If You see the Ladies at the Candle Festival in Ubon they look a different race, very sharp featured.

lot of daily mail readers on this thread by the look of things

One element is missing in the discussion here. The state or better the monarchy. For instance, many of the people living in Surin province were Khmer migrants from today's Cambodia. They left the area when the French took over. My exgf was a decendant of the last Thai governor of Siem Reap. During her visit she spoke to older Khmers (on the top of the pyramid at Angkor of all places) and they knew/remembered her Great?-grandfather.

The family still plays a role in military and administration throughout the country. With their uniforms, being reasonably well-off (depending on the branch of the family), and generally high status they dont fit the image of the starving khmer villages (there are plenty of them in their neighborhood).

Thus, we have the stigmatizing based on economic wealth/education but also the aspect of service to the monarchy. Curiously, it is also the stupid underdogs in BKK and other places and the middle class who play the same stigmatizing game. Pretty much like anywhere the lowlife mob beats other disadvantaged if allowed.

The skin color game players often react confused to a simply question: When such a remark comes, I sometimes point to my skin color and ask what they figure I would think about them? then it is thai rak thai )