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Throughout her long history, Thailand has gently absorbed immigrants
from all over Asia, Most people in Thailand claim a Siamese heritage,
people believed to have originated in Yunnan province in southern
china. They began moving down river into modern Thailand beginning
in about the 10th century, eventually assimilating countless other
ethnic peoples. people inhabiting Thailand today share a rich ethnic diversity mainly Thai, Mon, Khmer Laotian, Chainese, Malay, Persian and Indian stock - with the result that there is no typically Thai physiognomy or physique Thais, round-faced Thais, dark-skinned Thais and light skined Thais. The northeast is inhabited mainly by people of Loatian and Khmer descent, and many of them still speak Lao and /or Khmer in addition to Thai The north is home to most of country's indigenous hill tribes, including the Karen, Mon, Lisu, Lahu and Akha, while the South is predominately Muslim. The majority of inhabitants in the South, especially in the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, are of Malay origin and speak Malay as well as Thai. Although there was a very active separatist movement in the South during the 1970s and 1980s, the activism has largely died down as the government has worked to make southerners feel more a part of the country as a whole. Some 80 percent of Thais are connected in some way with agri-culture which, in varying degrees influences and is influenced by the religious ceremonies and festivals that help make Thailand such a dishtinctive country. Thai farmers life
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Floating Market
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