 4/18/06)
2006 Apr 23, Opponents of
Thailand's outgoing prime minister wore black and tore up their
ballots to protest parliamentary elections they said were unfair.
Weekend elections failed to fill several seats in Parliament,
deepening the country's political crisis.
(AP, 4/23/06)(AP, 4/24/06)
2006 Apr 27, Reports from
Myanmar and Thailand said Myanmar troops were waging their biggest
military offensive in almost a decade and have uprooted more than
11,000 ethnic minority civilians in a campaign punctuated by
torture, killings and the burning of villages.
(AP, 4/27/06)
2006 May 7, A fire broke out at
a club in the Thai resort town of Pattaya, killing at least seven
people and injuring at least 49.
(AP, 5/7/06)
2006 May 8, Thailand's
Constitutional Court invalidated last month's parliamentary
elections and ordered fresh polls in a bid to end a political
impasse that has left the country unable to form a new government.
(AP, 5/8/06)
2006 May 10, In southern
Thailand a bomb exploded at a tea shop near a busy market, killing
at least three people and injuring more than a dozen.
(AP, 5/10/06)
2006 May 23, In Thailand PM
Thaksin Shinawatra resumed his duties as challenges to his hold on
power mounted even after a self-imposed leave of absence for seven
weeks.
(AP, 5/23/06)
2006 May 23, In northern
Thailand flash floods left thousands of people stranded on rooftops
and trapped inside trains. 9 people were reported killed.
(AP, 5/23/06)
2006 Jun 9, Thailand's King
Bhumibol Adulyadej (b.1927), the world's longest-reigning monarch,
began celebrating his 60th anniversary on the throne. He became the
9th king of the Chakri dynasty, succeeding his older brother,
Ananda, killed by an unexplained shooting on June 9, 1946.
(AP, 6/12/06)
2006 Jun 15, In Thailand
suspected Muslim insurgents exploded more than 40 bombs in attacks
on government offices across the restive south, killing at least two
people.
(AP, 6/15/06)
2006 Jun 27, In Thailand
prosecutors asked the Constitutional Court to disband both the
governing Thai Rak Thai (TRT) and the main opposition Democrats for
gross misconduct in the April elections. In southern Thailand 7
people were killed by suspected Islamic insurgents in attacks,
including a bombing that left five security officers dead.
(Econ, 7/1/06, p.38)(AFP, 6/27/06)
2006 Jul 13, In Thailand a top
court decided to accept a case that accuses PM Thaksin Shinawatra's
ruling party and its main rival of electoral fraud.
(AP, 7/13/06)
2006 Jul 25, Thailand's three
election commissioners, seen as close allies of embattled PM Thaksin
Shinawatra, were convicted of allowing unqualified candidates to run
in parliamentary elections and sentenced to four years in prison.
(AP, 7/25/06)
2006 Aug 1, Assailants carried
out at least 40 bomb and arson attacks in Thailand's three
Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces. At least three people were
reported hurt.
(AP, 8/1/06)
2006 Aug 2, In southern
Thailand a bomb planted along a railroad exploded and killed three
policemen.
(AP, 8/2/06)
2006 Aug 16, John Mark Karr
(41), a former American school teacher, was arrested in Thailand for
the December, 1996, murder JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colo. He said
he tried to kidnap JonBenet for a $118,000 ransom but that his plan
went awry and he strangled her. Karr's confession that he had killed
JonBenet was later discredited.
(AP, 8/17/07)
2006 Aug 22, Thailand police
arrested 175 North Koreans, mostly women and children, who illegally
entered the country and were found hiding in an abandoned home in
Bangkok.
(AFP, 8/23/06)
2006 Aug 31, In southern
Thailand nearly two dozen bombs exploded almost simultaneously
inside commercial banks, killing two people in a region bloodied by
a Muslim insurgency.
(AP, 8/31/06)
2006 Sep 7, A Thai court
decided to extradite a Vietnamese dissident to face charges of
violating airspace for a stunt that involved hijacking a plane and
dropping 50,000 anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City. Ly
Tong, a South Vietnamese air force veteran who later became a US
citizen, hijacked the twin-engine plane from Thailand in November
2000.
(AP, 9/7/06)
2006 Sep 16, In southern
Thailand bomb blasts killed four people including a Canadian (29),
who became the first Westerner to die in the two-year Muslim
insurgency. At least five bombs exploded: two in department stories;
two in front of a bar and a parking lot at the Odean Shopping Mall;
and a fifth at a nearby massage parlor in Songkhla province's Hat
Yai city.
(AP, 9/17/06)
2006 Sep 19, In Thailand a
6-man military junta launched a coup against PM Thaksin Shinawatra,
circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and
declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king. This
was the 18th coup since 1932. General Prem Tinsulanonda was widely
seen as the mastermind of the coup.
(AP, 9/19/06)(Econ, 9/23/06, p.27)(Econ, 12/6/08,
p.34)
2006 Sep 20, Gen. Sondhi
Boonyaratkalin, the army commander who seized Thailand's government
in a quick, bloodless coup, pledged to hold elections by October
2007. He received a ringing endorsement from the country's revered
king.
(AP, 9/20/06)
2006 Sep 21, Thailand's new
military rulers said that four top members of deposed PM Thaksin
Shinawatra's administration had been detained. The regime also
assumed the duties of parliament, which was dissolved when the
government was ousted in a coup earlier this week, and banned
meetings by all political parties.
(AP, 9/21/06)
2006 Sep 24, Thailand's
military council issued new orders intended to stave off any
possible opposition to their coup, banning political activities at
the district and provincial levels.
(AP, 9/24/06)
2006 Sep 28, Thailand's auditor
general, Jaruvan Maintaka, told reporters that Gen. Surayud
Chulanont (62), a highly regarded retired officer, would lead the
country until promised elections next year. The US suspended $24
million in military aid due to the coup.
(AP, 9/29/06)(WSJ, 9/29/06, p.A1)
2006 Sep 28, Thailand’s new
Suvarnabhumi Airport, built on an area known as "Cobra Swamp,"
officially opened its doors, more than four decades after the
project originated.
(AP, 9/27/06)(AP, 9/28/06)
2006 Oct 1, In Thailand retired
army commander Gen. Surayud Chulanont (b.1943) was sworn as interim
prime minister following the announcement of a temporary
constitution that reserved considerable powers for the military coup
makers.
(AP, 10/1/06)(WSJ, 10/2/06, p.A7)
2006 Oct 2, Thailand's
respected central bank chief said he has agreed to join the interim
Cabinet, a move that appeared likely to reassure the business
community.
(AP, 10/2/06)
2006 Oct 3, Thailand's deposed
premier Thaksin Shinawatra resigned from his once all-powerful party
in a letter faxed from London.
(AP, 10/3/06)
2006 Oct 5, Thai coup leaders
agreed to talk with southern rebels reversing Thaksin’s
confrontational approach to the insurgency.
(WSJ, 10/6/06, p.A1)
2006 Oct 5, The Latvian and
Thai candidates dropped out of the race to become the next U.N.
chief on Thursday, leaving South Korea's foreign minister as the
lone remaining contender and near-certain successor to Kofi Annan.
(AP, 10/5/06)
2006 Oct 9, Thailand's king
approved a post-coup Cabinet lineup, ushering in an interim
government expected to rule the country for one year until the next
elections are held.
(AP, 10/9/06)
2006 Oct 14, Thailand's
military-installed premier Surayud Chulanont visited Vientiane on
the first stop of a weekend tour aimed at reassuring neighbors Laos
and Cambodia that Bangkok won't pull any more surprises.
(AFP, 10/14/06)
2006 Oct 18, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents attacked an army base, killing
one soldier and leaving four others injured.
(AP, 10/18/06)
2006 Oct 20, Thailand's
military government said it had extended emergency rule in the
Muslim-majority south where another 21 people were killed this week
despite moves to resolve bloody unrest.
(AFP, 10/20/06)
2006 Oct 21, The death toll
from severe flooding in Thailand and neighboring Myanmar has jumped
to 143 after Thai authorities confirmed another 16 victims. The
severe flooding began in late August in Thailand's central and
northern provinces
(AFP, 10/21/06)
2006 Oct 26, Thailand's
military-installed PM Surayud Chulanont visited Vietnam for the last
of a series of trips aimed at reassuring Bangkok's neighbors after
last month's coup.
(AFP, 10/26/06)
2006 Oct, In Thailand Queen
Sirikit saw news reports that showed footage from a nearby
motorcycle shop that had hired a group of Coyote Girls to promote
its wares. The dancers were named after the 2000 American film
"Coyote Ugly," about a group of sassy 20-somethings who dance
seductively on a New York City bar top. The queen’s reaction
prompted a crackdown that turned Coyote Girls into a subject of
national debate and official disapproval.
(AP, 12/27/06)
2006 Nov 5, In Thailand a bomb
blast killed two soldiers and injured three others in the restive
south. 4 people were shot dead and six wounded in a string of
shootings and simultaneous bomb attacks in the south. PM Surayud
Chulanont apologized to Muslims for the government's failure to
quell the long-running insurgency.
(AFP, 11/5/06)
2006 Nov 9, In southern
Thailand 8 bombs exploded almost simultaneously at car and
motorcycle showrooms, wounding nine people.
(AP, 11/9/06)
2006 Nov 15, In southern
Thailand suspected Islamic militants over the last 2 days shot dead
three people in separate drive-by shootings, while one soldier was
hurt in a bomb attack.
(AP, 11/15/06)
2006 Nov 17, In southern
Thailand 3 bomb blasts killed one person and wounded at least 30
others.
(AP, 11/18/06)
2006 Nov 22, In southern
Thailand a woman was shot and her body burnt in Narathiwat, while a
second victim, believed to be Buddhist man, was shot several times
in the face. A separatist leader said the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah
Islamiyah (JI) extremist network is helping groups of young fighters
stage attacks in Thailand's Muslim-majority south.
(AP, 11/22/06)
2006 Nov 24, In Thailand
attackers shot a school principal, and then set his body on fire.
The principal became the 59th teacher or school official killed in
three years of violence.
(AP, 11/25/06)
2006 Nov 25, In Thailand a
regional representative for teachers said more than 300 schools in
the south will close indefinitely Nov 27, after attacks by suspected
Muslim insurgents left two teachers dead.
(AP, 11/25/06)
2006 Nov 28, Thailand's
military-installed government agreed to lift martial law in Bangkok
and in more than half of the country's provinces.
(AP, 11/28/06)
2006 Dec 9, In Thailand a
police informant who survived two attacks by suspected Muslim
insurgents was killed in a drive-by shooting in the restive south.
(AP, 12/9/06)
2006 Dec 13, Two
Laotian-American men were shot to death at a bus station in
northeastern Thailand after returning from a trip to Laos. Thai
police said they suspect a political connection to the killings.
(AP, 12/14/06)
2006 Dec 19, Thailand’s stock
market experienced a record decline as the government moved to clamp
down on foreign investment. Thailand’s SET index lost 15% of its
value. By the end of the day the government partially lifted its
restrictions.
(WSJ, 12/20/06, p.C1)(SFC, 12/21/06, p.C3)(Econ,
1/6/07, p.59)
2006 Dec 24, Bo Mya (79), a
longtime leader of the Karen National Union, died in Thailand. The
KNU was Myanmar's largest guerrilla group.
(AP, 12/24/06)
2006 Dec 29, In southern
Thailand 2 teachers were shot and burned to death and a government
worker gunned down in attacks blamed on Muslim insurgents.
(AP, 12/29/06)
2006 Dec 31, In Thailand 6 bomb
blasts rocked Bangkok on New Years Eve and 3 more just after
midnight. 3 people were killed 38 wounded. The city cancelled its
major New Year's Eve celebrations just as revelers had begun to
gather ahead of the countdown.
(AP, 1/1/07)
2006 Paul M. Handley authored
“The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand’s Bhumidiol
Adulyadej. The import of Handley's book into Thailand was banned by
police order even before its publication.
(Econ, 7/29/06, p.74)(AP, 1/10/08)
2006 Phantarak Rajadej (104), a
former police chief in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand, died. He had
begun making and selling Jatukam Ramathep amulets in the 1980s to
raise money for a Buddhist shrine and was believed to have mastered
the art of black magic to ward off his enemies. Production of the
amulets surged following his death. In 2008 the market collapsed.
(WSJ, 4/7/08, p.A9)
2007 Jan 13, In southern
Thailand a Buddhist man and his wife were working at a rubber
plantation in Yala province when a group attacked them, shooting the
man three times in the chest before beheading him and killing his
wife. Another Buddhist was killed in a drive-by shooting in a
separate attack in Yala. The Islamic insurgency, that flared in
January 2004, has killed more than 1,900 people.
(AP, 1/14/07)
2007 Jan 14, Two passenger
trains collided near a beach resort town south of Bangkok, killing
three people and injuring more than 100 others.
(AP, 1/14/07)
2007 Jan 17, In Thailand
suspected separatist rebels shot dead two Buddhist villagers in the
Muslim-majority south. The insurgency there has killed more than
1,800 people in three years.
(AFP, 1/17/07)
2007 Jan 26, Suspected Muslim
separatists ambushed police patrols and torched a school as PM
Surayud Chulanont returned to southern Thailand for a third attempt
at ending the bloody insurgency.
(AP, 1/27/07)
2007 Jan, In Thailand the film
“The Legend of King Naresuan,” directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol, set
a new box office record taking in $3.4 million (120 million baht) in
its 1st four days. The 2nd episode of the trilogy was scheduled to
open February 15.
(Econ, 2/3/07, p.44)
2007 Feb 12, Thailand, which
has upset big drug companies by issuing patent-overriding licenses
for generic versions of heart and HIV/AIDS pills, said it would
issue more unless the firms cut prices.
(AP, 2/12/07)
2007 Feb 18, In Thailand 29
bombings and 20 other attacks rocked the country's four southernmost
provinces. Most of the attacks took place in a span of 45 minutes.
(AP, 2/19/07)
2007 Feb 19, In Thailand
violence continued as bombs exploded at four locations in the south,
killing an army major and wounding two soldiers, three policemen and
13 civilians.
(AP, 2/19/07)
2007 Feb 21, Thailand police
said suspected Islamic separatists had set ablaze Thailand's biggest
rubber warehouse and shot dead four people in fresh attacks across
the Muslim-majority southern provinces. A top economic aide to
ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra resigned from his position in the
current military-appointed government following sharp criticism from
pro-democracy groups.
(AFP, 2/21/07)(AP, 2/21/07)
2007 Feb 27, Pridiyathorn
Devakula, Thailand’s finance minister and deputy prime minister,
quit.
(Econ, 3/3/07, p.49)
2007 Mar 2, In the jungles of
southern Thailand soldiers killed five suspected Muslim insurgents
during a raid on a weapons training camp.
(AP, 3/2/07)
2007 Mar 6, Thailand's
military-installed government took over the country's only
independent television station and said it would be temporarily
pulled off the air after it failed to pay millions of dollars in
unpaid license fees.
(AP, 3/6/07)
2007 Mar 9, Thailand's junta
chief urged people living in restive Muslim-majority provinces to
act as informants for security forces trying to quell three years of
separatist unrest.
(AP, 3/9/07)
2007 Mar 14, Thai prosecutors
said they would charge the wife of deposed premier Thaksin
Shinawatra with tax evasion. In southern Thailand suspected Muslim
insurgents opened fire on nine Buddhists who were riding in a
commuter van, killing all of them execution-style.
(AP, 3/14/07)(AFP, 3/14/07)
2007 Mar 17, In southern
Thailand attackers hurled explosives and opened fire on an Islamic
school, killing three students and sparking a riot by angry Muslim
villagers. Shortly after the attack, three Buddhists were shot dead
in the same district.
(AP, 3/18/07)
2007 Mar 19, In Thailand
suspected Muslim separatists shot and killed three Buddhist women
involved with a project for victims of the insurgency.
