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 Christianity
was introduced to Thailand by European
missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. These
early Catholic missionaries were later joined by
Protestants of the Presbyterian, Baptist,and
Seventh-Day Adventist sects. Their converts mainly
came from ethnic minorities such as the immigrant
Chinese. Despite the small number of Thai converts,
Christians have made several major contributions in
the fields of health and education.
Thailand's first printing press was introduced by
Christians, and learned English and Latin
from Christian missionaries. Though King Mongkut
reportedly told one of his missionary friends "What
you teach us to do is admirable, but what you teach
us to believe is foolish," during his monkhood
before ascending the throne, he nonetheless allowed
Christian missionaries to give lectures, even in his
own made the first smallpox vaccinations, trained
the first doctors in Western medicine, and wrote the
first Thai-English dictionaries.
Special Legal Provisions in Support of Christainitys
in Thailand
A Christain has been professed in some local
communities, the following legal provisions have
been made over the course of this century in support
of that religion:
Christian Communities
Since early times, the King has been the Patron for
both the Catholic in Thailand. Listed below are the
special legal provisions provided by the Thai
Monarchs in support of both denominations: 
In the royal Proclamation of
April 7,1904, an area of land located at Sathorn
Village, Bangkok and measuring 2,000 sq. wah (2
acres) was presented by , or King Chulalongkorn, to the
Protestant community to be used for the construction
of a public hall of worship or other religious
building, with the exception of a cemetery. At the
same time the request of the Bangkok Protestant
church committee to sell a piece of land at a
village to the south of Yannawa Monastery formerly
given by King Rama IV or King Mongkut was granted.
The Legal Status of the Roman
Catholic Church in Thailand Act, 1909.
The Legal Status of the Roman
Catholic Church in Thailand (Amendment) Act, 1913.
The Royal Grant of Land to the
Roman Catholic mission in Thailand Act, 1914.
The Legal Status of the Roman
Catholic Church in Thailand (Amendment) Act, 1918.
The Legal Status of the Roman
Catholic Church in Thailand (Amendment) Act, 1923.
The Royal Decree for the
Application of the Legal Status of the Roman
Catholic Church in Thailand Act, 1909, to the
Apostolic Vicariate of Nongsaeng, 1929.
The total area of many pieces of land in Bangkok and
other provinces granted to the Roman Catholic Church
in Thailand stipulated by these Acts and Royal
Decree is 59,048 rai (23,619.20 acres).
The Department of Religious Affairs will consult
with the following organizations belonging to the
Catholic and Protestant Churches which have been
granted legal status in Thailand in respect of
problems concerning Catholic or Protestant
communities in Thailand.
Bishop’s Conference of Thailand
The Church of Christ in
Thailand
The Evangelical Fellowship of
Thailand
Foreign Mission Board
Seventh Day Adventist Church of
Thailand |
