Thailand has Asias most xenophobics, Gallup World Poll

http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=1&story_id=60774
By Dennis Maliwanag

THE PHILIPPINES is globally the friendliest country to migrants, while Thailand has the biggest number of xenophobic citizens.
The latest Gallup International Voice of the People survey also found that more than half of Asians -- 56 percent -- consider immigration тАЬa good thing for their own country,тАЭ even as negative sentiments prevail in the world against people moving from their native land to settle in another country.

The study found 87 percent of Filipinos believing that immigration is good for the country whose own citizens -- five million or so -- have left to work and live in foreign lands.

Malaysia is next to the Philippines in multiethnic Asia as most welcoming to migrants at 80 percent, followed by Vietnam at 68 percent.

Topping Asia and the world in animosity toward migrants at 82 percent is Thailand, whose robust economy attracts cross-border movements of people from neighboring Mekong countries fleeing poverty or countryside war.

Industrializing Taiwan is second most xenophobic in the region at 55 percent, followed by Hong Kong at 47 percent, and Indonesia at 38 percent.

A similar polarity found in Asia can be seen in the Middle East.

Turkey, a country where immigration is тАЬmost negatively regardedтАЭ at 87 percent, is in sharp contrast with Israel, where 87 percent of people favor immigration.

On a regional basis, Africa is top in embracing migrants at 63 percent, Asia Pacific at 56 percent, and North America at 54 percent.

In North America, 74 percent of Canadians are pro-immigration. Opinions are more divided in the United States, where immigration rules have become stringent following the September 11 terror attacks in 2001. Forty-four percent of Americans do not support immigration.

The Middle East meanwhile has recorded the highest percentage of negative opinion toward immigrants at 67 percent, Eastern and Central Europe at 61 percent, and Latin America at 53 percent.

One long-held theory on peopleтАЩs intolerance toward migration concerns fear immigrants will rob locals of domestic jobs, the study said.

тАЬHowever, results from the Voice of the People survey do not back this view,тАЭ the study said.

тАЬOne of the main conclusions is that no difference can be found in the opinion of those working [44 percent believing immigration is good], those not working [45 percent] and the unemployed [45 percent],тАЭ it said.

Conducted by market information company TNS, the Gallup International study interviewed around 55,000 citizens in close to 70 countries around the world.[/color]

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[cottmann]

to me. Thai's generally look down on every other nation I find.

Ah yes, they're the English of Asia! Remember. "The wogs begin at Calais" - George Wigg, a British Labour party MP, in 1945 to characterize and satirize the attitude of British Tories to foreigners.

to me. Thai's generally look down on every other nation I find.

I have not found this with Thai people at all. I must have spent a total of around 5 months (on and off) in Thailand and have found Thai's as welcoming and friendly as any other nation's people. As for your comment re: Thai's looking down on every other nation, I find myself in the shameful position of being a citizen of one of the most rude and condescending nations on God's green earth ~ I am of course English.

I tend to be a little wishy washy and liberal and accept people as they appear until an action on their part causes me to reconsider my view. However, I do not then classify a whole nation on one persons behaviour. Having said that, the British (sorry English) tourist abroad does have me floored with some of their actions, and I am not just talking about the lager louts on their two week shagfest's to Spain. I have met many English Farang and a couple of German Ferang here that will say they love the country (Thailand) but will then talk about Thai people as lazy, money grabbing, without morals, and will also say that Thai's will smile at you and then stab you in the heart. I have also heard it said that 'any boy' can be had here, straight or gay. I have been in mixed company (Thai and Farang) when all these things been said, with the Farang's boy sitting quietly and listening to all.

I find myself being embarrassed to be English at these times and will mention the long hours many Thai's work for relatively little pay & the fact that many Thai's are built of stronger moral fibre and character than those Farang's that condemn them.

I am not sure if it is the need on Farang's part to dehumanise Thai people because, in truth, it could be considered that we are exploiting them (If Thailand was in the top 10 economic nations would money boys be so prevalent, hotels, food, entertainment so cheap?). By slagging them off is it easier to exploit them?

Oh lord, I have gone off topic, but for what it's worth, I have found Thai people amongst the most welcoming and friendly people I have met.

