Thailand (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

Kingdom of Thailand พระราชอาณาจักรไทย Timeline: Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum OTL equivalent: Thailand minus southern Muslim provinces
Flag Emblem
Motto:  ราษฎร ธรรมะ รัฐธรรมนูญ (Thai) ("People, Dharma and Constitution")
Anthem:  Si Ayutthaya Royal anthem:  Sansoen Phra Barami
Location of Thailand
Capital		Bangkok
Official languages		Thai
Ethnic groups		Thai; Malays
Religion		Buddhism; Christianity; Islam
Demonym		Thai; Siamese
Government		Unitary state; Popular monarchy
-	Queen	Sirindhorn
-	Regent	Dutsadee Banomyong
-	Prime Minister	Yingluck Shinawatra
Legislature		National Assembly of Thailand
Establishment
-	First constitution	December 10, 1932
Population
-	estimate	66,952,665
Currency		Baht (฿) (THB)
Time zone		(UTC+7)
Internet TLD		.th; .ไทย
Calling code		+66

Thailand (Thai: ประเทศไทย Prathet Thai), officially the Kingdom of Thailand (Thai: พระราชอาณาจักรไทย Phra Ratcha-anachak Thai), is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaya, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.

With the election of Sirindhorn as the Queen of Thailand in 2019, replacing her father late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand is now the only country in the world which its top-level political institutions (monarchy, regency and government) are headed by women. Dutsadee Banomyong assumed the position of Regent in 2005, replacing her brother Sukaprida Banomyong. Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was elected the country's first female Prime Minister in 2011.

History

Constitutional monarchy era (1932–38)

Military tanks outside the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall during the 1932 coup, 1932.

After his death in 1925, King Vajiravudh left the nation with a great debt due to his lavish spending and economic mismanagement. His younger brother, Prajadhipok, became the new king with the regnal name Rama VII. Unlike Vajiravudh, Prajadhipok was inclined toward reforms and had considered creating a constitution by himself. However, he remained to be hesitant in introducing radical changes albeit the growing public criticism. The prestige of the monarchy thus had suffered as the king was not able to take swift decisions during the crisis.

Meanwhile, a sense of discontent against the absolute monarchy had grown among young military officers, civil servants, and Western-educated intellectuals. In 1927, a group of seven Thai military and civilian students, including Pridi Banomyong and Plaek Phibunsongkhram, met in Paris and plotted to end the absolute rule of the king. This group then founded the Khana Ratsadon (คณะราษฎร, "People's Council"). They planned to start a military coup against the government in Bangkok.

King Prajadhipok signs the 1932 Constitution of Siam on December 10, 1932

On June 24, 1932, the Khana Ratsadon seized the powers without any significant resistance. Albeit the advice from several senior princes to stage a counter-coup, Prajadhipok had decided to accept the Khana Ratsadon's demands. Two days later, the king gave a royal audience to the Khana Ratsadon and acquitted them for the coup against him. Prajadhipok eventually became the first constitutional monarch of Siam. On December 10, the first constitution of Siam was signed by the king and non-partisan Phraya Manopakorn Nititada was appointed as first Prime Minister.

Following the coup, the king was stripped of most his powers and privileges and lived in constant fear that the next confrontation with the Khana would lead to his and his queen's deaths. In October 1933, the royalists, led by Prince Boworadet, staged a counter-coup against the government and led Siam into small-scale civil war. Although there is no evidence that Prajadhipok gave any support to the rebellion, his neutrality and indecisiveness during the brief conflict led to the further loss of monarchy's credibility and prestige.

As the relationship between the king and government deteriorated, Prajadhipok decided to abdicate in 1935. The National Assembly of Siam then declared Prajadhipok’s nephew, Prince Ananda Mahidol, as his successor with the regnal name Rama VIII. Since Prince Ananda was still studying in Switzerland, Siam had no resident monarch for the first time in its history. The Council of Regency was appointed by the Assembly to act on the monarch’s behalf according to the constitution.

Authoritarian military era (1938–44)

Plaek Phibunsongkhram (1897–1947), the Prime Minister of Thailand (1938–44).

Following the Boworadet Rebellion, the young military officers gradually grew into prominence. The Khana Ratsadon was soon split into the military and civilian factions. The civilian group was led by Pridi Banomyong, the intellectual leader of the 1932 coup. The military one was led by General Plaek Phibunsongkhram who defeated the 1933 counter-coup. Pridi represented the left-wing of the party, while Phibun represented the right-wing. Despite their differences, the two groups cooperated with each other against the royalist opposition, up until World War II.

In 1938, Phibun took over as the posts of Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the commander-in-chief of the army at once. Under his rule, Siam was governed by an authoritarian military regime modeled after Italian Fascism. Phibun suppressed any opposition to his regime by arresting and exiling his political enemies and silencing the press. He also referred to himself as “the Leader” (ท่านผู้นำ than phunam) and elevated himself to the position equal to the monarch. In addition, Phibun appointed himself as the Field Marshal, a title previously been held only by the king.

