Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia. To its east lie Laos and Cambodia; to its south, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and to its west, the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok.
==Government==
===Executive branch=== 
monarch, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers,
Council of Ministers (cabinet), Privy Council
 
===Legislative branch=== 
bicameral National Assembly (Ratha Satha) consists of
an upper house or Senate (Woothi Satha) and a lower house or House of
Representatives (Satha Poothan)
===Political parties and leaders===
Democrat Party (DP), Social Action Party (SAP), Thai Nation Party (TNP), People's Party (Ratsadon), People's Party (Prachachon), Thai Citizens Party (TCP), United Democracy Party, Solidarity Party, Thai People's Party,
Mass Party, Force of Truth Party (Phalang Dharma)
===Communists=== 
illegal Communist party has arround 2000 members (est.);
armed Communist insurgents throughout Thailand total 400 to 800 (est.)
==Economy==
===Overview=== 
Thailand, one of the more advanced developing countries
in Asia, enjoyed its second straight exceptionally prosperous year in
1989. The increasingly sophisticated manufacturing sector benefited from export-oriented investment, and agriculture grew by 4.0% because of improved weather. The trade deficit of $5.2 billion was more than offset by earnings from tourism
($3.9 billion), remittances, and net capital inflows. The government has
followed a fairly sound fiscal and monetary policy, aided by increased
tax receipts from the fast-moving economy. In 1989 the government
approved new projects--roads, ports, electric power,
communications--needed to refurbish the now overtaxed infrastructure.
Although growth in 1990-91 must necessarily fall below the 1988-89 pace,
Thailand's immediate economic outlook is good, assuming the continuation
of prudent government policies in the context of a
private-sector-oriented development strategy.
===Economical Fact and Figures===
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1989)
 
Unemployment rate: 6% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 7,100,000 kW capacity; 28,000 million kWh produced,
500 kWh per capita (1989)
 
Industries: tourism is the largest source of foreign exchange; textiles
and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, other light
manufacturing, such as jewelry; electric appliances and components, integrated
circuits, furniture, plastics; world's second-largest tungsten producer and
third-largest tin producer
 
Agriculture: accounts for 16% of GNP and 73% of labor force; leading
producer and exporter of rice and cassava (tapioca); other crops--rubber, corn,
sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans; except for wheat, self-sufficient in food; fish
catch of 2.2 million tons (1987)
 
Illicit drugs: a minor producer, major illicit trafficker of heroin,
particularly from Burma and Laos, and cannabis for the international drug
market; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and
shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has
been affected by eradication efforts, but unusually good weather
boosted output in 1989
==Communications==
Railroads: 3,940 km 1.000-meter gauge, 99 km double track
 
Highways: 44,534 km total; 28,016 km paved, 5,132 km earth surface,
11,386 km under development
 
Inland waterways: 3,999 km principal waterways; 3,701 km with navigable
depths of 0.9 m or more throughout the year; numerous minor waterways navigable
by shallow-draft native craft
 
Pipelines: natural gas, 350 km; refined products, 67 km
 
Ports: Bangkok, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha
 
Merchant marine: 122 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 483,688
GRT/730,750 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 70 cargo, 8 container,
27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 liquefied gas, 1 chemical
tanker, 3 bulk, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 1 combination bulk
 
Civil air: 41 (plus 2 leased) major transport aircraft
 
Airports: 127 total, 103 usable; 56 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 26 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
 
Telecommunications: service to general public adequate; bulk of service to
government activities provided by multichannel cable and radio relay network;
739,500 telephones (1987); stations--over 200 AM, 100 FM, and 11 TV in
government-controlled networks; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT; domestic satellite system being developed
 
==Military==
Branches: Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes Royal Thai Marine
Corps), Royal Thai Air Force; paramilitary forces include Border Patrol Police,
Thahan Phran (irregular soldiers), Village Defense Forces
 
Military manpower: males 15-49, 15,617,486; 9,543,119 fit for military
service; 610,410 reach military age (18) annually
 
Defense expenditures: 2.9% of GNP, or $1.9 billion (1989 est.)