Indians in Thailand
Total population | |
---|---|
(465,000) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Bangkok · Chiangmai · Phuket | |
Languages | |
Thai · Tamil · English · Hindi · Punjabi · | |
Religion | |
Hinduism · Buddhism · Sikhism · Islam historically Zoroastrianism[1] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
People of Indian Origin |
About 65,000 Indian Thais have full Thai citizenship, but around 400,000 persons of Indian origin settled in Thailand mainly in the cities.
Migration history
A Tamil community has been around since the 1860s. Most of the Indians arrived in the last century, notably from Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is an ancient country, a lot of Tamil people came during the Chola period. Some others came from Punjab, Rajasthan and some from Gujarat. Buddhism and Hinduism originally arrived in Thailand from India and spread over the years.
The historical number of the Indian population in Thailand can be seen in British consular statistics; however, these figures often lumped Indians together with Sinhalese and Malays. According to 1912 statistics, there were 30 Indians registered in the Chiengmai (Chiang Mai) consular district, 41 Indians and Malays in the Puket (Phuket) consular district, 40 Indians and Malays in the Senggora (Songkhla) consular district, and 423 Indians, Sinhalese, and Malays in the Bangkok consular district. These figures were also believed to be a gross undercount of the true population; for example, the Bangkok consular district had registered only 517 British subjects, but other estimates claimed the number was 20 times higher.[2]
Notable people
- Savika Chaiyadej - Thai soap actress
- Napakpapha Nakprasitte - Thai actress and Model
- Ratana Pestonji - Thai film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer
- Vidya Dhar Shukla - Chief Hindu priest of Thailand
- Ammar Siamwalla - One of Thailand's most prominent economists
- Santi Thakral - Member of the Privy Council of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
- Nishita Shah - Businesswoman
- Aloke Lohia - Billionaire Businessman
- Lek Nana - Businessman and Politician
- Kalayil Thomas Varghese - Notable Bureaucrat in Thailand
- Chalida Vijitvongthong - Thai actress and model
- Rajbul Bhatiasevi - Prominent Businessman
See also
- Demographics of Thailand
- Religion in Thailand
- Phahurat
- Nepalis in Thailand
- Pakistanis in Thailand
- Mariamman Temple, Bangkok
References
- ↑ Somlak Wongrat (n.d.). อิหร่านใน...8 ทิวาราตรี [8 Days in Iran]. Nonthaburi : Amarin Book Center, p. 111-112
- ↑ Bangkok and Siam, directory, Straits Settlements and Siam: Bangkok Times Press, 1914, p. 199