(AP, 3/19/07)
2007 Mar 22, Malaysia and
Thailand agreed to map out a series of socio-economic measures to
end rising sectarian tensions and violence in the kingdom's
insurgency-wracked south.
(AFP, 3/22/07)
2007 Mar 29, A Swiss man was
jailed for 10 years for insulting Thailand's revered king by
vandalizing his portraits during a drunken spree.
(AP, 3/29/07)
2007 Apr 2, Thailand's premier
hailed ties with Japan as he prepared to sign a free-trade agreement
with his country's top investor, easing international isolation of
the kingdom since last year's coup. Army-installed PM Surayud
Chulanont will sign the deal April 3, which Thailand hopes will
boost investment from Japan.
(AFP, 4/2/07)
2007 Apr 3, Japan and Thailand
signed a free trade agreement that will cut tariffs on a wide range
of traded goods, from seafood to automobiles.
(AP, 4/3/07)
2007 Apr 5, Attackers fired a
grenade into a mosque in Thailand's restive south, wounding 16
Muslim worshippers in an act of defiance after authorities imposed a
strict curfew to contain escalating violence.
(AP, 4/5/07)
2007 Apr 12, Thailand police
said the king has pardoned a Swiss man who was given a 10-year
sentence for spray-painting over images of the revered monarch, but
the longtime Thailand resident has been ordered to leave the
country.
(AP, 4/12/07)
2007 Apr 14, Flash floods swept
over two waterfalls on a southern Thai mountain packed with
picnickers and swimmers celebrating the country's New Year, killing
at least 35 people and leaving dozens more missing.
(AP, 4/15/07)
2007 Apr 29, Suspected Muslim
insurgents in southern Thailand killed two Buddhist villagers,
beheading one of them, and left a note saying the attack was revenge
for a deadly weekend bombing at a mosque.
(AP, 4/30/07)
2007 Apr 30, In southern
Thailand suspected Islamic insurgents exploded a bomb at a busy
night market and wounded 20 people.
(AP, 5/1/07)
2007 May 2, Thailand's
military-installed PM Surayud Chulanont said he has tasked his
southern army commander with developing a detailed amnesty proposal
for Islamic militants.
(AP, 5/2/07)
2007 May 4, Delegates meeting
in Thailand from 120 countries approved the first roadmap for
stemming greenhouse gas emissions, laying out what they said was an
affordable arsenal of anti-warming measures that must be rushed into
place to avert a disastrous spike in global temperatures.
(AP, 5/4/07)
2007 May 8, Thailand and the
United States launched their annual war games.
(AP, 5/8/07)
2007 May 11, In southern
Thailand separatist militants killed two policemen in a raid on a
security checkpost, attacking it with guns and grenades before
setting it ablaze with the victims inside.
(AFP, 5/11/07)
2007 May 20, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents shot and killed two Buddhist
civilians and wounded a third, while a bomb wounded 11 people,
including five policemen.
(AP, 5/20/07)
2007 May 23, In southern
Thailand 7 people including two teenagers were killed, while 11
others were injured in a spate of bombings by suspected separatist
rebels.
(AFP, 5/23/07)
2007 May 27, In southern
Thailand 6 bombs ripped through a key commercial district, wounding
10 people.
(AP, 5/28/07)
2007 May 28, In southern
Thailand a bomb in a market in Kolomudo killed four Buddhists,
including two children.
(AP, 8/7/07)
2007 May 29, Senior Thai judges
began deliberating on whether to dissolve the kingdom's two main
political parties as thousands of troops were put on alert amid
security fears ahead of the court verdict.
(AP, 5/29/07)
2007 May 30, Two senior
officials with Thailand's Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party were found
guilty of election fraud in a ruling that could doom the political
powerhouse founded by ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra. A court
disbanded the political party of Shinawatra, barring him and 110
party executives from politics for five years due to election law
violations.
(AFP, 5/30/07)(AP, 5/31/07)
2007 May 31, In southern
Thailand suspected insurgents sprayed gunfire into a mosque, killing
7 worshippers. Black-uniformed raiders roared into Kolomudo, a
Muslim village, firing assault rifles and hurling grenades from a
pickup truck at a group of teenagers relaxing near the mosque. When
the attack was over, five of the youths lay dead. Buddhist
vigilantes were suspected. A roadside bomb killed 11 paramilitary
troops almost simultaneously in some of the worst recent violence. A
12th soldier died the next day.
(AP, 6/1/07)(AP, 8/7/07)
2007 Jun 9, Thailand deported
163 ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers to Laos who authorities said had
entered the country illegally in recent years trying to reach a
large refugee camp.
(AP, 6/9/07)
2007 Jun 14, In
insurgency-wracked southern Thailand a bomb exploded during a soccer
match, wounding 14 police officers who were providing security.
(AP, 6/14/07)
2007 Jun 15, In southern
Thailand a roadside bomb and shootings killed seven soldiers in one
of the deadliest attacks on security forces this year.
(AP, 6/15/07)
2007 Jun 16, Thailand's
military-installed government offered to negotiate with ousted PM
Thaksin Shinawatra over his recently frozen assets, as thousands of
people protested in support of the former leader.
(AP, 6/16/07)
2007 Jun 19, Police charged
ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife with concealing assets and
ordered the exiled leader to return to Thailand.
(AP, 6/19/07)
2007 Jun 20, Thailand’s
legislature approved an anti-rape law that widens the definition of
the crime and makes it illegal for a husband to have sex with his
wife without her consent.
(AP, 6/21/07)
2007 Jun 21, Thai prosecutors
filed corruption charges against ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra in the
Supreme Court, in the first formal charges lodged against the exiled
former premier. Separatist militants in southern Thailand shot a
Muslim man and then partially severed his head, while the nation's
junta leader was visiting the region. A 54-year-old Buddhist was
gunned down in a drive-by shooting.
(AP, 6/21/07)(AFP, 6/22/07)
2007 Jun 22, In southern
Thailand 10 people, including five soldiers, were hurt in two
separate bombings.
(AFP, 6/22/07)
2007 Jun 25, The Thai
government said it will freeze an additional $147 million in assets
believed to be controlled by ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
(AP, 6/26/07)
2007 Jun 26, The Asian
Development Bank in Thailand said Asian governments must promote
clean energy such as wind and solar power to maintain their booming
economies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in coming decades.
(AP, 6/26/07)
2007 Jul 5, Thailand's military
junta unveiled a new outline constitution with controversial
proposals that could limit the role of any future elected prime
minister.
(AFP, 7/5/07)
2007 Jul 11, In southern
Thailand suspected separatists over the last 24 hours shot dead 4
people including a government official, as the Thai premier began a
two-day visit to the region.
(AP, 7/11/07)
2007 Jul 12, In southern
Thailand suspected rebels killed five people.
(AFP, 7/12/07)
2007 Jul 17, In southern
Thailand twin bomb attacks killed one policeman and wounded 18 other
people, as the junta formally extended a state of emergency in the
region.
(AP, 7/17/07)
2007 Jul 18, Thailand’s
Computer Crime Act, intended to prevent cybercrimes, came into
force. Most prosecutions that followed under the act were for online
content that supposedly endangered national security.
(Econ, 2/5/11,
p.54)(www.prachatai.com/english/node/117)
2007 Aug 1, In southern
Thailand a rebel ambush and bombs left 11 people dead.
(SFC, 8/2/07, p.A3)
2007 Aug 2, In Thailand a
lawyer said the wife of Thailand's deposed premier Thaksin
Shinawatra will seek 1.4 billion dollars in compensation from
military-backed authorities that have frozen her assets.
(AP, 8/2/07)
2007 Aug 6, PM Surayud
Chulanont said Thailand will return some 8,000 ethnic Hmong refugees
to Laos despite their claims that they face persecution in their
homeland.
(AP, 8/6/07)
2007 Aug 14, A Thailand judge
issued arrest warrants for ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife
for failing to appear at their trial on corruption-related charges.
(AP, 8/14/07)
2007 Aug 19, A new constitution
for Thailand, that is to usher in December general elections and end
military rule, was approved by millions of voters in the country’s
first ever nationwide referendum. This was the 18th constitution
since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.
(AP, 8/19/07)(Econ, 8/25/07, p.38)
2007 Aug 31, The Thai
government said it has lifted a four-month ban on YouTube after the
popular video-sharing Web site's operator agreed not to allow videos
that violate the country's laws or are deemed offensive to Thai
people. 3 people including a state railway worker were shot dead in
separate attacks in the restive Muslim-majority south.
(AP, 8/31/07)
2007 Sep 3, A Thai court issued
arrest warrants for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife over
their alleged violations of stock-trading laws.
(AP, 9/3/07)
2007 Sep 15, In Thailand a
roadside bomb planted by suspected separatist rebels killed one
soldier and wounded five others in the insurgency-torn south. 2 men
were killed in a drive-by shooting by suspected militants in Pattani
province.
(AP, 9/15/07)
2007 Sep 16, In Thailand a
One-Two-Go Airlines passenger plane filled with foreign tourists
crashed as it tried to land in pouring rain on the island of Phuket,
splitting in two and bursting into flames. 89 people were killed.
(AP, 9/17/07)(AP, 9/16/08)
2007 Sep 30, Thailand's General
Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who led last year's coup, stepped down as head
of the nation's junta, paving the way for him to join the cabinet.
(AFP, 10/1/07)
2007 Oct 2, Thailand's coup
leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin was officially named a deputy
prime minister, but he denied that his appointment to the cabinet
was an attempt to cling to power.
(AP, 10/2/07)
2007 Oct 13, In southern
Thailand 6 European tourists and their two Thai guides died when a
flash flood engulfed a cave they were exploring.
(AFP, 10/14/07)
2007 Oct 19, Christopher Paul
Neil (32), a Canadian schoolteacher suspected of sexually abusing
boys, was arrested in rural Thailand and charged after a 3-year
international manhunt that relied on digitally unscrambled photos
and tips from the public. Neil later pleaded guilty to sexually
abusing a 13-year-old boy and was sentenced to three years and three
months in jail; he faces other charges involving the victim's
younger brother.
(AP, 10/19/07)(AP, 10/19/08)
2007 Oct 30, Thailand's
military-installed government lifted martial law in more than half
of the 400 districts where it remained after being imposed during a
coup last year.
(AP, 10/30/07)
2007 Nov 21, In southern
Thailand unidentified gunmen killed four local government employees
in the same district where a prominent political party leader was
campaigning.
(AP, 11/21/07)
2007 Nov 28, In southern
Thailand a Muslim military informant was shot and crucified, while
two Buddhist men were beheaded by suspected Islamic separatists.
(AFP, 11/28/07)
2007 Dec 4, In southern
Thailand a bomb killed six people and injured 20 in one of the
deadliest attacks in recent months.
(AP, 12/4/07)
2007 Dec 6, The 24th Southeast
Asian Games officially opened in Korat, Thailand.
(AFP, 12/6/07)
2007 Dec 12, Thailand smashed
through the 100-gold barrier at the SEA Games as they continued
their relentless pursuit of top spot on the medals table.
(AFP, 12/12/07)
2007 Dec 13, An official said
Thai tax authorities have seized assets worth about $34.2 million
from family members of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
(AP, 12/14/07)
2007 Dec 18, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents shot and killed four people
before beheading one victim, days before the country's first
election since last year's coup.
(AP, 12/18/07)
2007 Dec 20, Thailand's
military-installed parliament approved a controversial internal
security law. Critics warned it will allow the military to maintain
a grip on power even after this weekend's general election.
(AP, 12/21/07)
2007 Dec 23, In Thailand allies
of deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra appeared to emerge as victors in
the post-coup election but failed to secure an absolute majority in
parliament. Thaksinites won 233 seats, 8 short of a majority in the
480-seat lower house.
(AP, 12/23/07)(Econ, 1/5/08, p.33)
2007 Dec 24, The Thai political
party allied with deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra said that it has
recruited enough other parties to form a coalition government
following its win in the country's first election since a 2006 coup.
(AP, 12/24/07)
2007 Dec 25, Deposed PM Thaksin
Shinawatra said he was planning to return home from exile and might
advise the victorious party in last weekend's elections, sparking
fears of another year of intense political conflict in Thailand.
(AP, 12/25/07)
2007 Dec 27, In Thailand
officials said deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra would be arrested if he
returns home from a self-imposed exile as planned, even if his
victorious allies form a government following last weekend's general
election.
(AP, 12/27/07)
2007 Dec 31, In Thailand a bomb
attack wounded 27 people in Sungai Kolok, a tourist town where
people had gathered to celebrate the New Year.
(AP, 12/31/07)
2007 In Thailand 751 people
died in prison or under police custody this year.
(Econ, 4/19/08, p.55)
2008 Jan 8, The wife of ousted
PM Thaksin Shinawatra was handed an arrest warrant after she
returned to Thailand to face corruption charges that could put her
behind bars for 20 years.
(AP, 1/8/08)
2008 Jan 13, In Thailand six
suspected militants escaped in a jailbreak.
(AP, 1/15/08)
2008 Jan 14, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents killed eight soldiers, leaving
one beheaded, in a bomb and shooting attack.
(AP, 1/14/08)
2008 Jan 15, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents exploded a bomb that left at
least 39 people injured in a market in Yala.
(AP, 1/15/08)
2008 Jan 24, In southern
Thailand Muslim militants fatally shot a Buddhist teacher as he
pulled out of his driveway to head to work.
(AP, 1/24/08)
2008 Jan 26, In western
Thailand a bus packed with passengers heading to a funeral tumbled
down a mountain, killing nine people and injuring 26 others.
(AP, 1/26/08)
2008 Jan 28, Thailand’s
parliament chose Samak Sundaravej, representing ex-PM Shinawatra’s
interests, as premier easily beating the Democratic party candidate
310-163.
(SFC, 1/29/08, p.A4)
2008 Jan, In southern Thailand
killings rose sharply this month to 55. Some 2,800 deaths were
counted since 2004.
(Econ, 3/1/08, p.45)
2008 Feb 1, The US announced it
will resume military and other aid to Thailand as a result of the
country's successful election and its formation of a democratically
elected government.
(AP, 2/1/08)
2008 Feb 3, Thailand's new PM
Sundaravej said he will also become the defense minister in a
soon-to-be unveiled Cabinet to deter the military from staging a
coup against his government.
(AP, 2/3/08)
2008 Feb 4, In southern
Thailand a bomb exploded outside an Islamic boarding school, killing
one person and wounding 12. A separate bombing wounded six people,
in the latest violence attributed to an Islamic separatist rebellion
that has entered its fifth year.
(AP, 2/4/08)
2008 Feb 6, Thailand made an
uneasy return to democracy with the swearing-in of a Cabinet
dominated by loyalists to the prime minister ousted nearly 17 months
ago in a military coup. Suspected Muslim insurgents detonated a bomb
near a Chinese shrine in southern Thailand, killing one soldier and
wounding six other people.
(AP, 2/6/08)
2008 Feb 14, In Thailand
General Secretary Mahn Sha (64), leader of the Karen National Union
(KNU), was shot and killed at his home in Mae Sot by three men who
arrived in a pickup truck. The KNU is one of the biggest ethnic
groups fighting Myanmar's military government. Initial
investigations showed that the assailants were also Karen.
(AP, 2/14/08)
2008 Feb 19, In Thailand Glenn
Richard Allen (61), an American man was sentenced, to 16 years in
prison for raping a 13-year-old girl and sexually abusing a second
teenager in Pattaya, a Thai seaside resort town notorious for its
sex industry.
(AP, 2/19/08)
2008 Feb 19, In Thailand Glenn
Richard Allen (61), an American man was sentenced, to 16 years in
prison for raping a 13-year-old girl and sexually abusing a second
teenager in Pattaya, a Thai seaside resort town notorious for its
sex industry.
