E-Paper
Country Profile: Southeast Asia
The most unique feature of India's cultural interaction with Southeast Asia, which precedes the dawn of the Christian era, is that it has been entirely peaceful.
The most unique feature of India's cultural interaction with Southeast Asia, which precedes the dawn of the Christian era, is that it has been entirely peaceful. Its imprint is visible even today in the language and literature, religion and philosophy, art and architecture, of the whole of Indo-China, Myanmar and South-East Asia.
Large scale Indian emigration however took place only in the 19th and 20th centuries as a result of colonialism through the indenture or Kangani system, and also by 'free' emigration of traders, clerks, bureaucrats and professionals. Thousands of Indians were mobilised to fight in the Indian National Army (INA) in Malaya and to contribute to the cause of Indian independence.
After Independence Indians continued to migrate to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia in search of employment, with the pace picking up from the 1970s onwards. The Indian community numbers 7600 in Brunei, 55,000 in Indonesia, 1.67 million in Malaysia, possibly 2.9 million in Myanmar, 38,500 in the Philippines, 307,000 in Singapore, 85,000 in Thailand and a very small number in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
While the opportunities in these booming economies were diverse and ranged from blue collar jobs in the construction and hospitality industries to employment with Indian companies, international (mainly UN) organisations, multinationals, banks, consultancy and financial institutions and recently the Information Technology sector, those in the countries of Indo-China and Myanmar declined because of the strife in the region, while the economic instability has had an impact on their presence in Indonesia.
The Indian community consists mainly of expatriates in the countries of Indo-China. It is fairly impoverished in Myanmar, the more prosperous elements having left following the waves of nationalisation and other measures which hurt their livelihood. In Malaysia they have not yet overcome the legacy of plantation times while in Singapore they are represented at the highest levels of the civil services, judiciary, business and politics.
A common feature however is that though the community has on the whole integrated well with the local population, it is culturally very active, has preserved its traditions and maintained its links with India.
