In a sense, HK isn't China.

Easy solution!

Put a smartphone in a waterproof box on the roof, then use the popular tracking app:

"Where's My ☆#$♡☆ Samlor?"

555

Only banned from Chiang Rai? He should be kicked out of Thailand on the next flight.

Reminds me: When I first came to Chiang Rai, in 1998, I rented a motorbike. Next day it was stolen. I had the license# from the rental receipt, so I went around looking at hundreds of plates. I found the stolen motorbike, put my bicycle chain on it and told the rental agency. They came and took the bike (I was ready to return it anyway). I wanted them to keep it locked up on the sidewalk, in order to pursue a criminal case against whomever stole it. The rental shop acted like that was silly. I found out a Brit tourist had stolen the motorbike (he had rented it prior, and made a copy of the key). When I took cops to the g.h. he was staying at, he had run off. Cops said they told him to leave Chiang Rai. For several hours, before I found the bike, I was looking at having to pay the rental agency 34,000 baht! But all the Thais I dealt with kept indicating it was no big deal, the farang was probably drunk, he split from C.Rai, so what's the big deal.

Would cops have found the stolen motorbike on their own? No chance. In fact, when I reported it stolen (before I looked for it), they just grinned knowingly and said, "oh, it's probably been taken to Burma to sell." I was going to ask if they would put word out to check at border crossings, but I already knew enough about Thailand to know they'd just yawn and grin at that suggestion.

If it happened again, I would go confront the Brit with cops at my side and tell him; "pay me 20,000 baht and pay the cops 10,000 baht right now, or I'm going to pursue charges that you stole the motorbike."