When is a Thai not a Thai? When they're a luk kreung

[Krataiboy]

I am an English expat married to Thai lady. Unlike most of the students at her junior school, our nine-year-old younger daughter is fluent both in Thai and English. The other day she told me the school would not allow her to take part in any inter-schools English-speaking contests because she had a foreign father and was, therefore, luk kreung.

Both she and I find this upsetting, as she has worked really hard on her English and can speak the language - adopted as the official language of ASEAN and being constantly promoted by the current leadership - better than the teachers, never mind the vast majority of her fellow students.

The sting in the tale of this little story is that my elder daughter, now 16, went to the same school as her younger sibling and was one of its brightest stars when it came to winning English speaking competitions at local, regional and national level.

She, however, was not luk kreung, but one of the four stepchildren I happily took under my wing when I married their Thai father's widow.

Over the years, I have helped all my children with their English studies, but my youngest is the only one to have been discriminated against in this way.

I am considering an appropriate response and would be interested to hear of Thai Visa members who may have also found themselves in this situation and what, if any, action they took.

[stoneyboy]

Not uncommon.

Wouldn't want the Thai teachers to lose face would they when your daughter out does them speaking English and makes them look like the fools.

[Asheron]

You can't honesty say that you are surprised that thais have a love hatred for "luk krungs"?

[BritManToo]

Seems a bit unfair when half the country don't even know who their dads are.

[laolover88]

Have had all of this. Luk Kreungs that can speak English put both the Thai teachers and the Thai children at a disadvantage,. Competitions in English in particular show this up. All Thais lose face. So they sort it to their advantage by saying "Not fair on Thai children" Not much you can do except make sure your child understands. Your step daughter is different she is not Luk kreung. There are fashions in Luk kreung. Before 50% european was fashionable, then 50% Chinese and then Korean. The fact that most Thais are in fact Chinese/Vietnamese/Khmer etc Luk Khreung seems quietly ignored. No Luk kreung is Thai, ever, even if they have Thai ID card etc.. And remember Issan people are barely Thai let alone hill tribe people to whom they won't give ID cards. It is difficult for you, let alone the child, to accept I agree.

[ukrules]

I've heard the phrase 'half blood' mentioned in the past. This means half Thai and half 'anything else'.

The Thai half is all that matters to them.

A lot of this will come down to jealousy, to put it mildly : They hate you and your kids because they are inferior in intellect.

[BritManToo]

They hate you and your kids because they are inferior in intellect.

...... and darker skin.

[Asheron]

They hate you and your kids because they are inferior in intellect.

...... and darker skin.

That's where the love hatred for luk krungs come into play...

[johnatong]

Krataiboy

I am really sorry to learn about this and I doubt you will make a difference although I do believe you and your wife should make your feelings known to the local education Authority.

Not much consultation but I can assure you that this does not happen everywhere. We know of a bi lingual child who is praised by her teachers.

[tomwct]

Thai Culture is why they can't speak English! I teach at a large government university and it's pitiful (English Knowledge)! Your daughter should be

allowed in any competition, as long as she has not lived outside Thailand. 1 or 2 individuals at her school are preventing her

from competing. I would confront them nicely and then start escalating this outside the school. Someone will finally give her the

approval to compete. Good Luck!

[hgma]

Tell your daughter she lives in a house of love and caring, and try to distinguish the 'outside' world from her own privileged situation.

A loving Mom and Dad who will be there for here whenever needed, something so many local children have to miss out on.

Kids understand more then we take for granted.!

Love is all she needs.

[soalbundy]

Not uncommon.

Wouldn't want the Thai teachers to lose face would they when your daughter out does them speaking English and makes them look like the fools.

I have heard of this before from an English teacher, it isn't discrimination it is because it is considered unfair that basically a native speaker contests against non native speakers. Having said that my 8 year old son who speaks fluent English contests for his school here in Isaan but a teacher (not from his school) told me that that might change when he gets older and the competitions get more serious.

[LukKrueng]

Seems most TVF members have negative feelings about Thailand and keep looking for the point where the system or the people is trying to screw them over...

I would guess that the problem is not her being a mixed Thai/farang kid, but the fact that they might consider her as a native English speaker whereas all other kids competing are not - therefore it would be like allowing a professional in any field compete against armatures. If I were you I'd try to politely ask the school's headmaster / teachers if that might be the case, and explain that to the child that her competing would not be a fair competition to the others.

My daughter was never ever singled out for being mixed (all the way from nursery to high school in local public institutes), and as English was her 3rd language she represented her school many times in English contests as well as contests in other fields.

[mki8]

You would be better off making your case on facebook, where the message will be spread, how racism is accepted and drilled into kids at the very early age, you may find many Thais will have an opinion on this, with many acknowledging how such behaviour does more harm than good

[elgenon]

If I had a daughter in America who was studying Chinese and a native Chinese speaker (your daughter is pretty much a native speaker, having grown up in an English-speaking environment) was competing against her I wouldn't think it fair. She would be discouraged from participating in competitions. The competitions are a good way to encourage extra work.

[goonnerone]

Have had all of this. Luk Kreungs that can speak English put both the Thai teachers and the Thai children at a disadvantage,. Competitions in English in particular show this up. All Thais lose face. So they sort it to their advantage by saying "Not fair on Thai children" Not much you can do except make sure your child understands. Your step daughter is different she is not Luk kreung. There are fashions in Luk kreung. Before 50% european was fashionable, then 50% Chinese and then Korean. The fact that most Thais are in fact Chinese/Vietnamese/Khmer etc Luk Khreung seems quietly ignored. No Luk kreung is Thai, ever, even if they have Thai ID card etc.. And remember Issan people are barely Thai let alone hill tribe people to whom they won't give ID cards. It is difficult for you, let alone the child, to accept I agree.