Plaek Phibunsongkhram and Pridi Banomyong (4th from left, sitting across each other) at the cabinet meeting, ca. 1940

Between 1939 and 1942, the government issued the cultural mandates (รัฐนิยม ratthaniyom) in order to further the modernization of Thai society and encourage the Thai nationalist spirit. The first mandate famously changed the country's name from "Siam" to "Thailand". These mandates encouraged all Thais to salute the flag in public places, know the new national anthem, and use the Thai language, not regional dialects. People were encouraged to adopt Western attires and the wearing of traditional skirts was discouraged.

By 1940, Thailand had cultivated closer relations with the Axis powers. Inspired by the Italian and German expansionist policies, the government had promoted Pan-Thaism that aiming at unifying Thai-speaking people nearby into the “Great Thai Empire” (มหาอาณาจักรไทย Maha-anatchak Thai). Following the Fall of France, Phibun led a campaign to regain the territories annexed by the French which became parts of French Indochina. When the Chinese invaded French Indochina from the north on November 17, 1940, Phibun waited for a month before invaded from the west on December 12, 1940. With the defeat of the French, Laos, Cambodia and the northwestern part of Annam were incorporated into Thailand.

In early 1941, China had contemplated in invading Burma to secure the supply line from the Indian Ocean which blocked by the British and the Japanese, which then in control of the Malacca Strait. After several meetings and pressures with the Thai government, China was allowed full access to Thai railways, roads, airfields, naval bases, warehouses, communications systems, and barracks. In return, China recognized Thai territorial claims on British Burma and offered exclusive trade contracts to Thailand.

World War II (1941–45)

Field Marshal Phibun gave ultranationalist speech to the crowds at the Grand Palace in 1940.

After several pressures from China, the Thai government joined the Axis and declared war on Britain in 1942. On May 9, 1942, Thailand invaded the four northernmost states in British Malaya that had once been under Thai control, including Kedah (ไทรบุรี, Sai Buri), Kelantan (กลันตัน, Kalantan), Perlis (ปะลิส, Palit), and Terengganu (ตรังกานู, Trangkanu). After a week of fighting, the British forces retreated from northern Malaya and the region was formally annexed into Thailand in 1943 as “Si Rat Malai” (สี่รัฐมาลัย, “Four Malay states”) with Alor Setar as its administrative center.

On May 20, 1942, Thailand sent reinforcements to help the Chinese invasion of Burma. The Thais occupied the Shan States by the end of May and proceed to march across the Salween River. Unlike during the invasion of Malaya, the British, however, persevered in their defense on Burma. The Thai Army had suffered heavy losses both on the lives of its soldiers and on military logistics. The exhausting invasion of Burma eventually ended in January 1943, almost a year after its initial battle, which proved disastrous both to the Chinese and the Thais later. In 1943, Thailand annexed the parts of Shan States as "Saharat Thai Doem" (สหรัฐไทยเดิม, "Unified Former Thai territories").

Thai Phayap Army entered northeastern Burma, May 1942.

Shortly after Thailand joined the Axis, Phibun kicked Pridi upstairs from the cabinet to the Regency in 1941 to shush the latter's criticism. During this time, Pridi had toned his anti-royalist tendency down and cooperated with the royalists who joined the opposition against Phibun. Pridi, Khuang Aphaiwong, Direk Chaiyanam, and the Royal Navy started to organize resistance that made contact with the Allies in 1943. Together with similar groups in Britain, led by Queen Rambai Barni, widow of Prajadhipok, and in the United States, led by brothers Seni and Kukrit Pramoj, these networks were called the Free Thai movement (ขบวนการเสรีไทย Khabuankarn Seri Thai), or simply the Seri Thai.

In July 1944, the Seri Thai organized the vote of no confidence against Phibun in the parliament and forced him out of power; Khuang Aphaiwong was elected new prime minister. Khuang quickly organized the immediate armistice and cessation of hostilities with the Allied forces by September 1944. In May 1945, the Japanese 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral Fukudome Shigeru, landed in Bangkok, thus signaled the start of the Allied occupation of Thailand. The British, Indian troops, and American observers landed in September 1945 and briefly occupied several parts of the country.

At the end of the war, Phibun and other wartime leaders, such as Lieutenant General Phin Choonhavan and Luang Wichitwathakan, were put on trial at Allied insistence on charges of having committed war crimes, mainly that of collaborating with the Axis powers. Phibun and Wichit were sentenced to death by firing squad in 1946 by the Bangkok War Crimes Tribunal; the executions were conducted in secret around July and August 1947. Other war criminals, such as Phin and Colonel Sarit Dhanarajata, were sentenced to imprisonments, ranged from five-year term to life sentences.

Allied occupation of Thailand (1945–48)

Pridi Banomyong (1900–1983), the Regent (1942–45; 1950–58) and Prime Minister of Thailand (1945–50)

The Allies' main objectives in Thailand were demilitarization and war reparations. Britain demanded war reparations in the form of rice shipments and the transfer of Muslim provinces in the south to British Malaya. France demanded the return of Indochinese territories annexed during the war. On another hand, Japan wanted to add Thailand into its own sphere of influence in accordance with a secret agreement with the British and the Americans in 1944.

