The Sarasin family (Thai: สารสิน) refers to a wealthy assimilated

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais) are persons of Chinese people, Chinese descent in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest mixed group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a popul ...

business clan that rose to prominence during the 19th century. The family monopolised a number of bureaucratic offices and established a number of key businesses, one of which – the Thai Pure Drinks Co. Ltd – remains to this day and is co-owned by the family. The entrenched status of the Sarasin clan has been noted by many Thai historians and sociologists as exemplifying the successful integration of Chinese

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

s in Thailand throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and their descendants' subsequent influence on Thailand's

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

and

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

Key family members

Members of the Sarasin family include former

Thai prime minister The prime minister of Thailand (, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed since the Siamese Revolution of 1932, when ...

and

SEATO The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty signed in September 1954 in Manila, Philippines. The formal insti ...

secretary-general

Pote Sarasin Pote Sarasin (25 March 1905 – 28 September 2000) was the ninth prime minister of Thailand from September 1957 to December 1957. He belonged to the influential Sarasin family. He served as foreign minister from 1949 to 1950 and then served as ...

;

Thian Hee Wee Thian Hee (, (1848–1925)) or in Thai known as Thianhee Sarasin (; ) was also known by his noble title Phraya Sarasinsawamiphak, was born in Thailand to a Chinese father. He came from a line of wealthy rice traders and pharmacists who had imm ...

(aristocratic title: Phraya Sarasinswamiphakdi); former deputy prime minister and influential businessman

Pong Sarasin Pong Sarasin (Thai: พงส์ สารสิน; 16 July 1927 – 3 February 2021) was a Thai businessman and politician, who served under Major General Chatichai Choonhavan's cabinet, acting as Deputy Prime Minister along with General Tien ...

; former police chief general and interior minister

Pao Sarasin Police General Pao Sarasin (c. 1929 – March 7, 2013) was a Thai politician and former police officer. Sarasin served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, as well as the country's Interior Minister, in 1992. Early life and education Pao S ...

; former foreign minister and royal secretary

Arsa Sarasin Arsa Sarasin (; born 26 May 1937) is a Thai diplomat and businessman who served as Principal Private Secretary to King Bhumibol Adulyadej until he retired in 2012. Early life and education Arsa Sarasin was the son of former Prime Minister of Th ...

. Patee Sarasin, a son of Arsa Sarasin, was the longtime CEO of

Nok Air Nok Airlines plc, trading as Nok Air (; , from [] meaning 'bird') is a low-cost airline in Thailand operating mostly domestic services from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. History Nok Air was established in February 2004 as Sky A ...

. The Sarasin family, along with the Lamsam and the Wanglee families, have been included in a number of academic studies about elite Thai-Chinese control of business corporations and the consolidation of control through political means. The family's political legacy has often resulted in its comparison to the

Kennedy family The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Family history

The Sarasin family's passage into the political and economic arena was largely due to the pioneering entrepreneurialism of Thian Hee – the first member of the family to be elevated to noble status and to be bestowed with a Thai surname. Thian Hee, although already a wealthy rice trader, contributed to the family's economic status by investing in a number of industries, establishing the family's reputation in Bangkok. Thien Hee was the first Thai doctor to graduate from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York city and was the first medical doctor in the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

He participated in various campaigns during the Thai-Laotian wars of 1865–1890. Thien Hee was awarded for his medical expertise as well as his loyalty, and was thus elevated to noble rank. Having retired from the army he pursued his business interests, amassing a considerable wealth and establishing many major Thai corporations – such as Siam Cement Public Co. Ltd – of which his grandchildren and great-grandchildren sit on the board. His son, Pote, continued and strengthened the family's political and business legacy by cultivating ties with the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

and other bureaucratic elites. Pote became an influential statesman, serving as Prime Minister in 1957 under the coup-installed government when Field Marshal

Sarit Thanarat Sarit Thanarat (also spelled Dhanarajata; ; born Siri (); 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai politician and military commander. He served as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (from 1954) and as Minister of Defense during ...

seized power. Pote became instrumental in maintaining diplomatic relations between the Thai military government and the United States during the 1950s.

Legacy

Pote became the family patriarch and expanded his family's business holdings during Thailand's dramatic economic development, which coincided with the rise of the "

Tiger Economies A tiger economy is the economy of a country which undergoes rapid economic growth, usually accompanied by an increase in the standard of living. The term was originally used for the Four Asian Tigers (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore) ...

" of South-east Asia. The family currently controls, through its possession of shares, a number of large corporations in Thailand, notably Thai Pure Drinks Co. Ltd, the sole bottler for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

in Thailand. Other corporations include the Home Product Centre Public Co. Ltd, Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co. Ltd and the Sarasin Co. Ltd. Due to the family's penetration into the upper echelons of society, "Sarasin" became synonymous with wealth and respectability during the 19th century. A number of national landmarks continue to represent the family's heritage, such as the Sarasin Road and the Sarasin Building in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, or

Sarasin Bridge Sarasin Bridge (, , ) is a bridge in Thailand which connects the island of Phuket with Phang Nga in southern Thailand. It was built in 1951 and officially opened on July 7, 1967. It was the first bridge linking Phuket and Phang Nga, with a tota ...

, connecting

Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...

to mainland Thailand.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.cambridge.org/aus/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521759151&ss=ind * http://www.thaibma.or.th/bond_info/issuer_details.aspx?id=22706 * http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/company-in-thailand/listing/home-product-center-pcl/822/ Sarasin family, Thai families Thai families of Chinese ancestry