Britain has had relations with Thailand for a very long time. This relations date back to the 17th century when the government of Britain decided to send a delegation to Thailand to demand that it lifts its ban on free trade. The British saw Thailand as a route to China. Thailand had some mineral resources and also had teak timber. There were several attempts that were made in 1821 that were aimed at securing treaty between Britain and Thailand. They were all unsuccessful. One of the attempts was made by John Morgan while another was made by John Crawford. Trade treaties between Britain were negotiated under King Rama III. With time, French power increased to the east of Thailand as Britain’s power dominated to the west. A treaty with both emperies was struck with the agreement that they would not invade Thailand. This was the best way of Rama III to protect hi country from colonial domination. During the reign of king Mongkut, (Rama IV) saw the signing of many treaties with the many nations. Bangkok negotiated treaties between 1855 and 1870. This thus resulted to an increase in commerce which in turn revolutionized Thailand’s economy. Reforms started to occur during the reign of Rama V when he announced judicial reforms and also created a political structure. It was in this era that the first railway line was constructed, linking Bangkok and Ayutthaya in 1897. The railway line was later extended to further north in 1901.

In the Second World War, fighting broke out between the French and Thailand forces along Thailand’s Eastern border in 1941. Late in December1941, Thai and Japan forces clashed in the Isthmus of Kra. Bangkok then agreed that Japan troops be allowed to pass the isthmus and invade Burma and Malaya. In January 1942, a defense pact was signed with Japan that declared war on the United States and Britain. The then ambassador of Thailand to the USA refused to deliver the message of declaration of war on USA and thus Thailand was spared. A free Thailand movement was organized with the help of the United States government and they were trained for anti- Japanese underground activities. As the war continued, the presence of the Japanese continued to become more irritating. Trade came to a standstill and the Japanese military forces took control of Thailand by force. It was in 1944 that the then leader was forced out of office and was replaced by the first civilian government since 1932.

Over the years, trade and investments between Thailand and Britain have greatly improved. Some of Britain’s exports to Thailand include: medicine and pharmaceutical products, electrical machinery and appliances and also beverages. On the other hand, Thailand exports electrical machinery and appliances, telecommunications, road vehicles, clothing accessories and office machines and equipment. In 2003, Thailand’s exports to Britain were approximated to be worth 1.7 billion pounds while Britain’s exports to Thailand were estimated to be 532 million pounds. Baker. W, and Christopher, W. pp. 116. The bilateral relationship between the two countries is very close. There have also been cultural relations between the two countries where we find that a sport like the English premier league football enjoys massive support from the locals in Thailand. Tourism between the two countries has also grown due to the bilateral relations between the two nations.

Your paper looks like an opinion piece since it lacks citations to back the arguments.

Organize your arguments carefully, using carefully selected words and phrases and grammatically correct sentences.

References

Baker, W. and Christopher, J. A History of Thailand. (2010).