National Assembly (Thailand)The National Assembly of Thailand (Abrv: NAT; รัฐสภา, , rát.thā.sā.phāː) is the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Thailand. It convenes in the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Dusit District, Bangkok. The National Assembly was established in 1932 after the adoption of Thailand's first constitution, which transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. During the 2013 political crisis, the House of Representatives was dissolved by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who called for election on 2 February 2014 until it was nullified by the Constitutional Court.
Politics of ThailandUntil 22 May 2014, the politics of Thailand were conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the prime minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. Following the coup d'état of 22 May 2014 revoking the 2007 constitution, a military organization called National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had taken over administration.
Human rights in ThailandHuman rights in Thailand have long been a contentious issue. The country was among the first to sign the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and seemed committed to upholding its stipulations; in practice, however, those in power have often abused the human rights of the Thai nation with impunity. From 1977 to 1988, Amnesty International (AI) reported that there were whitewashed cases of more than one thousand alleged arbitrary detentions, fifty forced disappearances, and at least one hundred instances of torture and extrajudicial killings.
Thammasat UniversityThammasat University (Abbreviation|Abrv: TU มธ.; มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 33,000 students enrolled in 33 faculties, colleges, institutes and 2,700 academic staff. Thammasat is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established to be the national university of Thailand on 27 June 1934, it was named by its founder, Pridi Banomyong, the University of Moral and Political Sciences (มหาวิทยาลัยวิชาธรรมศาสตร์และการเมือง; ).
2014 Thai coup d'étatOn 22 May 2014, the Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Commander of the Royal Thai Army (RTA), launched a coup d'état, the 12th since the country's first coup in 1932, against the caretaker government of Thailand, following six months of political crisis. The military established a junta called the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to govern the nation. The coup ended the political conflict between the military-led regime and democratic power, which had been present since the 2006 Thai coup d'état known as the 'unfinished coup'.
PrajadhipokPrajadhipok (ประชาธิปก, RTGS: Prachathipok, 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the Revolution of 1932. He is to date the only Siamese monarch of the Chakri Dynasty to abdicate. Somdet Chaofa Prajadhipok Sakdidej (สมเด็จเจ้าฟ้าประชาธิปกศักดิเดชน์) was born on 8 November 1893 in Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand) to King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri.
Grand PalaceThe Grand Palace (พระบรมมหาราชวัง, ) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), resided at the Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events.
Siamese revolution of 1932The Siamese revolution of 1932 or Siamese coup d'état of 1932 (การปฏิวัติสยาม พ.ศ. 2475 or การเปลี่ยนแปลงการปกครองสยาม พ.ศ. 2475) was a coup d'état by Khana Ratsadon (the People's Party) which occurred in Siam on 24 June 1932. It ended Siam's centuries-long absolute monarchy rule under the Chakri dynasty, and resulted in a bloodless transition of Siam into a constitutional monarchy, the introduction of democracy and the first constitution, and the creation of the National Assembly.
Constitutional Court of ThailandThe Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Thailand (ศาลรัฐธรรมนูญ, , sǎːn rát.thā.thām.mā.nūːn) is an independent Thai court created by the 1997 constitution with jurisdiction over the constitutionality of parliamentary acts, royal decrees, draft legislation, as well as the appointment and removal of public officials and issues regarding political parties. The current court is part of the judicial branch of the Thai national government.
Cabinet of ThailandThe cabinet of Thailand (formally, the Council of Ministers of Thailand; คณะรัฐมนตรี; is a body composed of thirty-five of the most senior members of the government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The cabinet is the primary organ of the executive branch of the Thai government. Members of the cabinet are nominated by the prime minister and formally appointed by the King of Thailand. Most members are governmental department heads with the title of "minister of state" (รัฐมนตรี; . The cabinet is chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand.