1985, Sep 17 - The retired military leaders who were involved are detained. Some 40 active military officers are arrested during the wave of searches that follows the initial arrests.
1986, Jan 12 - Kukrit Pramoj resigns as leader of the Social Action Party, the largest party in the coalition backing Prime Minister Prem (who is a member of no party). He is succeeded by Foreign Minister Siddhi Savetsila.
1986, Apr - Prime Minister Prem does not grant a 1-year extension in office to General Arthit thereby ending the general’s term on September 1, 1986. This move of the prime minister counters the traditional assumption that army chief is a stepping stone to premiership.
1986, May 1 - Tension spreads as the country prepares for the July 27 elections for Parliament.
1986, May 9 - Record rainfall of 25cm (10in) in 24 hours causes serious flooding in Bangkok.
1986, May 27 - Prime Minister Prem relieves General Arthit from his powerful post of Army Commander-in-Chief because of rumors of assassination plots and a pending coup allegedly to be led by Arthit. General Arthit is replaced by General Chavalit Yongchaiyuth.
1986, Jun 23 - On Phuket Island protestors set a plant for the processing of tantalum on fire when Industry Minister Chirayu Issarangkun is to attend a hearing over the plant. The protesters also burn the Merlin Hotel (where the minister was believed to be staying) and several cars and buses. As the protest is said to have been encouraged by General Sanong, the officer is fired from military service.
1986, Aug - The newly elected Parliament again chooses Prem as prime minister. An anti-Prem group in Parliament stages a walk-out during the inaugural session to prevent his nomination, but to no effect.
1986, Nov 8 - Six locomotives, linked together and under repair at the State Railway’s Bangsue facilities, are mistakenly set into motion and travel 7 kilometers unattended, finally crashing into Bangkok’s main station Hua Lamphong. The accident causes the death of four people and injures three.
1986, Dec - Thai and Laotian representatives meet to settle the border conflicts between the two countries.
1987, Mar 25 - Army Commander-in-Chief General Chavalit announces an all-out offensive against Vietnamese troops who have intruded into Thai territory beyond the set 5km limit.
1987, Apr 1 - Former prime minister Kukrit Pramoj, in a Bangkok seminar on Thai politics, speaks of Chavalit together with the Internal Security Operation’s Command (a powerful counter-insurgency body) as having been brainwashed by the communists.
1987, Apr 5 - 250 men of Thailand’s Ranger Force attack the residence of Kukrit Pramoj because of the latter’s comment on Chavalit and part of the military.
1987, Apr 28 - In Pattani province, some 540 members of the Communist Party of Malaysia surrender to the Thai government. They explain their surrender with their wish to participate in Thailand’s economic development.
1988, Aug 31 - A Thai Airways Boeing 737 plunges into the sea off Phuket Island, killing all 74 passengers and crew members. According to investigation results, the plane crashed after its pilot made some unprepared moves to avoid a mid-air collision with another Boeing 737, belonging to the Hong Kong airline Dragonair.
1988, Jan 2 - The First Hotel in Bangkok burns. 13 guests are killed, 11 of them foreigners.
1988, Feb - Chavalit arranges the cease-fire agreement with Laos that will end the country’s bloody clashes with the communist neighbor.
1988, Feb 9 - A Soviet-built Vietnamese jet crashes while attempting to land on Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport. 75 of the 81 people on board die; pilot and co-pilot are among the survivors.
1988, Apr 28 - A political crisis in parliament evolves during the discussion of a copyright and anti-piracy law that many members of parliament oppose for nationalistic reasons. The bill seeks to extend the effectiveness of Thai copyright protection to products registered in the US and other countries with whom Thailand has diplomatic relations.
1988, Apr 29 - The 44 member cabinet resigns. After a short conference with the King, Prime Minister Prem dissolves Parliament and calls for an election on July 24.
1988, May 2 - Army Chief Chavalit submits his resignation letter but the Defense Minister was previously advised by Prime Minister Prem to reject the resignation.
1988, May, 24 - Thai national Porntip Nakirunkanok (nicknamed Pui) is crowned Miss Universe in Taiwan.
1988, July 24 - In national elections, the Chart Thai Party captures more votes than any other.
1988, Aug 4 - The leader of the Chart Thai Party, General Chatichai Choonhavan, becomes the 17th prime minister of Thailand. One of Bangkok’s English language newspapers, The Nation, in a publication on the occasion of the papers 20th anniversary tagged him "a well-known playboy politician whose two-and-one-half year rule was to be marked by scandals, power plays and a feud with the military." (The anniversary edition of The Nation was published after Chatichai was ousted by the military; see below.) Chatichai becomes famous for his approach to political problems. His standard statement: "No problem!" More factually, Chatichai’s political agenda is "to turn battlefields into market places". He pursues the policy of brokering the entry of Communist and underdeveloped neighboring countries into the world economy - to the benefit of Thailand which he envisioned as economic center of Indochina.
1988, Nov 6 - An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale rattles Bangkok skyscrapers. Though people in high-rise buildings panic, no one is hurt.
1989, Mar 4 - The Chatichai government launches its Southern Seaboard Development Project, aimed to propel industrialization of southern Thailand as it was achieved for the eastern coastal region with the highly successful Eastern Seaboard Development Project.
1989, Nov 3 - Typhoon Gay hits southern Thailand, killing at least 500 and causing damage, officially set at about 300 million US Dollars.
