IESET.
Movements·thailand_chatichai_ct_1988_1991

Chatichai Choonhavan Chart Thai — battlefields-to-marketplaces (Thailand)

THA·1988 – 1991·Chart Thai-led multiparty coalition
Leaders: Chatichai Choonhavan (PM Aug 1988-Feb 1991, Chart Thai) · Pramual Sabhavasu (Finance Minister) · Subin Pinkhayan (Commerce Minister)
positionsdevelopmentalismclassical_liberal

Doctrine — stated goals and content

Chatichai 'turning battlefields into marketplaces' doctrine — regional opening to Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma) and construction-boom growth. Economic school: elected-civilian developmentalist with Indochina-opening foreign-economic strand; Thailand as regional trade/finance hub. Dated policies: Bangkok International Banking Facility (BIBF) proposal developed 1989-1991 (launched 1993); Sixth National Economic and Social Development Plan 1987-1991 acceleration; Eastern Seaboard Development Programme continuing Prem-era industrial policy; proposals for Bangkok Mass Transit; Vietnam-Thailand and Laos-Thailand trade normalisation; boom GDP 13.2% (1988), 12.2% (1989), 11.2% (1990); arms-procurement scandals and 'buffet-cabinet' corruption narratives. Left-right: centre-right elected-civilian coalition; economic policy market- opening but patronage-heavy. Popularity: Jul 1988 House of Representatives Chart Thai led 87 seats as largest single party in coalition; 23 Feb 1991 overthrown by National Peace-Keeping Council (NPKC) coup led by General Sunthorn/Suchinda. Coherence: moderate — Indochina opening coherent strategic doctrine but domestic patronage-fuelled governance triggered military intervention; boom inflated land/stock bubble that contributed to 1997 crisis preconditions.

Policy-content fingerprint — how the framework codes this movement on its axes

↑
trade openness
regulatory.trade_openness
Trade policy openness — tariffs, non-tariff barriers, FTAs, industrial protection.
increased · moderate
more open trade
Indochina trade normalisation with Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia opening.
↑
financial deregulation
regulatory.financial_deregulation
Financial-sector regulation — banking separation, capital requirements, cross-border activity rules, derivatives oversight.
increased · weak
tighter financial regulation
BIBF design groundwork 1989-1991 (launched 1993).
↑
spending level
fiscal.spending_level
General government spending as share of GDP, excluding transfers already captured under fiscal.transfer_expansion to avoid double-counting.
increased · moderate
higher spending share
Infrastructure push — Eastern Seaboard, Bangkok mass-transit planning.
↓
rule of law
institutional.rule_of_law
Rule of law as institutional substrate — contract enforcement, judicial independence, equal treatment before the law. Upstream of most other axes.
decreased · strong
weaker rule of law
Military coup Feb 1991 ended democratic trajectory; institutional-stability failure.

Policies enacted

Schools of thought aligned or opposed

aligned
developmentalism
partial
classical_liberal

References

Notes

Deep-history tranche 2. Ended by 1991 coup.