Dateline Bangkok, September 20, 2006

As more than 7% of Thailand’s GDP is derived from tourism, it is important to put the recent “coup” into perspective.

The Past:
The region of Thailand has been continuously occupied for 20,000 years. It was part of the Mon and Khmer kingdoms from the 9th century AD. Thai-speaking peoples emigrated from China c.10th century. During the 13th century two Thai states emerged: the Sukhothai kingdom, founded c.1220 after a successful revolt against the Khmer, and Chiang Mai, founded in 1296 after defeating the Mon. In 1351 the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya succeeded Sukhothai. The Burmese were its most powerful rival, occupying it briefly in the 16th century and destroying it in 1767. The Chakri dynasty came to power in 1782, moving the capital to Bangkok and extending the empire along the Malay Peninsula and into Laos and Cambodia. It was named Siam in 1856. Though Western influence increased during the 19th century, Siam's rulers avoided colonization by granting concessions to European countries; it was the only Southeast Asian nation able to do so. In 1917 it entered World War I on the side of the Allies. It became a constitutional monarchy following a military coup in 1932 and was officially renamed Thailand in 1939. It was occupied by Japan in World War II. It participated in the Korean War as a U.N. forces member. It was allied with South Vietnam in the Vietnam War. Along with other Southeast Asian nations, it suffered from the 1990s regional financial crisis, but in recent years its economy grew to be one of the strongest in the region.

The Present:
With growth came materialism, financial maneuvering, and power politics. However, as one of their more attractive traits is that most Thais are non-confrontational, they not only turned a blind eye but then put on rose-colored glasses, and people like ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his cronies took more than their fair share.

Finally, many of the educated middle class felt Thaksin was so corrupt financially, politically, and morally that he had to go. The question was “how?” The recent elections had been a farce; perhaps constitutional methods weren’t going to work.

Happily, the military took matters into its own hands on September 19th, and the country breathed a sigh of relief.

You must understand this. No matter what it looks like from abroad, I live here and Thailand feels a better place already.

Bottom Line: There is no reason to delay, let alone put off, your planned visit to this magic kingdom. Besides, Chiang Mai has been voted the World’s Number One Value Destination by Condé Nast Traveller, and in two weeks I will begin to publish a multi-part series on Northern Thailand—where to stay, dine, shop, and what to see (with my usual caveats of what to avoid).

At the brand new Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle, Northern Thailand.

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