05 November 2006 (Bangkok Post) – DNA evidence for Thai migration to the region from China pushes timeline back another 700 years.
Bones tell story of Thai origin
The method constructed the so-called ”Phylogenetic tree” or ”genetic evolution tree” that indicates links between ancient skeletons and people in China and Southeast Asian countries, said Prof Samoerchai Poolsuwan, anthropologist from Thammasat University’s sociology faculty and also a member of the research team.
”The DNA test confirmed that the genes of the people and the skeletons are close,” he said.
”In lay terms, you may say that Thai ancestors may have shared the same ancestors from people in China and Southeast Asia.
”You may say that people in this region may share the same origins, and Thais may go back more than 700 years,” he said.
He said the findings are just a small part of the whole picture and more DNA tests were needed, adding the Fine Arts Department had agreed to use DNA tests at other archaeological sites.
Related Books:
– Southeast Asia: From Prehistory to History by P. S. Bellwood and I. Glover (Eds)
– The Excavation of Ban Lum Khao (The Origins of Civilization of Angkor, Vol. 1) by C. Higham
