Updated September 11, 2019June 17, 2020
Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations
Thailand is a long-time military ally and economic partner
of the United States. These ties endure, but more than a
decade of political turmoil in Thailand, including two
military coups in 2006 and 2014, have complicated U.S.Thai relations. The Thai government’s efforts to manipulate
political processes and suppress critics has raised questions
about Thailand’s prospects for returning to full democratic
governance including the peaceful transfer of power and
protection for civil liberties, and eventually recognizing
civilian authority over the military. After holding elections
in early 2019 that many regarded as flawed, Thailand has
indicated it wants to reset its relationship with the United
States after five years of coup-triggered constraints.
As one of Southeast Asia’s most developed nations and a
long-time U.S. partner on a range of issues, Thailand has
the potential to support U.S. initiatives, such as broadening
regional defense cooperation. Thailand is the 2019 chair of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and
is to convene and lead the region’s key multilateral forums
this year. However, U.S. policymakers face challenges in
rekindling the bilateral relationship with Thailand, which
was frustrated by U.S. criticism of the coup, while also
encouraging it to fully return to democratic norms.
Background on Thailand’s Political Landscape
As demonstrated in the close election outcome, Thailand
remains deeply politically divided, with the potential for
more conflicts ahead. Thailand’s political turmoil has
involved a broad clash between the nation’s political
establishment (a mix of the military, royalists who are
staunch supporters of the monarchy, senior bureaucrats, and
many urban and middle class citizens) and democracy
activists and backers of former Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, who was deposed in the 2006 coup and now
resides overseas. Thaksin was popular, particularly with the
rural poor, because of his populist policies, challenges to
the traditional elites, and political empowerment of
traditionally marginalized communities.
Between 2001 and 2011, Thaksin and his supporters won
six consecutive national elections, but their leaders were
repeatedly removed from office, by either military or
judicial coup. During this period of instability, Thailand
saw numerous large-scale demonstrations, several of which
resulted in violent confrontations between factions, or with
the military and police. In 2010, clashes between the
military and pro-Thaksin demonstrators over several weeks
killed 80 civilians in Bangkok.
March 2019 Elections
Thailand
Thailand conducted nationwide elections in March 2019—
its first since 2011—and in June seated a new government
led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former
Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army who led the
2014 coup. The polls were conducted under new rules
drafted by the junta that provided structural advantages for
military-backed parties, raising questions about the new
government’s popular legitimacy. Voting overall ran
smoothly, but the Election Commission of Thailand was
widely criticized for releasing inconsistent and delayed
results, raising skepticism about the credibility of the
tallying process. Official results showed that the main
opposition party had won the highest number of elected
seats. Prayuth’s party, however, was able to form a
coalition government with the full support of the militaryappointed Senate.
The 2014 coup was Thailand’s 12th successful coup since
1932. The junta drafted a new constitution that created a
military-appointed Senate and limited the power of political
parties.
On July 19, 2019, the U.S. State Department notified
Congress of its certification that a democratically elected
government had taken office in Thailand. (Under the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 [P.L. 87-195; 22 U.S.C.
2151 et seq.], certain categories of military assistance may
not be used to “finance directly any assistance to any
country whose duly elected head of government is deposed
by military coup or decree.”) With this certification, the
United States can resume the provision of military
assistance that was suspended after the 2014 coup, which
includes Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and International
Military Education Training (IMET).
The monarchy is one of Thailand’s most powerful political
institutions. The former king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed
away in 2016, ending a 70-year reign that had made him the
world’s longest serving monarch. The palace has few
formal authorities, but Bhumibol enjoyed tremendous
popular support and, in turn, political influence. After his
accession to the throne, Bhumiphol’s son Maha
Vajiralongkorn, now officially known as King Rama X, has
been more politically active than his father was in his last
years, opposing some parts of the 2016 Constitution and
taking control of the bureau managing the throne’s vast
fortune in July 2017.
Capital: Bangkok
Size: Slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming
Population: 68.6 million (July 2018 est.)
Infant Mortality: 9 deaths/1,000 live births
Fertility Rate: 1.52 children born/woman (U.S.=1.72)
GDP (official exchange rate): $455.4 billion (2017 est.)
GDP per capita (PPP): $17,900 (2017 est.)
Source: CIA World Factbook, 2018
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Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations
U.S.-Thailand Relations
The United States and Thailand have longstandingAlthough Thailand held elections in March
2019, many saw the electoral process, which resulted in a
quasi-civilian government led by former Army commander
Prayuth Chan-ocha, as having been weighted to protect
military influence. The U.S. Department of State certified
in July 2019 that a democratically-elected government had
taken office in Thailand, allowing for restoration of military
assistance that had been proscribed since the 2014 coup.
Thailand has indicated it wants to reset its relationship with
the United States after five years of coup-triggered
constraints. As one of Southeast Asia’s most developed
nations and a long-time U.S. partner on a range of issues,
Thailand has the potential to support U.S. initiatives such as
broadening regional defense cooperation and addressing
concerns about management of the Mekong River.
However, U.S. policymakers face challenges in rekindling
the relationship while encouraging Thailand to fully return
to democratic norms. The Thai government’s continued
efforts to suppress criticism, including muzzling journalists
and banning one of the largest opposition parties, raises
further concerns for many about the country’s political
prospects.
Thailand Politics
The March 24, 2019, elections were described by a number
of independent monitoring groups as heavily tilted to favor
the military junta. Thailand’s military-drafted constitution
gave structural advantages to the military, and a series of
laws passed by the junta in 2016 allowed it to tighten
censorship over media outlets and silence critics. The
subsequent entrenchment of military personnel in the
government’s most powerful positions—Prayuth is also
defense minister, and three former military officers hold
deputy prime minister positions—has led many analysts to
conclude that Thailand’s new civilian government is a
continuation of military rule.
Thailand remains deeply politically divided, with the
potential for more conflicts ahead. The political turmoil has
involved a broad clash between the political establishment
(a mix of the military, royalists, senior bureaucrats, and
many urban and middle class citizens) and democracy
activists, rural Thai, and backers of former Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in the 2006 coup
and now resides overseas. Between 2001 and 2011, Thaksin
and his supporters won six consecutive national elections,
but their leaders were repeatedly removed from office by
either military or judicial coup. During this period, Thailand
saw numerous large-scale demonstrations, several of which
resulted in violent confrontations including 2010 clashes
that killed 80 civilians in Bangkok. The country’s political
opposition has evolved in recent years with the
establishment of a range of new parties, but the military’s
control over the political process remains largely protected.
Figure 1. Thailand at a Glance
Source: CIA World Factbook, 2020, World Bank.
The monarchy is one of Thailand’s most powerful political
institutions. The former king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed
away in 2016, ending a 70-year reign that had made him the
world’s longest serving monarch. The king has few formal
authorities, but Bhumibol enjoyed tremendous popular
support and political influence. After his accession to the
throne, Bhumibol’s son Maha Vajiralongkorn, now
officially known as King Rama X, has been more politically
active than his father was in his last years, opposing some
parts of the 2016 Constitution and taking control of the
bureau managing the throne’s vast fortune in July 2017.
Thailand and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thailand was the first country outside of China to identify a
case of COVID-19, but appears to have flattened the curve.
In late March, Thailand declared a state of emergency and
canceled the popular Songkran water festival, Thailand’s
New Year’s celebration. The health care system’s
experience in containing infectious disease may have
helped reduced the impact of the outbreak.
Despite these successes, Thailand’s state of emergency has
drawn criticism for cracking down on dissenting voices and
intimidating journalists or health care workers from
reporting negative news. Political disagreements have also
broken out, with several lawmakers resigning in protest of
how emergency funds were allocated.
Economic Impacts of COVID-19
Thailand’s economy—driven heavily by tourism and
foreign direct investment—has slowed over the last several
years, with 2019 marking its slowest growth in over five
years. Ongoing Sino-U.S. trade frictions, combined with a
strengthening Thai currency, also strained the country’s
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Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations
economy. Economic factors related to COVID-19—lower
tourism levels, slowing production, and weak domestic
consumption—are all expected to further Thailand’s
ongoing struggle with stagnant wage growth and rising
levels of poverty. In an effort to curtail further economic
decline, the government approved a number of stimulus
packages, the most recent in June 2020 targeting domestic
tourism. The government also plans to gradually reopen
international travel in phases over the course of 2020.
U.S.-Thailand Relations
The United States and Thailand have long-standing bilateral
relations, including a treaty alliance that derives from the
1954 Southeast Asian Treaty Organization, which the U.S.
and Thailand reinforced in a bilateral 1962 agreement, the
Thanat-Rusk Communique. The United States operates
numerous regional offices from the Bangkok Embassy, one
of the largest diplomatic missions in the world. Bilateral
cooperation includes security initiatives and operations,
regional health and education programs, and others.
Security Relations
Security cooperation, which dates back to cooperation in
the Korean and Vietnam Wars, has long been the highest
profile pillar of the U.S.-Thai relationship. In addition to
hosting military exercises, Thailand has provided the U.S.
military with access to important facilities, particularly the
strategically located Utapao airbase and Sattahip naval
base. The U.S. military used Utapao for refueling
operations during its campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan in
the 2000s, as well as for multinational relief efforts,
including after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and 2015
Nepal earthquake. For U.S. officials, intelligence and law
enforcement cooperation with Thai counterparts remains a
priority, particularly as the United States confronts
international criminal and drug networks.
Before the 2014 coup, U.S. military leaders touted the
alliance as apolitical and praised the Thai armed forces for
exhibiting restraint amidst the competing protests and
political turmoil. Following the coup, the United States
suspended military aid to Thailand as required by law,
including $3.5 million in FMF and $85,000 in IMET funds.
The United States did not suspended non-military aid or
cooperation, and capacity building assistance to the country
was largely uninterrupted. The large-scale annual Cobra
Gold military exercises continued.
