| Jul 1990 |
While discussing the issue of drug trafficking in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia, a story in the Los Angeles Times accuses the ethnic Chinese in Thailand of replacing the mafia and the Corsican gangs in the drug trade. The newspaper states that the Sino-Thais buy the drugs, connect with the Hong Kong Chinese who bankroll the shipments and then sell them exclusively to Chinese criminals in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco. |
| Feb 1991 |
The elected government of General Chatichai Choonhaven was overthrown in a bloodless military coup. A military junta, the National Peace-Keeping Assembly (NPA), took control of the country, citing political corruption as the rationale. However, the coup was likely in response to what leading factions within the army perceived as attempts by Chatichai to undermine their influence. |
| Dec 1991 |
A new Constitution came into effect in early December after being signed by the King. The military-picked civilian Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun announced that a general election would be held in March 1992. |
| Mar 1992 |
The military junta held national elections, apparently with the aim of returning to civilian rule. However, because of massive spending in rural areas, the election resulted in a decisive victory for pro-military parties. The appointment of General Suchinda, the Army Commander-in-Chief and leader of the junta, as Prime Minister aroused widespread public anger and protest. |
| May 1992 |
Over 50 civilians were killed by security forces in Bangkok during pro-democracy demonstrations. Later, the King intervened and General Suchinda was obliged to resign. |
| Sep 1992 |
General elections held in September resulted in victory for a coalition led by the Democratic Party. A new civilian government was formed, headed by Chuan Leekpai, who is an ethnic Chinese. |
| Dec 1992 |
Ashahi Shimbun (12/22/92) reports that crime syndicates run by ethnic Chinese in Thailand joined Japanese gangsters for the trafficking of Thai women in Japan. |
| Jan 1993 |
Bangkok Land, the biggest property developer in Thailand, which is headed by an ethnic Chinese, recently announced a $2 billion development in Beijing. The Chareon Pokhand (CP) Group, a Thai-based Conglomerate, also led by the ethnic Chinese is heading a consortium for a $3 billion petrochemical complex near Shanghai (International Herald Tribune, 01/20/93). |
| Feb 1993 |
Thai Police broke up a human smuggling ring, arresting 68 ethnic Chinese. |
| Aug 1993 |
Thai Prime Minister Leekpai visited Beijing and discussed the expansion of economic and other bilateral ties with Chinese leaders. A report titled "The Emerging Chinese Business Sphere" prepared by the Nomura Research Institute says that although ethnic Chinese account for only 6 percent of the population of the 5 ASEAN countries, excluding Brunei, they account for 70 percent of the capital. The report states that, "Even in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, where Chinese make up less than 10 percent of the population, their capital is said to account for the majority of the total capital of all listed companies". Magazines like Fortune and Forbes joined in reporting about the ethnic Chinese billionaires in Asia and around the world. One such report says, Thailand has 9 Chinese billionaires, followed by Indonesia with 6, Malaysia, 5, Singapore, 4 and the Philippines, 3. The ethnic Chinese are involved in Southeast Asia's heroin chain, according to a CIA official speaking at the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation. A UPI report says that Chinese groups replaced the mafia as heroin suppliers. |
| Dec 1994 |
Chinese Vice-Premier Li Laqing met in Beijing with Chan Sai-yin, President of the Thai-Chinese Journalists' Welfare Fund in Thailand. Chan, a well-known industrialist of Chinese origin, has donated over 50 million Yuan over the past years for education and culture projects in his home town in Chaoxian, Guandong province and other areas. |
| Jan 1995 |
A new book on the overseas Chinese community called Lords of the Rim indicates that as the Japanese seek to expand their economic influence in Southeast Asia, they often work in concert with Chinese minority communities. The author, Sterling Seagrave, states that Chinese businessmen are "content to serve as frontmen for Japanese corporations". He also contends that Thailand's rapid economic growth has been led by around thirty large conglomerates, all but two of which are owned by ethnic Chinese. As for the ethnic Chinese community's relationship with political leaders, Seagrave says "the Chinese in Thailand traditionally made deals with a handful of top political and military leaders, but the recent growth of multiparty politics in Bangkok has obliged them to underwrite an ever greater number of generals and politicians". Finally, he indicates that Chinese control over the heroin trade from the Golden Triangle is lessening as mainland Chinese and the Burmese are increasing their control (1995, pp. 303-4). |
| Jan 9, 1995 |
Two of ten Chinese arrested in northern Thailand on suspicion of heroin trafficking are linked to Golden Triangle warlord Khun Sa, according to a source in Sa's Mong Tai Army. A hearing is pending on whether the suspects can be extradited to the United States (Reuters, 01/09/95). |
| Jul 1995 |
Market Asia Pacific reports that the ethnic Chinese in Thailand play a dominant role in private business, industry, and commerce while ethnic Thais tend to dominate the parliament, the military services, the police, and the civil service. The report says that some of the large private companies controlled by the ethnic Chinese include the Bangkok Bank, the largest commercial bank in Southeast Asia; Saha Union, a textile-based conglomerate; and the agri-business group, Charoen Pokphand (07/01/95). |
| Aug 1995 |
Thai police raided a "match-making" office in Bangkok which reportedly lures young ethnic Chinese hilltribe women into prostitution in Taiwan (Xinhua News Agency, 08/07/95). |
| Dec 1995 |
The Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has established the first computer network to link ethnic Chinese executives across the world. The network will be used to promote cultural and economic rather than political links (Business Times, 12/09/95). |
| Jun 9, 1996 |
