Greater volatility in the global financial markets and structural problems are placing the Thai economy in a new landscape, one that is totally different from 19 years ago when it was severely battered by internally generated problems.The "Tom Yam Kung" crisis of 1997 - caused mainly by excessive lending - eventually brought down 56 finance companies, while the authorities intervened in a number of banks. The impact was huge, leading to the laying off of more than 1 million workers in the country.In today's interconnected world, Thailand is not spared from the ripple effects, and the financial sector is the first to absorb irregular movements.