(AP, 2/19/08)
2008 Feb 28, Former Thai
premier Thaksin Shinawatra vowed to clear his name on corruption
charges and called for national unity as he flew home to a jubilant
welcome from thousands of supporters.
(AP, 2/28/08)
2008 Mar 2, Thais went to the
polls to vote in the country's first elections for the upper house
of Parliament since a 2006 military coup ousted elected PM Thaksin
Shinawatra.
(AP, 3/2/08)
2008 Mar 6, Viktor Bout, a
suspected Russian arms dealer, was arrested at a five-star hotel in
downtown Bangkok on allegations that he supplied Colombian rebels
with arms and explosives. He had been accused of flouting UN
embargoes and was wanted by Interpol.
(AP, 3/6/08)
2008 Mar 15, In southern
Thailand a bomb exploded in the parking lot of an upscale hotel,
killing two people and wounding 14 others.
(AP, 3/15/08)
2008 Apr 1, Poor countries at a
UN conference in Thailand said they won't sign a global warming pact
unless industrialized nations guarantee them billions of dollars
needed to adapt to the impact of climate change.
(AP, 4/1/08)
2008 Apr 2, Thailand's Health
Ministry ordered hospitals and medical clinics to temporarily stop
performing castrations for non-medical reasons, saying that the
procedure performed on transsexuals needs stricter monitoring.
(AP, 4/2/08)
2008 Apr 4, In Thailand climate
negotiators ended 5 days of talks. More than 160 nations agreed to
consider how to reduce rapidly growing emissions from air and sea
travel as they worked toward drafting an ambitious new treaty on
global warming.
(AFP, 4/4/08)(WSJ, 4/5/08, p.A1)
2008 Apr 7, It was reported
that Thailand’s market bubble in religious talismans had popped
leaving many small business people in debt. The market in Jatukam
Ramathep amulets had swelled to $1.5 billion in 2007.
(WSJ, 4/7/08, p.A1)
2008 Apr 9, Thai police dropped
charges against Viktor Bout (41), a Russian man accused of being one
of the world's most prolific black market arms dealers, saying they
will proceed with hearings to extradite him to the United States.
(AP, 4/9/08)
2008 Apr 10, In Thailand 54
illegal migrant workers from Myanmar suffocated in the back of an
unventilated truck, while the rest of the passengers being smuggled
to Thailand pounded on the container and screamed in vain for the
driver's help. 37 of the dead were women and 17 were men. A Thai
court the next day convicted some 64 survivors of illegal entry and
rule to send them back to Myanmar.
(AP, 4/10/08)(Reuters, 4/11/08)
2008 Apr 18,
Thailand's PM Samak Sundaravej said that Thais should be
honored the Olympic torch is passing through their country and
protesters have no reason to disrupt the relay. Up to 2,000 police
will guard the April 19 relay, a 6.3-mile run.
(AP, 4/18/08)
2008 Apr 21,Thailand’s
government said more than 10 million people in parts of its rice
bowl region have been hit by drought causing further concerns as
prices of the staple grain soared.
(AP, 4/21/08)
2008 May 20, Ian Shuttleworth
(42), a former British police officer, was arrested in Bangkok in an
international crackdown on a sex trafficking ring that saw nine
Thais detained last month in London. He was arrested at his
apartment in downtown Bangkok, where he had set up a security
company providing bodyguards to Thailand's elite. He is accused of
luring Thai women into prostitution by promising them well-paid
restaurant jobs in London, and then selling them to a madam.
(AFP, 5/21/08)
2008 May 22, Thailand's PM
Sundaravej pledged to sell rice to Manila at "negotiable" rates, as
he began a visit to the Philippines, which is working to boost its
stocks of the grain.
(AFP, 5/22/08)
2008 May 28, Thailand police
said 3 soldiers and four suspected separatist rebels have been
killed in a series of incidents across the far south, including a
shootout at a wedding party.
(AFP, 5/28/08)
2008 Jun 11, In Thailand
thousands of truckers went on a half-day strike demanding government
help against rising fuel prices, the latest in a series of protests
that have swept across Asia and Europe.
(Reuters, 6/11/08)
2008 Jun 18, Thousands of
demonstrators accused the Thai government of yielding a disputed
border region with an ancient temple to Cambodia, the latest trouble
for the embattled prime minister who has been facing daily protests
calling for his resignation.
(AP, 6/18/08)
2008 Jun 20, In Thailand
several thousand protesters pushed through a heavy police cordon
around the seat of government, vowing to besiege the compound until
PM Samak Sundaravej resigns. They accused Samak's government of
interfering with corruption charges against former PM Thaksin and
trying to change the constitution for its own self-interest. A Thai
army helicopter crashed in southern Thailand, killing all 10 people
on board.
(AP, 6/20/08)
2008 Jun 22, Thailand’s PM
Samak Sundaravej agreed to resign if he lost a no-confidence vote in
Parliament.
(AP, 6/22/08)
2008 Jun, In Thailand 3 legal
advisers of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra were jailed after giving
court officials a bag holding $60,000.
(Econ, 7/12/08, p.52)
2008 Jul 1, Thailand’s deputy
prime minister said the Thai government has suspended its decision
to support Cambodia's bid to have an 11th century temple near the
Thai border declared a world landmark. In 1962, the International
Court of Justice awarded the Preah Vihear temple and the land it
occupies to Cambodia.
(AP, 7/1/08)
2008 Jul 5, In southern
Thailand suspected insurgents shot up a bustling cafe, killing three
customers and injuring four others.
(AP, 7/5/08)
2008 Jul 7, A UNESCO official
said that an 11th century temple that sits on Cambodia's disputed
border zone with Thailand has been designated as a world heritage
site. Hindu-themed Preah Vihear reflects the beliefs of the kings
who ruled what was then the Angkorean empire.
(AP, 7/8/08)
2008 Jul 11, Thai prosecutors
filed new corruption charges against ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra
for alleged abuse of authority to benefit his family business.
(AP, 7/11/08)
2008 Jul 16, Cambodia assembled
its troops near the Thai border in the second day of alleged
incursions by Thai soldiers amid tensions over disputed border land
near a historic temple.
(AP, 7/16/08)
2008 Jul 17, An organization
claiming to represent groups involved in southern Thailand's Muslim
insurgency announced it will end all violence in the region as of
July 14. Former army commander and Defense Minister Chetta Thanajaro
said the organization that made the announcement represented 11
different underground groups operating in southern Thailand.
(AP, 7/17/08)
2008 Jul 18, Thailand sent more
military reinforcements to a disputed part of the Cambodian border,
after the tense four-day standoff nearly erupted into gunfire during
the night.
(AFP, 7/18/08)
2008 Jul 21, Talks between
Cambodia and Thailand to resolve a military stand-off on their joint
border ended without a solution.
(AFP, 7/21/08)
2008 Jul 22, Cambodia asked the
UN Security Council and its Southeast Asian neighbors to intervene
in resolving a military standoff over disputed border territory
around an ancient temple, stepping up its rhetoric against Thailand.
(AP, 7/22/08)
2008 Jul 31, In Thailand the
wife of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra was found guilty of evading
millions of dollars in taxes and sentenced to three years in prison,
dealing a staggering blow to a man who was once one of the richest
and most powerful in Thailand.
(AP, 7/31/08)
2008 Aug 3, Cambodia said that
Thai soldiers are occupying a second temple site on their border in
an escalation of an ongoing armed standoff that nearly led to
clashes between the neighbors last month.
(AP, 8/3/08)
2008 Aug 6, President George W.
Bush flew into Bangkok on the latest leg of a pre-Olympics Asian
tour, although his focus in Thailand is mainly on the "outpost of
tyranny" junta in neighboring Myanmar.
(AP, 8/6/08)
2008 Aug 7, In Thailand first
lady Laura Bush, meeting with refugees who fled a brutal campaign by
Myanmar's military junta, urged China and other countries to join
the US in imposing sanctions against the country.
(AP, 8/7/08)
2008 Aug 11, Thailand's Supreme
Court issued arrest warrants for ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra and
his wife after they failed to appear at a hearing on corruption
charges and fled to London, saying they could not get justice in
their homeland.
(AP, 8/11/08)
2008 Aug 12, Somali pirates
hijacked the Thor Star, a Thai cargo ship with 28 crew members
onboard.
(AP, 8/15/08)
2008 Aug 16, A monthlong
standoff between Cambodia and Thailand appeared to be ending as both
sides pulled back their troops from disputed territory around a
temple near their shared border.
(AP, 8/16/08)
2008 Aug 21, Forbes magazine
reported that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (80) is the world's
richest royal sovereign with a fortune estimated at 35 billion
dollars, and oil-rich Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (60) of Abu
Dhabi is far back at No. 2 with 23 billion.
(AFP, 8/21/08)
2008 Aug 26, In Thailand
thousands of anti-government demonstrators pushed into the Thai
prime minister's office compound and rallied outside several
ministries. A violent masked mob from the same protest group forced
a state-run TV station off the air.
(AP, 8/26/08)
2008 Aug 27, Thailand issued
arrest warrants for protest leaders besieging the main government
complex, as authorities scrambled to find a peaceful end to the
administration's most serious challenge yet.
(AP, 8/27/08)
2008 Aug 30, Thai PM Samak
Sundaravej vowed not to quit in the face of intensifying protests
aimed at toppling his seven-month-old government.
(Reuters, 8/30/08)
2008 Aug 31, Thailand's
Parliament convened an emergency session at the request of the
country's prime minister, who acknowledged that his administration
cannot control spiraling anti-government protests.
(AP, 8/31/08)
2008 Sep 2, Thailand's prime
minister declared a state of emergency in the capital Bangkok after
a week of political tension exploded into violent street clashes
between supporters and opponents of the government that left one
person dead.
(AP, 9/2/08)
2008 Sep 9, Thailand's PM Samak
was forced to resign along with his Cabinet after a court ruled that
he had violated the constitution by hosting TV cooking shows while
in office. The Cabinet will remain in a caretaker position until a
new administration is installed.
(AP, 9/9/08)
2008 Sep 12, Samak Sundaravej
ended his bid to return to power as Thailand's prime minister, after
a revolt within the ruling party torpedoed his re-election in
parliament.
(AFP, 9/12/08)
2008 Sep 15, Thailand's ruling
party chose the brother-in-law of ousted former leader Thaksin
Shinawatra as its nominee to become the next prime minister,
immediately drawing opposition from anti-government protesters and
dozens of its own members.
(AP, 9/15/08)
2008 Sep 16, Thailand's ruling
People's Power Party announced that it has reconciled with a
renegade faction, clearing a hurdle toward the selection of Somchai
Wongsawat as a consensus candidate for prime minister.
(AP, 9/16/08)
2008 Sep 17, Thai lawmakers
turned to Somchai Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of deposed leader
Thaksin Shinawatra, to be the new prime minister, setting up a
showdown with protesters determined to tear down his political
legacy.
(AP, 9/17/08)
2008 Sep 20, The Thai
government said floods have killed 14 people and sickened more than
53,000 others, including many who contracted waterborne ailments.
The 14 people were swept away by flash floods that hit 36 of
Thailand's 76 provinces over the past nine days.
(AP, 9/20/08)
2008 Oct 3, Soldiers from both
Cambodia and Thailand were wounded in a brief clash along their
volatile border.
(AP, 10/3/08)
2008 Oct 5, Apirak Kosayodhin,
the leader of Thailand's opposition Democrat Party, won re-election
as governor of Bangkok, defeating the ruling party candidate as well
as a one-time sex tycoon. Thai police arrested Chamlong Srimuang, a
key protest leader and one-time Bangkok mayor, on charges of
insurrection in a continuing crackdown against an anti-government
movement that spearheaded the ouster of a prime minister last month.
(AP, 10/5/08)
2008 Oct 7, Thai riot police
clashed with thousands of opposition PAD protesters who barricaded
Parliament and vowed to block the government from exiting the
building. 2 people were killed. Deputy PM Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
resigned to take responsibility for the chaos.
(AP, 10/7/08)(SFC, 10/9/08, p.A16)(Econ,
10/11/08, p.55)
2008 Oct 9, The leaders of
Thailand's anti-government protesters said they will surrender to
police after a court dropped treason charges against them, but vowed
to continue their occupation of the prime minister's office after
posting bail.
(AP, 10/9/08)
2008 Oct 10, Leaders of Thai
anti-government protests were granted bail after surrendering to
police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting
turmoil days after deadly street clashes. At least 22 people were
killed and 24 others injured when a bus packed with passengers
crashed in eastern Thailand.
(AP, 10/10/08)
2008 Oct 11, Thailand's
embattled PM Somchai Wongsawat, indicated that he may resign in the
wake of fierce anti-government protests earlier this week that left
two people dead and hundreds injured. Thousands of supporters of the
ruling coalition gathered on the outskirts of Bangkok in a show of
strength, two days ahead of a planned major protest by a group
hoping to topple the elected government.
(AFP, 10/11/08)
2008 Oct 13, Cambodian PM Hun
Sen gave Thailand an ultimatum to withdraw troops from a disputed
stretch of jungle-clad border within 24 hours or his forces would
turn the area into a "death zone." Thai troops retreated the next
day.
(Reuters, 10/13/08)(AP, 10/14/08)
2008 Oct 13, Swiss authorities
said they have found high concentrations of melamine in biscuits
from Thailand and Sri Lanka and have called on other European
countries to withdraw the products.
(AP, 10/13/08)
2008 Oct 15, Cambodia and
Thailand exchanged fire on the border in a clash over disputed land
which left two soldiers dead and several wounded.
(AFP, 10/15/08)
2008 Oct 16, Cambodia and
Thailand agreed to joint patrols of disputed border areas after
deadly clashes, but made little progress toward resolving their
long-standing territorial spat.
(AFP, 10/16/08)
2008 Oct 17, In southern
Thailand a 25-year-old man was shot dead in a gunfight with security
officials after the arrests of five other suspected militants.
(AFP, 10/18/08)
2008 Oct 18, In southern
Thailand 2 Muslim men were killed in separate drive-by shootings.
(AFP, 10/18/08)
2008 Oct 18, Somali pirates
released a Thai ship after receiving a ransom.
(AP, 10/19/08)
2008 Oct 20, In Thailand
thousands of anti-government protesters marched through the streets
of Bangkok, calling the prime minister a "murderer" and demanding he
resign over the violent quashing of a previous rally.
(AP, 10/20/08)
2008 Oct 21, A Thai court found
former PM Thaksin Shinawatra (59) guilty of corruption and sentenced
him to two years in prison. His wife, Pojaman (51), was acquitted.
(AP, 10/21/08)
2008 Oct 30, In Thailand
assailants threw a grenade into a crowd of anti-government
protesters occupying a bridge, wounding 10 people ahead of a
demonstration outside the British Embassy in Bangkok.
(AP, 10/30/08)
2008 Nov 4, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents detonated two bombs at a tea
stall and shopping area, killing one person and wounding at least
71.
(AP, 11/4/08)
2008 Nov 9, Kuo Te-tsai (42), a
Taiwanese drug trafficker, was arrested at a Thai beach resort with
229 pounds of heroin worth millions of dollars in a joint operation
by American, Taiwanese and Thai drug enforcement authorities.
(AP, 11/10/08)
2008 Nov 13, In Thailand
assailants hurled explosives at vendors protesting a rent increase
by new managers of a government-owned market in Bangkok, wounding 13
people.
(AP, 11/13/08)
2008 Nov 18, The Indian naval
frigate Tabar sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of
Aden and chased two attack boats into the night. Separate bands of
pirates also seized a Thai ship with 16 crew members and an Iranian
cargo vessel with a crew of 25 in the Gulf of Aden. The pirate
"mother ship" was later reported to have been the Thai fishing
trawler seized hours earlier by pirates. One crew member was killed,
14 were missing and one was rescued 4 days later. The Iranian
vessel was released on Jan 9, 2009.
