Communist insurgency became a reality in Thailand during 1966. Consequently, a vital question for the Thai Government and for its SEATO allies was whether this threat to internal security could be contained within certain geographical areas and solved with the help of only equipment and advisers from Thailand's allies. At the end of the year, there was reason for optimism that the Thais would be able to solve this problem themselves, provided the war in Vietnam did not result in a Viet Cong victory. Thailand possesses many advantages in dealing with its internal security threat that neither South Vietnam nor Malaya had in the 1950's in coping with similar problems. First, Thailand has a strong and effective government that has exercised firm authority throughout the country for more than eight years. During 1966, the Revolutionary Government headed by Field Marshal Tanom Kittikachorn continued to provide remarkable political stability; and unlike most of the authoritarian regimes that have run the country since World War II, this one appears to be gaining in public acceptance and in internal cohesion. Second, Thailand is enjoying unprecedented economic prosperity, resulting from the government's astute financial policies and from a record volume of foreign investment, both government and private. With a growth rate in GNP of nearly 7% and with large foreign reserves supporting the currency, the country continued an economic transformation that began when the Revolutionary Government came to power in 1958. Third, Thailand possesses a higher degree of national unity than perhaps any country in Southeast Asia. A long tradition of monarchy, the dominance of Buddhism as a national religion, and the absence of a colonial heritage have contributed enormously to the relatively high degree of national identity that currently prevails. Finally, Thailand has the most experienced and efficient civil service in Southeast Asia. Although Thailand thus has many assets not possessed by South Vietnam in dealing with its internal security problem, the nation is not without certain deficiencies; and these must be examined before an estimate can be made of its ability to defeat the insurgency without the involvement of foreign military forces. The Thai Government has been strongly criticized abroad, in the United States most notably by Senators Morse and Fulbright, for failure to institute constitutional government. Some critics assert that the Thai insurgency