Archeological discoveries around the northeast village hamlet of Ban Chiang suggest that the world’s oldest Bronze Age civilization was flourishing in Thailand some 5,600 years ago. Successive waves of immigrants, including Mon, Khmer and Thai, gradually entered the land mass now known as Thailand, most slowly travelling along fertile river valleys from southern China.
The Sukhothai era declined in the 1300s and eventually became a vassal state of Ayutthaya, a dynamic young kingdom further couth in the Chao Phraya River valley. Founded in 1350, Ayutthaya remained the Thai capital until 1767 when it was destroyed by Burmese invaders. During Ayutthaya’s 417 years as the capital, under the rule of 33 kings, the Thais brought their distinctive culture to full fruition, totally ridding their lands of Khmer presence and fostering contact with Arab, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and European powers. Ayutthaya’s destruction was as severe a blow to the Thais as the loss of Paris or London would be to the French or English, however a Thai revival occurred within months and the Burmese were expelled by King Taksin who later made Thon Buri his capital. In 1782, the first king of the present Chakri dynasty, Rama I established his new capital on the site of a riverside village called Bangkok. Two Chakri monarchs, Mongkut (Rama IV), who reigned between 1851 and 1868, and his son Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who reigned from 1868 to 1910, saved Thailand from western colonization through adrout diplomacy and selective modernization. Today, Thailand has a constitutional monarchy. Since 1932, Thai kings including the present monarch, H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, have exercised their legislative powers through a national assembly, their executive power through a cabinet headed by a prime minister and their judicial powers through the law courts. The Kingdom of Thailand is located in south East Asia, almost equidistant between India and China. Thailand, formerly known as Siam, covers an area of 510,000 square kilometers and has a population of around 64 million. The Kingdom shares borders with Myanmar to the west and north, Laos to the northeast and north, Cambodia to the east and Malaysia to the south. Geographically speaking, Thailand is divided into six major regions:
Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with three distinct seasons:
The average annual temperature is 28 degrees Celsius, with the north typically cooler than the south at most times of the year. Throughout its long history, Thailand has welcomed and gently assimilated immigrants. Many were skilled as writers, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians and architects and helped enrich the indigenous cultures.
People inhabiting Thailand today share a rich ethnic diversity – mainly Thai, Mon, Khmer, Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Persian and Indian stock – with the result that there is no typically Thai physiognomy or physique. There are petite Thais, statuesque Thais, round-faced Thais, dark-skinned Thais and light-skinned Thais. Some 80 percent of all Thais are connected in some way with agriculture, which in varying degrees, influences and is influenced by the religious ceremonies and festivals that help make Thailand such a distinctive country.
Besides moulding morality, providing social cohesion and offering spiritual support, Buddhism has provided incomparable artistic impetus. In common with medieval European cathedrals, Thailand’s innumerable multi-roofed temples have inspired major artistic creations. Another reason for Buddhism’s strength is that there are few Thai Buddhist families in which at least one male member has not studied the Buddha’s teachings in a temple. It has long been a custom for Buddhist males over the age of 20, at one time in their life, to be ordained for a period ranging from five days to three months. This usually occurs during the annual Rains Retreat, a three-month period during the rainy season when all monks forego travel and remain within their temple. Besides sustaining monastic communities, Thai temples have traditionally served other purposes – as the village hostelry, village news, employment and information agency, school, hospital, dispensary and community centre – which give them vital roles in Thai society. The Thais have always subscribed to the ideal of religious freedom. Thus, sizeable minorities of Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs freely pursue their respective faiths.
 Tourists holding valid Australian passports do not require a visa to enter Thailand, if they are staying 30 days or less. In fact, visitors from 39 countries can enter Thailand without a visa for a period not exceeding 30 days; or get a Tourist Visa on Arrival for a period not exceeding 15 days.
Retirement Visas, aimed at encouraging foreigners aged 55 years and over to stay longer in Thailand, can be applied for at Royal Thai embassies or consulates. For more information regarding tourist visas, please contact your local Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate (see below for details) or visit www.mfa.go.th For more information if already in Thailand, contact the Immigration Department located at Soi Suan Plu, South Sathon Road, Bangkok. Tel: 0 2287 3101.  The time in Thailand is seven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+7 hours
GMT).
 Most commercial concerns in Bangkok operate on a five-day week, usually from
8 am to 5 pm. Many stores open seven days a week from 10 am to 10 pm. Government
offices are generally open between 8:30am and 4:30pm with a noon to 1pm lunch
break, Monday to Friday except on public holidays. Banks are open Mondays
to Fridays from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm except on public holidays.
