THAILAND
(Kingdom of Thailand)
Updated 27 Oct 2006
Capital: Bangkok
Government type: Military Junta under Constitutional Monarchy
Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
Chief of State: His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Head of Government: Surayud Chulanont
President of the Council of National Security (CNS): Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin
State Religion: Theravada Buddhism
Statistics
Population: 65,444,371 (July 2006 est.) Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% (Indian, Malay, Karen, Khmer, or Mon)
Religions (2000 census): Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.75%, other 0.1%
Unemployment rate: 1.8% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: 10% (2004 est.)
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country that has never taken over by a European power.
Political Development & Human Rights
Until the coup in September 2006, Thailand was a constitutional monarchy.
On 19th, with the endorsement of King Bhumibol Adulyadei, the Royal Thai Army led by Army Commander Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin seized control of key government buildings and television stations in Bangkok. At the time, Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin was in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly.
Later, the Thai armed forces and police force declared the creation of the Council for Democratic Reform of the Constitutional Monarchy (now known as the Council for Democratic Reform), and announced that it had taken control of Bangkok. The military declared martial law, abrogated the Thai Constitution, and suspended the Parliament.
While the international community condemned the coup as unnecessary and contrary to democracy, there was no call for the immediate restoration of the elected government. Human Rights groups expressed concerns regarding the right to free speech, and the right to protest and engage in political activities.
On 1 Oct, Surayud Chulanont, a former general, was named the new Prime Minister by the Junta. A new Cabinet was approved by the King to govern Thailand until elections scheduled for next October.
· Historically, human rights of its citizens are generally respected. Surayud has stressed the importance of ending violence in the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, and Songkhla. However, the military authority remains in full power and will continue to hold final authority until a new constitution is drafted and national elections are held late next year.
· Human Rights Watch has urged Surayud to immediately restore fundamental rights as the first step toward a return to democracy (2 Oct 06). “To keep its promises for a quick restoration of democracy, the junta must first remove the nationwide enforcement of martial law and lift all restrictions on fundamental rights,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Genuine reform is impossible when authorities still have sweeping power to ban political gatherings, censor the media and detain people for up to seven days without charge.”
· The Junta has announced that they will abide by UN and international standards in accordance with Thailand's obligations under the international conventions to which is party.
· Media censorship remains in place, with the junta directing the media to “cover news truthfully and constructively in order to promote unity and reconciliation in the country.”
Religious Freedom
Theravada Buddhism is central to Thai identity and belief, while Islam is prevalent in the southernmost parts.
While separatist violence in the southernmost provinces continues to result in localized tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities, religious practices are not significantly inhibited. The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice; however, it restricted the activities of some groups.
· The constitution requires that the monarch be a Buddhist. The 1962 Sangha Act specifically prohibits the defamation or insult of Buddhism and the Buddhist clergy.
· The Penal Code prohibits the insult or disturbance of religious places or services of all officially recognized religions.
· The State subsidizes activities of the three largest religious communities (Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian). For fiscal year 2005, the Government allocated $1.03 million for Islamic organizations, $56,600 for Christian, Brahman-Hindu, and Sikh organizations. Catholic and Protestant groups can request government support for renovation and repair work but do not receive a regular budget to maintain church buildings, nor do they receive government assistance to support their clergy. In 2006 the Government provided approximately $36,000 for restoration of Christian churches. Private donations to registered religious organizations are tax deductible.
· Unregistered religious organizations operate freely. There are close to 1,500 registered foreign missionaries in the country, most of them Christian.
There are no reports of religious prisoners or detainees or forced religious conversions. The relationship among religions is generally amicable. The heightening tension between local Islamic and Buddhist communities in the southern regions has not resulted in open communal conflict. Discrimination, if any, appears to be linked more to ethnicity than to religion.
The Church
Church growth has been disappointing. Of the 76 provinces, 14 have fewer than 1000 Christians, three have less than 100, and four have no evangelical congregations. Nevertheless, recent years see greater bond among the pastors of different denominations. It is reported that national prayer network is getting stronger.
Protestantism is strongest among Chinese and has made recent gains among Montagnards. The Church of Christ in Thailand is currently the largest Protestant church in the country. It has a theological seminary in Cheng Mai and sponsors primary and secondary schools, hospitals, mobile clinic, rehabilitation centre, agricultural farm and adult literacy department.
While there is freedom of religion, the Church finds difficulties to penetrate the Buddhist world. This may be due to the conviction that a Thai cannot become a Christian without abandoning the Thai community. Recently, significant inroads have been made into the central Thai community, particularly through radio ministries.
Get yourself up on the high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news; lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” (Isaiah 40:9)
Continue to pray:
- The new Prime Minister, new cabinet and the Junta, a just and transparent government and judiciary, honesty and integrity among the ruling officials.
- Effective legal and social frameworks to break culture of corruption and to curb increasing crime rate.
- Women, children and the hill tribe minorities, for protection and greater awareness of their plight
- Thank God for religious freedom.
- The Church:
- Spiritual renewal and high standards of holiness in Church life, godly Christian leadership.
- Various church ministries and the works of Christian organisations: effective partnership and strategic outreach; smooth bible translation process.
- Against syncretism
- Local Thai and tribal churches to take up opportunities for evangelism among their own people. Open heart and mind to receive the Good News, so that every village will hear the gospel by 2010.
- Vibrant campus and youth outreaches; increased passion for the Lord among the young people.
Reference:
- CIA Factbook, Oct 5, 2006.
- Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2005, released March 2006
- International Religious Freedom Report September 2006
- Amnesty International 2006
- Human Rights Watch World Report 2006
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand
- Robbie B. H. Goh, Christianity in Southeast Asia. Singapore: ISEAS Pub., 2005.
- The 4th Southeast Asia Prayer Consultation (SEAPC), 10-14 October 2006. Batam, Indonesia.
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