Thai community in the United Kingdom
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
Thai-born residents 54,000 (2012) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
United Kingdom In particular London, Manchester, Sussex, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bath, Glasgow, Edinburgh |
|
| Languages | |
| British English, Thai | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Thai people, East Asians in the United Kingdom |
Thais in the United Kingdom are British citizens who trace their Thai ancestry from migrants who have migrated from Thailand.
The 2011 Census recorded 39,784 Thai-born residents in England, 1,566 residents in Wales, 2,267 in Scotland, and 469 in Northern Ireland. At the time of the 2001 UK Census, 16,257 people born in Thailand were residing in the UK.
Of the Thai-born people in the UK in 2001, 72 per cent were women (although in the British capital, this percentage was slightly lower at 68 per cent) which is considerably larger than the more or less 50/50 breakdown of males and females in the UK. The Home Office states that the overwhelming majority of new Thai immigrants to the UK became naturalised citizens through marriage, with less than one in three cases occurring through residence. Between 2003 and 2006, 64 per cent of all settlement grants to Thai immigrants were given to wives, 3 per cent to husbands and 14 per cent to children. This means that the Thai community in the UK is surprisingly widespread, as marriage migrants are likely to be scattered across the country with their partners, instead of following the trend of migrant groups settling together in large cities. Despite this, due to their large populations already, the cities of London, Sheffield, Birmingham and Glasgow are all home to significant numbers of people of Thai origin.
There are many Thai organisations and associations located across the United Kingdom. One of the most notable Thai British associations is Samaggi Samagom, set up in 1901 by King Rama VI of Thailand. Its main aim was to unite and reinforce harmonious relationships amongst Thai people in the United Kingdom by organising various events and activities. Over a century later, Samaggi Samagom represents close to 40,000 Thais in the UK and still arranges events that are seen as extremely important dates in the Thai British calendar.
There are a large number of Thai temples in the UK with the oldest and most famous being the Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon, London, which is home to monks and nuns, but welcomes visitors of any faith to view the grounds and temple as long as they are respectful. In 2004, Wat Charoenbhavana in Manchester became the first Thai temple to be established in the region. Also Amaravati Buddhist Monastery is a monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition of the Theravada lineage of Buddhism, it can be found in Hemel Hempstead. Other examples of such Thai monasteries in the UK include Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in Chithurst, West Sussex and Aruna Ratanagiri in Northumberland. Despite not being British himself, Chah Subhatto is an important figure for the Thai Buddhist community in the UK.
...
Wikipedia