(AP, 11/19/08)(AP, 11/26/08)(SFC, 11/26/08,
p.A3)(AP, 1/10/09)
2008 Nov 20, In Thailand a
grenade attack on demonstrators occupying the Thai premier's offices
killed one person and wounded 29, prompting protest leaders to call
for a new march against the government.
(AFP, 11/20/08)
2008 Nov 23, In Thailand
protesters seeking the resignation of the prime minister massed in
the capital for what they said would be their biggest rally yet and
a final showdown with the government. Thousands of soldiers and
police were ordered to use nonviolent means to keep the peace.
(AP, 11/23/08)
2008 Nov 24, In Thailand
thousands of anti-government protesters fanned out across Bangkok,
causing Parliament to shut down and forcing a group of riot police
to retreat in what the activists called their final bid to oust a
corrupt administration.
(AP, 11/24/08)
2008 Nov 25, In Thailand
Bangkok's main international airport halted all flight operations
after anti-government protesters stormed the departures area.
(AFP, 11/25/08)
2008 Nov 27, Thailand's
government prepared to crack down on protesters occupying the
capital's two airports, but called on the public not to panic as
rumors of a coup swept through the city.
(AP, 11/27/08)
2008 Nov 30, In Thailand
attackers set off explosions at anti-government protest sites,
wounding 51 people and raising fears of widening confrontations in
Thailand's worst political crisis in decades, which has strangled
its economy and shut down its main airports. Thousands of government
supporters wearing red shirts, headbands and bandanas joined a rally
against the protest alliance. So far six people have been killed in
bomb attacks, clashes with police and street battles between
government opponents and supports.
(AP, 11/30/08)
2008 Dec 1, In Thailand a
senior tourism official said an estimated 350,000 passengers have
been unable to fly out since anti-government protesters shut down
Bangkok's two airports last week.
(AFP, 12/1/08)
2008 Dec 2, Thailand's PM
Somchai Wongsawat resigned after weeks of protests closed the
capital's airports, stranding 300,000 travelers. Protesters promised
to lift their siege, and international flights were expected to
resume on Dec 5. Deputy PM Chaowarat Chandeerakul will become the
caretaker prime minister. Parliament will have to pick a new prime
minister within 30 days.
(AP, 12/2/08)
2008 Dec 3, In Thailand the
first commercial flight in a week arrived in Bangkok as
anti-government protesters ended their siege of the country's two
main airports, declaring victory after PM Somchai Wongsawat was
ousted by a court ruling.
(AP, 12/3/08)
2008 Dec 5, In southern
Thailand 4 people were killed by a bomb at a drugstore suspected to
have been planted by Muslim insurgents.
(AP, 12/5/08)
2008 Dec 7, Thailand's main
opposition party called for an emergency parliament session to prove
its majority in a bid to form the next government and end months of
political chaos, as loyalists of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra
struggled to stay in power.
(AP, 12/7/08)
2008 Dec 12, In Thailand a
commercial fishing commission agreed to cut the catches of bigeye
tuna in parts of the Pacific Ocean, a small step in an effort to
save a threatened species that is a favorite among sushi lovers.
Environmentalists lambasted the Western and Central Pacific
Fisheries Commission's decision to reduce catches by only 10 percent
in each of the next three years. They wanted an immediate 30 percent
reduction that scientists advising the body had recommended.
(AP, 12/12/08)
2008 Dec 15, In Thailand
Abhisit Vejjajiva, a patrician 44-year-old with an Oxford education,
was elected the prime minister in a parliamentary vote amid hopes
that he can calm the political storms that have battered the country
for the past three years. On Feb 24, 2011, Abhisit Vejjajiva
publicly acknowledged his dual Thai-British nationality for the
first time during a debate in Parliament.
(AP, 12/15/08)(AP, 2/24/11)
2008 Dec 28, In Thailand
thousands of supporters of exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra began
converging on Parliament, vowing to stage demonstrations until the
new government holds elections.
(AP, 12/28/08)
2008 Dec 29, The Indian Coast
Guard rescued two people off India's east coast during a search for
more than 300 illegal immigrants missing for the past four days and
feared dead. Survivors told Indian authorities that more than 300
people from Bangladesh and Myanmar, members of the ethnic Rohingya
minority, had jumped from a rickety boat that had been drifting for
13 days in the Indian Ocean and tried to swim to shore near the
Andaman Islands. On Jan 16 a refugees' advocacy group accused the
Thai navy of tying up four illegal immigrants and throwing them into
the ocean before abandoning hundreds of others on a barge in open
water, where some 300 drowned. At least 100 were rescued in Indian
waters. Survivors at the time told Indian authorities they had been
detained by Thai authorities, who towed them into the open sea and
left them.
(AP, 12/30/08)(AP, 1/16/09)(SSFC, 1/18/09, p.A5)
2008 Dec 30, In Thailand
anti-government protesters abandoned their siege of the Foreign
Ministry building, easing a standoff that threatened to re-ignite a
long-running political crisis.
(AP, 12/30/08)
2008 Dec 31, In Bangkok,
Thailand, a New Year's Eve fire erupted at the Santika nightclub.
Before the revelry was over, 62 people were killed and more than 200
injured after they tried to flee what swiftly became a charred,
gutted ruin in a glitzy Bangkok entertainment area.
(AP, 1/1/09)(AP, 1/4/09)
2009 Jan 11, New Thai PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva's government won the most seats in by-elections,
strengthening his shaky coalition in its first test at the polls.
(AP, 1/11/09)
2009 Jan 19, In Thailand Harry
Nicolaides (41), an Australian writer, was sentenced to three years
in prison for insulting Thailand's royal family in his novel, a rare
conviction of a foreigner amid a crackdown on people and Web sites
deemed critical of the monarchy. Bangkok's Criminal Court sentenced
Nicolaides to six years behind bars but reduced the term because he
had entered a guilty plea. His 2005 book “Verisimilitude” had sold 7
copies. Nicolaides returned home on Feb 21, after he was granted a
royal pardon.
(AP, 1/19/09)(SFC, 1/20/09, p.A3)(AP, 2/21/09)
2009 Jan 26, The Economist
magazine said this week's edition has not been distributed in
Thailand because of local objections to an article about the royal
family, the second disruption in two months.
(AP, 1/26/09)
2009 Jan 26, The Thai navy
detained a boat filled with 78 illegal Rohingya migrants, many of
whom had lacerations and burns they said were inflicted by Myanmar
soldiers.
(AP, 1/27/09)
2009 Jan 28, A Thai court
convicted 66 barefoot, disheveled migrants detained at sea of
illegally entering the country, raising the prospect they could be
sent back to Myanmar despite fears they would be persecuted there.
(AP, 1/28/09)
2009 Jan 31, In Thailand some
30,000 supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra gathered in
Bangkok, promising to fight on indefinitely unless the new Thai
government leaves office within 15 days. In northeastern Thailand a
grenade blast killed eight people and wounded 27 others during an
outdoor celebration next to a Buddhist temple.
(AFP, 1/31/09)(AP, 2/1/09)
2009 Feb 2, Indonesia's navy
picked up 198 starving, dehydrated boat people from Myanmar who said
they drifted for three weeks after authorities in Thailand forced
them to sea in a boat without an engine. Indonesian fishermen had
discovered the 40-foot (12-meter) boat off Aceh's coast in northern
Sumatra and towed it to shore.
(AP, 2/3/09)
2009 Feb 20, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents ambushed a military convoy and
beheaded two soldiers in the second such attack this month.
(AP, 2/20/09)
2009 Feb 24, In Thailand
thousands of protesters surrounded the prime minister's office
demanding that parliament be dissolved and new elections held, the
latest challenge to the two-month old coalition government.
(AP, 2/24/09)
2009 Feb 28, In Thailand
prominent activists from military-ruled Myanmar and Cambodia were
barred from a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders (ASEAN),
upstaging the opening of the annual summit billed as a historic step
toward greater human rights in the region.
(AP, 2/28/09)
2009 Mar 1, In Thailand
Southeast Asian leaders (ASEAN) vowed to push ahead with ambitious
plans to become a European Union-style economic community by 2015
despite roadblocks posed by the global financial crisis and
Myanmar's dismal human rights record.
(AP, 3/1/09)
2009 Mar 6, In Thailand
Chiranuch Premchaiporn was arrested for violating the country’s
Computer Crime Act. She faced 10 charges for not preventing comments
on bulletin boards that might have offended the royal family.
(http://tinyurl.com/4j6w77d)(Econ, 2/5/11, p.54)
2009 Mar 8, Off southern
Thailand a 60-foot (18-metre) diving boat, carrying 30 people
including 19 foreigners, was reported missing in the Similan
islands. Police and navy rescued 23 passengers and crew the next day
but two Swiss nationals, two Austrians, a Japanese, a German and a
Thai member of the crew remained missing. The body of one woman was
found on March 10.
(AFP, 3/10/09)
2009 Mar 12, Thailand's
opposition filed a censure motion against PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and
five government ministers, accusing them of corruption.
(AP, 3/12/09)
2009 Mar 13, In Thailand
suspected Muslim militants killed 3 soldiers in an ambush in
southern Narathiwat province.
(SFC, 3/14/09, p.A2)
2009 Mar 19, A Thailand army
spokesman said a roadside bomb had killed four paramilitary rangers
on an intelligence-gathering operation in southern Pattani province.
(AP, 3/19/09)
2009 Mar 26, In Thailand more
than 20,000 protesters ringed the prime minister's office, demanding
the government resign and deriding its distribution of checks to
millions of low-income workers as a payoff.
(AP, 3/26/09)
2009 Mar 27, Thai PM Abhisit
Vejjavija's rejected calls for his resignation by thousands of
anti-government protesters who ringed his office for a second day in
a boisterous rally.
(AP, 3/27/09)
2009 Mar 30, Thailand's prime
minister avoided his office, as thousands of protesters calling for
his resignation surrounded the seat of government for the fifth day
and ignored police warnings to disperse.
(AP, 3/30/09)
2009 Apr 1, In Thailand
thousands of demonstrators defied a court order to clear a road they
have blocked to the prime minister's office, vowing to continue
ringing the compound until the government resigns.
(AP, 4/1/09)
2009 Apr 3, Cambodian and Thai
soldiers traded fire with machine guns and rocket launchers along a
disputed border, killing as many as four people in an escalation of
tensions in a long-standing feud over an 11th century temple.
(AP, 4/3/09)
2009 Apr 3, Thai citizen
Suvicha Thakhor was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of
insulting the king and his family by posting edited photos of the
monarchy on the Internet. On June 28, 2010, Thakhor was pardoned by
the king.
(AP, 4/3/09)(AFP, 6/30/10)
2009 Apr 7, In Thailand
protesters surrounded the prime minister's car and smashed a window
as he rode in it, escalating tensions a day before a massive
anti-government rally that the leader said has sparked concerns of
civil war.
(AP, 4/7/09)
2009 Apr 8, Thailand’s central
bank cut its benchmark interest rate by .25% to 1.25% to help prop
up the worsening economy. more than 100,000 anti-government
protesters rallied in Bangkok in their biggest bid yet to topple
premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, deepening the political crisis ahead of a
key Asian summit.
(WSJ, 4/9/09, p.C2)(AFP, 4/8/09)
2009 Apr 11, In Thailand
anti-government protesters stormed a convention center in Pattaya
where leaders of Asian nations planned to meet, smashing doors and
searching room by room for the prime minister. Thailand canceled the
summit and airlifted the leaders out by helicopter.
(AP, 4/11/09)
2009 Apr 12, Thailand's ousted
PM Shinawatra, called for a revolution after rioting erupted
in the capital, with protesters commandeering public buses and
swarming triumphantly over military vehicles in unchecked defiance
after the government declared a state of emergency.
(AP, 4/12/09)
2009 Apr 13, Thai troops
unleashed volleys of gunfire in street battles with anti-government
protesters across Bangkok, forcing them back to their main rallying
site in a final push to end days of turmoil.
(AFP, 4/13/09)
2009 Apr 14, Thailand issued an
arrest warrant for fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra for
inciting street battles between anti-government protesters and
troops. Leaders of the demonstrations called off their protests
after rioting killed two and injured more than 120. Police issued
warrants for 14 people, including the ousted prime minister at the
heart of three years of turmoil.
(AFP, 4/14/09)
2009 Apr 16, Thailand’s former
PM Thaksin was reported to have received a Nicaraguan passport.
(WSJ, 4/16/09, p.A1)
2009 Apr 17, In Thailand the
founder of the “yellow shirt” protest movement that shut down
Bangkok's airports last year was shot and wounded in a possible
assassination attempt, just days after troops quelled rioting by a
rival, anti-government group. Sondhi Limthongkul, a media tycoon and
supporter of the current government, was in stable condition after
surgery that removed "small pieces of bullet" from his skull.
(AP, 4/17/09)
2009 Apr 24, Malaysia's PM
Najib Razak vowed to investigate a scathing report by US lawmakers
saying thousands of Myanmar refugees were handed over to human
traffickers and ended up working in Thai brothels.
(AP, 4/24/09)
2009 Apr 25, In Thailand around
2,000 anti-government protesters gathered for a rally in Bangkok, a
day after PM Abhisit Vejjajiva lifted a state of emergency imposed
amid violent demonstrations earlier this month.
(AFP, 4/25/09)
2009 Apr 27, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim rebels killed 10 civilians in a flurry of
attacks, just ahead of the fifth anniversary of a bloody assault by
security forces against militants at the Krue Se mosque.
(AP, 4/28/09)
2009 May 3, In Thailand an
American identified as Jill St. Onge (27) a bartender and artist
from Seattle, died while staying at a popular destination for budget
travelers. Norwegian Julie Michelle Bergheim (22) died the next day.
Both died after suddenly falling ill within hours of each other at
the Laleena guesthouse on Koh Phi Phi in southern Thailand.
(AP, 5/7/09)
2009 Jun 4, David Carradine
(72), star of TV series "Kung Fu" (1972-1975), was found dead
in Thailand. At first suicide was suspected but a forensics expert
said circumstances suggested that he may have died from autoerotic
asphyxiation. His career had roared back to life when he played the
assassin-turned-victim in Quentin Tarentino's "Kill Bill" (2003).
(AP, 6/4/09)(SFC, 6/6/09, p.E3)
2009 Jun 5, In Myanmar refugees
began streaming out of the Ler Per Her camp in eastern Karen state
and into Thailand as Myanmar forces shelled near a camp where they
were sheltering.
(AP, 6/7/09)
2009 Jun 7, In southern
Thailand Islamic insurgents shot dead a villager and then detonated
a car bomb as a crowd gathered, killing one and wounding 19 in the
Yi-ngo district of Narathiwat.
(AP, 6/7/09)
2009 Jun 8, In Thailand gunmen
opened fire on a mosque in Narathiwat province’s Hoh-I-Rong district
killing at least 10 people and wounding 19 others.
(SFC, 6/9/09, p.A2)
2009 Jun 13, In Thailand 2
suspected insurgents riding a motorcycle hurled a bomb at a bus,
killing one passenger and wounding 13 others in downtown Yala city.
In Yala province's Bannang Sata district, a husband and wife were
shot dead in an ambush while riding their motorcycle. In Narathiwat
province a village headman's wife was killed and another person
wounded while riding a motorcycle to a market.
(AP, 6/13/09)
2009 Jun 14, Thai PM Abhisit
Vejjajiva urged the country not to panic about swine flu, after the
number of cases grew nine-fold in four days and a cluster emerged in
a key tourist hub. Health authorities reported that confirmed cases
of the A(H1N1) virus soared to 150, compared with just 16 on June
10, including a number of foreigners.
(AFP, 6/14/09)
2009 Jun 18, Thailand security
forces killed four suspected Muslim militants in a gunbattle in
southern Yala province.
