Interesting how all the cables and leaks are dirt about other countries, seems USA is as clean as they come.

yES yES, you right master. State department should be focused on dirt about everyone else and all the wrong doings of everyone else. It SHOULD NOT even mention 1 word of USA involvement in any of the dirt -INTERNATIONALLY NOT INTERNALLY.

The leaked cables that are getting all the press attention are assessments of other countries and their leaders by State Department personnel. So--the reason the focus appears to be on other countries is that the focus is on other countries in these select cables. If there are any State Department internal assessment cables in the leaks and they get the attention of the press then kuffki may get the internal soul-searching dirt he apparently craves.

By the way, do you think that a massive leak from the state department, foreign office, or other equivalent from another country would have nothing but praise for all the countries being assessed?

To me, these seem to be simply intercepted communiques, and not necessarily how the State Department (or USA for that) actualy believes to be true.

Some assessment at a snap-shot point in time meant for another person/department for some relevent use (perhaps when looking for a place for some foreign aid package or greencard lottery or for a state visit etc) and part of an out of context bundle of information of varying degrees of usefulness used (or not) in conjunction with other information to help formulate a basis for a decision. Perhaps an answer to a specific question - If I asked "Which groups of foreign organised crime are prevalent in Pattaya?" it would not be odd to receive such a report as this in response - along with several others on different groups. Context is at least as important, surely.

If these were public statements, then it would be (perhaps) shocking in its narrowness or outright overtness, but they were not. This is no more than the "passing thoughts" or a continually "thinking" entity that is the State Department - how many thoughts do we each have a day that we would be embarrassed or ashamed of; that we would never state out loud or even allow to base decision on (at least solely or without revisement in the clear thought of day and context of that decision)?

The Russians are just as bad as the Americans. If that make you American happy.

Too bad your visa to the USA was REJECTED as you stated in "rights group slams Thai- Myranmar ping pong" Dec. 5 posting.Better luck next time.

Mafia are bad people and deserve jail.

Does the presence of the Russian mafia affect ordinary condo owners/buyers in Pattaya in any way?

Most Russians keep to themselves, and prefer to reside in the Pattaya Tower area.

The Wikileak extract in the "Guardian" said that there were 300000 Russians annualy visiting Thailand. I guess they can't all be mafia.

I was interested to read that the US Embassy thought that murder of the two vacationing Russian telephonists on Jomtien Beach, was probably Russian mafia related.

Perhaps they should have given evidence at the alleged perpetrator's murder trial.