[markshome23]

my issue with this question is that so many times people want to identify themselves as Thai, not necessarily as in ethnic Thai, but as as in Thai nationals, Thai native speakers, Thai at heart - however, others want to overwrite their self-identification.
I mean Thais of Indian descent, Muslim Thais, hilltribe people, luk kreungs, or that unfortunate farang girl in the news here a few months ago who was born to a missionary couple and always lived in Thailand but has problems with her visa.
but of course I understand in this region country borderlines were drawn rather arbitrarily, and some extreme steps had to be taken to create modern nations and national identities. pity so many have been "left out", and that in many ways the Chinese call the shots, who are just as "outsiders" as other relatively recent immigrants and a lot more "outsiders" than many of those they look down on.