The Sarasin family refers to a wealthy assimilated Thai-Chinese business clan that is noted particularly for its participation in Thailand's modern political history. Sarasin family members have occupied key positions in government and business. The entrenched status of the Sarasin family exemplifies the successful integration of Chinese immigrants in Thailand throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and their subsequent influence on Thailand's economy and politics. Members of the Sarasin family include former Thai Prime Minister and SEATO Secretary-General Pote Sarasin,[1] Thien Hee (aristocratic title: Phraya Sarasinswamiphakdi),[2] former Deputy Prime Minister and influential businessman Pong Sarasin,[3] former Police Chief General and Interior Minister Pow Sarasin and former Foreign Minister and current Royal Secretary Arsa Sarasin. The Sarasin family, along with the Lamsam and the Wanglee families, have been included in a number sociological studies about elite Thai-Chinese control of business corporations and the consolidation of control through hereditary or matrimonial means.[4] The family's political legacy has often resulted in its comparison to the Kennedy family in the United States.
The Sarasin family's passage into the elite Thai political and economic structure was largely due to the pioneering business and entrepreneurialism of Thien Hee - the first member of the family to be elevated to noble status and to be bestowed with a Thai surname. Thien Hee, although already wealthy largely due to his ancestors, engaged in the rice trade and established the family's reputation. Thien Hee was the first Thai doctor to have graduated from Columbia University in New York city and was the first medical doctor in the Royal Thai Army (he participated in various campaigns during the Thai-Laotian wars of 1865 -1890). Thien Hee was awarded for his medical proficiency as well as his loyalty, and was thus elevated to noble rank. Having retired from the army he pursued his business interests, amassing a vast wealth and establishing many major Thai corporations - such as Siam Cement Public Co. Ltd[5] - of which his grandchildren and great grandchildren sit on the Board. His son Pote continued and strengthened the family's political and business legacy, also cultivating ties with the Royal family. The family currently controls, through its possession of shares, a number of large corporations in Thailand, notably Thai Pure Drinks Co. Ltd,[6] the sole bottler for Coca Cola in Thailand. Other corporations include the Home Product Centre Public Co.Ltd,[7] Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co.Ltd and the Sarasin Co.Ltd.
Due to the family's penetration into the upper echelons of society, the name "Sarasin" to many Thais has become synonymous with wealth and respectability. A number of physical landmarks continue to represent the family's heritage, such as the Sarasin Road and the Sarasin Building in Bangkok or Sarasin Bridge, connecting Phuket to mainland Thailand.
Thai Chinese Business families