1980. Apr 19 - A Thai Airways Avro aircraft crashes shortly before landing at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport. 43 passengers die, among them 4 foreigners; 10 survive. The accident is caused by a heavy rain storm.
1980, Jun 23 - More than 24 hours of fighting takes place in Aranyaphratet as some 300 Vietnamese soldiers, based and active in Cambodia, cross the border and occupy 3 Thai villages. Thai casualties are 60, those of the Vietnamese are 75.
1981, Mar 30 - Five Indonesian Muslim fundamentalists hijack a domestic Garuda flight to Bangkok and demand the release of political prisoners in Indonesia. An Indonesian commando team, flown in from Djakarta, storms the plane, killing all five hijackers. None of the passengers is hurt.
1981, Apr 1 - A group of young military officers later to be known as Young Turks seizes government centers in Bangkok. They claim to be critical of the failures of past military governments and to be supporting democracy, but widespread opinion is that they are just power-hungry. Prem evades the coup plotters and flees to Khorat. The rebels keep major government installations in Bangkok occupied for almost 3 days. The country’s Royal Family supports Prem as it becomes evident through a radio broadcast message by Queen Sirikit. This support enables Prem to group behind himself loyal forces and send them into Bangkok. April 3, the rebels led by General San Chipatima give up. Chipatima and other leaders of the failed coup manage to flee the country. All participants in the coup attempt are given Royal Clemency a month later.
1982, Jan - The Thai military conducts a major offensive against the forces of notorious drug lord Khun Sa to drive him from his stronghold at Baan Hin Taek in Chiang Rai Province, on Thai soil. After a month of fighting Khun Sa retreats with his Shan United Army into Burma.
1982, Apr 5 - Bangkok holds a big party for its 200th birthday. The main event is a royal fluvial parade on the Chao Phaya river.
Mid 1982 - The army invents a new anti-insurgency program. This program gives farming land to armed pioneers willing to defend the area against communist attacks. As the program succeeds, the guerilla forces retreat to areas along the Laos border. The radio station Voice of the People of Thailand is closed down in China.
1982, Jul 16 - Army Sergeant Major Amornsak attempts to assassinate Prime Minister Prem while on a visit to an artillery facility in Lopburi by firing an anti-tank rocket at the prime minister’s party. The rocket hits a tree instead; no one is hurt. The incident is kept secret for almost a year. On June 2, 1983, Amornsak is sentenced to 25 years in prison.
1982, Dec 1 - In northeastern Thailand. more than one thousand arms-carrying communists surrender en group to the government, represented by Army Commander General Arthit Kamlangek, thus practically ending the communist insurgency in this part of Thailand. As December 1, 1942 was the founding day of the Communist Party of Thailand, the party ceases to be a threat to the Thai government after exactly 40 years.
1982, Dec 2 - A suitcase bomb placed in the Iraqi embassy explodes when a bomb specialist tries to defuse it. The two-story building of the Iraqi embassy is leveled in the explosion, several other buildings are heavily damaged. The bomb specialist is the only casualty.
1983, Jan - Cambodian government troops, backed by Vietnamese units, conduct a major offensive against the three united resistance fractions. The fighting spills over onto Thai soil. More than 47,000 Cambodians flee to Thailand.
1983, Mar 3 - The Parliament rebuffs a military bid to retain temporary constitutional clauses.
1983, Mar 16 - In a snap vote, the Parliament rejects again a provision in the constitution that will preserve the key role of the military in the Thai government.
1983, Mar 18 - A royal decree dissolves the National Assembly.
