zydeco

"Special economic zones in border provinces" controlled and occupied by the Chinese.

I got to the "Pending" status when I initially filed online on 23 March (yes, it accepted the application and went through fine). I was due on 6 April for my 90 day. Because I never got past Pending, I went down on the 7th and filed in person, as usual. Just checked my online status a few seconds ago to see what it says. Still "Pending." And, yes, I'm in Bangkok. I'll try again next time. Maybe one of these days it will work.

April 30th, 1975. I was finishing my shower when my wife rushed into the bathroom and told me come watch the news. The news was the evacuation of Siagon just before the fall. I sat on the sofa, stunned into silence. I had served 3 tours with the Marines in Vietnam, and as I sat there, the only thing I could think was - "It was all a waste of time", as I cried.

I flew into Saigon and pulled the Ambassador's wife, birdcage, and rwo kids out for a return trip to Bangkok on the Friday before the monday it fell. The Vietnamese troops were totally demoralized.. For those of us who fought in that war it was a turning point for the rest of our lives on many different levels.

The Cambodia Fish hook operation by the U.S. military was actually very sucessful as far as supplies captured and NVA killed.

It was very quiet in Viet Nam for the next couple of months especially in 3 Corps

The U.S. tried the same thing in Laos and the First Cav had many many aircraft shot down because the NVA were waiting for them with 51 Cal, 23mm, and 37 mm radar guided anti aircraft guns.... That operation was one big cluster F.

Cambodia and its' capatol were just about all that was left as the Khmer Rouge surrounded the capitol . It was a slow but steady advance that all could see... In the outskirts of the country there still was a lot of U.S. R&D going on such as fuel air bomb testing and other particularly nasty weapons; but nothing of that was really effective against the advance of the Khmer Rouge... for there was no intent or plan (means) to really stop them... the country was lost and 2 to 4 million Cambodians were killed by kids carrying AKs and clubs... America did not give a rats hinney and just turned its' back on the who affair... Not a time in American history to be proud of IMO.

Right or wrong it was a war that many young Americans (some 56,000 if you want to believe the official numbers) gave their lives for; not to mention all the Vietnamese, Cambodian, and residents of Laos ... The big boys all preached the domino effect and this is 'the line we must hold' until it became inconvenient .. mean while the young men died or came back with scars and maimed bodies which they had to live with for the rest of their lives...

Many books have been written about this subject so no need for me to write one here.. A any politician is likely to say, "We must put this time behind us an look forward"...

That way they can make the same mistake again due to a short memory span of a given population. How is that war on terror going ? War on Cancer (send money) the only war they seem to be good at is the war on their very own people.... Yah know, the war that intercepts every bit and bite of electronic correspondence from all over the world. But that is OK for it is for your own good and safety..

Seems that all wars are just a racket and about money for the few while the many suffer... The few to stay in power and maintain their monopoly on the goods and services for the war machine...

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Were you AAM or Continental?

And all because of an irrational fear of communism! The Vietnamese just wanted their country back and just look at the collateral damage in meibouring countries!

Act in haste and repent at leisure as they say!

I for one am hoping for a much more isolationist US of A in coming years.....

Irrational fear of the bloodiest, most murderous ideology in human history? Don't forget that the Khmer Rouge were the creation of Hanoi and Beijing.

There have been many books written on these times, read one or more of them and find out you are way out of line on that one.

It was Hanoi, Vietnam, who eventually went in and booted the KR out and installed Hun sen, who is still there, as PM.

Don't just study the tail end of history. Saloth Sar was educated in the French Communist Party, led the CPK from the early 60s until grabbing power with the aid of North Vietnam and China (with Sihanouk as a front man) and ousting the United States' supported government led by Lon Nol.

The incredible ignorance being expressed here about what happened during the war years is absolutely staggering. Stated by a bunch of people who got their information out of newspapers while sipping tea and coffee.

The reasons should be obvious, these are the countries that in the future will be Thailand's major trading partners.

With the new Chinese sponsored world bank and the BRIC partnership coming on line the world fiscal landscape is changing and the almighty dollar will fade into the background.

Once the world is no longer forced to trade in US$ as the reserve currency and oil trading status is diminished and finally lost then the massive debt of the US will start to come home to roost.

The US has little to counter this quiet shift in world order even though they are doing their best at present to bring down Russia. This time they will not be able to use lame excuses and military might as they did against Saddam and Gaddafi when they attempted to sideline the dollar in their oil trade.

Where is this "BRIC partnership" headquartered? Does it have an office? An organizational structure? Who do I send an email to? Who is its secretary-general or president?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIC

In economics, BRIC is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development. It is typically rendered as "the BRICs" or "the BRIC countries" or "the BRIC economies" or alternatively as the "Big Four". A related acronym, BRICS, includes South Africa.

Quite a large group of countries and some of the biggets markets in the world.

A "grouping?" Where is the formal charting? The annual meeting? Answer? None of these things exist, because BRICS is a Wall Street invention to generate investment sales. Some of those countries hate each other, and at least two of them are coming apart at the seams, Brazil and Russia.

And all because of an irrational fear of communism! The Vietnamese just wanted their country back and just look at the collateral damage in meibouring countries!

Act in haste and repent at leisure as they say!

