The Malaysian Siamese People In Malaysia

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The Malaysian Siamese, Siamese Malaysians or Thai Malaysians are people of full or partial Thai descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia.The Siamese have lived in the northern portion of peninsular Malaysia for hundred of years, although some in the community are recent migrants. In 2000, the national statistics cited 50,211 individuals of Thai ethnicity in Malaysia, 38,353 (or 76.4% of them) hold Malaysian citizenship; mostly living in rural portions of the northern states of Kelantan, Perak, Kedah and Perlis neighboring the Thai border. The community used to be known as “Thais” but in recent years they changed their self-designation to Siamese as people are getting confused thinking that they are from Thailand and living in Malaysian. Malaysian Siamese people adhere to either Buddhism or Islam. The predominant form of Buddhism is Theravada which is centred on their place of worship called the Wat. There also exists a significant Muslim community. However, many Muslim Siamese have become assimilated into the Malay populace and no longer identify as Siamese. Majority of them are Buddhists, who maintain their cultures, customs and beliefs. Almost every village has its own temple. Every year, religious ceremonies, such as Wesak and Khathina, are celebrated at these temples. Cultural and traditional festivals, such as the Songkran and Loy-Kratong, are also celebrated annually. Pregnant ladies especially kept away from khong salaeng (allergic foods). Thai people

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