(AP, 6/18/09)
2009 Jun 27, In Thailand more
than 18,000 "Red Shirt" protesters loyal to fugitive premier Thaksin
Shinawatra gathered in Bangkok for the biggest anti-government rally
since bloody riots two months ago.
(AP, 6/27/09)
2009 Jul 1, In southern
Thailand a rampaging elephant stomped three rubber tappers to death
after it was left to wander freely by its handler.
(AP, 7/1/09)
2009 Jul 12, Thailand's swine
flu death toll rose to 18 as the government confirmed three more
fatalities and opened a vaccine plant to prevent tens of thousands
of infections across the country.
(AFP, 7/12/09)
2009 Jul 19,
In Thailand’s Yala province a 48-year-old rubber plantation owner
was shot dead in a drive-by shooting as he returned home by
motorcycle. In another attack a gold shopkeeper was killed after
suspect insurgents fired assault rifles into his shop in Narathiwat
province before fleeing on a motorcycle.
(AP, 7/20/09)
2009 Jul 20, In Thailand
Southeast Asian foreign ministers (ASEAN) endorsed the region's
first human rights watchdog, rejecting criticisms that the body
would be powerless to tackle rogue members such as Myanmar. 2
assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed a Buddhist man who was
traveling on a road in Pattani province.
(AFP, 7/20/09)(AP, 7/20/09)
2009 Aug 4, In Thailand a
passenger plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a building
after landing on the Thai resort island of Samui, killing the chief
pilot and injuring at least seven people including foreign tourists.
(AP, 8/4/09)
2009 Aug 11, A Thai court
rejected a US request to extradite Viktor Bout, an alleged Russian
arms smuggler dubbed the "Merchant of Death," dealing a setback to
American efforts to try him on charges of plotting to supply weapons
to Colombian rebels. The court rejected the extradition request
because Bout had not been accused of committing any crimes against
Thailand, which has not listed FARC as a terrorist group.
(AP, 8/11/09)
2009 Aug 17, In Thailand
thousands of supporters of deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra rallied in
central Bangkok and then marched to the royal palace, seeking a
pardon for the fugitive leader.
(AP, 8/17/09)
2009 Aug 21, A massive oil and
gas leak forced the evacuation of an oil rig off Australia's
northwest coast. PTTEP Australasia, a branch of Thai-owned PTT
Exploration and Production Co. Ltd., said about 40 barrels of oil
had been discharged in the initial incident, and it was still
attempting to bring the leak under control at the rig, owned by
Norway's Seadrill. After 2 days PTTEP said plugging the leak will
take weeks. Government officials said there was little threat of
environmental damage. By the end of October an estimated 400 barrels
a day of oil continued leaking from the fissure off the Australian
coast. PTTEP Australasia has failed repeatedly to stop the leak but
said it is still trying.
(AFP, 8/22/09)(AP, 8/23/09)(AP, 10/30/09)
2009 Aug 26, In Thailand
suspected Muslim insurgents detonated a car bomb outside a crowded
open-air restaurant during lunchtime, wounding 26 people.
(SFC, 8/26/09, p.A2)
2009 Aug 28, In Thailand former
journalist Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul was sentenced to 18 years in
prison for insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a speech in
2008.
(SFC, 8/29/09, p.A2)
2009 Sep 2, In Thailand a
number of drive-by shootings in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani
and Yala left eight dead, including a Muslim teacher and his son
(13). Security forces raided a rubber plantation in Yala and a house
in Narathiwat, sparking separate gunbattles in which two suspected
insurgents were killed.
(AP, 9/3/09)
2009 Sep 3, In Thailand a bomb
hidden in a motorcycle parked outside a row of open-air shops and
restaurants in Pattani city exploded, killing a Buddhist man and
wounding 24 others.
(AP, 9/3/09)
2009 Sep 4, In southern
Thailand bomb believed to have been planted by Islamic insurgents
exploded outside a restaurant where security forces were eating
breakfast, killing a policeman and wounding 12 other people.
(AP, 9/4/09)
2009 Sep 9, Thailand's national
police chief resigned after being transferred to an inactive post in
the wake of an official recommendation that he be prosecuted for his
role in a deadly crackdown against anti-government protesters last
year.
(AP, 9/9/09)
2009 Sep 9, A teacher (29) in
Bangkok, Thailand, was captured on film beating a student (14) and
bashing his head against a blackboard. The 50-second clip, filmed by
a classmate using a mobile phone, was broadcast Sep 21 on a
nationally televised morning news program, sparking national outrage
and pledges from education officials to crack down on corporal
punishment in classrooms.
(AP, 9/22/09)
2009 Sep 13, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents shot and killed five
paramilitary troops in Yala province.
(AP, 9/14/09)
2009 Sep 19, Thai nationalists
clashed with police and villagers as they tried to march toward an
ancient temple on the Cambodian border, while anti-government
protesters in the capital marked the third anniversary of a coup
that continues to create political turmoil.
(AP, 9/19/09)
2009 Sep 24, In Thailand an
experimental combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines cut
the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31%, in the
world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers.
This was the first time an experimental vaccine has prevented
infection with the AIDS virus.
(AP, 9/24/09)
2009 Sep 25, An environmental
group said a gecko with leopard-like spots on its body and a fanged
frog that eats birds are among 163 new species discovered last year
in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia, which included Laos,
Thailand and Vietnam.
(AP, 9/25/09)
2009 Sep 28, In Thailand
climate talks kicked off in Bangkok with the UN urging nations to
break the deadlock over a global warming deal that is supposed to be
finalized in just 70 days time, and warning that failure to act
would leave future generations fighting for survival.
(AP, 9/28/09)
2009 Oct 5, In Thailand a train
derailed during heavy rains near the coastal city of Hua Hin,
killing 7 people, including a 2-year-old girl, and injuring 88
others. A fact-finding panel later said the deadly crash was the
fault of the driver who fell asleep after taking antihistamines and
other cold medicine.
(AP, 10/5/09)(AP, 10/13/09)
2009 Oct 11, In Thailand
thousands of supporters of deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra, all in red
shirts, rallied in Bangkok to demand the government step down and
call fresh elections.
(AP, 10/11/09)
2009 Oct 17, In Thailand some
17,000 "Red Shirt" supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra rallied in
Bangkok to pressure the Thai government over their petition seeking
a royal pardon for the fugitive former prime minister.
(AP, 10/17/09)
2009 Oct 23, In Thailand the
annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began
inauspiciously when half the bloc's 10 leaders failed to show up at
the opening of the 3-day conference due to a tropical storm,
domestic politics, a VIP visit and a possible illness. ASEAN nations
inaugurated their first regional human rights commission, a watchdog
immediately derided as toothless by activists who walked out of a
meeting to protest being snubbed by five of the governments
involved.
(AP, 10/23/09)
2009 Oct 25, In Thailand Asian
leaders heard competing plans from Australia and Japan for a massive
EU-style community covering half the world's population as they
wrapped up their annual East Asian summit. Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva
said leaders of 16 Asian countries gave high priority to finding a
new economic growth model to free half the world's population from
merely serving as producers for the West.
(AFP, 10/25/09)
2009 Oct 28, In Thailand
suspected Muslim insurgents shot and killed two Buddhist civilians
in separate drive-by attacks in the insurgency-plagued south.
(AP, 10/28/09)
2009 Nov 2, A Thai official
said about half of Thailand's national lawmakers are taking
advantage of a new government plan allowing them to purchase guns at
a discount and receive a license to carry them anywhere.
(AP, 11/2/09)
2009 Nov 4, Cambodia said it
has appointed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as
economic adviser to premier Hun Sen and his administration.
(AFP, 11/4/09)
2009 Nov 5, Cambodia and
Thailand recalled their ambassadors from each others' countries,
deepening a diplomatic row after Cambodia made fugitive former Thai
PM Thaksin Shinawatra an economic adviser.
(Reuters, 11/5/09)
2009 Nov 6, Japan pledged $5.5
billion in aid over 3 years for Southeast Asia's 5 Mekong River
nations (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam), seeking to
deepen ties with the region amid growing influence from China.
(AFP, 11/6/09)
2009 Nov 10, Thailand's ousted
PM Thaksin Shinawatra, whose political battle against his successors
has left his country bitterly divided, received a warm welcome in
neighboring Cambodia, which shares his disdain for the current
government in Bangkok.
(AP, 11/10/09)
2009 Nov 15, In Thailand
thousands of demonstrators attended a protest by the royalist
"Yellow Shirt" movement against a visit to Cambodia by their
arch-foe, fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
(AP, 11/15/09)
2009 Nov 16, Thai police
arrested Samart Chokechoyma (36) and Kanokwan Wongsaroj (38) on
charges of smuggling African ivory into the country to supply shops
that sell jewelry and trinkets, including to customers in the US.
DNA tests showed that it was of African origin.
(AP, 11/17/09)
2009 Nov 24, In Thailand Samak
Sundaravej (74), a firebrand right-wing politician and TV cooking
show host who served a brief and tumultuous term last year as prime
minister, died of cancer.
(AP, 11/24/09)(Econ, 12/5/09, p.96)
2009 Dec 8, In Cambodia
Siwaraks Chothipong (31), a Thai employee of the Cambodia Air
Traffic Service, was ordered to serve seven years in prison for
spying on Thailand's former prime minister while he was in Cambodia
as a guest of the government. Chothipong was accused of stealing
Thaksin's flight schedule before his Nov. 10 arrival and sending it
to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh. The case threatened to
worsen a diplomatic feud between the two neighbors. On Dec 11
Cambodia's king pardoned Chothipong.
(AP, 12/8/09)(AP, 12/11/09)
2009 Dec 10, In Thailand
thousands of red-shirted supporters of former Thai PM Thaksin
Shinawatra flooded back into the streets of Bangkok in an attempt to
step up pressure on the embattled government.
(AFP, 12/10/09)
2009 Dec 12, In Thailand 4
Kazakhs and a Belarusian were detained and their New Zealand
registered aircraft impounded after it landed in the Thai capital
with tons of war weaponry on board that originated in North Korea.
The Ilyushin 76 transport from Kazakhstan was allegedly traveling
from North Korea to Sri Lanka when it asked to land in Bangkok to
refuel. According to a flight plan seen by arms trafficking
researchers, the aircraft was chartered by Hong Kong-based Union Top
Management Ltd. to fly oil industry spare parts from Pyongyang to
Tehran, Iran, with several other stops, including Bangkok, Colombo
in Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. A New Zealand shell company,
SP Trading Ltd., had leased the airplane.
(AP, 12/12/09)(AP, 12/23/09)(AP, 1/22/10)
2009 Dec 27, Human rights
groups warned that the Thai government's planned expulsion of 4,000
ethnic Hmong to Laos could turn violent.
(AP, 12/27/09)
2009 Dec 28, Thailand sent army
troops with shields and batons to evict more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong
asylum-seekers and send them back to Laos despite strong objections
from the US and rights groups who fear they will face persecution.
(AP, 12/28/09)
2010 Jan 22, New Zealand’s
commerce minister, Simon Power, said New Zealand is reviewing its
liberal system of company registration after investigators found a
shell company based here leased an airplane that smuggled arms from
North Korea. A New Zealand shell company, SP Trading Ltd., leased an
airplane seized last month in Thailand carrying an illegal arms
shipment from North Korea.
(AP, 1/22/10)
2010 Jan 24, Cambodian and Thai
troops exchanged fire near a disputed border temple, the latest in a
string of gun battles between the countries since last year.
(AFP, 1/24/10)
2010 Jan 27, In Thailand 13
tiger range states attended the first Ministerial Conference on
Tiger Conservation. The aim of the 3-day meeting was to convince
countries to pledge to spend more on tiger conservation and set
targets for boosting their numbers. The meeting was being organized
by Thailand and the Global Tiger Initiative, a coalition formed in
2008 by the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institute and nearly 40
conservation groups. It aimed to double tiger numbers by 2022. The
13 countries attending were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China,
India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand
and Vietnam.
(AP, 1/27/10)
2010 Jan 29, In Thailand a
dozen Asian nations and Russia vowed to double the number of wild
tigers by 2022, crack down on poaching that has devastated the big
cats and prohibit the building of roads and bridges that could harm
their habitats.
(AP, 1/29/10)
2010 Feb 1, Thailand and the
United States began their annual Cobra Gold military exercise, now
in its 29th year, with South Korea taking part for the first time.
Singapore, Japan and Indonesia will also participate in the
three-week training exercise, describes as the largest of its type
in the world.
(AP, 2/1/10)
2010 Feb 11, Thai prosecutors
said they have dropped charges against the five-man crew of an
aircraft accused of smuggling weapons from North Korea, saying the
men, arrested on Dec 12, might be guilty but would be deported to
preserve good relations with their home countries. The decision was
made after the governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan contacted the
Thai Foreign Ministry and requested the crew's release so they can
be investigated at home.
(AP, 2/11/10)
2010 Feb 16, Thailand officials
said tests conducted by the government have found that British-made
bomb detectors it bought for a total of $21 million have an accuracy
rate of only 20 percent, but they will continue to be used.
(AP, 2/16/10)
2010 Feb 24, Thailand officials
seized two tons of elephant tusks from Africa hidden in pallets
labeled as mobile phone parts in the country's largest ivory
seizure.
(AP, 2/25/10)
2010 Feb 26, Thailand's highest
court ruled to seize 46 billion baht ($1.4 billion) from ousted PM
Thaksin Shinawatra's $2.29 billion in frozen assets, saying he had
abused his political power for personal gain.
(AP, 2/26/10)
2010 Feb 27, In Thailand 4
banks were targeted with small explosives, but no one was hurt.
(SFC, 3/1/10, p.A2)
2010 Mar 3, In Laos senior
officials from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam met in Luang
Prabang to discuss the Mekong River. The Mekong River Commission in
a draft report said severe drought has dropped the river to its
lowest level in nearly 20 years, halting some cargo traffic and boat
tours on the waterway, the lifeblood for 65 million people in six
countries.
(AP, 3/3/10)
2010 Mar 7, In Thailand some
3,000 supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra
demonstrated a week ahead of a crucial mass anti-government protest.
(AFP, 3/7/10)
2010 Mar 12, In Thailand tens
of thousands of supporters of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra
gathered near ministry buildings in Bangkok to rally against the
government, sporting their signature red shirts. Two months of
protests followed leaving 92 people dead.
(AFP, 3/13/10)(SSFC, 3/13/11, p.A4)(Econ, 6/4/11,
p.47)
2010 Mar 14, In Thailand as
many as 150,000 anti-government demonstrators vowed to march on
military barracks housing Thailand's top leaders as their icon,
deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra, urged them from exile not to
give up.
(AFP, 3/14/10)(Econ, 4/10/10, p.45)
2010 Mar 15, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva, backed by a formidable military force, rejected
an ultimatum to dissolve Parliament as tens of thousands of
red-shirted protesters vowed to splatter the seat of government with
their own blood if their demands weren't met.
(AP, 3/15/10)
2010 Mar 16, Thai protesters
poured several jugs of their own blood at the front gate of the
government headquarters and outside the ruling party's offices in a
symbolic sacrifice to press their demands for new elections.
(AP, 3/16/10)
2010 Mar 19, Thai
anti-government protesters announced plans to snarl up the capital
with a travelling rally in a bid to win support after rejecting a
conditional offer of talks by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva.
(AFP, 3/19/10)
2010 Mar 21, Thailand was mired
in political deadlock as demonstrators used their own blood to
create a giant piece of protest art and rejected the government's
offer of talks designed to end their rally.
(AFP, 3/21/10)
2010 Mar 25, China agreed to
share water level data at 2 dams to ease pressure from nations
downstream, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
(SFC, 4/6/10, p.A3)
2010 Mar 27, Thai troops
retreated from security posts in the capital, bowing to demands from
80,000 jubilant red-shirted protesters who mounted a rally to demand
fresh elections.
