Thai Ping
Remember that original Siamese/ Mon / Khmer society in the region was subsumed long ago by Dtai (Thai) ethnic minorities moving down from Yunnan China , en masse , to escape , I think , Song Chinese expansionism . They dominated the region within centuries , displacing the original cultures . Their ancestors formed the Ramkhamhaeng dynasty and brought the southern Chinese numeral system . A Cantonese Chinese can understand counting in Thai , to this day , they are that close . Later on , further pure Chinese immigration waves flooded into the Ayuttaya Kingdom eras . The Sino-Siamese became the mercantile class almost entirely . To this day , ALL the top echelons of Thai society are dominated by Sino genes . All the Army generals , all the big businessmen , Sino genes have even penetrated the sphere of royalty .
So this ‘news’ should be no surprise . China Chinese have always exploited the in innate cultural loyalties of their expatriate communities . China also uses these communities as reasons to claim sovereignty in location where groups of Sino ancestors can be found . For instance : Hawaii beware ..... China will now manipulate Thailand into forming a second front bulwark ally in any future confrontations with Vietnam . With whom there is no love lost with the Thai ... Vietnam being the only country in the region with the courage or the resources to independently stand up to Chinese expansion and aggression the South China Sea . Stay tuned