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1. Introduction
Thailand’s total land area of 513,120 km2 divided into 76 provinces is the 51st-largest country in the world. According to the census in 2011, the population of Thailand is 65,479,453 - the 20th-population ranking in the world. The average density of the population is 132.1/km2 - 88th in the world1. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand that functions as the political, commercial, industrial and cultural centre.
Based on the ethnic groups, the population composition comprises Thai descendant of 36% Siamese, 30% Isan, 9% Lanna, 14% Chinese, 7% Khmer3. The rest is 3% Malays and Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. The percentages of the age group in Thailand (2011)3 is 19.9% (0-14 years), 70.9% (15-64 years), and 9.2% (65 years and above). The medium age is 34.7 years. The population growth rate is 0.543%. The birth rate is 12.81 birth per 1000 population. (2011)3.
In the constitutional monarchy system, the King, King Rama IX having reigned since 1946, is the head of state1. He is also the head of the armed forces, the upholder of the Buddhist religion and the defender of all faiths1. The Prime Minister holds the executive power as the head of the government1.
Census (2000) shows 94.6% of the total population believe in Theravada Buddhism, followed by 4.6% Muslim especially in Thailand’s southern provinces consisting of mostly Malays that is Sunni Muslims3. Christian, including Catholic, shows only 0.7% of the population and the rest, a small community of Sikhs, some Hindus, and a small Jewish community. The Christian (Protestant) population has probably increased in recent years according to church sources.
Human Development Index (HDI) is a combined comparative measure of life expectancy, education, and standards of living of a country. It is a way of measuring well-being, of classifying the level of development, and of measuring the impact of policies on quality of life of a country. Figure 1 indicates the trend of the HDI of Malaysia from 1980 – 2011. HDI is from zero, the lowest, to one, the highest. In 2011 the HDI of Thailand was 0.682 making it the 103rd in the world ranking that was classified as a ‘medium human development’ country2.
2. Answer to Prayer
The political conflicts have been cooled down by the judgement of the Constitution Court on July 13, 2012. Some said it is only the extension of oxygen mask, however, please continue praying for Thailand, as the government tried their best to have reconciliation in Thailand.
Praise God that our economic situation is gradually picking up.
We can see the stronger Holy Spirit’s movement in this season among the churches and many Christian groups, there are more seminars, more revivals these years.
3. Prayer Focus
Pray that IT, media and entertainment won’t lead the trend of our youngsters to adversity. Pray for more secular singers and stars to be enlightened in God. At present, there are more super stars witness confess their Christian faith in public and witness their encounter with Jesus.
Let’s pray for Christian businessmen and professionals to boldly open up their faith and influence as blessing to their society and marketplace. Pray for Christian businessmen to live their lives worthy of His salvation grace. Pray that they will generously invest into the Kingdom of God. For the prayer reference, the Gini Index of Thailand is 0.425 (2009)3.
Continue to pray for the unity of the evangelical and charismatic churches or even different denominations. Right now we are bringing down the stronghold of misconceptions among believers with the hope that our Lord Jesus will reign, not their tradition. Pray for churches to be most active in winning souls and making His disciples, getting rid of the spirits of competing and jealousy. Pray that the Lord will make the increasing Christian population become a blessing and testimony for the society in Thailand.
The majority of the Thais are in the lower income classification and stay in the provinces. It is far different standard of living between the wealthy and the poor. Pray that the poor be provided with better living and education. Pray that human trafficking and drug agents be got rid of. For the reference of prayer, the population living below $1.25 PPP per day is 10.8% (2011)2.
Let join together to pray for equal educational standard among the rich and the poor. Pray that money cannot buy favour for the good public school entrance as the public or government schools are purposed to assist the low income family. For the reference of prayer, the Adult Literacy Index is 93.5 for the population of aged 15 years and above (2011)2.
Pray for the young people so that they can develop self control especially ability to restraint premarital sex among young people. Pray that the Lord will help to unify and strengthen families and pray also for the decrease in the divorce rate. Pray for Christian churches that they can do something to rescue many families. For the reference of prayer, the Life Expectancy index (years) is 74.1 (2011)2.
Continue to pray that the Lord gives wisdom to our government in serving the society. Pray that the Lord raises the smart and the honest to be a blessing to the society. Pray for the Lord will raise “Daniel and Joseph” in the government. For the reference of prayer, the Human Development Index of Thailand is 0.682 (medium) that is 103rd in the world (2011)2.
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand. Retrieved 30 Septembr 2012.
2. http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/THA.html. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
3. CIA World Factbook Thailand (2011), CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
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