The Kingdom of ThailandRatcha Anachak Thai, IPA is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.
It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The capital and largest city of Thailand is Bangkok. It is also the country’s center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities.
Thailand is the world’s 50th largest country in terms of total area (slightly smaller than Yemen and slightly larger than Spain), with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq mi), and the 21st most-populous country, with approximately 64 million people. About 75% of the population is ethnically Thai, 14% is of Chinese origin, and 3% is ethnically Malay; the rest belong to minority groups including Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. There are approximately 2.2 million legal and illegal migrants in Thailand. Thailand has also attracted a small number of expatriates from developed countries. The country’s official language is Thai.
Thailand is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world. The national religion is Theravada Buddhism which is practiced by more than 94.7% of all Thais. Muslims make up 4.6% of the population and 0.7% belong to other religions.Culture and traditions in Thailand are significantly influenced by India, as are Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the House of Chakri, as the ruling monarch. The king has reigned for more than sixty-three years, making him the longest reigning Thai monarch and the longest reigning current monarch in the world. The king is officially titled as the Head of State, the Head of the Armed Forces, an Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all faiths.
Thailand experienced rapid economic growth between 1985 and 1995 and today is a newly industrialized country with an emphasis on exports and a flourishing tourism industry, thanks to various world-famous tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Bangkok, and Phuket.
The Country’s official name was Siam Sayam, pronounced until June 23, 1939, when it was changed to Thailand. It was renamed Siam from 1945 to May 11, 1949, after which it was again renamed Thailand. Also spelled Siem, it has been identified with the Sanskrit Śyâma (meaning “dark” or “brown”). The names Shan and A-hom seem to be variants of the same word, and Śyâma is possibly not its origin but a learned and artificial distortion.
The word Thai is not, as commonly believed, derived from the word Tai meaning “freedom” in the Thai language; it is, however, the name of an ethnic group from the central plains (the Thai people).A famous Thai scholar argued that Tai simply means “people” or “human being” since his investigation shows that in some rural areas the word “Tai” was used instead of the usual Thai word “khon” for people. The phrase “Land of the free” is derived from Thai pride in the fact that Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized by a European power.
The Thai National Anthem Thai refers to the Thai nation as: prathet-thai . The first line of the national anthem is: prathet thai ruam lueat neua chat chuea thai and was translated in 1939 by Colonel Luang Saranuprabhandi as: “Thailand is the unity of Thai blood and body.”
While the Thai people will often refer to their country using the polite form prathet-thai , they most commonly use the more colloquial word ‘Mueang-Thai’ or simply Thai ; the word mueang meaning nation but most commonly used to refer to a city or town.
Ratcha Anachak Thai means “Kingdom of Thailand” or “Kingdom of Thai”. Etymologically, its components are: -Ratcha- (from Sanskrit raja, meaning “king, royal, realm”) ; -ana- (from Pāli āṇā, “authority, command, power”, itself from Sanskrit ājñā, same meaning) -chak (from Sanskrit cakra or cakraṃ meaning “wheel”, a symbol of power and rule).
Chedi or Stupas are bell shaped towers which contain artifacts of Buddha or they may have the mortal remains of important monks or kings. Wat Yai Chai Mongkon is an example of such a bell shaped chedi. It can also be in the shape of pagoda.
The huge chedi of Wat Yai Chai Mongkon was built in 1592. Ayuttaya king, Nareusan the Great, built it. But this temple already existed during the time of King Ramathibodi in 1357 and it was used as the site for meditation by monks.
When the Burmese took over Ayutthaya, they destroyed the small chedis but Wat Yai Chai Mongkon was too big to be destroyed and survived the attack. A new Ubosot was built in the place of the old Ubosot, which was set on fire by the attackers.
Ubosot is a hall where important ceremonies take place. It may not be always open to the public. The ubosot should have an altar with one or more Buddha images.
The big chedi of Wat Yai Chai Mongkon now has modern images of Buddha lined up in the inner courtyard. There is wonderful view of Ayuthhaya landscape which you can see if you climb the base of bell shaped chedi.. There is a reclining Buddha, built by the King Nareusan, for purpose of meditation.
The temple has been now converted to a museum in the honor of King Nareusan. A modern wiharn is built behind the chedi. A wiharn is a place which houses Buddha images where people come to pray for peace.
Some trekking tour companies, particularly in Northern Thailand, have been known to make drugs available to trekkers. Travelers should not accept drugs of any kind, as the drugs may be altered or harmful, and the use or sale of narcotic drugs is illegal in Thailand. Additionally, alcoholic beverages, medications and drugs may be more potent or of a different composition than similar ones in the United States.
Penalties for the possession of, use of, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Thailand are severe. Foreigners are not excused from these checks, and anyone whose urine tests positive for drugs is arrested and charged. The possession of even small quantities of “soft drugs” for recreational purposes can result in lengthy jail sentences and deportation. Enforcement action against people involved in all aspect of illicit drugs has increased significantly. Canadians are reminded that Thai laws regarding illegal drugs are very strict and include the death penalty for serious offences. The possession of even small amounts of illegal drugs, including marijuana, can result in severe fines and/or prison sentences. Visitors should be aware that night-time police spot-checks to search for illegal drugs have become common in and around entertainment venues in Thailand.
Never become involved with drugs of any kind in Thailand. Amphetamines and Ecstasy are regarded as class A drugs and possession or trafficking of them carries the same penalties as, for example, heroin.
