The East Asia Forum has an overview piece on Thailand in 2008 by Dr Pisit Leeatham, Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Chiang Mai University (and Head of the Macroeconomics and Finance Working Group of the Thai National Economic and Social Advisory Council and formerly Deputy Minister of Finance). After a rundown on the year’s politics, he discusses some of the economic challenges. Here is an extract:

The major challenge for Thailand in 2009 is political stabilisation. It is not certain whether the new government can cope with the pressure from former PM Thaksin and his supporters while they seek to resolve growing political and economic problems. It is a high mountain for a relatively young leader like Abhisit to climb, to restore political stability and ensure the continuity of his government while he weathers the storm of internal conflicts, the global economic crisis, social political problems, and the separatist movement in the South. The positive side of the current government is that it has backing from the army, bureaucracy, and the business community. … Though it is difficult to be totally confident, there is some light at the end of the tunnel of the political troubles in Thailand, and that is bound to help the economy.