I for one am hoping for a much more isolationist US of A in coming years.....

Irrational fear of the bloodiest, most murderous ideology in human history? Don't forget that the Khmer Rouge were the creation of Hanoi and Beijing.

Well when are the 400K arriving have they started to come yet or are they going to arrive en masse in a fleet of Antonov aircraft?

Then all follow one guide with a flag.

Exactly what I was thinking. And, now that you mention the fleet of Antonovs, it makes me wonder if the 400,000 will be packing field gear, assault rifles, and howitzers in their "luggage."

I wonder what the toilets are like on a Chinese submarine!

Like much in China, it's hard to tell where the toilet ends and the submarine begins.

Well written piece. Good reporting from someone who was also a primary source.

Excellent move! The way of the Future .The New Silk Road will stretch all the way from Vladiwostok, Shanghai, Guangzou, Hong Kong ,Bangkok, Singapore in the East to Istanbul in the West. Whether it will link further to Western Europe and its ports as originally already planned in the beginning of the last century remains to be seen.....

So, the entire industrial output of Asia will be bought by Turkey?

If China will buy something from Thailand, its smart enough to ask Thailand to buy something back...submarines or anything. China is not stupid to import cars, computers, oil, food, etc, etc, etc...to increase its debts and damage its own industry and employment numbers like many Western countries do. Give and take rules are fundamental for any country's economy to survive and grow, and the grow of BRIC's countries is based on that.

Indonesia is looking in getting into the BRIC market..and it is in its way.....Why not Thailand?

Please tell me where BRIC is headquartered and who you email to join?

SY : THE NEXT TIME YOU COME TO THAILAND, GO TO PATTAYA. IT HAS REALLY BECOME QUITE RUSSIAN. THERE'S A JOKE YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE BACK TO RUSSIA WITH YOU: IF A REFERENDUM WERE HELD IN PATTAYA, IT MIGHT VOTE TO BECOME A RUSSIAN CITY.

Might want to ask the Ukrainians how much of a joke this is.

Way more scary than any Russians are the racist and stereotyping Thaivisa posters!!

What a sad bunch!!

Back home I had Russians working for me. Reliable, honest and very hardworking people.

I doubt that most Thaivisa posters are racist against (white) Russians, as most Thaivisa posters are themselves white.

This action was a foregone conclusion. All through thai history the Thais never really took sides and always dealt with whoever they thought could benefit them the most in both economics and militarily. Now that the UN and USA have been so critical about the gov in Thailand it became easy to see who Thailand would turn to next. First China and with their close relations with Russia they were next. It would not surprise me if Cuba stepped forward as the next country to approach Thailand with offers to aide the economy and military. The USA and UN should have foreseen this as well and accepted instead of criticizing Thailand. Thailand is/was a place in Asia to have their presence felt. This is fading fast.

the US should self-reflect on why Thailand choose Russia and China. Thailand does not favor the US just because of some military aid. As far as economy is concerned, China is more reliable than the US although I'm not sure what role can Russia play besides getting more tourism.

Just what do you think would happen were the US to bar the importation not only of Thai finished products but finished products containing Thai parts? A good part of Thai exports to China would disappear immediately. Because I do like Thailand, I hope nothing like that ever happens. And, in fact, I can't imagine the US getting worked up enough over Thailand to put the laws, regulations, and restrictions in place to achieve that goal. But should the US ever want to . . . Thailand should remember that when the US put their mind to it, they sank the Russian economy in about six months. They could probably sink the Thai economy in six hours. Like I say, I hope not. But it is completely within their power to do so, if annoyed. Or perhaps if another regional rival, say Vietnam, plays footsie with the US to broaden US ties while sinking Thai hopes.

How does the government reconcile its wish for an appropriate dress code for Songkran (or any other time) with its stated desire to bring in more Russians? Rotund Russians in speedos and bikinis at the Grand Palace? Is that what they want?

So Thailand has finally narrowed down who are their valued visitors.

"Narrow" is not exactly a term I would use in an article relating to Russian tourists.

One more trip to the grocery store tomorrow, and then I'm going to do my usual Songkran celebration. That is, lock myself in the house until it is all over, the roads are back to "normal," and things don't resemble that Star Trek TOS episode, The Return of the Archons.

There is an entire Tourism and Hospitality industry that has been developed here based on the use of English and the hope that some day Western standards might arise. With Russians on the way, that investment becomes useless. What a disaster for Thailand were this plan to ever take root, which it never will.

I'm a critic when need be. But there is nothing wrong with reiterating a value system. It's an ad campaign. I will not hurt. Might even help.

China chemical fire? Maybe the first time in history a chemical fire improved a country's air quality index.

I understand the history and the strategic location, but if the US really wanted to cosy up to say Cambodia or even Vietnam, in the same way they historically did to Thailand, I wonder how the Thais would react.

The US need good friends in SEA, but this marriage has soured.

They both have different friends, interests and want different things now. Thailand is being courted by someone prepared to give them more, on the surface, in China and Russia, and we all know how Thais react when someone wants to give them more - they move on pretty quickly.

I'm not sure Thailand have thought this through for the long term.

Long Term = 24 hours.

Thailand to be a fat farm for Russians? Sounds vile.