Country Trading Profiles Thailand

Political outline | Living conditions | Useful resources | Communications

Political outline

Executive Power: Governed by a constitutional monarchy, Thailand has a bicameral legislature system with a House of Representatives and a Senate. Thailand’s 76 provinces each administered by an appointed Governor are divided into districts, sub-districts (tambons) and villages.
The King is the chief of the state and the monarch is hereditary. he has little direct power but commands enormous popular respect and moral authority which he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened national stability. Following national elections for the lower house of the parliament, the leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition is appointed as Prime Minister by the King for a four-year term. Prime Minister is the head of the government and holds all the executive powers including implementation of the law in the country and running the day-to-day affairs. The cabinet is appointed by the King on recommendation of the Prime Minister.
Legislative Power: The legislature in Thailand is bicameral. The parliament called National Assembly consists of: Senate (the upper house) having 200 seats with its members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms and the House of Representatives (the lower house) having 500 seats with its members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The executive branch of government is directly or indirectly dependent on the support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. Government cannot veto the acts passed by the parliament. When not under military rule, the people of Thailand enjoy considerable political rights. The coup of September 2006 has taken place after 15 years of civilian and democratically-elected governments. The 2006 interim constitution was later surpassed by the permanent constitution on 24 August 2007. Martial law was partially revoked in January 2007. The ban on political activities was lifted in July 2007 following the 30 May dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai party. The new constitution has been approved by a referendum on 19 August, which led to a return to democratic elections on 23 December 2007.
Main political parties: Thailand has a multi-party system. The major political parties in the country are:
- TRT (Thai Rak Thai Party) – has no clear ideological platform, but is commonly described as a ‘populist’ party;
- DP (Democratic Party) – the oldest party in the country, opposes any kind of military dictatorship, pro-democracy;
- TNP (Thai Nation Party) – a conservative nationalist party;
- Great People's Party – advocates left-wing ideology.
Current political leaders: King: Bhumibol Adulyadej (since June 1946) – hereditary
Prime Minister: YINGLAK Chinnawat, also spelled YINGLUCK Shinawatra (since 8 August 2011) - Pheu Thai Party.
Next election dates: Senate: April 2012
House of Representatives: Year 2015

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: To be involved in a road accident or to suffer from vehicle pollution ranks higher on the scale of potential health hazards than do malaria or cholera in Thailand. Precaution measures for diarrhea and for typhoid are recomanded. Avoid uncooked food and take standard bottled or boiled water. Booster vaccination is available at most Thailand medical centers. Get hepatitis A vaccination at a reputed medical center. Take the common precautions against water-borne diseases to prevent Hepatitis E. Hepatitis B vaccination is also available at most medical centers. Get Japanese encephalitis shots before entering Thailand if you've plans to stay long in the countryside. If you are visiting Thailand during monsoon (May-September), use mosquito repellant at all times.
International hospitals: There are several international hospitals in Bangkok and some capital cities (Phuket, Koh Samui...).
For further information on sanitary conditions: MDTravel Health
Travel Health Advisory group
For further information on safety conditions: Worldworx web site
Contact your Embassy: Embassy of Greece in Thailand
21/159 South Sathorn Road
Thai Wah Tower II, Bangkok 10120
Phone: (00662) 6791462
Fax: 6791463
bagremb@ksc.th.co

Emergency numbers

Emergencies	191
Police Fire Brigade	199

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Bangkok (GMT+7 )
Summer time period: None.

Map of the time zone

Type of climate: Thailand's climate is tropical, high both in temperature and humidity, and dominated by monsoons. April and May are the hottest months of the year. June sees the beginning of the monsoon, and brings with it the rainy season, which continues intermittently until the end of October. From November to the end of February the climate is cooler and there is a reduction in the humidity level. This is also the main tourist season, and the best time to visit Thailand.

For further information: World travel guide.

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Useful resources

To find an accommodation: Hotel Thailand, Hotels2Thailand. Asia Hotels
Thai hotel.
Asia Rooms
Asia Travel
To find an apartment: Thai apartment web site.

Thai Apartment web site.
Thailand homes online.
To find a job

Communications

Telephone codes: To make a call from Thailand to Greece: dial 001 (or +) 30
To make a call to in Thailand from Greece: dial 00 (or +) +66
Mobile telephone standards: The telephone system in Thailand is efficient, if costly, and from Bangkok you can direct-dial most major centres with little difficulty. If you bring your own mobile phone, roaming is not a problem but is expensive. Two cellular operators in Thailand, Orange and DTAC, will allow you to use their SIM cards in an imported phone, as long as your phone isn't SIM-locked. Rates depend on the calling plan you choose, but are typically around 3.00 per minute anywhere in Thailand. You can also buy a mobile phone in Bangkok fairly cheaply, depending on the model, at shopping centres. Major hotels in Bangkok can arrange the rental of handsets and SIM cards for 150.00 to 250.00 a day, depending on how many days you need them. Call rates are 6.00 to 12.00 per minute.
Internet suffix: .th

COUNTRY TRADING PROFILES

General Information

Political outline

Living conditions

Health and safety

Emergency numbers

Time difference and climate

Map of the time zone

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Useful resources

Communications