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Oh dear me. A "total" of five months. You haven't even begun to scratch the surface. I've lived here for well over 15 years, and the results of the survey don't surprise me at all. However I expected the French to figure fairly high up such a list, "chauvinism" being a word of French origin don't you know

xenophobia (┬нfo┬вbi┬нe) noun or (rare) xen'ophoby fear or hatred of foreigners and foreign things.

I certainly agree with most of what Fatman says about the average Thai (and about the British ;-)).

However, I also agree with the survey which looks more toward the attitudes of the minority, Thai, super-rich persons that control the government. "Xenophobic and reactionary" are adjectives that I certainly apply to the Thai government, and probably more-so than indicated in the poll.

Yes they are if you are spending money. If you talk to educated people then they have an impression for the most part that Thailand is the top country in South East Asia and believe themselves to be above us farang. I guess you haven't spent as much time as I have in this country or mixing with Thai business people?

My 'boy special' is totally racist. It's quite endearing. However, the higher classes of any society always look down on middle class farang. No greater self worshiping ego trip than to place oneself above the middle class western lifestyle which the rest of the world aspires up to.

I still find all Thai people to be far more welcoming and hospitable than any other nation. Is it because I am simply irresistible, or is it because the Thai's are such warm people? Take a guess

Like Homintern, I've lived here for well over 15 years. I run a business, and deal with Thai business people, government people, and ordinary people, day in and day out.

Some people have preconceived expectations of "foreigners", but I don't know of a nation of people that doesn't. I've also spent time in Korea and Japan, and personally find those places far more xenophobic. Just look how the Japanese treat the ethnic Koreans who have lived there for generations, compared to how the Thais treat the ethnic Chinese who have lived HERE for generations. Try to imagine an ethnic Korean as Prime Minister of Japan, where we have a wildly popular ethnic Chinese as Prime Minister in Thailand.

Not to mention how the Japanese treat other types of foreigners. I have black and Middle Eastern friends who live in Tokyo, and you would not believe what they go through in their daily lives. Most Japanese would not even consider renting an apartment to anyone other than another Japanese. Blacks are routinely turned away from restaurants; have you ever heard of anything of the sort happening in Thailand? The fact is that Japanese and Korean societies are almost completely closed to outsiders.

Look at how ethnic Chinese are treated in Indonesia. When have you seen riots against and the burning down of businesses owned by any ethnic minority or "foreigners" in Thailand?

Look at how all but Bumiputra are treated in Malaysia. The bigotry is institutionalized, by law!

The Tibetan, Uighur, and other minorities in China? They are not and never will be considered "Chinese", despite having lived on their soil for thousands of years. The Chinese could give the Japanese a run for their money with their bigotry -- especially against anyone with skin darker than theirs.

How many of you have been taken back to your boyfriends' villages, to meet the parents? How many of you were treated with anything but the most sincere politeness and hospitality you could possibly imagine -- and not asked for a thing in return? Now, imagine the same situation in most other Asian countries.

I for one think we've got it pretty damned good in Thailand.

xenophobia
As my favourite former politician Pauline Hanson said back in 1996 to this word

PLEASE EXPLAIN, !!!!!!!!!!!!


You are a real bitch boygeenus arnt you,a real intlligent bitch.Why dont you reply to my flower emails baby.I like your posts i read all of them honey.If you dont like me why are you leading me on,you slutteaser.
Not only are THais bad mannered but Aussies are too,today i got on Sydney Ferries and they asked took out a special boardwalk thing for me to cross over onto the wharf.This is discrimination,the ferry /boat boy told me the boardwalk only holds a weight of about 120kg.I asked him how fat he though i was,only to get no reply.This wouldnt happen in Thailand.
At least in Thailand i can eat around 5 Mcdonalds hamburgers with strawberry thickshakes for same price as one here.

I do wonder how the Japanese, and the English would fare on such a poll, but they are not even mentioned.

I have never been to Japan, but have read and heard so much about their xenophobia. I had a Korean boyfriend here in London a few years ago who had some very choice things to say about the Japanese.

As for the good old UK.......~( I am Scottish by birth, but have lived in London for over twenty years now).........I think we have some real problems here, and in my opinion things have become much worse over recent years.

Recent events in Paris, with serious rioting, seems to indicate that problems are worsening there too.

My regular visits to Thailand do not qualify me to speak with the authority of individuals who are living and working in the Kingdom, but for what it is worth, I find the Thai people wonderfully warm and welcoming. The fact that I am in love woth a Thai man undoubtedly means I am even more biased!!