You are spot on with this answer My Thai wife does not regard people from Issan as Thai She said they are Thai Issan or copy Thai as she puts it

[Khon Kaen Dave]

This is strange.When i was teaching at an international school,some 4 years ago,i had two brothers who were Thai/English.They were brilliant.Their father was a professor or some such thing.

When it came to making speeches at Parents days,plays,etc,they were always the ones who were asked to make the speaches because their English was they were both so fluent.

The head mistress always made sure these boys were at the forefront of any activity.She always said what a credit they were.Even when it came to student exchanges,They were always the two that were sent to the other school.

I had them in my classes from P6 to M4.They eventually left because their dad went to work in another part of the country.
I don't understand this behaviour from the school that your children attend.

Maybe its time to send them to a better school,which will appreciate their abilities.

Maybe the school they are at now is just a one off.

[backstairs]

Thailand is not exclusive in this area. Japanese have similar approaches. A porpoise or some such seen in Tokyo bay won the hearts of so many that it was given citizenship but a girl with Canadian mum did not qualify. Look at all the fuss when the recent Ms Japan was half American; and African American too. Fluent Japanese. Reaction: not really Japanese.

[baansgr]

Seems most TVF members have negative feelings about Thailand and keep looking for the point where the system or the people is trying to screw them over...

I would guess that the problem is not her being a mixed Thai/farang kid, but the fact that they might consider her as a native English speaker whereas all other kids competing are not - therefore it would be like allowing a professional in any field compete against armatures. If I were you I'd try to politely ask the school's headmaster / teachers if that might be the case, and explain that to the child that her competing would not be a fair competition to the others.

My daughter was never ever singled out for being mixed (all the way from nursery to high school in local public institutes), and as English was her 3rd language she represented her school many times in English contests as well as contests in other fields.

This is where the school is wrong, how can they consider her to be a native English speaker, she was born, brought up and educated so far only in Thailand. This is likening a kid with a physics teacher as a Father can not enter physics exams.

[Briggsy]

Thailand is one of the world's countries that uses race as a key determiner of group inclusion or exclusion. As the poster, backstairs, astutely mentioned Japan is the country usually held up as having a specific ethnically homologous national identity.

Again, as other posters have mentioned, Thailand neatly ignores the massive Chinese/Khmer/Other immigration and ethnic mixing in its simplistic national view.

I would ignore the exclusion of your daughter from English contests and see if she is interested in Thai (poetry, prose, pronunciation, debating) contests which she would probably win too. She could not be excluded from them.

[bitcoinforever]

First take your child out of any thai school, they are doing untold psychology damage to her. she will not tell you--- but they are. home school or international school. the things that are begin said to her they are just polluting her mind. Thai schools do not teach they are taking away this young child's creativity.

[CapeCobra]

A Thai explained to me that Luk Kreung means half-blood. "You mean half human", I responded. "Something like that" he said smiling.

"I understand", I said, "They are half human and the other half is Thai".

He stopped smiling.

[smotherb]

Krataiboy

I am really sorry to learn about this and I doubt you will make a difference although I do believe you and your wife should make your feelings known to the local education Authority.

Not much consultation but I can assure you that this does not happen everywhere. We know of a bi lingual child who is praised by her teachers.

My Filipino nephew was here for four years; he consistently won English-speaking and -writing contests at local, regional and national levels. In the first few contests when he did well, the Thai parents complained. So, he would preface his presentation by explaining the purpose of the contests and his part in it in fluent Thai.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....'you gotta be 'pure'.........pure what......

[fiddlehead]

I'd explain it to your daughter that the ones with the best English speaking skills will almost always get a better job.
She will be the other student's boss one day (and perhaps the teachers too)

So, she should just grin and bear it, with the knowledge that the hurt she feels will pass once it really matters.

(maybe you could explain that to the teachers also, if they can't figure it out)

[BuriramDevelopers]

Not seen this yet with mine. They seem to love my daughter as a princes. It is the other way around. They treat her special too much.....Maybe it is the kind of school. I don't know.

She does only go to private schools with many English and non Thai teachers too. It seems to be rather normal here to have mixed children and the difference does not get highlighted especially in a negative way.

I am aware of this phenomenon, but see it mostly in the backward rural schools and small town 'coleges 'etc.

[BritManToo]

If I had a daughter in America who was studying Chinese and a native Chinese speaker (your daughter is pretty much a native speaker, having grown up in an English-speaking environment) was competing against her I wouldn't think it fair. She would be discouraged from participating in competitions. The competitions are a good way to encourage extra work.

If the kid has never lived in an English speaking country, is she a NES?

If the kid has never lived in China is she a NCS?

Surely a Thai child living in Thailand but in an English speaking household, just has the benefits of private tuition?

[smotherb]

I'd explain it to your daughter that the ones with the best English speaking skills will almost always get a better job.

She will be the other student's boss one day (and perhaps the teachers too)

So, she should just grin and bear it, with the knowledge that the hurt she feels will pass once it really matters.

(maybe you could explain that to the teachers also, if they can't figure it out)

While that may be true, if she goes to international schools. However, if she stays in Thai schools, the only way she'll be their bosses is if she works for a farang firm, but she will still be paid in Thai wages.

[Jingthing]

Here is a comparison to consider.

Suppose there was a violin competition and the child's parents were both professional musicians. You might expect that child to have better odds of winning such a competition. But, is that a good reason to ban that child from it?

[MediaWatcher]

Intelligent kids, is one thing, but look who runs the country, most are rather unintelligent chinese/thais.