The year 1997 was the 216th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of

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 bo ...

. It was the 52nd year of the reign of King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

(Rama IX) and is reckoned as the year 2540 in the

Buddhist Era The Buddhist calendar is a set of lunisolar calendars primarily used in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as well as in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam by Chinese populations for religious or official occasions. While the ...

. It is most significantly marked by the

1997 Asian financial crisis The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...

, which began when the Bank of Thailand floated the

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...

on 2 July, as well as the promulgation of the

1997 Constitution of Thailand File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic'', the List of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; ...

Incumbents

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

: **until 9 November: Chavalit Yongchaiyudh **starting 9 November: Chuan Leekpai * Supreme Patriarch: Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana

Events

* 14–15 May – the Thai baht is hit by a massive speculative attack, triggering the

* 2 July – the Bank of Thailand floats the

, leading to rapid devaluation * 11 October – Promulgation of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2540 * 1 November – Thai Sky TV Station Broadcasting ceased at 6:00 AM. * 6 November – General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh submits a letter of resignation from the position of Prime Minister. * 9 November – Chuan Leekpai assumes the position of Prime Minister for a second term, following General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

References

Years of the 20th century in Thailand

1990s in Thailand {{Thailand-stub