Sometimes I get the impression that they aren't. They'll happily stare at a farang walking past, and if you bother to make eye contact back with them, their face remains blank, and the stare continues, as if they are watching tv (and before you suggest smiling, I don't smile at people who stare at me, and have no wish to induce the locally automatic response).
It reminds me of walking through herds of cattle back in the UK.
Self-awareness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Self-awareness is the concept that one exists as an individual, separate from other people, with private thoughts. It may also include the understanding that other people are similarly self-aware.