(AFP, 3/27/10)
2010 Apr 1, In Thailand 6
people were shot dead by suspected militants and 10 police officers
were wounded by a roadside bomb in the latest attacks in Thailand's
restive south.
(AFP, 4/1/10)
2010 Apr 3, In Thailand tens of
thousands of protesters swarmed Bangkok's tourist heartland, defying
a warning to leave or face arrest.
(AFP, 4/3/10)
2010 Apr 5, In Thailand
thousands of defiant anti-government demonstrators fanned out to
other parts of Thailand's capital and threatened businesses with
ties to the government after ignoring police orders to leave
Bangkok's paralyzed commercial district.
(AP, 4/5/10)
2010 Apr 6, In Thailand tens of
thousands of red-shirted protesters took over sections of Bangkok,
pelting police with eggs and dancing in the streets as they pushed
through barricades to press the prime minister to call new
elections.
(AP, 4/6/10)
2010 Apr 7, Thai PM Abhisit
Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in Bangkok, handing the army
broad powers to restore order after anti-government protesters broke
into Parliament, forcing some lawmakers to flee by helicopter.
(AP, 4/7/10)
2010 Apr 8, Thailand's
beleaguered government shut down a satellite television station and
Web sites of anti-government demonstrators after declaring a state
of emergency, while the activists vowed to retaliate by escalating
their nearly monthlong protests.
(AP, 4/8/10)
2010 Apr 9, Thai
anti-government protesters stormed into a telecom company compound
where authorities had shut down their vital TV channel, as soldiers
and riot police failed to hold them back with tear gas and water
cannons.
(AP, 4/9/10)
2010 Apr 10, Thai soldiers and
police fought pitched battles with anti-government demonstrators in
streets enveloped in tear gas, but troops later retreated and asked
protesters to do the same. At least 23 people were killed, including
a Japanese journalist, and more than 500 wounded, according to
hospital officials. Hiro Muramoto (43), a Japanese TV cameraman who
worked for Reuters for more than 15 years, was among those killed in
the bloody clash.
(AP, 4/10/10)(AP, 4/11/10)(Econ, 4/17/10, p.16)
2010 Apr 11, In Thailand
anti-government protesters dug into their encampments around Bangkok
and rejected talk of negotiations after a monthlong standoff
escalated into clashes that have left 21 people dead in the
country’s worst political violence in nearly two decades.
(AP, 4/11/10)
2010 Apr 12, Thailand's
Election Commission ruled that the ruling party be dissolved for
alleged misuse of poll donations, in a potential victory for
anti-government protesters who paraded slain comrades through
Bangkok to press the prime minister to resign.
(AP, 4/12/10)
2010 Apr 14, Thailand's "Red
Shirt" protesters poured into Bangkok's commercial heart, saying
they were ready for the "final round" in their fight to overthrow
the embattled government.
(AFP, 4/14/10)
2010 Apr 18, Thailand's
military declared Bangkok's main shopping boulevard unsafe because
of large crowds of anti-government protesters and sent soldiers to
nearby high-rise buildings to watch for any violence. The
elite-backed "Yellow Shirts" vowed to take action if the government
fails to deal with red-clad protesters within a week, raising fears
of clashes between the rival groups.
(AP, 4/18/10)(AFP, 4/18/10)
2010 Apr 22, In Thailand a
series of blasts were detonated near a massive encampment of
anti-government protesters in Bangkok, wounding as many as 28
people. At least one person was reported killed.
(AP, 4/22/10)
2010 Apr 24, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva rejected scaled-back demands that he dissolve
Parliament in 30 days, prompting anti-government protesters to pull
out of negotiations and dashing hopes for an imminent resolution to
the country's political crisis.
(AP, 4/24/10)
2010 Apr 26, Thailand's
elite-backed "Yellow Shirts" called for a state of martial law to
end anti-government protests as the rival "Red Shirts" blocked
police convoys heading to the strife-torn capital.
(AFP, 4/26/10)
2010 Apr 27, In Thailand
anti-government protesters forced a rush hour shutdown of Bangkok's
busy elevated train system and promised to expand protests that have
plunged the Thai capital into chaos by sending teams of
demonstrators throughout the city.
(AP, 4/27/10)
2010 Apr 28, Thai security
forces fired into a crowd of anti-government protesters during a
clash just outside Bangkok as they tried to keep the Red Shirts from
expanding their demonstrations from a base in the capital. One
soldier was killed, and at least 18 protesters were hurt.
(AP, 4/28/10)
2010 Apr 29, Thailand's "Red
Shirt" protesters called on the European Union to send observers to
prevent a crackdown by the army, but the government warned others
not to meddle in its internal affairs. Theo-establishment activists
demanded military action against anti-government protesters and an
end to "anarchy" in the capital.
(AFP, 4/29/10)(AP, 4/29/10)
2010 May 3, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva promised to produce a political roadmap that would
end a stand-off with "Red Shirt" protesters after the country's
deadliest civil violence in almost two decades.
(AFP, 5/3/10)
2010 May 4, Thai
anti-government protesters welcomed a proposed compromise to end the
violent political crisis that has paralyzed central Bangkok for
nearly two months, but asked for more details on the plan before
wrapping up their demonstrations.
(AP, 5/4/10)
2010 May 6, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva said he would dissolve Parliament in September,
paving the way for new elections demanded by anti-government
protesters if they end their crippling occupation of Bangkok's
commercial district.
(AP, 5/6/10)
2010 May 8, Thailand's
government and "Red Shirt" protesters committed themselves to a
faltering peace process despite twin attacks that left two police
officers dead.
(AFP, 5/8/10)
2010 May 11, Thai
anti-government demonstrators insisted that they would continue
their two-month protest until the country's top leaders face
criminal charges for a violent crackdown on their rallies, rejecting
a government gesture of concession.
(AP, 5/11/10)
2010 May 13, In Thailand Maj.
Gen. Khattiya Sawasdiphol, a renegade army officer accused of
marshaling a paramilitary force among the Red Shirt protesters, was
shot in the head, apparently by a sniper, and taken to a hospital.
(AP, 5/13/10)
2010 May 13, The UN General
Assembly approved all 14 candidates for the 14 seats on the
47-member Human Rights Council. Human rights groups criticized the
poor human rights records 7 of the candidates: Angola, Libya,
Malaysia, Mauritania, Qatar, Thailand and Uganda.
(SFC, 5/14/10, p.A2)
2010 May 14, Thai troops fired
bullets at anti-government protesters and explosions thundered in
the heart of Bangkok. An army push to clear the streets and end a
two-month political standoff sparked clashes that left 5 people dead
and dozens wounded. Demonstrators the next day accused the
government snipers of picking people off with head shots.
(AFP, 5/14/10)(AP, 5/15/10)
2010 May 15, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva defended the deadly army crackdown on the Red
Shirt protesters besieging the capital, saying there was no turning
back as clashes raged in the center of Bangkok. Violence Bangkok
claimed 8 more lives as the embattled premier vowed no turning back
and the army threatened a crackdown on thousands of protesters.
(AP, 5/15/10)(AFP, 5/15/10)
2010 May 16, Thailand's main
emergency medical center said 30 people have been killed in four
days of street fighting between Red Shirt protesters and troops in
central Bangkok. The latest deaths raise to 59 the number of people
killed in related violence since April 10. Most of the dead are
civilians.
(AP, 5/16/10)
2010 May 17, The Thai
government said it would accept a cease-fire offer from a Red Shirt
protest leader if their fighters return to their camp in central
Bangkok, as street battles that have killed 37 people raged for a
fifth day.
(AP, 5/17/10)
2010 May 18, The Thai
government rejected a proposal for peace talks with leaders of the
Red Shirt protesters to end the deadly mayhem gripping Bangkok,
saying negotiations cannot start until the demonstrators disperse.
(AP, 5/18/10)
2010 May 19, In Thailand
downtown Bangkok became a flaming battleground as an army assault
forced anti-government protest leaders to surrender, enraging
followers who shot grenades and set fire to landmark buildings,
cloaking the skyline in black smoke. The Central World mall was in
charred ruins. Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi (48)
was killed by gunfire in clashes between the military and
demonstrators in Bangkok.
(AP, 5/19/10)(Econ, 5/29/10, p.46)(AP, 2/28/11)
2010 May 20, The Thai
government declared it had mostly quelled 10 weeks of violent
protests in the capital as buildings still smoldered, troops rooted
out small pockets of resistance and residents attempted to return to
normal life.
(AP, 5/20/10)
2010 May 22, Thailand's
government displayed to foreign diplomats a huge cache of weapons it
said had been confiscated from anti-government protesters, to quash
criticism of a deadly crackdown. The recent clashes and blasts left
91 dead and 1,900 injured.
(AFP, 5/22/10)(Econ, 7/10/10, p.39)(Econ,
9/18/10, p.58)
2010 May 22, At the
Cannes film festival “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,"
a surreal tale of the afterlife with giant monkeys and an erotic
catfish scored gold for Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
(AFP, 5/23/10)
2010 May 24, In Thailand
opposition leaders moved to impeach PM Abhisit Vejjajiva for his
handling of rioting and violence in Bangkok, and an army official
said the capital would remain under curfew for another week as a
precaution against further unrest.
(AP, 5/24/10)
2010 May 25, A Thai court
issued an arrest warrant for ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra on
terrorism charges, accusing the fugitive former leader of fomenting
two months of unrest in Bangkok that left 88 people dead.
(AP, 5/25/10)
2010 May, In Thailand state
troops ended the “red shirt” protests with the loss of 91 lives.
(Econ, 2/19/11, p.42)
2010 Jun 1, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva defended himself against a censure motion in
Parliament and said there would be an independent investigation into
whether the army used undue force to clear anti-government
protesters from Bangkok's streets.
(AP, 6/1/10)
2010 Jun 2, Thailand's prime
minister survived a no-confidence vote that was called after
anti-government protests crippled the capital and 89 people were
killed in street battles.
(AP, 6/2/10)
2010 Jun 8, In Thailand a
drive-by bombing near a mosque wounded 23 people in the turbulent
south. Police the next day called it an attack by Muslim insurgents.
(AP, 6/9/10)
2010 Jun 21, The UN Human
Rights Council unanimously elected Thailand's ambassador in Geneva
as its president for the coming year. Sihasak Phuangketkeow succeeds
Belgium's Alex Van Meeuwen after being nominated as the Asian
region's sole candidate.
(AP, 6/21/10)
2010 Jun 29, In Thailand Karl
Joseph Kraus (90), a Berlin-born Australian, was arrested at his
home near the northern city of Chiang Mai, where police confiscated
about 100 photographs of naked children. He was charged with raping
four young sisters whom he allegedly lured to his home with imported
chocolates and English lessons.
(AP, 6/30/10)
2010 Jul 18, Thai police
arrested American Ronald John Fanelli (37) on charges of killing
Wanpen Satienjai (33) and concealing the crime and cause of murder.
Fanelli, who has lived on the southern resort island of Phuket for
three years, told investigators he took the victim home from a bar
on the morning of June 18 and stabbed her to death with a penknife.
(AP, 7/19/10)
2010 Jul 23, Thailand’s Culture
Ministry said Facebook and Twitter are causing deteriorating
language skills among Thai students and authorities want them to
return to the bygone tradition of letter-writing.
(AP, 7/23/10)
2010 Jul 25, In Thailand a bomb
at a bus stop in downtown Bangkok killed one person and wounded 11
shortly after polls closed in a parliamentary election that pitted a
government candidate against a jailed leader of recent mass
protests.
(AP, 7/25/10)(SFC, 7/26/10, p.A2)
2010 Aug 1, In Thailand several
hundred Red Shirt protesters defied a state of emergency in Bangkok
to stage a symbolic protest, with hundreds of people sprawling on
the ground and chanting, "People died here!"
(AP, 8/1/10)
2010 Aug 12, Leicester City,
the English Championship soccer club, announced that a consortium
led by Thai businessman Aiyawatt Raksriaksorn has bought the
organization.
(AFP, 8/12/10)
2010 Aug 20, A Thai appeals
court ordered the extradition of suspected Russian arms smuggler
Viktor Bout to the United States, angering Moscow but paving the way
to put the man dubbed the "Merchant of Death" on trial.
(AP, 8/20/10)
2010 Sep 1, Thailand long
running high school gang violence was highlighted when students
opened fire on a public bus in Bangkok. 4 stray bullets killed a boy
(9), shaking parents and educators.
(AP, 9/20/10)
2010 Sep 2, A US federal
indictment charged 6 recruiters from Global Horizons manpower Inc.
of luring 400 laborers from Thailand to the US with promises of
lucrative jobs, then confiscated their passports and failed to honor
their employment contracts.
(SFC, 9/3/10, p.A4)
2010 Sep 19, In Thailand
thousands of anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters defied an
ongoing state of emergency in Bangkok to stage their first major
demonstration since their street protests were ended by a deadly
military crackdown in May.
(AP, 9/19/10)
2010 Sep 24, A Thai court
ordered the ex-wife of deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra to return a
valuable plot of land she bought from the government while her
husband was the country's leader. The Civil Court ruled that the
2003 purchase by Potjaman na Pombejra was void because it violated
an anti-corruption law.
(AP, 9/24/10)
2010 Sep 28, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents disguised as policemen killed
five people in an attack on a warehouse in Pattani province.
(AP, 9/29/10)
2010 Oct 5, In Thailand a blast
blew out the side of a residential building in a Bangkok suburb
killing 4 people and injuring nine. Police found bomb-making
materials in the apartment, including fertilizer contained in fire
extinguishers, electrical circuit boards and high-voltage batteries.
Samai Wongsuwan, a Red Shirt supporter, was believed to be one of
the dead.
(AP, 10/5/10)(AP, 10/6/10)
2010 Oct 17, Thousands of
Thailand's anti-government "Red Shirts" joined a mass rally in the
latest large-scale demonstration by the movement in recent weeks.
(AFP, 10/17/10)
2010 Oct 21, Thailand said
floods in the northeast have left 17 people dead over the last 2
weeks with damages estimated at $650 million. 28 of the country’s 77
provinces were affected.
(SFC, 10/22/10, p.A9)
2010 Oct 22, Thai police raided
a warehouse where wildlife smugglers were storing thousands of
illegally collected reptiles for shipment overseas.
(AP, 10/22/10)
2010 Oct 27, Thailand
authorities said heavy downpours that caused rivers to burst have
killed 57 people in nearly two weeks of flooding.
(AP, 10/27/10)
2010 Nov 2, Thailand battled to
rescue thousands of people stranded in their homes after flash
floods, several meters deep in places, swept through a southern
city, cutting power and communications. The floodwaters swamped vast
areas of southern Thailand and inundated its largest city killing 12
people. The death toll from across the country soon passed 120.
(AFP, 11/2/10)(AP, 11/4/10)
2010 Nov 8, In Myanmar fighting
between ethnic rebels and government troops has sent at least 10,000
refugees fleeing into Thailand just after a widely criticized
election expected to usher in a parliament sympathetic to the
military regime. Thai officials said that fighting had died down,
and government troops had regained control of Myawaddy.
(AP, 11/8/10)
2010 Nov 9, About 20,000
refugees from Myanmar headed home after fleeing to Thailand as
fighting followed a general election that is certain to keep
Myanmar's military and its allies in power.
(AP, 11/9/10)
2010 Nov 16, Viktor Bout (43),
a suspected Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death," was
flown out of Thailand to face trial in the United States following a
long legal battle and fierce opposition from Moscow.
(AFP, 11/16/10)
2010 Nov 19, Thai police found
the remains of almost 1,700 illegally aborted fetuses hidden at a
Buddhist temple in Bangkok as the full extent of the grisly
discovery emerged. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators took
to the streets of Bangkok, peacefully marking the six-month
anniversary of the military's crackdown on their protest.
