History
Thailand means "land of the free", and throughout its 800-year history, Thailand can boast the distinction of being the only country in Southeast Asia never to have been colonized. Its history is divided into five major periods:
Nanchao Period (650-1250 A.D.)
The Thai people founded their kingdom in the southern part of China, which is Yunnan, Kwangsi and Canton today. A great number of people migrated south as far as the Chao Phraya Basin and settled down over the Central Plain under the sovereignty of the Khmer Empire, whose culture they probably accepted. The Thai people founded their independent state of Sukhothai around 1238 A.D., which marks the beginning of the Sukhothai Period.
Sukhothai Period (1238-1378 A.D.)
Thais began to emerge as a dominant force in the region in the13th century, gradually asserting independence from existing Khmer and Mon kingdoms. Called by its rulers "the dawn of happiness", this is often considered the golden era of Thai history, an ideal Thai state in a land of plenty governed by paternal and benevolent kings, the most famous of whom was King Ramkamhaeng the Great. However in 1350, the mightier state of Ayutthaya exerted its influence over Sukhothai.
Ayutthaya Period (1350-1767)
The Ayutthaya kings adopted Khmer cultural influences from the very beginning. No longer the paternal and accessible rulers that the kings of Sukhothai had been, Ayutthaya's sovereigns were absolute monarchs and assumed the title devaraja (god-king). The early part of this period saw Ayutthaya extend its sovereignty over neighboring Thai principalities and come into conflict with its neighbours, During the 17th century, Siam started diplomatic and commercial relations with western countries.
In 1767, a Burmese invasion succeeded in capturing Ayutthaya. Despite their overwhelming victory, the Burmese did not retain control of Siam for long. A young general named Phya Taksin and his followers broke through the Burmese encirclement and escaped to Chantaburi. Seven months after the fall of Ayutthaya, he and his forces sailed back to the capital and expelled the Burmese occupation garrison.
Thon Buri Period (1767-1772)
General Taksin, as he is popularly known, decided to transfer the capital from Ayutthaya to a site nearer to the sea which would facilitate foreign trade, ensure the procurement of arms, and make defence and withdrawal easier in case of a renewed Burmese attack. He established his new capital at Thon Buri on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River.
The rule of Taksin was not an easy one. The lack of central authority since the fall of Ayutthaya led to the rapid disintegration of the kingdom, and Taksin's reign was spent reuniting the provinces.
Rattanakosin Period (1782 - the Present)
After Taksin's death, General Chakri became the first king of the Chakri Dynasty, Rama I, ruling from 1782 to 1809. His first action as king was to transfer the royal capital across the river from Thon Buri to Bangkok and build the Grand Palace. Rama II (1809-1824) continued the restoration begun by his predecessor. King Nang Klao, Rama III (1824-1851) reopened relations with Western nations and developed trade with China. King Mongkut, Rama IV, (1851-1868) concluded treaties with European countries, avoided colonialisation and established modern Thailand. He made many social and economic reforms during his reign .
King Chulalongkorn, Rama V (1869-1910) continued his father's tradition of reform, abolishing slavery and improving the public welfare and administrative system. Compulsory education and other educational reforms were introduced by King Vajiravudh, Rama VI (1910-1925). During the reign of King Prajadhipok, (1925-1935), Thailand changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The king abdicated in 1933 and was succeeded by his nephew, King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946). The country's name was changed from Siam to Thailand with the advent of a democratic government in 1939.

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December 5, 2004, is an auspicious occasion for Thai people as its marks the 77th Birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the longest-reigning Monarch in the world. The Great King of Thailand.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand is known as the working monarch of the world. He visits the remote areas all over the country to listen to the villager's problems and tries to improve their livelihood through various methods and the Royal Projects. For His Majesty, the people come first. The people's well-being has to be the first and this goes beyond public pledges or commitments.
"We will reign with righteousness, for the benefits and happiness of the Siamese peoples"
His Majesty the King obtains knowledge about local conditions and problems from the people themselves and, after consulting with the officials concerned, devises the best courses of action to improve the conditions or solve the problems.
Parallel to these foreign visits but infinitely more important and meaningful are the continual visits paid by Their Majesties to various parts of Thailand. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has chosen this continual contact with the people to be the focal point of his Constitutional Kingship and the cornerstone of his reign. Professional men and officials in the capital city of Bangkok, we have seen, Their Majesties could meet regularly in the course of performing their official functions, so they have made it a point to spend all available spare time between those functions and even most of their so-called holidays to pay visits to other kinds of people in the capital and in particular to visit people in the outlying districts throughout the length and breadth of the Kingdom.
