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Religion
According to the last census (2000) 95% of Thais are Buddhists of the
Theravada tradition. Muslims are the second largest religious group in
Thailand at 4.6%. Thailand's southernmost provinces - Pattani, Yala,
Narathiwat and part of Songkhla Chumphon have dominant Muslim populations,
consisting of both ethnic Thai and Malay. Most often Muslims live in
separate communities from non-Muslims. The southern tip of Thailand is
mostly ethnic Malays. Christians, mainly Catholics, represent 0.75% of the
population. A tiny but influential community of Sikhs in Thailand and some
Hindus also live in the country's cities, and are heavily engaged in
retail commerce. There is also a small Jewish community in Thailand,
dating back to the 17th century. Since 2001, Muslim activists, generally
described by the Thai government as terrorists or separatists, have
rallied against the central government because of alleged corruption and
ethnic bias on the part of officials.
resource : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand |