''Luk khrueng'' (, literally "half-child") is a colloquial Thai term referring to a person whose parents are of different nationalities. In a narrow sense, luk khrueng means people of mixed Thai and foreign origin; a person of mixed Thai and Chinese origin is called '' chao Thai chuea sai Chin'' (), rather than ''luk khrueng''. In the mid-20th century the number of ''luk khrueng'' increased dramatically following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with the increasing number of Western residents and visitors to the country. Many were the children of American servicemen who moved to the country in the 1960s and the 1970s, when there were several large U.S.

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

s in the country because of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. While some of the servicemen formed lasting relationships with Thai women, some ''luk khrueng'' were the product of temporary relationships with "rented wives" or

sex workers A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is vo ...

, a fact that led to some

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

in that era. Some Thais were also hostile because of the perceived lack of

racial purity The term racial hygiene was used to describe an approach to eugenics in the early 20th century, which found its most extensive implementation in Nazi Germany (Nazi eugenics). It was marked by efforts to avoid miscegenation, analogous to an animal ...

but most were quite accepting. In the modern era, many ''luk khrueng'' are born of relationships and marriages when Westerners come to live and to work in Thailand or when Thai people go to study in Western or foreign countries. In more recent generations, ''luk khrueng'' have become accepted and even embraced by society and many ''luk khrueng'' have carved out a prominent role in the

entertainment industry Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

in which their often-fluent English and their Caucasian features (such as fair skin, larger or colored eyes and allegedly tall physique), which are deemed attractive in

Thai culture Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia. ** Thai people, Siamese people, Central/Southern Thai people or Thai noi people, an ethnic group from Central and Southern Thailand. ** , Thai minority in southern Myan ...

, have proved to be advantageous. Within teenage culture these features are also extremely popular.

References

Society of Thailand Multiracial affairs in Asia Thai words and phrases {{thailand-stub

See also

References