Do Southeast Asians have entrepreneurial mind?

While I am working on my assignment about the connection of Southeast Asia to the world economy in the ninteenth century. A question came up; Do Southeast Asians have an entrepreneurial mind?

World capitalist system arrived in the region in many ways; An expansion of colonial empires from Britain, Dutch, Spain, France, and the U.S. Also, the Chinese and Indians came to the region for their economic activities.

Colonial powers as well as the Chinese and Indians were major forces in transforming the region to become a part of world's market.

Had natives initiated their own businesses?

One theory suggests that Southeast Asian farmers were formally self-sufficient. Then, after an arrival of colonial powers, they were drawn into the market economy.

Another theory shows that Southeast Asia was already part of World market (like Tony Reid's SEA in the Age of Commerce) but not in the perfect form, not consistence.

I argue that SEAsians do have entrepreneurial mind.

King Rama III of Siam had de-monopolized some economic activities even before the arrival of Sir. John Bowring. Furthermore, Burmese smallholders themselves were the intermidiaries for the selling/buying of goods to the British. In Java, after communal land system was demolished, Javanese competed to own land for cultivation.

Let's discuss.

Ps. Irawaddi's slide show on Burma's road to independence. Nice pictures.