February 2005 - Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party wins a second consecutive landslide election victory, taking 377 of the 500 parliamentary seats. But opponents soon accuse him of trampling on civil liberties and bending government policies to benefit his family business.
Summer 2005 - Violent unrest grows in the south of the country and the prime minister is given new powers to counter suspected Muslim militants in the area.
January 2006 - Thaksin’s relatives sell their $1.9bn, 49 per cent stake, in Shin Corp, the telecommunications empire, to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. The sale is tax free.
January 24 - Thai stock market authorities launch a probe into possible insider trading in connection with the deal.
January 30 - Thaksin’s children are asked to clarify their relationship with an offshore company their father reportedly founded which sold them an 11 per cent stake in Shin Corp for Bt1 a share, compared with the Bt49 paid by Temasek.
February - Some 28 senators submit a petition to the Constitution Court calling for the prime minister to be impeached for conflicts of interest, the petition is rejected.
February 3 - Culture minister resigns, citing responsibility to uphold “the ethics of good governance” amid growing public outcry against leadership.
February 4 - An anti-Thaksin rally is held in Bangkok.
February 23 - Securities regulator finds that Thaksin’s son twice violated share ownership disclosure rules in past five years.
February 24 - Thaksin calls a snap election after coming under growing pressure about the sale. The decision to call an election came three years early and two days prior to a planned anti-government protest.
February 27 - Three main opposition parties declare that they intend to boycott the election after Thaksin rejects their calls for the establishment of a neutral body to reform Thailand’s constitution.
March - Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin seeks to ease speculation that the military might join the political fray.
March 5 - 100,000 anti-Thaksin protestors march through Bangkok.
April 2 - Elections are held in spite of opposition boycott, predictably Thaksin’s party wins a victory.
April 5 - Thaksin hands day-to-day power to Chidchai Vanasatidya, deputy prime minister.
April 26 - The three opposition parties to boycott the April 2 vote declare they will stand in a new election if the earlier vote is annulled.
May 8 - The Constitution Court annuls the election results.
Mid-May - Thaksin takes back the reins of power saying that the country needs to focus on economic and security matters.
May 30 - The government sets October 15 as an election date, the king later approves the re-run and calls for a quick resolution to the crisis.
July 20 - More than 100 middle-ranking officers thought to be loyal to Thaksin are re-assigned, sparking rumours of division within the army.
September 19 - The Thai army declares martial law nationwide. The prime minister, attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, announces a state of emergency and says he will return to Thailand.
September 20 - Gen Boonyaratkalin, leader of the military coup, holds a press conference where he says he would appoint an interim civilian government in two weeks to run the country until fresh parliamentary elections that would take place in October 2007.