 Tipping is not standard practice in Thailand, although it is becoming increasingly
common. Many larger hotels and restaurants add a 10% service charge to
the bill. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip but the gesture is appreciated
and 20-30 baht is acceptable for porters.
 Thailand has adopted the western calendar to divide the year into days, weeks
and months, using Thai names for these units. Years are numbered according
to the Buddhist Era (BE) which commenced 543 years before the Christian Era.
Therefore 2003 AD is BE 2546 and 2004 is BE 2547.
 Thailand’s national public holidays are linked to religious or agricultural traditions and follow the lunar calendar, therefore the dates for some of the holidays change each year. For the precise dates of the lunar holidays and festival locations, check www.tourismthailand.org. The following are national public holidays in Thailand:
 Central Emergency: 191 (Police, Ambulance, Fire)
Highway Patrol: 1193 Crime Suppression: 195 or 0 2513 3844 Tourist Police: 1155 (English, French and German spoken)  Vistors to Thailand can now claim VAT refunds at Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Phuket international airports for a minimum purchase of 5,000 baht per day (this amount can be reached through many purchases in one day). Upon making a purchase, visitors should request the store to process a VAT refund form. If in a department store, tourists must collect their receipts and take them to the specified VAT counter to be processed. Receipts must be processed on the day of purchase. When departing Thailand, visitors must have the form stamped at the customs VAT checkpoint prior to airline check-in. Please note that the goods bought and claimed under the VAT refund system must be shown to the customs representative before the form can be stamped. When passing through passport control, visitors will have the form processed by the Revenue Department officials and receive a VAT refund. For more information, please contact the VAT Refund for Tourists Office, Tel: 0 2272 9388 or VAT Refund Office at Bangkok International Airport, Tel: 0 2535 6576-79.  The metric system is used throughout Thailand. Numerals on vehicle speedometers,
highway markers and speed limits all indicate kilometres.
 Light, cool clothes are sensible and a jacket is only needed for formal meetings
and dining in top restaurants. Shorts (except knee length walking shorts),
sleeveless shirts, tank tops and other beach-style attire are considered
inappropriate dress when not actually at the beach or in a resort area.
 Australia Royal Thai Embassy (Canberra) 111 Empire Circuit Yarralumla ACT 2600 Tel: 02 6273 1149 Royal Thai Consulate General (Sydney) Level 8, Hudson House 131 Macquarie St Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: 02 9241 2922 Royal Thai Consulate General (Melbourne) Suite 301, 566 St Kilda Rd Melbourne VIC 3000 Tel: 03 9533 9100 Royal Thai Consulate General (Brisbane) 87 Annerley Rd South Brisbane QLD 4102 Tel: 07 3846 7771 Royal Thai Consulate General (Adelaide) Level 1, 72 Flinders St Adelaide SA 5000 Tel: 08 8232 7474 Royal Thai Consulate General (Perth) Level 4, Durak Centre 263 Adelaide Tce Perth WA 6000 Tel: 08 9221 3237
New Zealand Royal Thai Embassy (Wellington) 2 Cook St Tarori, Wellington New Zealand Tel: +64 4 476 8616  All kinds of narcotics (hemp, opium, cocaine, morphine, heroin), obscene literature, pictures and articles are prohibited. Cigarettes, cigars, or smoking tobacco, each or in total, must not exceed 250 grams in weight.
 As in most countries, vaccination certificates are not required for people
unless coming from or passing through a designated contaminated area. Some
border areas of Thailand are malarial and appropriate precautions should
be taken if visiting there. Bangkok, major cities and resorts have excellent
medical facilities and most hotels have doctors on 24-hour call. Thailand
has many high standard private hospitals – in Bangkok and every region.
Visitors can be assured of round-the-clock international standard medical
services.
 Private airport-to-city transfer options include hotel services, airport limousine service (approx 650 baht from the airport to downtown), and taxis from public taxi stands located outside arrival halls. Public transport options include train and Airport Bus. Don Muang railway station is 500 metres across the road from the airport and provides services to Bangkok where connections can be made to all parts of the country. Timetables are available at the station. Airport Buses (AB), from the airport to the city and back, operate from 0430 hrs to 0030 hrs, at approximately 15-minute intervals (depending on traffic). For information, phone 0 2995 1252 or contact the Tourist Service Centre, Tel: 1155.  Currency Currency Exchange Credit cards are widely accepted.
 The electric current is 220 volt AC (50 cycles) throughout the country. Many
different types of plugs and sockets are in use. Travellers with electric
shavers, hair dryers, tape recorders and other appliances should carry
a plug adapter kit. The better hotels will make available 110-volt transformers.
 Tap water is clean but drinking from it directly should be avoided. Bottled
water is recommended.
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