Today, home to 65 million people, Thailand is the only
Southeast Asian nation never to have been colonized by a western power.
It has thus retained much of its unique cultural heritage. To be Thai
is to take great pride in the history, culture, and physical beauty of
the nation. To be Thai is to love the King with a wholehearted
devotion, unknown to many in the West. And to be Thai is to be
Buddhist.Buddhism has for centuries been the official religion of Thailand, though the state has looked favorably on other walks of faith. Thai Buddhism is deeply ingrained in culture, and practically may look more like Animism than one of the mainstream sects of Buddhism in the world today. Over the centuries strict Buddhist doctrines have blended with other Eastern and Hindu traditions, to form the unique “Thai Buddhism” practiced today. Thais are proud of their Buddhist heritage, and proud of their tolerance for other religions, though they generally are very uninterested in them.
For the Thai economy, the 19th and 20th centuries have brought a growing dependency upon western nations. Only recently has Thailand no longer been considered a developing nation by international poverty standards, though the challenges of fighting poverty in the rural provinces persist. Agriculture and tourism are two of the most important enterprises to a growing Thai economy.
In recent years, the Thai political landscape has been fairly unstable. After several major economies of Southeast Asia crashed in 1997, a new political party and leader rose to the forefront in Thailand (the Thai Rak Thai party). After ten years of Thai Rak Thai leadership, the military backed by other political parties, and fueled by allegations of corruption, overthrew the prime minister and his party in the coup of September 2006. With the coup, the most recent of seventeen in modern Thai history, the interim government threw out the Thai constitution promising a fresh start with elections soon. Despite the instability, not much confrontation has resulted. Much of this is due to the King, who despite not having the political power in theory, holds the nation together in the people’s common support and love for him.
Thailand is a fascinating place. It’s growing in attraction to Westerners, and in its importance as a hub in Southeast Asia both economically and politically. Yet, it is a dark place spiritually and the need for the gospel of Christ is great. We encourage you to visit, to learn about and to pray for the nation of Thailand.
