If you’re reading this article, your story probably begins as a Thai-Indian.
Our community has roots in five main regions of the Indian subcontinent: Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Surat in Gujarat, Sialkot and Gujranwala in Punjab (now in Pakistan), Ludhiana in Punjab, northern Sindh Province, and the Gujarati Muslim community originally from Mumbai and Karachi.
Most families moved to Thailand either by road or by sea.
By road, many came via the bridge over the River Kwai in Myanmar. Families like G. Premjee began their journey around 1860, “when a young man named Khetsee Khinsi Harbham left his home in Baroi, a village in Kutch in northwestern India.
He went to Bombay’s rice-trading district, hoping to find work among his fellow Kutchis, who controlled about 80 percent of the trade at the time.
Khetsee quickly found work and learned everything he could about the rice business. His son, Devjee Khetsee Khinsi, later joined him in Bombay, and in 1868 they founded Devjee Khetsee & Company, the beginning of what would eventually become the GP Group.”
Another business family you might know, Indorama, was founded by Mohan Lal Lohia.
“In 1950, Lohia travelled to Burma, where he worked as a raw-materials purchasing manager for an embroidery and lace manufacturer. This job took him to Singapore and Japan, and soon after, he started his own textile business.
According to his eldest son, Om Prakash Lohia, he foresaw the reforms passed by the Burmese government in 1963, which forced foreign manufacturers to leave the country.
Before that happened, he had already established an embroidery and lace factory in Bangkok and a knitting, weaving, and pressing mill in Nepal. In 1973, he and his son Prakash Lohia co-founded Indorama Corporation.”
Migration patterns. Just as our ancestors moved to find better opportunities, today many of us must also move to places where we can thrive and provide for our families.
Some of us, like the tailor community, are deeply rooted in local investment and culture. Others, especially professionals who once worked for banks like HSBC or Standard Chartered, may have moved to Dubai or Singapore.
Finding what’s best for you, and following the money trail, is deeply personal. There’s no single right answer.
It seems that our economy here in Bangkok will grow at about one percent per year from 2025 to 2028. That might be steady, but not fast, and some may consider looking beyond Thailand’s shores.
For example, a three-bedroom, 200-square-metre home might cost around THB 10 million in Chiang Mai, THB 13 million in Phuket, THB 11 million in Malaysia, THB 25 million in Dubai, and THB 47 million in Singapore. The differences are striking, but they reflect varying economic opportunities and lifestyles.
Many younger readers might be wondering whether Thailand will be their long-term home. Here’s another way to think about it: a home usually costs between 10 percent and 110 percent of your lifetime income.
So, focus on your career, your skills, and your expertise, and the rest will follow. Owning a home is often a mix of hard work, luck, and serendipity. Focus on the journey, and forget the destination for a while.