The long, mountainous border with Myanmar (Burma) brings refugees, illegal immigrants, and drugs into the country. Most people think about Thailand as having only drugs & girls. Enforcement action against people involved in all aspect of illicit drugs has increased significantly, becarefull not to ruin your holiday and your life.
Are you in search of a Thai bride? This article will tell you exactly how to find a Thai bride and avoid the numerous scam sites.
When you type mail order bride Thailand into your favorite search engine it will reveal hundreds of sites where you can supposedly contact Thai women wishing to be brides.
The truth is most of these sites are a scam. There is a much better way to find a bride and it need not cost you any money.
The traditional mail order bride sites you find on your search advertise numerous women. Most of the time these women are fake. The site owner will buy photo content of Thai women and make fake profiles. Sometimes, when they are real people, the adverts are out of day; the women have found a husband but the site owner has kept the advert up because it lures people into joining his site. So after you pay what is usually a huge membership fee you will be, on the whole, contacting fake or out-of-date adverts of women. You have just wasted a lot of money.
Did you know there is a growing trend of Thai women using popular dating sites to find a husband? They do so because they can use the sites for free and more people use them so they have more chance of becoming a bride. Now that you know about this trend you can use the information to easily find yourself a Thai bride.
Instead of typing mail order bride Thailand into a search engine just get a free account at a popular dating site. On your profile state that you are looking for a Thai bride. Go to the search page and search for women in Thailand looking for husbands (you can put these exact keywords into the search) and you will find thousands of results. Now all you have to do is visit their profiles, look at their photos, decide which you like best and email them and send a friend request. Within a few short hours you will have dozens or hundreds of Thai women sending you messages and it has not cost you a cent.
Thailand is a favorite retirement location for many westerners and retirees from other parts of the world. Not only is it affordable but it offers so much to the adventurous soul who seeks a place to retire. Thailand has so much beauty everywhere and so many exciting places to visit.
The Most Popular Thailand Retirement Locations Are:
Bangkok
Pattaya
Phuket
Chiang Mai
South Of Thailand
….that’s not all…Retirees also choose other locations in Thailand like: North East Thailand ‘Isaan’, Chiang Rai, Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Khon Kaen, Hua Hin or some of the beautiful Islands in the south of Thailand.
Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are just a few of the beautiful islands in the south of Thailand with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. If you don’t want to live on an island it is nice to have the option of visiting an island for a few days or weeks.
Visiting Thailand for a longer stay before retiring in Thailand is a good way to find out if this is the Paradise for you. Some people come to Thailand for 6 moths to one year to find out if they want to retire in Thailand and find the area of Thailand they like.
There are things about Thailand that may be a little difficult for some to live with. The Thai Visa requirements are confusing but need to be understood. A foreigner can own a condominium in Thailand but not land. As a foreigner you will always be a foreigner.
Thai people treat everyone with respect yet they will always refer to you as farang -foreigner- which is not meant to insult you but it is deeply engrained in Thai people and it is the way they refer to white people.
The list of good things about Thailand is seemingly endless and outweigh the ‘negative’. Thai people are one of the most sociable nations on the planet and have an extremely carefree attitude. They love to joke, have fun and eat delicious food.
So, to sum it all up: If you like to see beautiful things and places, have fun, you are laid back, you like to eat delicious and exotic dishes and you would like to have all of that for pennies on the dollar….you may want to consider Thailand as a retirement location.
How Much Money Do You Need In Thailand?
The answer is; how long is a piece of string? There are people who can live very comfortable for well under $ 1,000 a month and then you have people who think $ 5,000 is bare minimum.
There are people who pay $ 100 a month rent for an apartment and are happy and then there are people who own a one million dollar condo and are happy or still think they could have done better.
Thai Spouses of UK citizens who wish to join their partner and settle in the UK are qualified to apply for a UK Spouse Visa in Thailand. The UK Spouse visa will allow the holder to live and work in the UK for two years. Near the expiration of the allowed time to stay, if the couple is still married and living together, the Thai spouse may then apply for a permanent residency in the UK. There are three significant issues to consider before filing an application for a UK Spouse Visa in Thailand. These are as follows:
1. The Legal Marriage and genuine ongoing relationship.
This can be supported by submitting the original copy of the Marriage Certificate along with other documents. Another way of proving the marital relationship is by showing pictures or recorded videos taken during the wedding ceremony or the actual Marriage Registration. You must be able to show exchange of correspondence such us letters, postcards, chats, emails, telephone bills, photos together and even receipts of money transfers. Plane tickets, boarding passes and hotel bookings can also be used as proof to show that you have done things and traveled together. Both the applicant and sponsor should also write a letter about their relationship stating how and when the first meeting took place, how the relationship developed and express each eagerness and desire to be with each other to spend life together as family.
2. The Sponsor’s current Financial Position and Accommodation in the UK.
The UK Embassy in Bangkok and its commercial organization partner, VFS, will check if the sponsor has the capability to support the future spouse’s stay in the UK without asking help from the public funds. To affirm and establish this requirement, the sponsor must provide his/her latest six months bank statements, employment certificate, at least 3 months recent pay slips, house title deed, mortgage or contract with the landlord. To strengthen this requirement, a photo of the sponsor’s house in the UK (including every room) is a must.
3. Age requirement is at least 21 years old.
This is very simple. If the applicant is below 21 years of age, the sponsor must wait until the applicant is 21 before applying for a spouse visa. This rule applies the same way to the sponsor. Thus, none of the couples must be under 21 during the application. Both of them must be of legal age for the Thai spouse to be issued a UK Spouse Visa in Thailand.
