Thai in China, Hong Kong

People Name:	Thai
Country:	China, Hong Kong
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	10,000
World Population:	24,236,500
Primary Language:	Thai
Primary Religion:	Buddhism
Christian Adherents:	1.40 %
Evangelicals:	0.60 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Thai
Affinity Bloc:	Southeast Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

In the 1970s, some Hong Kong men married women from Thailand who were living in a region of Hong Kong called Kowloon City. These women were working in Thailand and believed things would be better for them in Hong Kong. Recently the number of Thais in Hong Kong has decreased because better economic opportunities have opened up back in Thailand. Thais in Hong Kong mostly speak Thai but also speak Cantonese and English.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most of the Thai workers in Hong Kong do domestic work, but some lower wage Indonesians and Filipinas are taking their place. Some also work as hairdressers and in banks while others own businesses such as restaurants. A very small minority are investors. The Thai Regional Alliance helps domestic workers and helps to promote good relations in Hong Kong. It also helps Thais to get better work opportunities and works with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).

What Are Their Beliefs?

Nearly 99% of the Thais in Hong Kong follow Buddhism. The remaining 1% follow Christianity. Thai Buddhists assemble in one of four local temples. They celebrate their New Year with festivals from April 13-15. They splash water on each other which they believe gets rid of bad luck and makes things go well for them. These Thais have very little, if any, understanding of sin and their need to be forgiven by a holy God.

What Are Their Needs?

Economically, many Thais in Hong Kong need better paying work. To accomplish this, they need training to acquire the required skills in Hong Kong's modern economy. Thais in Hong Kong need exposure to the gospel within their language and culture. The Bible and other resources are available yet there is a shortage of workers to take the gospel to the Thais in Hong Kong.

Prayer Points

Pray for workers to be raised up from both inside and outside Hong Kong to take the gospel to the Thais in Hong Kong. Pray for a "Book of Acts" movement to Christ and church planting work amongst the Thai in Hong Kong. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give the Thai people in Hong Kong teachable and understanding hearts. Pray for a strong movement of the Holy Spirit to bring entire Thai families to salvation. Pray for teams of believers to do sustained, focused prayer for the Lord to open the hearts of Thai family leaders to experience God's blessing through a movement of family-based discovery Bible studies.