Postwar Developments
In 1946 King Ananda died from a mysterious gunshot wound. Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej, his brother, succeeded him. In 1949 Thailand became the official name of the country.
Thailand followed a pro-West, anti-Communist foreign policy after the war. It sent a detachment of troops to Korea during the Korean War (1950–53). During the 1960's and 1970's, Communist guerrillas waged war against the government.
In 1971 military officers, who had dominated the country's political life for years, disbanded parliament and established a dictatorship. In 1973 a democratic uprising ended the military regime, but the elected government established in its place was overthrown by the armed forces in 1976. Democracy once again returned with the adoption of a new constitution in 1978 and the election of a parliament in 1979.
In 1975, following the Communist takeover of South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, Thailand began experiencing a continuous influx of refugees from those nations. The country's refugee problem has been an economic drain and a source of tension with its Communist neighbors.
Beginning in the mid-1980's Thailand began to rapidly industrialize, and between 1987 and 1995 it had one of the world's fastest growing economies, attracting billions of dollars in international investment and raising the living standards of a significant part of the population. In 1997, however, the failure of several large banks and the collapse of a speculative real estate market caused a deep economic depression.
Thai Rak Thai party leader Thaksin Shinawatra (also spelled Chinnawat) was appointed as prime minister of Thailand in 2001. Under his government, economic conditions began to improve. Thaksin remained in the post of prime minister until a military coup overthrew him in September, 2006. The military appointed retired General Surayud Chulanont as prime minister the following month.
In 2004, a major tsunami struck Thailand's southern provinces, causing great destruction of property and more than 5,000 deaths.
