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Racism in Thailand is a prevalent but little discussed topic. ==Racism towards Thailand's ethnic minorities== Thailand's ethnic minorities have been subjected to widespread persecution in Thailand for a very long time. Especially the 1 million-over members of Thailand's hill tribes were viewed as illiterate drug peddlers and opium-growers, with Thai mainstream media perpetuating this image. According to Dr Chayan Vaddanaputti of Chiang Mai University, this was not always the case: "Earlier, they were seen by ordinary people in the lowlands as friends and trading partners in a mutually symbiotic relationship between the hills and the valleys. But growing environmental problems after Thailand's national social and economic development plans took off in the late '60s and early '70s, and an influx of Vietnamese migrants during the Vietnam War changed this relationship forever. Then they became the enemies, the 'other.' The demonization and criminalization of ethnic minorities and the perpetuation of the myth that they are non-Thai has been embedded in Thai textbooks, in Thai history and in the mainstream media."〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Asia Times: Thai hilltribes battling discrimination )〕 Extrajudicial killings, torture, disappearances, and intimidation of members of Thailand's hilltribes by Thai police and military were especially ruthless under prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's "War on Drugs", which started in 2003, based on the aforementioned stereotyping of the hilltribes.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=THAILAND: Crime of the State: Enforced disappearance, killings and impunity — Asian Human Rights Commission )〕 The Muslim Malay Patani kingdom of southern Thailand was incorporated into the Thai state in 1785 CE. Being called ''khaek'' ("foreigner"or "guest"), the Thai Malays were subjected to discriminatory actions and political suppression, especially during the regimes of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram and the Thaification policies of the mid 20th century. The South Thailand insurgency of the past 10 years, has repeatedly been met with brutal force by successive Thai governments, especially under the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Muslim Insurgency in Southern Thailand - Council on Foreign Relations )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】date=22 October 2004 )〕 Thai Chinese, who now make up 14% of Thailand's population, also have had to bear xenophobic sentiments. Besides having had their language and writing suppressed during the Thaification period of the mid 20th century, those of Chinese descent have been forced to change their last names to "Thai" sounding names. Thailand has had long standing racial issues with Middle Easterners, who collectively are also called ''khaek'', meaning "foreigner" or "guest". This remnant from the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom can be used in a neutral manner but it can also be used as a racial slur.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Review of Southern Thai Encyclopedia )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Racism in Thailand」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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