Population Make-Up Stats

[GWR]

Perhaps not strictly 'map' territory, but it's hard to know where else to put it. (You may want to note that these stats have been collected by a religious movement.) It seems to give fairly realistic assessments of the numbers of different groups in Thai society. Some of the popoulation groups have photos & distribution maps:-
http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=TH

Example of Pictures on site. Rather dated looking picture of Mlabri:-
http://www.joshuaproject.net/profiles/photos/p106686.jpg

[The Enforcer!]

Wow!

Wonder where they get their figures?

The Enforcer!

[The Enforcer!]

Just checked ... their columns do not add up ... the total is 3,490 short!

The Enforcer!

[GWR]

Maybe the 3,000 odd are the 'stateless' in camps near the border. But knowing Thailand, it's not difficult for 3,000 to fall thru' the net. In fact, there was a picture in Bangkok Post only yesterday of the 70 + year old former head of the Malayan Chinese Communist Party asking for Thai citizenship. And I was under the impression that all this group had already all been granted it:

http://www.2bangkok.com/images/south24.jpg

Almost like being there: Yala - August 31, 2005
Mr. John reports: The former Chinese-Malayu communist thief asks for Thai nationality. Mr. Yongfuk Zaechai, 77-years-old, former deputy leader of the Chinese-Malayu communists headquartered at Ban Piyamitr 1, Mu 2, Tambon Tanohmaeror, Baytong, Yala came to meet Yala governor and ask for Thai nationality. He denied that he is involved with the unrest in the deep south.

[toptuan]

Gosh, y'all sound like a bunch of paranoid atheists! 'Fraid someone's going to convert your Thai neighbor? (or you?) Listen to yourselves! "missionary ilk", "purposes look...scary".

Next you'll be calling for a law to restrict proselytizing. Oops, already been done: Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Myanmar. If you like the idea, you're in "good" company.

Sincerely,
The Goad

[toptuan]

My God, listen to yourselves! (again!):

In a nation of 63 million people, you're splitting hairs over a figure of 3,490? Wake up people. That's .00005% of the population.

Keeping your startling statistical discovery in perspective: remember, there's at least 10,000 unregistered Hmong waiting to be shipped back to Laos from which they recently fled.

C'mon lighten up. "Thou protesteth too much."

The Goad

[toptuan]

Wow, your comments really do sound light-hearted (lighter than spongecake?): "survival mechanism," "impose...on the non-believer," "those who are powerful"...etc.

Aggressive and unprincipled missionary work that exploits the distress and ignorance of marginalized groups is an outdated, outmoded perception which continues to be touted by "the-sky-is-falling" paranoid anthropologists and sensational authors of the James T. Michener variety ("Hawaii"). It went out with the 1850's. Indeed, many anthropologists and sociologists continue to push that century-plus-old perception of missionary activity because it suits a host of misguided "nobel savage" presuppositions about aboriginal and developing cultures.

In case you haven't updated your sources since 1850, you need to personally acquaint yourself with the "missionary ilk" (as described in previous posts). Everyone I've come into contact with (several dozen over the years) have shown unusual sensitivity to the host culture and personal freedom of choice without coercion, initimidation, or deception.

Thailand in particular has benefited immensely from foreign missionary work in this country. I was in Chiang Mai over Songkran and visited the National Museum, and was overwhelmed by the historical records, pictures and accounts of humanitarian work done in the northern provinces by British and American religious workers: Chiang Mai's first hospital and branch medical services, social economic programs, etc. In fact King Mongkut (Rama IV) made a special visit to Chiang Mai to show his appreciation and support for the tremendous work religious foreigners were doing on behalf of his people.

Your posts make these selfless servants sound like an insidious army of spies, trying to snatch the veritable souls from bodies of unsuspecting pagans (the James Michener/antagonistic anthropologist myth).

For an eye opener (and this happened decades prior to Michener's "Hawaii" era), take a peak at an amazing religious foreigner in 1820's India. In modern times, a grateful HINDU India puts the image of this man on their postage stamps.

During his 41 years in India"...he rendered yeoman services to India. He produced seven grammar books, four dictionaries, thirteen polyglot vocabularies, translations of the bible in forty Indian languages, 132 books of learning on various subjects such as botany, social-customs and literature. He was fascinated by the power and beauty of Indian classics and felt inspired to translate the Ramayana, the Sankhya (a system of philosophy first propounded by Sage Kapila) and the Itihaasamaala for the benefit of English readers. Carey undertook the publication of periodicals such as the monthly Bengali magazine, "Dig-Darshan," an English monthly called "Friends of India" and "Samachar Darshan" on a regular basis. He founded the "Agricultural and Horticultural Society of India" and completed a survey of agriculture in India....He introduced the idea of the "savings bank" to protect local people from the clutches of money-lenders. He campaigned for better facilities for lepers and for the aged. He also introduced the use of the steam engine in India.... In 1993, the Government of India brought out a postal stamp to commemorate the bicentennial of his landing in India, a fitting memorial to this great scholar and philanthropist." [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/people/pioneers/carey.htm]

Incidentally, this man, William Carey, is called "The Father of Modern Missions" in religious circles. He's the ideal which provides the model for modern-day Christian missionary work, of which no less than Mother Theresa was a part. Here's a man who promoted his host country's culture.

Does this sound like one of those "despised damned Baptist missionaries" (quoting a recent anthropologist's article) to you? Yes, Carey was a (shudder) Christian of the (double-shudder) Baptist variety.

There's your missionary ilk. Would to God I could do 1% as much good in my host country while I'm here.

OK, no high horse, no ranting, no animosity! This is just a light-hearted repartee with y'all.

The Goad (only tickling; no swine involved)