These visits sometimes take the form of extended tours, originating with the one early on in his reign to the North-Eastern region where the soil and the people are reputed to be the poorest. It was in fact the first time in the history of Thailand that a King made a visit to the North-East and it set the pattern for future extended tours to other parts of the country. Throughout the 20 days of the first tour, Their Majesties were most enthusiastically received. Everywhere they went, people turned up to greet them in hundreds of thousands, some of them having had to travel on foot over some of the most rugged terrain for two or three days in order to be in the spots to be visited by Their Majesties. Even though the pre-arranged programme as already quite crowded, yet Their Majesties spent longer than scheduled at all places of stop and even made extra stops between schedules to make real acquaintance with the people. The mere presence of the King meant for most of those people that for the first time the highest symbol of the nation became alive and was brought before them as a recognizable feature. The manner in which Their Majesties conducted themselves, giving their whole hearts and attentions to the people even at great physical discomfort such as taking luncheons and dinners in mid-afternoon and late at night, immediately linked the living symbol of the Nation to the people in a bond of mutual understanding and personal affection.
From the infrequent trips of modest beginning in the 1950's, to-day, Their Majesties spend almost eight months out of a year in each of the four widely dispersed Royal Residences outside of Bangkok at Chiang Mai in the North, Sakon Nakhon in the North-East, Prachuap Khiri Khan in the Mid-South and Narathiwat in the Far-South. At each of these locations, His Majesty visits many remote villages - in fact, he has been to every one of the 76 provinces which go to compose Thailand and becomes familiar with the needs of the people all over the country.
It is from these contacts that His Majesty learns at first hand, from the people themselves, of the local conditions and problems. He converses with the local inhabitants after having put them at their ease and thus learns from them the problems with which they are faced according to their thinking. After consulting further with the officials concerned, His Majesty would deduce his own conclusions of the problems, including the causes of the troubles and the possible methods to redress them. After his return or sometimes even on the spot, He would indicate what he has learnt to the members of the government, requesting them to assist and give support to the people wherever feasible. The numerous projects which His Majesty has initiated in such manner could be roughly classified under the following categories development of irrigation projects throughout the Kingdom, reforestation and watershed development as well as crop substitution for opium growing in the North, irrigation network and water conservation in the North-East, drainage and re-clamation in the South and land reform with co-operative farming in the central plains.
In conversation with the ordinary people His Majesty would emphasize to them the necessity of self-improve-ment, the importance of basic factors of life such as education and public health in order that at least the level of their general welfare could be improved. Year by year as these visits become more frequent and prolonged, Their Majesties are still received everywhere with the same degree of enthusiastic welcome as when they started off about thirty years ago. It should also be added that, to-day, often when Their Majesties visit the people, they are accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Princess Chulabhorn. But when Their Majesties are pre-occupied with other functions, sometimes either His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn or Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn will visit the people in their steads. Indeed, the personal bonds of understanding and affection between Their Majesties and their people never seem to cool but seem to grow all the time closer and stronger. Thus what King Bhumibol Adulyadej in his clear sightedness has set up to be the cornerstone of his reign and his interpretation of the Thai Monarchy has turned out to be a tremendous success, making the influence of the Throne welcome and effective in all other areas of life some of which will be described in the following sections.
His Majesty the King is seen during the Coronation Ceremony on May 5th B.E. 2493 (AD. 1950) while seated on the Bhadrabith Throne beneath the Nine-tiered White Umbrella of State in the Baisal Daksin Hall of the Grand Palace in the act of pronouncing the Oath of Accession to the Throne of all Thai King which says We will reign with righteousness, for the benefits and happiness of the Siamese people", while at the same time pouring ceremonial water symbolizing to the dedication of his whole being and efforts hence forward to the task of reigning over the Thai Nation according to the Ten-Fold Moral Principles of the Sovereign.
In the years following, His Majesty the King began what has become his way of life-traveling throughout the year to the provinces and rural areas of the kingdom to visit his people, talk to them and, perhaps even more important, listen to them. He learns first hand of their needs and their problems and then sets about trying to find a way of giving immediate help; later these problems are studied in depth to find a permanent solution or way of assistance.