In 2000, the national statistics cited 50,211 individuals of Siamese ethnicity in Malaysia. Among these, 38,353 (or 76.4% of them) hold Malaysian citizenship.
Culture The Malaysian Siamese community share cultural similarities with the natives who inhabit the
Malay Peninsula. Community activities, ethnolinguistic identity and languages spoken by Malaysian Siamese are similar to their brethren in the fourteen
provinces of
Southern Thailand as well as the southernmost Burmese. The Malaysian Siamese lead a way of life similar to that of other Malaysian Malays. Malaysian Siamese still have the strong belief and practices of Buddhism while the Malaysian Malays have adopted Islam since the 14th century. The Malaysian Siamese are well established in the northernmost states of Malaysia, namely
Perlis,
Kedah,
Penang,
Perak and
Kelantan. One could not differentiate a Malay or a Siamese if they are not speaking their mother tongue. The only distinctive mark among them is their religion and language. The Malaysian Siamese often get patronage from the state governments for their community's well-being. Often, temples are given generous funding by Thailand's government. Their community are also known for the making of traditional medicine.
Religion The Malaysian Siamese predominantly profess Buddhism and the predominant form of Buddhism is
Theravāda Buddhism which is centred in their place of worship called
Wat. The Malaysian Siamese's lives are closely tied to their temples (Wat). Monks have a significant role in strengthening communities and encouraging villagers to participate in traditional Buddhist ceremonies and rituals on important religious days like (
Uposatha Days,
Magha Puja,
Visakha Puja,
Buddhist Lent (Vassa), and
End of Buddhist Lent (Kathina)) to preserve the Siamese-Buddhist cultural identity. Most of them settled around temples and consider them as centers for holding religious ceremonies, cultural and social activities. == Notable people ==