About THAILAND
The red band symbolizes the Nation.
The white band symbolizes Religion.
The blue band symbolizes the Monarchy.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, headed by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, the 10th king of the House of Chakri. In Thailand, the King is also the Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, the Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.
People
Total population 66,211,597 as of May 2023
Religion
Buddhists 94.6%, Muslims 4.6%, Christians 0.7%, others 0.1%
Language
Thai is the national language. English is widely understood in Bangkok and other large cities but please speak slowly, especially when you are off campus.
Climate
Thailand can best be described as tropical and humid for the majority of the country during most of the year. The area of Thailand north of Bangkok has a climate determined by three seasons whilst the southern peninsular region of Thailand has only two.
Local Time
Thailand is in the GMT+7 time zone. Thailand does not use daylight savings at any point in the year.
Government
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is the head of state. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches.
Currency
The basic monetary unit in Thailand is the Thai Baht. A Baht is divided into 100 Satang. The following coins and notes are currently in use:
Coins: 25 and 50 satang and 1, 2, 5, 10 Baht
Banknotes: Baht
20 (green),
50 (blue),
100 (red),
500 (purple) and
1,000 [grey and brown (beige)]
Banking hours
8.30 - 16.00 hrs.
Monday to Friday.
Banks located in department stores are open daily from 11.00 - 19.30 hrs. Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) can be found on or near the three campuses.
Salaya Campus: Bangkok Bank
Phayathai Campus:
Siam Commercial Bank (at Ramathibodi Hospital, Rama VI Road Rajavithi Hospital on Rajavithi Road; and Victory Monument)
Krung Thai Bank (the Government Pharmaceutical Organization Building, Rama VI Road)
Thai Military Bank (Rajavithiroad, Victory Monument): Bangkok Bank (Phayathai road).
Opening a Bank Account
It is recommended that you open a bank account in order to facilitate the processing of everyday transactions/payments and keep your money safe in case if you are here for longer stay period of term like full time students. Showing your passport is required to open an account. Be sure to get a bank book for keeping a record of your transactions, and a bank card so that you can use ATMs.