Abstract
The current Southeast Asian population distribution is a recent phenomenon. Mass migration involving Chinese and Indians as well as the Indigenes particularly since the nineteenth century, significantly contributed to the formation of the present situation, and it is to this period that the term 'traditional' should be applied. Though Chinese and Indian migration has decreased since the attainment of independence and the evolution of nationalism in Southeast Asia, movements of indigenous peoples still play an important role in Southeast Asian societies. The identity or ethnic belongingness of each population group should be noted in descriptions of migration behavior in Southeast Asia. No universal, total population which may be grasped only through age and sex structure or educational background existed; the total population was just an aggregation of ethnic groups. The characteristics of the peoples' movement in the above mentioned situation are discussed in this article under the following headings: (1) Movement toward frontiers, (2) The creation of derivative or branch villages, (3) Long distance migration, (4) Ethnic segmentation of migrants, (5) Circular migration, (6) Migrants' age and sex composition.
