Ethnic groups in Thailand - A study of minority groups
within the Thai nation state involving ethnic Chinese,
Muslims and Highland Peoples

by: Sabine Putzgruber

INHALTSVERZEICHNIS

1. INTRODUCTION  3

2. THE THAI NATION STATE  4

2.1. COMING INTO EXISTENCE – THE THAI SOCIETY  4
2.2. ETHNIC THAIS AND OTHERS  8

3. ETHNIC MINORITIES  10

3.1 ETHNIC CHINESE  10

3.1.1. History  11

3.2. MUSLIMS IN THAILAND  13
3.3. HIGHLAND PEOPLES  14

4. CONCLUSIONS  17

5. LITERATURE  19

1. Introduction

I am writing this paper on the Thai nation state and its minorities as a student of political sciences as well as social and cultural anthropology, educated at the University of Vienna. Through a short period I had the chance to study Thai culture in the country itself but this is not given me enough proficiency to judge the same. On my research I rely on scholars which have had wide range of vast experiences with the country, nevertheless I try to implement my own experiences in a, as far as it is possible, objective way.

Since 1939 Thailand exists, but only the name itself appeared then as Siam, its former name was known already hundreds of year, back to its traditional founding date in 1238 (CIA Factbook, Winichakul 1994:150). The difference between Siam and Thailand is the form of its organization, as Siam was always a monarchy ruled by an absolute monarch. Only 1932¹ this absolute monarchy became history and a new form of state was born. From there on we speak of Thailand – a modern nation state (McCargo 2000). As Thongchai Winichakul writes was this change a political act of a chauvinist regime to promote the domination of the ethnic Thai and their culture over others. The Thai government under Phibun² (1939-1944) had adopted to fascism, which was a global current during this time, they promoted the notion of the great Thai race and their territory (Winichakul 1994:18,150).

The following paper is going to deal with this concept of the Thai state during the major part of the last century, describing the challenges the western concept brought with it, especially in terms of ethnicity. Thailand was formed with nationalistic ideas, in a territorial as well as an ethnic way, whereas the latter was natural due to the fact that, as nowadays, 95% of the Thai citizens define themselves as ethnic Thai’s – including Isarn and Lanna (see 2.3). At the beginning of the nation this did not look as clear as it seams. As a part of the heterogeneous South East Asia also the territory of Thailand is inhabited by a wide ethnic divergence. Thailand itself brought many Chinese immigrants into the country, as workers adding to their economic boom. Where are they now? And much more interesting what are they now? But not only Chinese but also many other Highland Peoples found themselves within a nation state and had to adjust to that fact. A third major diversification factor for Thailand is the Muslim minority, especially in the South, bordering Malaysia. As a Buddhist state Thailand has to find a way to integrate this religion in the state ideology. I want to examine the ethnic minorities in the nationalistic tool of state formation, how they were treated, reacted to or left aside and where they as well as the national ideology ended up.

2. The Thai nation state

As I just said in the Introduction began the history of the Thai nation state in 1932, with the end of the absolute monarchy in Siam (at this time). The history from there on until now can’t hardly be called democratic as there were 16 constitutions³ mostly following coup d´etats. Thai history sees the struggle of Siam against the European imperialist tensions in the 19th century as the advent of the modern state but Siam can also be regarded as an undirect colonial country in economic and political terms from this time through several dictatorial regimes after World War II. The fact that Thailand did not achieve modern national political integration of minorities (ethnic, political, religious, ideological) can be added to this view (Winichakul 1994:13). Only the student led uprising in 1973 was a democratic sight bringing the process of writing a new constitution into being (McCargo 2000:1). Even though authoritarianism came back in 1976, Thailand’s last constitution was finished in 1997 and is widely seen as a new marking point. Only the elections on January 6, 2001⁴ where held under it and can be seen as the final overcoming of military rule.

2.1. Coming into existence – The Thai society

Going back to the year 1855, the famous Bowring Treaty was signed by King Mongkut, ending the royal monopolies and opening the country up to foreign trade (Mulder 2000:5). With that also new ideas came into Thai minds and in 1932 a new Thai nationalism was used to create a new state, led by the middle class people who came into contact with western thought and wanted power. The population of Siam was largely in the agricultural sector and uneducated, they did not have an idea what democracy was. It is often said that therefore Siam was not ready for democracy, whereas a constitutional monarchy was established at first. King Prajadhipok Rama VII agreed to the bloodless coup on June, 24, 1932 and singed the first Thai constitution on December 10 (asianinfo.org, Lyovarin 2003).

[...]

1 A bloodless coup d´etat on June 24, 1932 by a group of civil servants and army officers with the support of army units in the Bangkok era.

2 Phibun or Luang Plaek Phibunsongkram

3 Between 1932 and 1959 constitutions subordinated the power of parliament to that of the executive branch, between 1959 and 1968 the Sarit and Thanom regimes used the constitutions to suspend the parliament, 1968 brought a slight opening and 1972 brought authoritarianism back which led to the uprise in 1973.

4 Mainly the Democrat Party under Chuan Leekpai against the Thai Rak Thai Party under Taksin Shinawatra. The latter could finish with a slight victory, forming a coalition with the New Aspiration Party and the Chart Thai and being opposed by the Democrat Party and the Chart Pattana.