Thailand: land of the free

Thailand means “land of the free” and Thais take great pride in being one of the only Asian nations never to have been imperialised. Formerly known as SIam, its ruling family has held power for more than a thousand years. It is also known as the ‘land of smiles’ due to the easy-going and hospitable nature of its people and its sophisticated culture.

However it is a place of little true joy. There are more than 250,000 Buddhist monks serving in over 30,000 temples. Buddhism is not only the largest faith, it is part of Thai national identity, permeating every level of society and culture.

The church is small, less than 2% of the population. Estimates suggest about 1000 Thais accept Christ each year.

While there is a healthy tourist industry, the sex industry is the less beautiful side of that. Two million children are currently involved in the sex trade. This has many consequences, one of them being that HIV/Aids is now the leading cause of death in Thailand.

The Bible is available in the Thai language and many radio stations broadcast Christian programmes each day. Christianity could potentially spread rapidly across the nation. This will only happen if God’s people pray and seek God for this people.