(AFP, 11/19/10)(AP, 11/19/10)
2010 Nov 21, A global tiger
summit meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, approved a wide-ranging
program with the goal of doubling the world's tiger population in
the wild by 2022 backed by governments of the 13 countries that
still have tiger populations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China,
India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
and Russia. Experts wild tigers could become extinct in 12 years if
countries where they still roam fail to take quick action to protect
their habitats and step up the fight against poaching.
(AP, 11/21/10)
2010 Nov 24, Australia said
that a Thai-owned oil firm's "widespread and systematic
shortcomings" caused the worst offshore drilling accident in the
country's history, which created a massive oil slick. Thousands of
barrels of oil gushed into the sea from a damaged well after a blow
out on the West Atlas rig on August 21, 2009, prompting the
evacuation of workers.
(AFP, 11/24/10)
2010 Dec 1, Spain’s Interior
Ministry said police over the last 24 hours have arrested seven
people in Spain and three in Thailand in an international operation
against a group suspected of forging passports for an
al-Qaida-linked Islamic terrorist group.
(AP, 12/1/10)
2010 Dec 20, In Malaysia a
double-decker bus carrying Thai tourists overturned on a highway,
killing 28 people on their way back from a hill resort.
(AP, 12/20/10)
2010 Dec 22, Thailand's
government withdrew armed soldiers from skytrain stops in Bangkok
and other key sites as it lifted an eight-month-old state of
emergency imposed when protesters overran the capital.
(AP, 12/22/10)
2010 Dec 24, Thailand film
director Tanwarin Sukkhapisit said she plans to appeal a decision by
the National Film Board that her film, "Insects in the Backyard,"
cannot not be shown in Thailand because it is immoral and
pornographic. The movie was about a transgender father struggling to
raise two children.
(AP, 12/24/10)
2010 Dec 28, In Thailand US and
Thai officials arrested a group of 12 Chinese nationals accused of
obtaining fake visas to try to gain entry to the United States. The
visas bore the same numbers as authentic ones issued by the US
Embassy in Warsaw to Polish citizens.
(AP, 12/29/10)
2010 Dec 30, A Thai court
ordered prison terms for 79 members of the right-wing, nationalist
"Yellow Shirt" movement who stormed a state television station two
years ago armed with guns, knives and clubs.
(AP, 12/30/10)
2010 Dec 30, Cambodia charged
seven Thais, including a ruling party politician, with illegal entry
and put them in jail awaiting possible trial, despite strong
protests from Thailand. The detainees were inspecting contested
territory from Thailand's eastern Sa Kaeo province when they were
captured a day earlier by Cambodian soldiers.
(AFP, 12/30/10)
2010 Thailand’s population
numbered about 67 million people.
(Econ, 9/18/10, p.58)
2011 Jan 1, In southern
Thailand 2 bomb disposal policemen were killed and 9 other people
wounded in a blast after warnings of New Year violence in the
restive region.
(AFP, 1/1/10)
2011 Jan 9, In Thailand
thousands of anti-government demonstrators marched in Bangkok,
saying they had learned lessons from chaotic violence last year and
had a new strategy for the new year. A Red Shirt leader vowed to
hold "frequent and symbolic gatherings" twice a month, a change from
the large sit-in last year that lasted 10 weeks and prompted a
violent crackdown.
(AP, 1/9/11)
2011 Jan 11, Thailand's
government approved a package of social welfare measures slammed by
critics as populist handouts designed to woo voters in a key
election year.
(AP, 1/11/11)
2011 Jan 19, In southern
Thailand four soldiers were killed in an attack on their post by at
least 20 armed men. The attackers also set fire to two shelters in
the base and took away an unknown number of M16 assault rifles in
Narathiwat province.
(AP, 1/19/11)
2011 Jan 25, Thailand's
government faced renewed street protests as the right-wing
nationalist group that seized Bangkok's airports two years ago
gathered in the capital to pressure the prime minister over a land
dispute with Cambodia. In the south 9 people were killed by a
roadside bomb, where an Islamic separatist insurgency has entered
its eighth year.
(AP, 1/25/11)
2011 Feb 1, A Cambodian court
sentenced two Thais to lengthy prison terms for illegally crossing
the border and spying. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Veera
Somkwamkid, who heads a political pressure group, the Thailand
Patriot Network, and his assistant Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, guilty of
espionage, illegal entry and trespassing in a military zone. Veera
was sentenced to eight years in prison and Ratree to six years.
(AP, 2/1/11)
2011 Feb 3, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim insurgents opened fire on a grocery store,
killing five Buddhist bystanders.
(AP, 2/3/11)
2011 Feb 3, In Thailand a
47-year-old Thai woman died at a hotel. A 23-year-old New Zealand
woman died Feb. 6 at the same Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai. Her two
female companions, who became sick, recovered. A British couple in
their 70s were found in their hotel room at the same hotel on Feb.
19. A later investigation reported exposure to some toxic chemical,
pesticides or gas.
(AP, 8/16/11)
2011 Feb 4, Cambodian and Thai
soldiers exchanged heavy fire on the two countries' shared border
near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple killing one soldier and a
civilian, as tensions between the neighbors boiled over.
(AFP, 2/4/11)(Econ, 2/12/11, p.50)
2011 Feb 5, Renewed fighting
between Cambodian and Thai troops along the countries' disputed
border killed a Thai soldier and sent thousands of people fleeing
before military commanders agreed on the second cease-fire in two
days.
(AP, 2/5/11)
2011 Feb 6, The Cambodian
government said part of an 11th century temple was damaged by the
Thai army as the two sides exchanged artillery and mortar fire
across their disputed border, shattering a shaky cease-fire and
escalating tensions.
(AP, 2/6/11)
2011 Feb 7, Cambodian and Thai
troops clashed for a 4th straight day as the UN chief called for
"maximum restraint" in a border dispute that has claimed 7 lives and
displaced thousands. On April 6 the London-based Cluster Munition
Coalition said Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva
confirmed the army had fired 155mm cluster shells into Cambodia.
(AFP, 2/7/11)(AP, 4/6/11)
2011 Feb 10, A new Thai airline
reported the hiring of transsexual ladyboys as flight attendants,
aiming at a unique identity to set itself apart from competitors as
it sets out for the skies. PC Air, a charter airline set to start
operations on Asian routes in April, has thus far chosen 4 ladyboys,
along with 19 female and 7 male flight attendants.
(Reuters, 2/10/11)
2011 Feb 13, In Thailand
thousands of anti-government protesters massed in Bangkok for the
latest in a series of rallies by rival political factions ahead of
elections expected this year. A car bomb exploded in the
insurgency-plagued far south, injuring 18 people, including four
soldiers.
(AFP, 2/13/11)
2011 Feb 14, In Thailand a
couple in Pattaya locked lips for 46 hours, 24 minutes and 9 seconds
to celebrate Valentine’s Day. A previous world record of 32 hours
was set by a Germany couple in 2009.
(SFC, 2/15/11, p.A2)
2011 Feb 19, In Thailand
thousands of "Red Shirts" gathered in Bangkok to mark nine months
since a bloody crackdown on their anti-government rally and to press
for the release of detained leaders. In the south suspected Muslim
insurgents detonated a car bomb and raked a karaoke restaurant with
gunfire, wounding at least 17 people in back-to-back attacks in the
volatile region.
(AFP, 2/19/11)(AP, 2/19/11)
2011 Feb 25, Thai authorities
displayed a ton of illicitly smuggled African elephant ivory and
rhino horns seized at Bangkok's airport, a haul described as a
victory for better international intelligence sharing among wildlife
officials.
(AP, 2/25/11)
2011 Mar 3, In Germany a former
folk music star (65) was sentenced to 9 years in prison for abusing
hundreds of underage girls in Thailand by having unprotected sex
with them while being HIV-positive. The member of Godewind was
accused of 403 cases of unprotected sex the occurred in Pataya
between 2005-2009.
(SFC, 3/4/11, p.A2)
2011 Mar 5, In southern
Thailand suspected Muslim militants fatally shot a Buddhist monk in
a drive-by motorcycle attack in the Kok Pho district of Pattani
province. In nearby Kapo district insurgents detonated a roadside
bomb as a military truck passed by, wounding three soldiers.
(AP, 3/5/11)
2011 Mar 6, In southern
Thailand six gunmen opened fire in a busy area of Pattani province's
Yarang district and killed a retired police officer. Two insurgents
on a motorcycle also in Pattani shot at a mother and son riding a
motorbike back from a market. The 23-year-old son died and the
mother was wounded.
(AP, 3/6/11)
2011 Mar 9, Thailand police
officers in Phitsanulok province, acting on information from a
previous operation, interrupted the loading of drugs onto trucks
overnight. Seven or eight suspects fled during the raid, leaving
four bags with 986,000 methamphetamine pills and more than 100
pounds (48 kg) of crystallized methamphetamine.
(AP, 3/9/11)
2011 Mar 12, In Thailand tens
of thousands of anti-government “Red Shirt” protesters rallied in
Bangkok on the anniversary of the start of their 2-month protests
last year that left 91 dead.
(SSFC, 3/13/11, p.A4)
2011 Mar 15, A Thailand court
sentenced Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul (38), the administrator of an
anti-government website, to 13 years in prison on charges of
defaming the monarchy and violating the computer crime act.
(SFC, 3/16/11, p.A2)
2011 Mar 25, In Thailand a
court ordered leaders of the self-styled People' Alliance for
Democracy to pay millions of dollars to airport operators in
compensation for occupying Bangkok's airports for a week in 2008.
(AP, 3/25/11)
2011 Mar 29, Thailand police
raided secret ivory carving workshops in central in Nakorn Sawan
province, seizing an allegedly illegal haul of elephant and walrus
tusks.
(AP, 3/30/11)
2011 Mar 30, Thailand mobilized
its only aircraft carrier to rescue thousands trapped on the
storm-swept resort island of Koh Samui after severe flooding across
the south killed 15.
(AP, 3/30/11)(SFC, 3/31/11, p.A2)
2011 Mar 30, Thailand
confiscated two tons of African elephant tusks worth millions of
dollars being smuggled through a Bangkok port. This was the
country's largest ivory seizure.
(AP, 4/1/11)
2011 Mar 31, Thailand's navy
used helicopters and an aircraft carrier to rescue more than 800
tourists stranded by heavy rains on the country's picturesque
southern islands.
(AP, 3/31/11)
2011 Apr 1, In southern
Thailand heavy rains finally eased, where flooding and mudslides
over the past week killed 25 people.
(AP, 4/1/11)
2011 Apr 7, Thailand
authorities seized 1,800 Bengal monitor lizards being smuggled on
pickup trucks to the capital. Their meat could sell for $7.50-$15
per pound ($16-$33 per kg) in China, making them worth more than
$60,000.
(AP, 4/8/11)
2011 Apr 8, In Thailand rich
and poor nations agreed on a roadmap for UN climate talks this year,
but only after long-running feuds flared over a wide range of
actions they must take to combat global warming. The talks in
Bangkok will be followed by other rounds in Germany, before the
annual summit in Durban, South Africa.
(AFP, 4/8/11)
2011 Apr 18, In southern
Thailand Muslim insurgents set off a car bomb that killed one
soldier and wounded 25 people.
(AP, 4/18/11)
2011 Apr 22, Cambodia and
Thailand exchanged artillery and gunfire for several hours in a
flare-up of a long-running border dispute that left six soldiers
killed.
(AP, 4/22/11)
2011 Apr 23, A 2nd day of
fighting between Cambodian and Thai troops killed at least four
soldiers, bringing the two-day death toll to 11, the worst bloodshed
since the United Nations called for a ceasefire in February.
(AP, 4/23/11)
2011 Apr 24, Cambodian and Thai
troops exchanged artillery fire in a third day of fighting that has
killed 10 soldiers and uprooted thousands of villagers from their
homes.
(AP, 4/24/11)
2011 Apr 25, Cambodian and Thai
troops clashed with guns and artillery after almost a full-day break
in fighting that has killed at least 12 people in four days and sent
nearly 50,000 into evacuation centers.
(Reuters, 4/25/11)
2011 Apr 26, Cambodian and Thai
troops fought with short-range rockets and guns near 900-year-old
Preah Vihear temple, opening a second front in a five-day
confrontation that has killed 13 people.
(Reuters, 4/26/11)
2011 Apr 26, Thai authorities
forced the closure of 13 anti-government radio stations in the
biggest crackdown on dissident media since a state of emergency
during street protests last year. Police said the stations broadcast
illegal statements defaming the monarchy.
(AP, 4/26/11)
2011 Apr 27, Thailand pulled
out of talks with Cambodia and deadly border clashes continued for a
sixth day.
(AP, 4/27/11)
2011 Apr 28, Cambodia and
Thailand called a ceasefire halting their bloodiest clashes in
decades, after seven days of fighting left 15 dead and around 75,000
civilians displaced.
(AFP, 4/28/11)
2011 Apr 29, Cambodian and Thai
troops broke a brief cease-fire and clashed for an eighth day,
shattering hopes of a quick end to a long-running border conflict
that has forced nearly 100,000 villagers to flee. The death toll
rose to 16.
(AP, 4/29/11)
2011 Apr 30, Troops from
Cambodia and Thailand exchanged fire at the countries' contested
border, marking the ninth straight day of clashes that have left at
least 16 people dead and displaced nearly 100,000.
(AP, 4/30/11)
2011 Apr 30, Two Thai troops
died and nine were injured in bombings that struck the restive
south.
(AFP, 4/30/11)
2011 May 1, A Cambodian soldier
was killed in fighting with Thailand, bringing the total number of
dead to 17 as the Southeast Asian nations' festering border conflict
dragged on.
(AP, 5/1/11)
2011 May 3, In Thailand a
cabinet meeting of Abhisit Vejjajiva’s administration approved 102
spending proposals totaling billions of dollars. Elections were soon
expected.
(Econ, 5/7/11, p.44)
2011 May 7, In Thailand
militants detonated a homemade bomb near a football field in Pattani
province, killing four policemen and wounding a dozen others who had
come to play a friendly match with villagers. In Yala province
insurgents set off a roadside bomb and shot at an army patrol,
killing three soldiers and wounding two. In Narathiwat province two
men on a motorcycle fatally shot a former local official in his
pickup truck.
(AP, 5/7/11)
2011 May 7, Cambodia accused
Thailand of invading its territory on the opening day of a summit of
Southeast Asian leaders that was supposed to focus on plans to
create a regional economic zone.
(AFP, 5/7/11)
2011 May 9, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that he is dissolving the lower house of
Parliament to hold early elections July 3, setting off a political
battle that could inflame tensions in the divided nation.
(AP, 5/9/11)
2011 May 13, In Thailand
authorities at Bangkok's international airport arrested a
first-class passenger whose suitcases were filled with baby
leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys. The animals had been drugged
and were headed for Dubai.
(AP, 5/13/11)
2011 May 21, Thailand police
arrested a man suspected of being a key player in one of Thailand's
largest tiger trafficking rings.
(AP, 5/22/11)
2011 May 24, Thai authorities
arrested American citizen on charges he insulted the country's
monarchy, in part by posting a link on his blog four years ago to a
banned book about the Southeast Asian nation's ailing king. Lerpong
Wichaikhammat (aka Joe Gordon), a 54-year-old Thai-born man, had
lived in the US state of Colorado for around 30 years before
returning recently to Thailand for medical treatment. In August
Gordon was charged with lese majeste for allegedly translating parts
of an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and writing
articles that defamed the royal family.
(AP, 5/27/11)(AP, 8/18/11)
2011 Jun 1, In Thailand customs
authorities found 431 turtles and other rare reptiles stuffed into
four suitcases and smuggled into the Bangkok airport.
(AP, 6/2/11)
2011 Jun 24, In southern
Thailand 3 hidden roadside bombs killed two people and wounded 13
others. Police believed Islamist militants were responsible.
