Prehistory
- the most ancient traces: million years ago
- the oldest paintings on the rocks: 10,000 years BC
- Chinese descriptions: black, ugly, with curled hair and walking naked
Thais
- has come from south China
- language: Thailand, Laos, China
- gene structure: similar to Taiwanese aborigine
- under the influence of Malay and Khmer civilizations
- first states near X century
- monks from Burma and Ceylon, Theravada
Ayutthaya
- 80kms north to Bangkok
- a state capital from XIV to XVIII century
- king Ramathiboldi I recognize Theravada as the official religion; introduction of Dharmashastra, a law based on Indian code
- contact with Portuguese established at the beginning of XVI century
- 1700 Ayutthaya: population over one million, the biggest city in the world
- end of the XVIII century: long wars with Burma; kingdom has failed, capital moved to Bangkok, last king dead from starvation
Colonial era
- Bangkok: the capital of Thailand from 1782 year
- Siam: the biggest,most powerful country in the South-East Asia; lands of contemporary Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, partly Burma and Malaysia
- XIX century enemies: Great Britain and France; Thailand has lost half of the territory, but kept independence thanks to the diplomacy; the only one independent state of the region
XX century
- revolution in 1932: Thailand transformed into a constitutional monarchy
- first free elections 60 years later
- The II World War: Thailand has entered into a military pact with Japan; Japan army passed through Thailand to Burma and Malay border; attack on French colonies in Laos and Cambodia; 1944 a pact with the USA
- the communist movement didn’t develop
- American ally during the war in Vietnam; secret support for Red Khmers in Cambodia
Contemporary times
- parliamentary democracy from 1973
- democratic governments didn’t ever last longer than several years; since 40 years the political situation is unstable
- 2008, 2009, 2010 – demonstrations, some people killed
- current government was not elected in free elections; high level of corruption, lack of free media in the western meaning of the term
- some activity of Muslim separatists on the south
Notes on Phuket history
- name Junk Ceylon appears on the Alexandria maps in the III CE
- the island was widely known among Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Arab sailors and pirates
- Europeans have come in XVI century, first Portuguese
- in 1785 Burma has attacked Phuket; two women, Than Phu Ying Chan and Mook have organized the defense
- Chinese migrants: XIX century, from south China, looking for work in tin mines on Phuket
- today the only one important industry is tourism; mines and gum tree plantations are not so important as before