TAI PO

Tai Po District covers the areas of Tai Po, Tai Po Kau, Ting Kok, Plover Cove and the northern part of Sai Kung Peninsula on both shores of Tolo Channel.

Thai migrant workers in Hong Kong are a significant minority and about half of them are domestic workers.
	Old House on the way to Wat Mekthumvanaram

There are a few Thai Buddhist temples in Hong Kong but the most authentic and beautiful one is located in Tai Po district. It is called Wat Mekthumvanaram.

	To reach Wat Mekthumvanaram, visitors shall take MTR train up to Tai Wo station then go through Shek Kwu Lung village.
Small stream

The journey takes around 45 minutes. It allows wandering through local villages and a small path along hills.

The area is quite unknown and remote as it separated from Tai Wo by the highway going to China.
	Countryside near Wat Mekthumvanaram

	Wat Mekthumvanaram is a remote Thai forest temple located in Tai Po district close to Tai Wo MTR station. Fly there with Google Earth
Wat Mekthumvanaram

Wat Mekthumvanaram is also called Wat Mak Tham Vanaram depending who is doing the translation from Thai characters to Latin characters!
	Wat Mekthumvanaram

	Wat Mekthumvanaram has received the congratulations from the Thai Royal family as it was a very difficult task to bring all materials into the jungle to the top of the hill in order to build the various structures.
Wat Mekthumvanaram

Wat Mekthumvanaram is located on top of a hill inside the jungle. It is definitely worth a visit. Monks or Buddhist faithfuls offer genuine hospitality and a warm coffee to any visitors.
	Wat Mekthumvanaram

	Wat Mekthumvanaram chapel contains a huge sitting Buddha. All visitors come to pay respect to Lord Buddha in this chapel.
Wat Mekthumvanaram

Wat Mekthumvanaram contains a common kitchen, buildings for monks, a chapel for the main Buddha statue.
	Wat Mekthumvanaram

	Thai local people, mainly migrant workers and domestic helpers, organize gatherings for important Thai feasts such as New Year's Day or Songkran festival.
Wat Mekthumvanaram

Migrant labour is one option amongst many for working class Thais seeking better incomes but seldom achieving upward class mobility.

Wat Mekthumvanaram includes a few Thai monks that stay there the whole year. But for specific important festivals, supplementary monks come also from Thailand.
	Wat Mekthumvanaram

While most of Thai migrant workers are involved in "low status" activities, Thais appear to do better than Indonesian migrant workers in terms of the wages and conditions they achieve, and report less abuse.

	During official Thai festivals, the Thai king takes a prominent part through huge displayed pictures. The Thai king Rama IX is highly venerated in Thailand due to his actions towards the Thai people.
Wat Mekthumvanaram

A Thai festival always include dances. As many Thai migrant workers can from Northeast of Thailand, it is not surprising to find Thai ladies dancing "Molam" dances that are typical from this region.
	Wat Mekthumvanaram

	Except for Thai important festivals, few visitors come to Wat Mekthumvanaram. During the Sunday, common day off, there are more visitors. The apparent low religiosity is partly due to the fact that Thai temples are not easily reached by public transportation.
Wat Mekthumvanaram

Thai Buddhist monks also visit Kowloon City on Sunday morning. So many Thai workers can make offering to the monks there.

In year 2001, there was an estimated 15,000 Thai people in Hong Kong, largely women. Most of them are migrant workers employed as foreign domestic helpers. Other common professions for Thai people include cleaners, waitresses, hairdressers.
	Wat Mekthumvanaram

Other locations where Thai people gather are Kowloon City, Wan Chai, North Point and another Thai Buddhist temple in Yuen Long.

	Thai people flock to Wat Mekthumvanaram for important Thai Buddhist festivals in order to listen to the speech of the local temple abbot.
Wat Mekthumvanaram

According to the Southeast Asian Research Centre, City University of Hong Kong, which has done a survey on Thai Migrant Workers in Hong Kong, Thai migrant workers dit not feel they were respected by Hong Kong people as their jobs were considered to be of low status. Thai people often see behaviour of Hong Kong people as rude in shops or public transports.

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