Did you know that Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most well integrated and prominent overseas Chinese community in the world?
With a population of approximately 9.4 million people, accounting for 14% of Thailand as of 2012, the Thai-Chinese have been deeply ingrained into all elements of Thai society for the past 400 years.
The present Thai royal family, the Chakri Dynasty, was founded by King Rama I who himself was partly Chinese. His predecessor, King Taksin of Thonburi dynasty, was the son of a Chinese immigrant from Guangdong Province and a Thai mother.
However, nearly all Thai Chinese identify themselves completely as Thais due to the highly successful integration of Chinese communities into Thai society. Descendants of most ennobled Chinese in Thailand are among the leading Thai families today.
Thai Chinese are well represented in all levels of Thai society and make up a significant percentage of businesses in Thailand. They play a major role in the business, commerce, and finance sector, and are also well represented in the Thai political scene. Believe it or not, most Prime Ministers were at least of partial Chinese origin.
Slightly more than half of the ethnic Chinese population in Thailand trace their ancestry to the Chaozhou prefecture in eastern Guangdong. This is evidenced by the prevalence of the Minnan Chaozhou dialect among the Chinese in Thailand.
The history of Chinese immigration to Thailand dates back many centuries. Chinese traders in Thailand, mostly from Fujian and Guangdong, began arriving in Ayutthaya by at least the 13th century.
From the 16th century onwards, Ayutthaya was under constant Burmese threat. Qianlong, the Emperor of China was alarmed by the Burmese military might and sent his armies several times to subdue the Burmese, but the Sino-Burmese Wars ended in complete failure.
The Chinese efforts diverted the attention of Burma’s Siam army; General Taksin, himself the son of a Chinese immigrant, took advantage of the situation by organising his force and attacking them. Taksin actively encouraged Chinese immigration and trade.
Settlers principally from Chaozhou prefecture came in large numbers. The Chinese population in Thailand jumped from 230,000 in 1825 to 792,000 by 1910. By 1932, approximately 12.2% of the population of Thailand was Chinese. However, early Chinese immigration consisted almost entirely of Chinese men who married Thai women. Children of such intermarriages were aptly called Sino-Thai or known as Luk-jin (ลูกจีน) in Thai. This tradition of Chinese-Thai intermarriage declined when large numbers of Chinese women began to emigrate into Thailand in the early 20th century.
How would your favourite Disney Princess look like if she was born in Thailand?
These amazing sketches by “BoonShoes ShoesBoon,” illustrate the beauty of the graceful Thai costume on 9 well-known Disney Princesses.
Can you guess who they are? Let’s start with an easy and obvious one.
1.
She is the first Disney Princess to have not been born human and is also the first to have children (in the sequel). She is the second Disney Princess to be 16 years old in her first film.
2.
She is somewhere between the ages 16 and 20. She is the first Disney Princess to have siblings, although they are not her actual siblings. Though originally not from a noble family, she becomes a Princess by marriage to a Prince.
3.
This Disney Princess was the first to be physically injured by a villain. She is the purest pedigree of any Disney Princess, being the first-born daughter and only child of a King who marries a Prince who is the first-born son and heir of a King. She is also well educated by her 3 godmothers and interestingly, she has the least amount of screen time among all Disney Princesses.
4.
She is the youngest Disney Princess at age 14 (in her film appearance). She is the daughter of a King who marries an unnamed Prince.
5.
She is the first Disney Princess to have been an antagonist of her love interest. She is 18 to 19 years old and also the first Disney Princess to have a confirmed country in the movie (since the countries of other princesses were inferred, though not confirmed). She is not from a noble family and becomes a Princess by marriage.
6.
She is of noble birth and the first-born daughter (and only child) of a King. She is the first Disney Princess to marry a commoner, whom after marriage, gains the title of Prince Consort, and also the first to have a different singing voice than speaking voice.
7.
