In 1955, when Jitti Tangsithpakdi was four years old, he came to Thailand from Guangzhou, first to Macau and then Hong Kong before arriving in Bangkok. He later worked in his brother's goldsmith shop on Yaowarat Road (Chinatown) where over a hundred other goldsmith shops are found today.

Gold is highly sought after in Thailand, with an annual transaction in excess of 200 tons, or almost 10% of the global total.

There are about 20 million Thais of Chinese lineage, and given the fact Buddhism is the common religion in the country, many Chinese Thais have long assimilated themselves into the local society.

"Everyone is equal in Thailand. The Chinese people in this country are indeed lucky enough. Most of the economic activities here are also dominated by the Chinese."

The Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce boasts a history of 109 years and has 42 industrial subsidiaries. It also hosts an economic research center at Chulalongkorn University, providing useful information on the bilateral Sino-Thai trade development while a Chinese academy is in the pipeline to groom experts in the Chinese language.

Chinese language education has stopped in Thailand for some years now. Although the country needs a lot of people well versed in this language to deal with the rapidly increasing Chinese investments as well as over 10 million Chinese tourists visiting the country annually, few speak the language fluently.

Good relationship with royal family

Chinese migrants over the centuries have made significant contributions towards Thailand's economic development. There are more than 10 million Chinese in the country today who are living in perfect harmony with the local Thais.

There are more than 70 Chinese clan houses registered with the government in Thailand. However, unlike Malaysia or Singapore, Thailand does not have a continuous Chinese language education system and the Chinese culture here is indeed fading in popularity over the years.

Fortunately, the Chinese here have been living in relative harmony with the local Thais and anti-Chinese incidents taking place in some Southeast Asian countries have not happened here, thanks to the cordial relationship between the Chinese and Thais. The local Chinese community is also highly respected for its willingness to raise funds and make generous donations to help Thai people while the royalty appreciates the contribution of the community towards the development of the Thai culture.

For the past 50 years, Dr. Ittiphakornhas helped in poverty mitigation programs across the country.

"King Rama IX saw what I did and granted me an audience at the Palace. He was very happy seeing me, and said my work had helped the country's poverty eradication effort and wanted me to keep it up."

Do and speak no evil

Pornchai Uvimolchai, chairman of Overseas Chinese Association of Thailand and founding chairman of Thai Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, came to Thailand as a factory manager before he turned 30. He later worked in a Japanese factory where he was later promoted to a senior managerial post. He speaks Japanese and Thai and is very knowledgeable in the latest technologies and skills.

"We are running the factory with Japanese management style. We prioritize the employees' welfare and many of them have worked here for decades."

To him, a person's integrity and honesty are the most important elements to do business in this country. Besides, one must also be concerned about the local community.

For so many years he has involved himself in many local charity events and has helped Taiwanese businesses invest in Thailand in line with Taiwan's New Southbound Policy.

Uvimolchai has also helped the Chinese people in northern Thailand build schools and houses, and has actively promoted anti-drug campaign while helping 140 Chinese schools in northern Thailand set up a federation to promote the quality of Chinese education there.

Today, most of the workers who speak good Mandarin have been trained in Chinese schools in northern Thailand.

27 years ago, Master Hsing Yun visited Thailand for the first time for a Buddhist seminar and the response received from the local Chinese community was overwhelming. The Buddha's Light International Association Thailand Chapter was established in the same year, along with a Buddhist cultural and educational center in Bangkok.

"I was completely changed after I learned Buddhism at Fo Guang Shan.

"We must do good things and avoid evil things. For the past 30 years in the local Chinese community, I have made a lot of friends and achieved many things because of my insistence on doing the good deeds, speaking no evil and always having a benevolent heart."

During his early years in Thailand, many would say he was "a Taiwanese", but today, people see him as a Thai.

"Thai Chinese are very lucky because the local Thai people are very friendly and kind-hearted and they won't do bad things to you.

"Although the Chinese culture is not so well preserved here as in Malaysia or Singapore, at least there has been a lot of improvement in more recent years."