Thailand

Area: 513,120 sq km (198,117 sq mi)

Population (2006 est.): 64,632,000

Capital: Bangkok

Chief of state: King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Head of government: Prime Ministers Thaksin Shinawatra, Chidchai Vanasatidya (acting for Thaksin from April 5 to May 23), Sonthi Boonyaratkalin from September 19, and, from October 1, Surayud Chulanont

The year 2006 was a truly eventful and turbulent one in Thailand ; Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra , the military, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej ( Thaksin , a telecommunications tycoon, sold nearly half the assets in his family-owned Shin Corp. to Singapore 's Temasek Holdings. The deal, which earned Thaksin 's family Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang, a military officer-turned-activist , led mass protests in Bangkok to demand Thaksin 's resignation. Thaksin dissolved the parliament on February 24 and called an election on April 2. His Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party received more than 50% of the vote, but the boycott of the election by major opposition parties called his mandate into serious question. After an audience with respected King Bhumibol , Thaksin announced his decision not to assume office and formed an interim government, with his deputy Chidchai Vanasatidya becoming prime minister. In early May the court nullified the April election and scheduled another one for mid-October. Thaksin took over the interim government in mid-May, which only complicated the political imbroglio and stiffened opposition.see Biographies) were all involved in the turmoil. Chaos started on January 23, when $1.9 billion in tax-free revenue, fueled discontent that had been mounting during his rule. Media mogul

The shock came on September 19, when the military, led by Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin , overthrew Thaksin in a bloodless coup while Thaksin was in New York City attending a meeting of the UN General Assembly. Sonthi abolished the constitution and instated Gen. Surayud Chulanont , a retired army chief widely respected for his integrity, as interim prime minister, while promising an election in October 2007. The king, whose relationship with Thaksin had been sour, tacitly supported and legitimized the coup, demonstrating, as he had done before, that he was ultimately the most important political player in Thailand . Forced into exile in London , Thaksin announced his resignation as TRT leader and thus accelerated the disintegration of the once-mighty party that had dominated Thai politics since 2001.

The coup leaders justified their action by citing Thaksin 's corruption. Sonthi, the first Muslim army chief , had also become increasingly disaffected with Thaksin 's heavy-handed crackdown on persistent Muslim insurgency in the south. A more political motive was to preempt an annual military reshuffle scheduled in late September, when Thaksin would promote his favourite officers. The coup drew mixed reactions. While most middle-class Bangkokians approved of it for having ousted a corrupt, undemocratic leader, some other Thais and the international community saw the coup, the first since 1991, as a setback for democracy. For the majority of the poor in the countryside, Thaksin 's main support base, his removal meant the likely loss of material benefits he had provided, including accessible medical care, debt relief, and loan schemes. Investors, both foreign and domestic, kept a wait-and-see attitude.

In early June the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol 's reign was celebrated with spectacular fanfare throughout Thailand .

Literally millions of Thais took to the streets to express their wholehearted devotion to the 78-year-old king—the world's longest-reigning monarch.

The year ended ominously with a series of bombs exploding across Bangkok , killing three people and injuring dozens. Military leaders tried to link the terrorist attacks to Thaksin and his supporters, who had political stakes in destabilizing the current regime. Thaksin , in exile in Beijing , flatly denied the allegation.

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