Thailand has relatively plenty of tin, zinc, iron and plaster. Deposits are also mainly made of gold and copper. The country is a major exporter of gems, such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies and jade.
Dependence on imported energy is great, but has declined since the 1990s due to increased own production of natural gas and oil. In addition, large amounts of lignite are mined. However, domestic resources cannot yet meet the increased demand for energy. Some of the oil and gas fields are located in parts of the Gulf of Siam, which both Cambodia and Thailand claim. Electricity is mainly extracted from domestic natural gas, but also from coal. Electricity is also imported from, for example, Laos. Power outages are not uncommon.
COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Thailand with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
Serious pollution, especially in cities, has led to small but active environmental movements. Many of them are led by Buddhist monks. Bangkok was one of the world’s most unhealthy cities during the 1990s, but stricter legislation has improved the situation somewhat. Since 1993, all new cars must have a catalyst and leaded gasoline has completely disappeared. There have also been restrictions on how much carbon dioxide different vehicles may emit. However, bad air and congestion are still major problems in Bangkok.
Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, TH stands for Thailand. Visit itypeusa for more information about Thailand.
FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
1 990 kilos of oil equivalent (2014)
Electricity consumption per person
2566 kilowatt hours, kWh (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
316 213 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
4.6 tonnes (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
22.9 percent (2015)
2018
December
Election in February 2019
December 11
The government announces that parliamentary elections will be held on February 24, 2019 and that the political parties are free to run election campaigns. Thus, the ban on political campaigns is lifted. However, the constitution guarantees the military continued great powers of power and a new electoral system, according to analysts, is to the detriment of the largest party For Thailand.
November
The Thaksin camp is gathering for the election
November 7
The Thaksin family and its closest allies gather in the newly formed Thai Raksa Chart. At a meeting, Preechapol Pongpanit is elected party chairman. He played a central role in Yingluck’s administration. Vice Chairman becomes Thaksin’s close relative Rupop Shinawatra. Assessors believe that the party was formed to become a support party for Thailand. The constitution adopted after the military coup makes it extremely difficult for a single party to gain its own majority in Parliament.
October
For Thailand, choose new leader
October 28
Former Government Party For Thailand, Viroj Pao-in elects new leader. Viroj is described as a loyal party member who “worked hard during the difficult times of the party”.
September
Relief is introduced for political parties
September 16th
The government announces that the ban on recruiting new members to political parties is lifted. The ban has been in force since the 2014 military coup. It will also allow parties to elect their own leaders, set up regional offices and hold general party meetings if they gather at least 250 members. However, it is still prohibited to conduct political campaigns as well as gather more than five people in public place.
July
Yingluck is requested to be extradited
July 7
Thailand is demanding extradited Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra extradited from the UK, to which she fled in August 2017 after being prosecuted for misunderstanding the country’s economy in connection with the criticized state rice subsidy program. In September of that year, Yingluck was sentenced to five years in prison for failing to stop the bribery committed within the program. The United Kingdom has a extradition agreement with Thailand, but has not commented on the matter.
June
First execution in nine years
June 18
A 26-year-old man is executed with a poison injection, six years after he was convicted of murder. It is the first death sentence to be enforced in Thailand since 2009. According to the Department of Criminal Justice, 325 prisoners have been executed in the country since 1935, most through archery. Between 2003 and 2009, six were sentenced to death, then with poison injections. According to the Thai Justice Department, there were 510 convicted prisoners in the country at the end of 2017. Of these, 94 were women. A number of serious violent crimes and drug crimes result in the death penalty in Thailand.
May
Protest campaign on the fourth anniversary of the coup
May 22
The leaders of a group of regime opponents are arrested by the police as they try to demonstrate on the four-year anniversary of the latest military coup, which was carried out on May 22, 2014. The campaign is one of the biggest protests against the regime since the rally ban was introduced shortly after the coup.
March
Regime-critical protests are increasingly common
March 10
About 500 democracy activists defy the demonstration ban and gather in a protest action against the military-backed government. The manifestation is held in the form of a picnic outside a university in Bangkok. In recent times, the regime-critical demonstrations have been increasing. Since the 2014 military coup, crowds of more than five people have been banned. Democracy activists’ patience with the junta has been tempted by the fact that the promised general elections have been postponed time and time again, no later than early 2019.
January
The election is postponed again
January 25
Parliament is voting for a proposal to make changes to an election law, which means that the planned parliamentary elections in November 2018 are postponed to an uncertain date. The military-backed government has on several occasions previously postponed the promised election.
