FROM BEHIND HER desk at the New Hope Employment Agency in Kowloon City, Srijan Arunnee watches domestic workers gather in a nearby park every Sunday.
Arunnee first arrived as a domestic worker. But 12 years on, she's now a permanent resident and speaks fluent Cantonese. The native of northern Nong Khai province in Thailand started the agency two years ago with a partner, and recently expanded her nascent business empire by opening a grocery store.
About 15,000 Thais call Hong Kong home. Despite being relative newcomers, they have established themselves as a colourful addition to the city's social fabric - as celebrations at the Wat Bhavanamany in Wan Chai to mark Queen Sirikit's birthday showed earlier this month. The biggest community is clustered in Kowloon City. It's an area of low rises near the former Kai Tak airport. The buildings are weather-stained, the air-conditioners drip incessantly. Shop displays spill onto the pavement, while the sound of traffic is never far away.
Budget restaurants are wedged between specialist grocery stores selling fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices. Hairdressers and manicurists offer Thai domestics a few hours of budget pampering and escapism from the weekly grind.
The area can be rough and everyone complains about the quality of air, but Arunnee wouldn't live anywhere else in Hong Kong.
'After getting used to it, this area is a good place to live. It's very convenient. It's easy to find Thai food, to meet friends and do business.'