Farang

Farang (Thai: ฝรั่ง ) is a generic Thai word for someone of European ancestry, no matter where they may come from. Edmund Roberts, US envoy in 1833, defined the term as "Frank (or European)." People of African ancestry may be called Thai: ฝรั่งดำ farang dam ('black farang') to distinguish them from white people. This began during the Vietnam War, when the United States military maintained bases in Thailand.