Several analysts have suggested that limits on U.S.
engagement allowed U.S.-Thai security ties to weaken, and
that Sino-Thai ties—which already were strong and
growing—expanded to fill the vacuum. China’s stateowned arms industries provided an appealing and lessexpensive alternative for Thailand, particularly in light of
U.S. restrictions on arms sales following the 2014 coup. In
2015, Thailand acquired three diesel-electric submarines
from China, Thailand’s most expensive defense
procurement to date. In 2017, the Thai government
announced it would buy 34 Chinese armored personnel
carriers, perhaps in an attempt to reduce its reliance on
U.S.-made weapons, and also purchased a $530 million
submarine from China.
Trade and Economic Relations
Thailand is an upper middle-income country, and trade and
foreign investment play a large role in its economy. In
20182019, Thailand’s GDP grew 3.72.4%, continuing a period of
slow growth compared to previous years. The United States
is Thailand’s third largest trading partner, behind Japan and
ChinaChina and
Japan. In 2018, Thailand was the United States’ 20 th20th largest
goods trading partner; its 26th largest goods export market;
and a source of $44.5 billion in total two-way goods trade.
In 2018, the United States ran a $19.31 billion trade deficit
with Thailand, ranking Thailand as the country with the 13 th
largest bilateral surplus with the United States.
Thailand did not join negotiations for the proposed regional
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, and trade
discussions between the United States have focused more
recently Trade
discussions have focused on Thailand’s poor relatively poor
intellectual property rights
protections and its protection and subsidization subsidization
of its large
agriculture industry. Thailand has remained on the USTR’s
Section 301
the United States Trade Representative’s Section 301
Watch List since 2018.
Thailand’s Regional Relations
Thailand’s importance for U.S. interests in Southeast Asia
stems from its large economy and its good relations with its
neighbors. Thailand is chair of ASEAN for 2019, and
Thailand helped broker consensus on an ASEAN position
on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, a strategic concept
adopted by the Trump Administration. Thailand has
has extensive trade and investment
relations across the region.
Japan Japan, for instance, is its largest
source of foreign direct investment. and
its second largest trading partner, after China.
Historically, Sino-Thai
ties have been close, and trade has
burgeoned under the
2010 China-ASEAN Free Trade
Agreement. Unlike several of its Southeast Asian
of its neighbors, Thailand has no territorial disputes with
China in
the South China Sea and has been generally loathe to take
an an
assertive stance against China’s actions there. As a
member member
of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),
Thailand is
involved in a high speed railway project that
would connect
southern China with several Southeast Asian
nations to its south. The nations. The
project, which has been backed by
the Prayuth government,
has raised concerns in Thailand by
someby some in Thailand who question
whether it can be operated profitably.
Human Rights and Democracy Concerns
International organizations have criticized Thailand’s
alleged human rights abuses, including the military
government’s curtailment of freedoms of speech and
assembly; harassment of government critics; use of lese
majeste laws to muzzle dissent; arbitrary arrests; and the
lack of protections for human trafficking victims, laborers,
and refugees. International groups have also identified
human rights violations in the Muslim-majority southern
provinces where an ongoing insurgency has killed over
7,000 people since 2004.
In its 2018 Trafficking in Persons report, the State
Department ranked Thailand as a Tier 2 country, an
improvement over recent years. Thailand argues that human
smuggling, not trafficking, is the main cross-border issue.
Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention
nor its 1967 Protocol and does not have a formal national
asylum
Human Rights and Democracy Concerns
Following the 2014 coup, the United States suspended
military aid to Thailand as required by law, but did not
suspended nonmilitary aid or cooperation. Capacity
building assistance to the country was largely uninterrupted.
The large-scale annual Cobra Gold military exercises
continued. The State Department’s certification of
Thailand’s return to democracy opened the way for the
renewed expansion of ties. The 2020 Cobra Gold military
exercises—held shortly before the coronavirus outbreak
hit—was the largest ever iteration of the annual event.
International organizations have criticized Thailand’s
alleged human rights abuses, including the military
government’s curtailment of freedoms of speech and
assembly; harassment of government critics; use of lese
majeste laws to muzzle dissent; arbitrary arrests; and the
lack of protections for human trafficking victims, laborers,
and refugees. International groups have also identified
human rights violations in the Muslim-majority southern
provinces where an ongoing insurgency has killed over
7,000 people since 2004.
Several analysts have suggested that limits on U.S.
engagement allowed U.S.-Thai security ties to weaken, and
that Sino-Thai ties—which already were strong and
growing—expanded to fill the vacuum. China’s stateowned arms industries provided an appealing and lessexpensive alternative for Thailand. In 2015, Thailand
acquired three diesel-electric submarines from China, and
in 2017, the Thai government announced it would buy 34
armored personnel carriers and a $530 million submarine
from China. Arms sales provide an avenue for renewed
U.S. engagement. Press outlets report that Thailand spent
nearly $500 million on U.S. weaponry in 2019.
In its 2019 Trafficking in Persons report, the State
Department ranked Thailand as a Tier 2 country. Thailand
is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention nor its
1967 Protocol and does not have a formal national asylum
framework. In 2019, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees reported that Thailand hosted
over 95,000 refugees and stateless people.
Emma Chanlett-Avery, Specialist in Asian Affairs
Ben Dolven, Specialist in Asian Affairs
Kirt Smith, Research Assistant
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Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations
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