Thai Chinese
The Thai Chinese are a group of overseas Chinese born in Thailand. They constitute about 12% of the population, although due to intermarriage there can be no definite figure. Much of their ancestors came from Chaozhou prefecture in northern Guangdong, and thus spoke the Minnan Chaozhou dialect.
Language The Thai language has now largely supplanted Chinese, although Teochew is sometimes used as a commercial lingua franca among the Chinese in Thailand, principally in Bangkok. Unlike Singapore, and to a lesser extent Malaysia, the Chinese have largely eschewed Christianity and the speaking of Mandarin as their first language.
Religion Theravada Buddhism has overshadowed the traditional Mahayana Buddhist and Taoist beliefs of the Thai Chinese, although some of the less assimilated Chinese do retain some or most of their beliefs. For example, the Teochew and Hainanese bring ashes from incense burned at the shrines in their villages. The Hakka have religious images in their houses called Faa Jukong, representing a male deity with black skin and upward pointing hair.
History The history of Chinese immigration into Thailand dates back several centuries. With the accession of the half Chinese-Teochew and half Thai king Taksin, who actively encouraged their immigration, the Chinese, principally from Chaozhou prefecture, came in large numbers. The corruption of the Chinese Qing government and the massive increase of the population in China, along with high taxes, encouraged many Chinese men to leave China to support their families. Soon, the Chinese population overtook the Thai population as the majority in Bangkok. The Chinese in Thailand were given much more freedom that those in the Straits settlements, being exempt from many of the obligations imposed on native Thais. Many Chinese prospered under the tax farming system, whereby private individuals were sold the right to collect taxes at a price below the value of the tax revenues. The barriers between Thai and Chinese became more rigid in the early twentieth century with the emergence of Thai and Chinese nationalism and also the increased tendency of Chinese females to accompany male immigrants, which reduced the amount of intermarriage. Despite that, Chinese were still encouraged to become Thai citizens, and in 1970 it was estimated that more than 90 percent of the Chinese born in Thailand had done so. When diplomatic relations were established with China in the 1970s, resident Chinese not born in Thailand had the option of becoming Thai citizens; the remaining permanent resident Chinese alien population was estimated at fewer than 200,000. Prominent wholly or partial Thai Chinese include the prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, former prime minister Chuan Leekpai, King Taksin and the kings of the current Chakri dynasty.
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