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Thai Exceptionalism
Thai exceptionalism is the belief that Thailand is an exceptional country with an exceptional culture. This view is held by many Thais, particularly the elite. Among unique ideas held are that Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to be colonized, its perceived elaborate, refined, and esteemed system of monarchy, and its minimal dependence on imported food. Other exceptional claims relate to complexity of naming systems and Thai language and to the assumption that violence is rare despite numerous coups d'état and a long List of massacres in Thailand, list of massacres. Thai exceptionalism can also be framed negatively. For example, according to Mechai Viravaidya, Thailand is a nation of lawbreakers . Historical context Colonialism During the 18th century, Southeast Asia faced History of colonialism, colonialism, with European nations expanding their sphere of influence towards Thailand, then known as ''Siam,'' and its neighbouring states. From the west, the Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the extremity of Myanmar. Thailand also shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the southeast, and Indonesia and India to the southwest. Bangkok is the nation's capital and largest city. Tai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 11th century. Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer Empire and Malay states ruled the region, competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang, Sukhothai, Lan Na and Ayutthaya, which also rivalled each other. European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The north was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist states, while the south was United States in the Vietnam War, supported by the United States and other anti-communism, anti-communist Free World Military Forces, allies. The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war. It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973. The conflict also spilled over into neighboring states, exacerbating the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, which ended with all three countries becoming communist states by 1975. After the French 1954 Geneva Conference, military withdrawal from Indochina in 1954 – following their defeat in the First Indochina War – the Viet Minh to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songkran
Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit word, ' (or, more specifically, ') and used to refer to the traditional New Year celebrated in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam and Xishuangbanna, China. It begins when the sun transits the constellation of Aries, the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, as reckoned by sidereal astrology. It is related to the equivalent Hindu calendar-based New Year festivals in most parts of South Asia which are collectively referred to as ''Mesha Sankranti''. Songkran New Year Festivals * Cambodian New Year, in Cambodia * Lao New Year, in Laos * Sinhalese New Year, in Sri Lanka * Songkran (Thailand) * Thingyan, in Myanmar * Sangken, in Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam, India * Water-Sprinkling Festival, in Xishuangbanna in China and parts of northern Vietnam. Festivities outside of Asia Australia Songkran celebrations are held in many parts of the country. One of the most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pradal Serey
Pradal Serey ( km, ប្រដាល់សេរី) or Kun Khmer ( km, គុនខ្មែរ) is a combat sport originated in Cambodia. The official Khmer name of the sport is Kbach Kun Pradal Khmer. In Khmer, ''pradal'' means fighting or boxing and ''serey'' means free. Thus, ''pradal serey'' may be translated as "free fighting" or "free boxing". The sport consists of stand up striking and clinch fighting where the objective is to knock an opponent out, force a technical knockout, or win a match by points. Pradal Serey is most well known for its kicking technique, which generates power from hip rotation rather than snapping the leg. Pradal Serey consists of four types of strikes: punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes. The clinch is used to wear down the opponent. In the clinch, opponents battle for dominant position for short range strikes by way of elbows and knees. Cambodian fighters tend to utilize more elbow strikes than that of other martial arts in the region. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees and shins. Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the late 20th to 21st century, when Westernised practitioners from Thailand began competing in kickboxing and mixed-rules matches as well as matches under muay Thai rules around the world. The professional league is governed by The Professional Boxing Association of Thailand (P.A.T), sanctioned by The Sports Authority of Thailand (S.A.T.). Muay Thai is related to other martial art styles such as musti-yuddha, Adimurai, muay Chaiya, muay boran, muay Lao, lethwei, pradal serey and tomoi. Muay Thai developed from the traditional muay boran. A practitioner of muay Thai is known as a ''nak muay''. Western practitioners in Thailand are so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayutthaya Kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is considered to be the precursor of modern Thailand and its developments are an important part of the History of Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom emerged from the mandala of city-states on the Lower Chao Phraya Valley in the late fourteenth century during the decline of the Khmer Empire. After a century of territorial expansions, Ayutthaya became centralized and rose as a major power in Southeast Asia. Ayutthaya faced invasions from the Toungoo dynasty of Burma, starting a centuries' old rivalry between the two regional powers, resulting in the First Fall of Ayutthaya in 1569. However, Naresuan ( 1590–1605) freed Ayutthaya from brief Burmese rule and expanded Ayutthaya militarily. By 1600, the kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Future Forward Party
The Future Forward Party (FFP) ( th, พรรคอนาคตใหม่, , ; literally 'New Future Party') was a political party in Thailand founded in March 2018 by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, former vice president of Thai Summit Group, and Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, a legal scholar. It was founded on a progressive platform that sought to restrain the military's power in Thai politics, decentralize the bureaucracy, and improve social and economic equality. The party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court on 21 February 2020. History In September 2018, the Future Forward Party was officially recognized by the Election Commission, allowing the party to start registering members and solicit funding. In the 2019 election, the party won 30 constituency seats in parliament and 50 party-list MPs, including Thanathorn and Piyabutr, a result significantly better than had been expected for a new party. It also later gained an additional seat from a by-election in Chiang Mai, gi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul ( th, ปิยบุตร แสงกนกกุล, , , born 23 October 1979) is a Thai academic, activist, former politician, and Secretary-General of the Progressive Movement, a socio-political group. He served as a member of the House of Representatives (Thailand), Thai House of Representatives and was the first and only Secretary-General for the Future Forward Party, which he co-founded in 2018. Prior to his political career, Piyabut was an associate professor at the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University. He has worked as a constitutional law professor for more than 16 years. In 2020, he was banned from a national politics by a Constitutional Court of Thailand, the Constitutional Court. Early life and academic career Piyabutr was born on 23 October 1979 into a middle-class Thai Chinese family, the third of four children. Piyabutr graduated secondary school at Assumption College (Thailand), Assumption College and studied for his bachelor's degree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apirat Kongsompong
Apirat Kongsompong ( th, อภิรัชต์ คงสมพงษ์; ; born 23 March 1960) was the Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2020. He currently serves as the Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household Bureau and the deputy director of the Crown Property Bureau. He held many important positions throughout his career including chairman of the board of directors of Government Lottery Office, Independent Director at Bangchak Petroleum Public Co., Member of the National Legislative Assembly, Secretary of the National Council for Peace and Order, and member of the Senate. Early life and education Apirat was born in Bangkok on 23 March 1960. He is the eldest son of General Sunthorn Kongsompong (the former Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the Chairman of the National Peacekeeping Council), and Colonel Khunying Orachorn Kongsompong. He has a younger brother, Major General Nattaporn Kongsompong (retired). Apira ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political '' status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting. Political scientists have created many typologies describing variations of authoritarian forms of government. Authoritarian regimes may be either autocratic or oligarchic and may be based upon the rule of a party or the military. States that have a blurred boundary between democracy and authoritarianism have some times been characterized as "hybrid democracies", "hybrid regimes" or "competitive authoritarian" states. The political scientist Juan Linz, in an influential 1964 work, ''An Authoritarian Regime: Spain'', defined authoritarianism as possessing four qualities: # Limited political pluralism, is realized with constraints on the legislature, political parties and interest groups. # Political legitimacy is based upon appeals to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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