1946, Jan 1 - Siam signs a peace pact with Great Britain and India.
1946, Jan 5 - Diplomatic relations with the US and Great Britain are re-established and treaties concluded prior to the war are revived.
1946, Feb - After general elections, Khuang Aphaiwong again becomes prime minister but as he doesn’t want to accept a bill of the National Assembly to cut public expenses, steps down again after just a few weeks.
1946, Apr - Pridi Panomyong becomes prime minister.
1946, May 10 - A new constitution providing for two chambers in the National Assembly is proclaimed.
1946, Jun 9 - King Ananda Mahidol is found shot dead in his bed at the Grand Palace. His brother Bhumiphol Adulyadej is proclaimed King of Siam under the royal title King Rama IX.
1946, Aug - Pridi Panomyong is relieved as prime minister and Thawal Dhamrongnawaswasti takes over.
1946, Dec - Siam is admitted as the 55th member of the United Nations.
1947, Nov 8 - A military group including then Colonel Sarit Thanarat (June 16, 1908 - Dec 8, 1963) stages a bloodless coup d’etat. The conditions had been favorable as high increases in the costs of living have caused widespread discontent.
1947, Nov 9 - A new provisional constitution providing for a bicameral system is proclaimed. Upon the invitation of the coup leaders, Khuang Aphaiwong assumes for the third time the office of prime minister. The group also reinstalls Phibul Songkhran, who had ruled Siam for the most time since 1938, as commander-in-chief of the army
1948, Jan 29 - A general election is held which puts the Democratic Party in the majority in the Assembly. In this election, Prasert Rapsunthorn, the Communist Party of Siam’s first postwar secretary general is elected to Parliament.
1948, Feb - Khuang, founder and leader of the victorious Democratic Party, is re-elected by the new National Assembly as the prime minister of Siam.
1948, Apr 6 - Khuang Aphaiwong is forced by the army to resign for failure to bring down the high costs of living. Phibul Songkhran becomes prime minister again.
1949, Feb 26 - Pridi Panomyong backed by supporters attempts a coup which is poorly executed despite being well-planned.
1949, Feb 29 - The coup, with numerous casualties, is crushed by Phibul’s army forces. Pridi Panomyong flees to China.
1949, Mar 23 - A new permanent constitution is proclaimed as replacement of the provisional constitution of 1947. Siam changes its name to Thailand ("Phratet Thai" in Thai).
1950 - Thailand sends forces to Korea in response to the UN’s appeal for troops.
1951, Jun 29 - In an effort to challenge the political power of the army and to regain some influence in national affairs, a group of navy officers kidnap Prime Minister and military strongman Marshall Phibul Songkhran while he attends the ceremony to receive from the US a dredger named Manhattan as part of their military assistance to Thailand. While being held hostage aboard the ship for several days, negotiation for organizing a new form of government are conducted. This event, although finally crushed by government-loyal soldiers, has negative effects on the position of Phibul Songkhran. Power and influence pass, rather silently, to General Sarit Thanarat and General Pao (the two will later become rivals).
1951 - Cadres of the Communist Party of Thailand begin to infiltrate the countryside. There are several groups of communists in Thailand. The Communist Party of Thailand seeks to overthrow the government and monarchy. The Communist Party of Malaya on the border of Thailand and Malaya has Malaya as its main interest but has included a part of Thailand in its subversive activities. The third is a minor communist group with Marxist/Leninist orientations, operating in the cities as well as the countryside. Of the three, the Communist Party of Thailand is the most serious threat.
1951, Nov 29 - Generals Sarit Thanarat and Pao Sriyanonda dissolve the National Assembly. The event is known as the "radio coup" as it is just reported on the radio without further elaboration. The new military strongmen seek to reinstate the 1932 constitution and rule rather from the background, keeping Marshall Phibul Songkhran as prime minister though with considerably less influence.