Thailand began a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reign. The king is considered by many to be a unifying force in the country and essential to keeping the peace in the country and facilitating Thailand’s process of democratization. (AFP) |
| Sep 1996 |
Opposition forces in parliament accused Thai Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa of economic mismanagement, financial impropriety, and falsifying documents. Banharn is an ethnic-Chinese but claims Thai nationality; the opposition claims that Banharn was born in China but changed his birth certificate to make it appear that he was a Thai national. Of all the charges levied against the prime minister, the questions about his Thai nationality were considered to be the most potential harmful. (AFP) |
| Nov 17, 1996 |
Elections in Thailand were marred by an unprecedented level of vote-buying and election-related violence, as well as a "far from typical" degree of anti-Chinese racism, particularly by the Democratic Party. (The Independent, 11/18) |
| Dec 1996 |
After Thailand's GDP grew by over 8 percent in 1994 and 1995, growth slowed to 6.7 percent in 1996, signaling the beginning of a long and dramatic decline in Thailand's economy and the end of Thailand's "econcomic miracle." The economic crisis is especially troubling for Sino-Thais, who comprise the majority of business owners in the country. (Business Line, September 19, 1997) |
| Sep 15 - Dec 15, 1997 |
Economic crisis has spread throughout east Asia. In Indonesia, this is expected to heighten social unrest and attacks against ethnic Chinese in the country. The same outcome is unlikely to occur in Thailand, however, where ethnic Chinese have been more successfully assimilated into Thai society. (AFP, October 31) |
| Dec 3, 1997 |
The value of Thailand's currency, the baht, hit an all-time low, triggering more intense fears about the fate of the country's economy. (AFP) |
| Dec 7, 1997 |
Financial authorities shutdown 56 Thai finance companies in an effort to reform the "debt-ridden" sector. Many of the companies were owned by leading Sino-Thai families. (AFP, December 8) |
| Feb 1998 |
As feared, the economic crisis in Indonesia led to violence against ethnic Chinese in the country. Similar to the situation in Thailand, ethnic Chinese in Indonesia make up a disproportionate number of the wealthiest sector of society. Attacks on ethnic Chinese continued throughout the spring. (AFP, February 9, February 14, May 6) |
| Feb 24, 1998 |
The implementation of IMF-encouraged economic reforms in Thailand, as well as in Malaysia, spurred renewed confidence in Thailand's baht and heightened optimism that the country's economy has begun to recover. (AFP) |
| May 14, 1998 |
Violence against ethnic Chinese in Indonesia erupted into all-out violent mayhem, leading to the death of some 500 people and an exodus of Chinese from the country. Officials in Bangkok granted Thai Airways permission to fly an increased number of flights from Jakarta to assist in the evacuation of Chinese from the city. (AFP, May 14; May 17) |
| May 29, 1998 |
Thai officials offered permanent residency to wealthy ethnic-Chinese fleeing Indonesia and offered them immunity from restrictions on foreign ownership. The plan was intended to allow for a much-needed injection of cash into the Thai economy, but far fewer applications were received than the government expected. (AFP, May 29; June 17) |
| Aug 17, 1998 |
Members of the Thai-Chinese Ancestor Association condemned Indonesian officials for failing to investigate accusations of mass rapes of ethnically Chinese women. The group also submitted their concerns to the Thai parliament. (AFP) |
| Feb 1999 |
Thailand and China signed a comprehensive plan for cooperation in terms of economic and diplomatic relations. (UPI, September 2) |
| Jul 1999 |
Reports indicate that Chinese villagers along the Thailand-Myanmar border are plagued increasingly by some of the ills with which other groups in the country have to deal, particularly drug abuse. A large quantity of amphetamines, known as "ya ba," has begun to enter into the region across the Thai border. The Thai government considered closing the border in order to curb this flow of drugs. (AFP, July 26, July 31) |
| Sep 2 - 7, 1999 |
Chinese president Jiang Zemin visited Thailand. Most analysts saw the state visit, during which Jiang received a royal welcome, as a further step toward cementing a strong and positive relationship between the two countries--a development which would only bolster the security of Sino-Thais. Jiang meet with ethnic Chinese-Thais during his visit and praised the community's contribution to relations between the two countries. He also praised Thai leaders for their "nationality equality" policy. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, September 2; Japan Economic Newswire, September 4) |
| Jun 2, 2004 |
Muslim insurgents ransacked a popular shrine devoted to the Chinese goddess Lim Ko Niew, and also set fire to a worker's compound (The Nation, 6/2/2004, "Southern Tensions: Popular Shrine Looted").
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| Aug 4, 2004 |
A bomb was placed under a pickup truck parked in front of a building housing a local Chinese ethnic association in Rangae district of Southern Thailand (The Nation, 8/4/2004, "Violence in South: 4 more bombs set off in Narathiwat").
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| Nov 22, 2004 |
Muslim insurgents detonated a bomb in front of a Chinese-owned restaurant that blew the entire front of the establishment to shreds. The fertilizer bomb sent 16 people to the emergency room and kicked off a growing fear that more attacks on soft targets will become more frequent (The Nation, 11/22/2004, "Buddhists Say What About Us?").
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| Feb 1 - 9, 2005 |
Source reports that a Muslim insurgents detonated a home-made bomb on the second floor of an ethnic Chinese-owned hotel in Narathiwat, injuring two people (Financial Times, 2/9/05, "Thaksin prepares to pick cabinet").
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| Sep 19 - Oct 1, 2006 |
A bloodless coup, led by Thai General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He was subsequently replaced, upon approval from Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, by retired Army Chief Gen. Surayud Chulanot--who now acts as interim Prime Minister of Thailand (Taipei Times. 10/13/2006. "Thailand coup installed a Cabinet of dog-paddling bureaucrats"). |
