History of Thailand
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only South
-East Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power, and fiercely proud of the fact. A bloodless revolutionin 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. After a string of military dictatorships and quickly toppled civilian presidents, Thailand finally stabilized into a fair approximation of a democracy and the economy, hobbled by the 1997 Asian economic crisis, is booming once again. Above it all presides the King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), the world's longest-reigning monarch and a deeply respected figure of near-mythic proportions.
In September 2006, a swift and bloodless military coup endorsed by the King overthrew the previous democratically elected but widely criticized government, promising elections in late 2007. Although martial law still applies and political gatherings are limited to five people, there has been no violence, no curfews are in effect, there is no longer any significant military presence in public places, and all services are functioning normally.
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