She is the first Disney Princess to have been based (loosely) on a real person, and not on a fairytale. She is also the first Disney Princess to have 2 “Princes” (though only one of them is an official Disney Prince). Her eventual marriage to a commoner does not change her status or his. She is the second Disney Princess to have a different singing voice than speaking voice.
8.
She is the first Disney Princess to be based on a legend instead of a fairytale, and the second not to based on a fairytale. To date, she is the only Disney Princess who doesn’t hold the title of Princess in one form or another – she is not noble born, bears no title of her own, and her eventual marriage does not make her a Princess either. She and her husband are the only non-royal Disney couple in the Disney Princess franchise.
9.
She is the first African-American Disney Princess and the third to attain the title of Princess by marrying into a royal family. She is probably the most modern of all Disney Princesses, as the time and setting of her story the is closest to ours.
Misbehaving police officers are emasculated in public and forced to wear the adorably iconic kitty’s face along with a pair of linked hearts.
No matter how many ribbons for valour a Thai officer may wear, if he parks in the wrong place, or shows up late for work, or is seen dropping a bit of litter on the sidewalk, he can be ordered to wear the insignia.
“Simple warnings no longer work,” according to police colonel Pongpat Chayaphan, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.
“This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor. Hello Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something macho police officers want covering their biceps,” Pongpat said.
“We want to make sure that we do not condone small offenses,” Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanors would lead to fewer cases of more serious offenses including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers.
So, should police officers who commit more serious offences be made to carry Hello Kitty pistols?
…or have their police cars plastered with Hello Kitty stickers?
Chinese Influence in Thailand
Did you know that Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most well integrated and prominent overseas Chinese community in the world?
With a population of approximately 9.4 million people, accounting for 14% of Thailand as of 2012, the Thai-Chinese have been deeply ingrained into all elements of Thai society for the past 400 years.
The present Thai royal family, the Chakri Dynasty, was founded by King Rama I who himself was partly Chinese. His predecessor, King Taksin of Thonburi dynasty, was the son of a Chinese immigrant from Guangdong Province and a Thai mother.
However, nearly all Thai Chinese identify themselves completely as Thais due to the highly successful integration of Chinese communities into Thai society. Descendants of most ennobled Chinese in Thailand are among the leading Thai families today.
Thai Chinese are well represented in all levels of Thai society and make up a significant percentage of businesses in Thailand. They play a major role in the business, commerce, and finance sector, and are also well represented in the Thai political scene. Believe it or not, most Prime Ministers were at least of partial Chinese origin.
Slightly more than half of the ethnic Chinese population in Thailand trace their ancestry to the Chaozhou prefecture in eastern Guangdong. This is evidenced by the prevalence of the Minnan Chaozhou dialect among the Chinese in Thailand.
The history of Chinese immigration to Thailand dates back many centuries. Chinese traders in Thailand, mostly from Fujian and Guangdong, began arriving in Ayutthaya by at least the 13th century.
From the 16th century onwards, Ayutthaya was under constant Burmese threat. Qianlong, the Emperor of China was alarmed by the Burmese military might and sent his armies several times to subdue the Burmese, but the Sino-Burmese Wars ended in complete failure.
The Chinese efforts diverted the attention of Burma’s Siam army; General Taksin, himself the son of a Chinese immigrant, took advantage of the situation by organising his force and attacking them. Taksin actively encouraged Chinese immigration and trade.
Settlers principally from Chaozhou prefecture came in large numbers. The Chinese population in Thailand jumped from 230,000 in 1825 to 792,000 by 1910. By 1932, approximately 12.2% of the population of Thailand was Chinese. However, early Chinese immigration consisted almost entirely of Chinese men who married Thai women. Children of such intermarriages were aptly called Sino-Thai or known as Luk-jin (ลูกจีน) in Thai. This tradition of Chinese-Thai intermarriage declined when large numbers of Chinese women began to emigrate into Thailand in the early 20th century.
