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foreign investment reached nearly US$10 billion and the tourism industry was valued at US$16 billion. Both figures are predicted to fall sharply. Serious social problems remain to be addressed. They include the perpetuation of a dual economy in which most industrial development is focused on the capital, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the nation’s GDP although it has only an estimated 15 per cent of the population. Bangkok’s infrastructure is straining to cope with the expansion but, despite major development schemes, rural infrastructure remains inadequate to attract much business and industry away from the capital. Pollution and environmental degradation have become urgent issues in both urban and rural areas. AIDS has become the country’s most pressing health issue, with several million Thais estimated to be HIV-positive; though, due to campaigns by government and non-governmental organisations, AIDS-awareness among young Thais is now among the highest in the developing world and the problem does seem to be under control. The drug problem also created international headlines when, in February 2003, the government launched a ‘‘war on drugs’’. Unprecedented in its severity, an estimated 3,000 people were killed within the first three months, mostly by over-zealous police. While the campaign met with overwhelming public support, in December 2003 the King publicly chastised Thaksin over the number of extra-judicial killings and called for an investigation. In 2003, separatist violence broke out in the three MalayMuslim-dominated southern states of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, resulting in martial law being imposed. The violence worsened in April 2004 when the police killed 107 alleged militants after being tipped off about planned attacks. In December 2004, 78 Thai Muslims who were detained following a protest rally suffocated to death in military custody; an event which sparked strong international condemnation of the government. The security situation remains uncertain in the south with both sides accused by human rights groups of committing abuses. Despite these problems, Thailand’s history over the centuries tends to induce optimism for its future; albeit noting the confluence of the global financial crisis with continuing political tussles between pro- and anti-Thaksin forces (and all the serious underlying issues behind these) may put extraordinary pressure on its citizens in the near future. So far however, Thai history can be read as the story of a people with an unusual capacity for social cohesion, for resolving or evading conflict, and for confronting unavoidable challenges creatively. THAILAND www.facebook.com/7khmer fb : Entertainment And Knowledge
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