People

The overwhelming majority of Thailand's sixty million or so people live in rural areas, mostly in small villages. These differ widely. They may stretch along the bank of a winding river or an arrowstraight canal, lie half hidden under a canopy of trees in the midst of vast rice fields, or perch precariously on stilts over the sea. Their homes may reflect affluence or abject poverty. Yet despite their differences, nearly all the country's countless hamlets share certain cultural traits that have been produced and shaped by centuries of tradition. Throughout her long history, Thailand has gently absorbed immigrants. Many were skilled as writers, painters, dancers, sculptors, musicians and architects that enriched the indigenous culture. People inhabiting Thailand today share a rich ethnic diversity mainly Thai, Mon, Khmer, Laos,Chinese, Malay, Persian and Indian stock with the result that there is no typical Thai physiognomy of physique. There are petite Thais, statuesque Thais, round - faced Thais, dark - skinned Thais and light skinned Thais. Some 80 percent of all Thais are connected in some way with agriculture which, in varying degrees, influences and is influenced by the religious ceremonies and festivals that make Thailand such a distinctive country.Life is not all hard work, however. The Thai penchant for semuk, or fun, finds an outlet even in the smallest hamlet and the most solemn rituals. Rural life, however, is not as static as it once was. In many parts of the country significant changes are taking place, prompted by a variety of forces that were scarcely known a generation ago. The mass media is breaking down the age-old sense of rural isolation. ln 1976 only l9 percent of Thai villages enjoyed the luxury of electric power; today the inhabitants of over 75 percent
of them can sit before a television set and watch the flickering shapes of the future materialisea in their traditional world.