9 Disney Princesses Dressed in Traditional Thai Costumes
How would your favourite Disney Princess look like if she was born in Thailand?
These amazing sketches by “BoonShoes ShoesBoon,” illustrate the beauty of the graceful Thai costume on 9 well-known Disney Princesses.
Can you guess who they are? Let’s start with an easy and obvious one.
1.
She is the first Disney Princess to have not been born human and is also the first to have children (in the sequel). She is the second Disney Princess to be 16 years old in her first film.
2.
She is somewhere between the ages 16 and 20. She is the first Disney Princess to have siblings, although they are not her actual siblings. Though originally not from a noble family, she becomes a Princess by marriage to a Prince.
3.
This Disney Princess was the first to be physically injured by a villain. She is the purest pedigree of any Disney Princess, being the first-born daughter and only child of a King who marries a Prince who is the first-born son and heir of a King. She is also well educated by her 3 godmothers and interestingly, she has the least amount of screen time among all Disney Princesses.
4.
She is the youngest Disney Princess at age 14 (in her film appearance). She is the daughter of a King who marries an unnamed Prince.
5.
She is the first Disney Princess to have been an antagonist of her love interest. She is 18 to 19 years old and also the first Disney Princess to have a confirmed country in the movie (since the countries of other princesses were inferred, though not confirmed). She is not from a noble family and becomes a Princess by marriage.
6.
She is of noble birth and the first-born daughter (and only child) of a King. She is the first Disney Princess to marry a commoner, whom after marriage, gains the title of Prince Consort, and also the first to have a different singing voice than speaking voice.
7.
She is the first Disney Princess to have been based (loosely) on a real person, and not on a fairytale. She is also the first Disney Princess to have 2 “Princes” (though only one of them is an official Disney Prince). Her eventual marriage to a commoner does not change her status or his. She is the second Disney Princess to have a different singing voice than speaking voice.
8.
She is the first Disney Princess to be based on a legend instead of a fairytale, and the second not to based on a fairytale. To date, she is the only Disney Princess who doesn’t hold the title of Princess in one form or another – she is not noble born, bears no title of her own, and her eventual marriage does not make her a Princess either. She and her husband are the only non-royal Disney couple in the Disney Princess franchise.
9.
She is the first African-American Disney Princess and the third to attain the title of Princess by marrying into a royal family. She is probably the most modern of all Disney Princesses, as the time and setting of her story the is closest to ours.
Answers:
1. Ariel
2. Cinderella
3. Aurora
4. Snow White
5. Belle
6. Jasmine
7. Pocahontas
8. Mulan
9. Tiana
References:
http://disneyprincess.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Disney_Princesses
https://www.facebook.com/BoonChi/photos
Hello Kitty Punishment for Bad Cops
The Thai police seems rather intent on cleaning up its force.
In addition to fat camp for overweight cops, there’s, well Hello Kitty.
Misbehaving police officers are emasculated in public and forced to wear the adorably iconic kitty’s face along with a pair of linked hearts.
No matter how many ribbons for valour a Thai officer may wear, if he parks in the wrong place, or shows up late for work, or is seen dropping a bit of litter on the sidewalk, he can be ordered to wear the insignia.
“Simple warnings no longer work,” according to police colonel Pongpat Chayaphan, acting chief of the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.
“This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor. Hello Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It’s not something macho police officers want covering their biceps,” Pongpat said.
“We want to make sure that we do not condone small offenses,” Pongpat said, adding that the CSD believed that getting tough on petty misdemeanors would lead to fewer cases of more serious offenses including abuse of power and mistreatment of the public by police officers.
So, should police officers who commit more serious offences be made to carry Hello Kitty pistols?
…or have their police cars plastered with Hello Kitty stickers?
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/05/thailand-police-hello-kitty_n_3550405.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/08/06/bad-thai-cops-to-endure-hello-kitty-punishment/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6932801.stm