Dear Editor,

I would like to comment on Kenneth T So's article, "The

Khmer home in Southeast Asia: a wider view".

I do not argue about his

viewpoint but I just want to make one correction: that he says the Thais are not

native to Southeast Asia.

Of course, there are conflicting opinions as to

the origins of the Thais.

Three decades ago it could be said with

presumed certainty that the Thais originated in northwestern Szechuan in China

about 4,500 years ago and later migrated down to their present

homeland.

However, this theory has been altered by the discovery of

remarkable prehistoric artifacts in the village of Ban Chiang in the Nong Han

District of Udon Thani province in the Northeast.

These include evidence

of bronze metallurgy going back 3,500 years, as well as other indications of a

far more sophisticated culture than any originated here in Thailand and later

scattered to various parts of Asia, including some parts of China.

The

originality of the Thais to Southeast Asia has been further studied and

confirmed.

Chakri Thamasat, Japan