History
About a thousand years ago some very nice Chinese people thought it would be an idea to head south and say hello to their neighbours, the Khmers. The Khmers appeared at first to be as nice as the Chinese and they decided to stay but after a couple of hundred years the Khmer rulers turned out to be not very friendly at all (and, on occasion, just plain rude) so our Chinese rebelled, formed the Sukhothai Kingdom and niceness was restored to the area. The kingdom of Ayutthaya followed this, and was defined by the delicacy of its poetry, the greatness of its art, the majesty of its temples and the extreme niceness of its people. They spent a lot of time fighting the Burmese but they were gracious about it, even in defeat.

The Chakkri dynasty, which appeared in 1782, made Bangkok the capital, and Siam, as it was now known, was the only country in the area not to come under colonial rule. The British tried but the troops could be overheard saying things like, "Well, you just can't, can you?"

The king's powers of absolute authority were revoked in a bloodless coup in 1932 (bloodless, mind). There have been 17 coups since then, which is less nice but that's the military for you and a nation should never be judged by its military or politicians (former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra being an excellent case in point).

Modern Thailand is much like the other ASEAN nations. Thriving, bustling cities and stunning natural beauty everywhere else, but in Thailand especially, regardless of where you go, you will find the people to be courteous, helpful and very, very nice.

The day12 a-z is the combination of solid practical information and our readers fevered imaginations. it's up to you to decide which is which. Think of it as a quiz, but a quiz with very serious repercutions if you get the answer wrong...

The Day12 A-Zs are updated as and when we receive ideas from you, our loyal reader, so Check out the notice board for the latest suggestions and while you're thinking of something to add, we're proud to present -

The Day12 A-Z of...

Thailand

A

B

Bangkok - is NOT the capital of Thailand (See K).

A-B | C-H | I-N | O-T | U-Z