The Bunker brothers were born on May 11, 1811, in the province of Samutsongkram, near Bangkok, in the Kingdom of Siam (today's Thailand). Their fisherman father was a Chinese Thai, while their mother, Nok, was Chinese Malaysian.[4] Because of their Chinese heritage,[5] they were known locally as the "Chinese Twins".[6] The brothers were joined at the sternum by a small piece of cartilage, and though their livers were fused, they were independently complete.