Authors : Bingying She, Niyom Wongpongkham and Homhuan Buarabha
Abstract: The present study as qualitative research sought to investigate the history of the ethnic Thai-Chinese in Khon Kaen municipality and their economic roles in such a municipal area from past to present. The data were collected from secondary sources through a review and study of related research as well as from primary sources as in the samples in this study through a field study in Khon Kaen municipality, Thailand. In collecting the data, research instruments employed in this study included the survey, observation, interviews and focus group discussions. The collected data were then analyzed on a basis of Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism and capitalism. The results demonstrated that the ethnic Thai Chinese in Khon Kaen municipality have had a long history of over at least 100 years. In fact, they had already immigrated to Khon Kaen prior to the railroad construction, they have been living in Khon Kaen, since, 1791 and this current period has become their fourth century. The ethnic Thai Chinese residing in Khon Kaen municipality are not only craftsmen but also merchants who have served as a laborer, a distributor, a producer, an importer and an exporter. Considering that, overall, the ethnic Thai Chinese served to build an economic connection among Khon Kaen, Bangkok and the world. Thus, they have become business owners and loaners, thereby playing an important role in propelling Thailand’s economy towards a trading economy or capitalism. Based on Karl Marx’s theory of economic development with social relations of production in Khon Kaen municipality, the ethnic Thai Chinese have evolved from laborers to business owners or investors as owners of factors of production which is viewed as ruling class. Such evolution has in turn elevated the ethnic Thai Chinese to the economic elite in Khon Kaen municipality, thereby being able to regulate the economy in the municipal area. As has been stated earlier, it has reflected the elevation and transformation of roles of the ethnic Thai Chinese in Khon Kaen municipality.
Bingying She, Niyom Wongpongkham and Homhuan Buarabha, 2020. The Role of the Ethnic Thai-Chinese in Economy in Khon Kaen Municipality. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 15: 830-837.