(AP, 6/24/11)
2011 Jun 25, Thailand announced
its withdrawal from the UN's World Heritage Convention, at a meeting
of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris. Thailand said it
was withdrawing because the committee's consideration of Cambodia's
plan for managing the Preah Vihear temple site could threaten Thai
sovereignty and territory.
(AP, 6/26/11)
2011 Jun 27, In Geneva more
than 80 states began meeting for the first four-day intercessional
meeting on the Convention on Cluster Munitions to advance their
commitments to a world free of cluster bombs. During the meeting
Thailand and Cambodia indicated their intention to join in the near
future.
(AFP,
7/1/11)(www.stopclustermunitions.org/news/?id=3086)
2011 Jul 3, Thailand held
elections. PM Abhisit Vejjajiva conceded his party lost national
elections to the opposition led by Yingluck Shinawatra (44), the
sister of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Her Pheu Thai
party won a majority of 265 seats in the 500-seat lower house of
parliament outright. The Democrat party won 159 seats. The apparent
election result paved the way for Yingluck to become Thailand's
first female prime minister. An international monitoring group later
said up to one million Thais were disenfranchised ahead of the
kingdom's crucial recent election because of outdated lists of
voters.
(AP, 7/3/11)(AP, 7/4/11)(AFP, 7/5/11)(Econ,
7/9/11, p.23)
2011 Jul 4, Thailand's military
eased concerns of renewed turmoil by accepting the sweeping
electoral win of toppled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's party,
while his sister vowed to reconcile the deeply divided nation as its
first female prime minister.
(AP, 7/4/11)
2011 Jul 12, In Germany a plane
being used by Thailand's Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn was been
impounded as part of a long-running battle over payments for a
building project in Thailand. The Thai government allegedly owed the
now-bankrupt German construction firm Walter Bau AG builder 30
million euros because of a contract agreed to more than 20 years ago
to build and operate a toll highway to Bangkok's Don Muang airport.
On July 20 a German court ordered the release of the impounded jet
upon receipt of a hefty bank guarantee. On July 21 Thailand's
foreign minister ruled out paying a multi-million dollar bank
guarantee to secure the release of the prince's jet.
(AP, 7/13/11)(AFP, 7/20/11)(AFP, 7/21/11)
2011 Jul 17, In southern
Thailand a girl (5) and a local government official were shot dead
and 11 people were injured when gunmen burst into a Buddhist temple
during an annual fair.
(AFP, 7/18/11)
2011 Jul 18, The UN's highest
court ordered troops from both Thailand and Cambodia to immediately
withdraw military forces from disputed areas around a World Heritage
temple straddling their border.
(AP, 7/18/11)
2011 Jul 19, A Thailand Black
Hawk helicopter crashed during bad weather in a forested area near
Myanmar. 9 dead included an infantry division commander and a
television cameraman. The craft had been sent to retrieve the bodies
of five soldiers killed in the crash of another helicopter on July
16.
(AP, 7/22/11)
2011 Jul 25, Thailand's
anti-corruption body filed complaints against three former Cabinet
ministers and an ex-governor of Bangkok that allege wrongdoing in a
2004 contract to buy fire trucks and boats for the Thai capital.
(AP, 7/26/11)
2011 Aug 3, Thai police
arrested a Swedish man wanted in Scandinavia for a $3 million
banking scam committed 1998-2001. Carl-Gustav Alexander Tartagni
(52) was detained in the seaside town of Hua Hin, where he had been
living for a year.
(AP, 8/4/11)
2011 Sep 6, Thailand
authorities arrested two men in the northeast for trying to smuggle
more 120 dogs into Vietnam to be sold for human consumption. 31 of
the dogs were dead.
(AP, 9/6/11)
2011 Sep 9, In northern
Thailand 8 people were killed and two were missing after a mudslide
engulfed several villages in the mountainous region of Uttaradit
province.
(AFP, 9/9/11)
2011 Sep 12, Thai PM Yingluck
Shinawatra, in her fist state visit to Indonesia, vowed to improve
economic cooperation with Indonesia, particularly in the
agriculture, energy and tourism sectors.
(AFP, 9/12/11)
2011 Sep 12, The Thai
government announced a new campaign against illegal drugs but said
it will not repeat the mistakes of an earlier push in 2003 when at
least 2,300 accused dealers were killed.
(AP, 9/13/11)
2011 Sep 13, A Thailand court
ordered the military to stop labeling transgender people as being
mentally ill in a decision praised by activists.
(AP, 9/13/11)
2011 Sep 15, New Thai premier
Yingluck Shinawatra held her first official talks with her Cambodian
counterpart seeking to patch up relations after deadly border
clashes.
(AFP, 9/15/11)
2011 Sep 16, In southern
Thailand bombs concealed in a car and two motorcycles killed at
least three people and wounded at least 30 in the border town of
Sungai Kolok.
(AP, 9/16/11)
2011 Sep 17, Thailand
incinerated about $80 million worth of drugs from over 130,000
seizures across the country as officials warned there were an
increasing number of very young users. Thailand, along with other
countries in the region, has seen a marked increase in seizures of
methamphetamine.
(AFP, 9/17/11)
2011 Sep 25, Thailand
authorities rescued nearly 100 endangered pangolins, scaly anteaters
worth about $32,000, that they say were to be sold and eaten outside
the country.
(AP, 9/26/11)
2011 Sep 27, In southern
Thailand 16 militants in two pick up trucks and motorcycles opened
fire on a military outpost in Narathiwat, killing a 21-year-old
private and injuring two other troops. A 47-year-old Muslim man was
gunned down in a drive-by attack.
(AFP, 9/28/11)
2011 Sep 28, In southern
Thailand more than a dozen suspected Muslim insurgents attacked a
school, killing four soldiers and seriously wounding one child.
(AFP, 9/28/11)
2011 Oct 2, The government in
Thailand said heavy floods have also killed 206 people since August.
(AP, 10/2/11)
2011 Oct 5, Thai PM Yingluck
Shinawatra met Myanmar's president during her first visit to the
military-dominated country since she took office in August.
(AFP, 10/5/11)
2011 Oct 5, Suspected drug
traffickers hijacked two Chinese cargo ships on the Mekong River.
The bodies of 13 crew members were found near Chiang Rai in northern
Thailand on Oct 7,8 and 10.
(AP, 10/10/11)
2011 Oct 6, The humanitarian
group Doctors Without Borders says it is ending its operations in
Thailand after 35 years because it could not reach agreement with
the government on conditions under which it could provide medical
care to illegal migrants.
(AP, 10/6/11)
2011 Oct 8, Thailand's PM
Yingluck Shinawatra warned that rising floodwaters, which have
wreaked havoc across the nation, are now threatening the capital,
Bangkok, as the death toll from the worst monsoon rains in decades
rose to 253.
(AP, 10/8/11)
2011 Oct 11, Thailand workers
raced to complete three critical flood walls with only one or two
days to go before the already swollen river that winds through the
capital bursts its banks. Nationwide flooding has already killed
nearly 270 people. A preliminary estimate by the central bank showed
economic losses from flooding that began in late July range from
baht 60 billion to baht 80 billion ($1.9 billion to $2.6 billion).
(AP, 10/11/11)
2011 Oct 13, Thailand issued a
flood warning for parts of Bangkok's northern outskirts after a dyke
burst, in a setback to efforts to protect the city of 12 million
people from the rising water. Unusually heavy monsoon rains have
killed at least 283 people.
(AFP, 10/13/11)
2011 Oct 15, Thailand PM
Yingluck in a radio address called current flooding "the worst in
Thai history." The government said the floods, which have killed 297
people, are the worst to hit the Southeast Asian kingdom in half a
century.
(AP, 10/15/11)
2011 Oct 19, Thailand's new
premier acknowledged that the country's flood crisis has overwhelmed
her government, and she pleaded for mercy from the media and
solidarity from the country in battling the relentless waters. The
death toll in nationwide flooding reached 317, mostly from drowning,
with nearly 9 million people affected and 27 of the country's 77
provinces still inundated. Bangkok's city government urged residents
in seven northern districts of the city to move belongings to safe
spots, but did not yet call for an evacuation.
(AP, 10/19/11)
2011 Oct 21, In Thailand
millions of nervous Bangkok residents were warned to move their
belongings to safety as the kingdom's worst floods in decades poured
into the outskirts of the sprawling city.
(AFP, 10/21/11)
2011 Oct 23, In southern
Thailand at least seven people were killed in back-to-back shooting
and bomb attacks in a town in Narathiwat province.
(AFP, 10/25/11)
2011 Oct 25, Bangkok's second
airport shut down as floodwaters advanced into the Thai capital,
forcing authorities in "crisis mode" to declare a five-day public
holiday in preparation for the deluge.
(AFP, 10/25/11)
2011 Oct 25, In southern
Thailand a series of explosives planted by suspected Muslim rebels
ripped through Yala town, killing at least 3 people and wounding
dozens more.
(AFP, 10/25/11)(SFC, 10/26/11, p.A2)
2011 Oct 27, In Thailand
thousands of Bangkok residents flocked to bus, rail and air
terminals while heavy traffic snaked out of the sprawling Thai
capital in an exodus from a mass of approaching floodwater. By
month’s end the flooding left more than 381 people dead and millions
of homes and livelihoods damaged.
(AFP, 10/27/11)(SFC, 10/31/11, p.A2)
2011 Oct 31, China, Laos,
Myanmar and Thailand signed a regional security agreement pledging
to share intelligence and to engage in joint patrols along a stretch
of the Mekong between China and the Golden Triangle.
(Econ, 11/19/11, p.45)
2011 Nov 2, The Thai government
said the flood disaster has now killed 427 people, an increase of 42
from the figure reported a day earlier. While drowning was the most
common cause of death, dozens have also been electrocuted. Suspected
Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand killed six civilians in a
bomb attack on their vehicle in the south.
(AFP, 11/2/11)(AP, 11/2/11)
2011 Nov 6, The death toll from
Thailand's worst floods in half a century climbed past 500, as
advancing pools of polluted black water threatened Bangkok's subway
system and new evacuations were ordered in the sprawling capital.
(AP, 11/6/11)
2011 Nov 13, The death toll
from Thailand's worst floods in half a century reached 536, and
authorities told more residents of Bangkok to evacuate their
neighborhoods.
(AP, 11/6/11)
2011 Nov 15, Lawmakers from
Thailand's ruling political party submitted a parliamentary motion
to begin discussions over possibly shifting the capital city to
prevent future flooding chaos. Bangkok, which is built on swampland,
is slowly sinking and the floods currently besieging the city of 12
million people could be merely a foretaste of a grim future.
(AFP, 11/15/11)
2011 Nov 16, US Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a $10 million aid package for
flood-ravaged Thailand during a visit to express solidarity.
(AP, 11/16/11)
2011 Nov 19, Thailand's Premier
Yingluck Shinawatra declared central Bangkok safe from the kingdom's
devastating floods, as the death toll passed 600 and President
Barack Obama vowed the US will give whatever help it can.
(AFP, 11/19/11)
2011 Nov 22, In Indonesia the
Southeast Asian Games were formally closed by Indonesia Vice
President Budiono. Indonesia earned a table-topping 182 golds among
476 medals, followed by Thailand with 109 among 329.
(AP, 11/22/11)
2011 Nov 23, A Thai criminal
court sentenced Amphon Tangnoppaku (61) to 20 years in prison for
sending text messages deemed offensive to the country's queen.
(AP, 11/23/11)
2011 Dec 7, In Thailand Arisman
Pongruangrong, a militant leader of Thailand's "Red Shirt" protest
movement, surrendered to authorities on terrorism charges over his
role in opposition rallies last year, after almost 20 months on the
run.
(AP, 12/7/11)
2011 Dec 8, In Thailand Joe
Gordon, an American who translated a banned biography of Thailand's
king and posted the content online while living in Colorado, was
sentenced to two and a half years in a Thai prison for defaming the
country's royal family.
(AP, 12/8/11)
2011 Dec 9, In Thailand some
100 supporters of a grandfather jailed for 20 years in Thailand for
insulting the king held a rare public protest against the kingdom's
strict lese majeste laws in the capital Bangkok. Ampon Tangnoppakul
(61) was last month found guilty of four counts of offending the
royals in text messages last year. Article 112 of the criminal code
contains the rules protecting the royals.
(AFP, 12/9/11)
2011 Dec 13, Three Thai
soldiers were killed and one was critically wounded when an old
landmine exploded as they were trying to defuse it on the country's
border with Cambodia.
(AFP, 12/13/11)
2011 Dec 15, A Thai activist
was sentenced to 15 years in prison for insulting the king in the
third case in a month involving the strict law against defaming the
monarchy that is increasingly being criticized as an infringement on
free speech. Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, nicknamed "Da Torpedo" for
her aggressive speaking style, has been detained since July 2008
after speaking at a rally using impolite language that was recorded
by police.
(AP, 12/15/11)
2012 Jan 5, Thai wildlife
officials said body parts from a dead wild elephant, found on Jan 2
without its tusks, tail and penis, were likely destined for
restaurants in tourist areas. The creature, which was discovered in
Kaeng Krachan National Park near the Myanmar border.
(AFP, 1/5/12)
2012 Jan 12, In Thailand gunmen
shot dead journalist Wisut Tangwitthayaporn (40), a local newspaper
owner and political activist in a targeted attack on the island of
Phuket.
(AFP, 1/12/12)
2012 Jan 12, A Thai navy patrol
caught a gang of dog smugglers on the shore of the Mekong River in
Nakhon Phanom province. At least 750 dogs were to be transported
through Laos to Vietnam, where dog meat is a delicacy.
(AP, 1/12/12)
2012 Jan 16, In Thailand a
foreign suspect, identified as Atris Hussein, with alleged links to
Hezbollah militants led police to a warehouse filled with materials
commonly used to make bombs. Hussein was carrying a valid Swedish
passport when he was arrested.
(AP, 1/16/12)
2012 Jan 19, Thailand said that
it has recognized a Palestinian state, in a move hailed by
Palestinian leaders eager to boost their international standing amid
a stalemate with Israel.
(AFP, 1/20/12)
2012 Jan 21, Thailand police
seized 3.8 million methamphetamine tablets in the country’s largest
drug bust in years.
(AP, 1/21/12)
2012 Jan 24, In central
Thailand fireworks set off during an official Chinese New Year
celebration sparked a blaze that burned homes, killed three people
and injured others.
(AP, 1/24/12)
2012 Jan 26, A Thailand
wildlife official said a worrisome new practice of Thais consuming
elephant meat could threaten the national animal with extinction.
Thailand's elephant population was under 3,000 wild elephants, plus
some 4,000 domesticated.
(AP, 1/26/12)
2012 Jan 29, Thai
paramilitaries shot dead four people including an elderly man and a
teenager in the far south because they feared they were under
attack.
(AFP, 1/30/12)
2012 Feb 14, In Thailand an
Iranian man, Saeid Moradi, carrying grenades lost at least one leg
in a grenade blast and wounded four civilians in Bangkok after an
earlier blast shook his rented house. Mohammad Kharzei, a 2nd man
was arrested in Bangkok as he tried to board a flight to Malaysia.
(AP, 2/14/12)(AP, 2/15/12)
2012 Feb 15, Malaysia police
arrested Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, a third Iranian suspect sought after
explosive blasts in Bangkok.
(AP, 2/15/12)
2012 Feb 28, A Thailand court
sentenced media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul (64), one of the kingdom's
most controversial political figures, to 20 years in prison for
corporate fraud. Sondhi is the founder of the royalist "Yellow
Shirt" protest movement.
(AP, 2/28/12)
2012 Mar 2, Thai police said
they confiscated over 4 million methamphetamine tablets near the
border with Myanmar, where much of it is produced.
(SFC, 3/3/12, p.A2)
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