The Kingdom of Thailand is spread across 513,115 square kilometers. It is equal to the size of France and a little smaller than Texas. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok. Other cities of Thailand are Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai and Muang.

Population of Thailand is more than 63 million. Most Thais are Buddhist while there are also Muslims, Hindus and Christians but are in the minority. The language of Thailand is Thai. However, English is spoken in isolated pockets.

Thailand has rich soil conducive for agriculture and most people in the rural areas make their living by cultivating rice in the central, northern and north-eastern part of Thailand. The climate of Thailand is tropical. However, Thailand is developing and industrialization is taking place resulting in a lot of people migrating from rural areas to cities.

The Thai language is similar to Tai, the language spoken by the people who live in Southern China. This has led to a belief that the Thai originally came from southern China before migrating to South East Asia in the 6th or 7th century. Until 1938, Thailand was called Siam. It has a very close relationship with United Kingdom which signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1938 with Thailand and ended up being the first time that this country was recognized by a western power.

Japanese occupied Thailand during World War II. In 1945, after the Japanese were defeated, Thailand started having close relationship with the United States, which helped the communist regime to come to power.

Economy of Thailand is based on exports. Rice is the major cash crop and it is exported to many countries around the world. Fishery and other affiliated products are a major industry and along with rubber, corn and sugar it forms a large part of the export market.

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The issues behind these protests are complex, but to put it as simply as possible:

The Yellow Shirts (also known as The People’s Alliance for Democracy or PADs), agree with the concept of democracy, but also feel that people need to have some understanding of the long term economic, social and political consequences of their vote. They believe that Thaksin used corruption to gain the vote of the majority population of the rural regions of Northern Thailand, on the lead up to the 2001 elections that made him prime minister.

The Red Shirts, however, see Thaksin more as a Robin Hood character, who took from the rich and gave to the poor. They believe they would be financially better off both in the short term and the long term under the rule of Thaksin. Now, Thaksin faces corruption charges, and an unelected party and prime minister are ruling their country. As a result, they feel cheated.

Who is right and who is wrong is not for discussion here. We are currently more concerned with the impact these struggles could have on the economy of Thailand and on the number of tourists who want to visit. When the first major protests began in November 2008, many holidaymakers cancelled their trip, and having just recovered from the impact of the Tsunami, many businesses in the tourism industry of Thailand faced yet another season of lowering tourist numbers. The fallout from this is wide spread. Entire families rely on the income delivered by tourism to survive.

As such a high proportion of the population in the tourist hotspots of Thailand survive on the income of tourism alone, the majority of the locals in these places want nothing but a peaceful resolution. They want foreigners to continue to regard Thailand as The Land of Smiles.

Whilst no one wishes to encourage you to walk into the middle of a conflict, I’m sure I’m speaking for the large majority when I ask you to consider the real impact of these struggles on your visit to Thailand. Neither the Reds nor the Yellows have an issue with tourists or expats, but if you are concerned about the recent troubles in Bangkok, I would like to highlight that you do not need to fly to Bangkok if you wish to visit Thailand. You can fly from Kuala Lumpur to Krabi, or fly direct into Phuket. From there you can go straight to your final holiday destination, where a warm welcome and a peaceful atmosphere awaits – just as tourists have grown to expect from Thailand – The Land of Smiles.

This article was written by Paula Westberg, manager of Lanta International Language School. LILS offers fast, fun and effective Thai Language Courses based on the latest findings in educational science. For more information about their courses or methods of teaching visit their website: http://www.effective-thai-language-classes.com

Not for nothing do they call Thailand the ‘land of smiles’. There is a good reason why the country has by christened by that name. Thai’s are one of those who are known for their hospitality and well mannered behavior. These people are very good at heart and make sure that all the people who visit their country have the best time of their life. This is a very good reason to visit Thailand but there are more in the list of ‘why you should visit Thailand‘.

The rich culture and history that Thailand flaunts is another factor that makes it traveled by number of people every year. There are numerous temples beholding some unique history within them. The Grand Palace and the temple of Emerald Buddha in Bangkok are worth a visit. From there, weather you travel North to the Chiang Mai or South towards Phuket, you will come across temples with distinct history that teaches various aspects of Thai culture. Ayutthaya ruins is another major tourist spot and is UNESCO’s world heritage spot. However there are more than temples and ruins in Thailand to visit.

Mountainous rainforest of the north thrills many. If you are interested in trekking Jungles and looking for some real adventure, you can get it in Chiang Mai. You will also have the privilege to visit small but beautiful Thai villages with people who may go out of their way to make your Thailand experience a one to remember. If you are looking for some serenity, you better head towards South. Southern Thailand offers you some of the most pristine beaches you will ever come across in the East. Koh Phi Phi is one of the most popular beaches in Thailand. This is the same beach that has been portrayed in the Di Caprio starring movie, The Beach.

Shopping is another reason why people would visit Thailand. Bangkok is becoming shoppers stop for many around the world. There are gigantic shopping malls all around the city with some great prices that they offer for their products. Siam, Paragon and Central World are the names of the biggest shopping malls in Bangkok, if you want to do some branded shopping. Having been done with the malls, do not forget to miss out the weekend Chatuchak market, which is the biggest open market in the world with more than 15,000 stalls and hundreds of thousands of people visiting the market.

All these factors attract visitors from all around the world and there is no wonder that Thailand is such a ‘must visit’ place. Everyone should visit Thailand at least once in their lifetime.

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The Filipino fiance or fiancee would first need to request for Certificate of No Marriage or CENOMAR from the National Statistics office in Manila. She also needs to obtain a Birth Certificate from the same government agency. These documents she has to bring to the Department of Foreign Affairs on Roxas Boulevard for legalization or as Filipinos call it for the “red-ribbon” literally referring to the red ribbon used in binding the documents. Legalization time normally takes a day or two to accomplish and of course legalization fees apply.

Once the Filipino bride is in Thailand, she would need to visit the Philippine embassy located along Sukhumvit 39 in Thonglor. She then submits her documents and pays the processing fee of around 1,000 Baht. The embassy implements 10-day marriage ban which basically requires the planned marriage to be posted at the embassy for a period of 10 days. If no one objects to the marriage within 10 days, the LCCM will be issued.

This certificate has to be translated into Thai and legalized at the Ministry of foreign Affairs before the actual Thai marriage registration can take place. The legalization period normally takes 3 days so timing is essential especially if the couple has limited time in Thailand. Along with the fiancé’s documents, the marriage can be registered at any local district in Thailand.

The marriage registration is a 45-minute to one hour affair and the couple needs two witnesses for the marriage. Both marriage parties will be issued Marriage certificates in Thai. These certificates have to be translated into English and legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that they may be able to be used outside of Thailand for any legal purposes they may serve.

Filipinos can get married in Thailand as long as they have the necessary documents as required by the Philippine embassy and the Thai government. Their marriage in Thailand is recognized worldwide.

Siam Legal International is a full service Thailand law firm providing Thai Marriage services for Filipino and other nationalities. If you desire for a Bangkok Wedding please contact us for more information at our Bangkok office +662-253-8100 or Manila office +632-599-1912.

George M. Londob works as a Business Correspondent for Siam Legal International, Thailand’s largest legal service network with offices in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and Samui. The firm has international locations in London and Los Angeles. Siam Legal is a full-service law firm that provides a wide range of legal and visa services. Reach Siam Legal at +(66) 2-253-8100, or info@siam-legal.com.