During the occupation, Pridi cooperated closely with the Japanese in pushing several of his political and economic programs, known as the Ten Points Declaration (ทศศีลประกาศ Thotsin Prakat), which included redistribution of the lands owned by the landed nobility and removal of the privileges of Thai aristocrats. These economic policies were opposed by the conservatives, such as aristocrat Seri Pramoj and Khuang Aphaiwong. On May 12, 1945, Pridi forced Khuang to resign due to the latter's opposition to his Ten Points Declaration.

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat (1901–1988), the Regent and President of Privy Council of Thailand (1945–50; 1958–67).

Pridi assumed the role of an interim prime minister between May and August 1945, much to the dismay of conservatives since Pridi was then both the head of state and government of Thailand. With the pressure from the conservatives, Pridi resigned as the Regent and was replaced by his Navy ally, Admiral Thawan Thamrongnawasawat. Faced with increasing opposition from the right, Pridi and his loyalists, such as Tiang Sirikhanth and Khrong Chandawong, formed the Freedom People’s Solidarity (สามัคคีราษฎร์เสรี Samakkhi Ratsadon Seri, SRS) on June 5, 1945.

Pridi also sought to transform the monarchy into an elective organ of the state. He wanted the monarch to be chosen by the Royal Council from among the Chakri royals every four years before being approved by the Assembly. Termed as “popular monarchism” (ราชาธิปไตยของราษฎร rachathiptai khong ratsadon), it was based on Prince Cuong De’s 1943 political essay on post-war Indochina. Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held in January 1946; the Samakkhi-endorsed candidates successfully won a majority in the Assembly. Afraid of the complete control by Pridi's party, the conservatives believed King Ananda was too controllable, first by Phibun and then by Pridi, and conspired to replace Ananda with more senior princes if the succession system is reformed.

After a heated debate, the new Succession Law was passed in 1946. Pridi's supporters successfully revised several provisions, such removed the king a prerogative to choose the successor and the male primogeniture principle (supported by Princess Suvadhana, Vajiravudh's widow) as well as allowed the royals with foreign descents and/or born from commoners to be included in the succession (supported by Prince Chula Chakrabongse and Prince Rangsit Prayurasakdi). On other hand, the conservatives were able to add a requirement for the king to be at least 25 years old to be elected (supported by Prince Chumbhotbongs Paribatra), effectively invalidated the rule of King Ananda.

Lakhsamana I era (1946–50)

Rangsit Prayurasakdi (Lakhsmana I) (1885–1951), the King of Thailand (1946–1950)

Based on the new law, 21-year-old Ananda was not eligible to be king at that time. Prince Chumbhot, the son of Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, was expected to reign since he was the royal-born grandson of Chulalongkorn's fourth royal wife, Sukhumala Marasri. Nevertheless, Ananda remained the most preferred candidate by the law, as he was the first-born grandson of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Savang Vadhana without any foreign ancestry. Pridi himself was still wary with the Paribatra family after the Khana Ratsadon ousted them in 1932 and expected Ananda to return to the throne in 1950.

Pridi asked Prince Vudhijaya Chalermlabha, the 47th child of King Chulalongkorn, to serve as a "caretaker king" until Ananda reached the required age. Vudhijaya, however, refused the offer for health reasons (he would died a year later) and recommended his younger half-brother, Prince Rangsit, instead. With the government's support, Rangsit prevailed over Chumbhot during the royal election. After several deliberations, the Royal Council finally selected Prince Rangsit Prayurasakdi, the 52nd child of King Chulalongkorn, to become the King of Thailand from 1946 to 1950 with the regnal name Lakhsmana I.

During his brief rule, King Rangsit played active roles in laying foundation for post-war Thai monarchy. As a "caretaker king", he safeguarded the primacy of the descendants of Prince Mahidol in the line of succession. A close friend of their father, Rangsit nurtured Ananda and his younger brother, Bhumibol, in preparation to become future Thai monarchs. Unlike his predecessors, Rangsit maintained strong public presence by giving speeches in village and towns in his constitutional role to encourage the citizens in post-war development. Although only reigned four years, Rangsit is still revered today among ordinary Thais as the "ratsapati" (ราษฎรปติ, literally "lord of the nation").

With the passing of new Succession Law and the 1947 Constitution, the male preference of succession was removed. It thus allows a female member of Chakri bloodline to be a monarch if the Royal Council approves. As a result, Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda, the only child of King Vajiravudh as well as Ananda’s first cousin, was made eligible to be a future monarch; she was in the third preferred candidate to be the monarch by 1950. In order to prevent the strife among the older members of Chakri bloodline, King Rangsit and Prime Minister Pridi arranged the marriage for Ananda and Bejaratana in 1947 to unite two primary royal contenders.

Further readings