Thailand

Thailand is a country that appears in. Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a country at the centre of the Southeast Asian Indochinese Peninsula composed of 76 provinces.

Geography
Thailand comprises several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups. The north of the country is the mountainous area of the Thai highlands, with the highest point being Doi Inthanon in the Thanon Thong Chai Range at 2,565 metres (8,415 ft) elevation. The northeast, Isan, consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong River. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand.

Southern Thailand consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula. Politically, there are six geographical regions which differ from the others in population, basic resources, natural features, and level of social and economic development. The diversity of the regions is the most pronounced attribute of Thailand's physical setting.

The Chao Phraya and the Mekong River are the indispensable water courses of rural Thailand. Industrial scale production of crops use both rivers and their tributaries. The Gulf of Thailand covers 320,000 square kilometres (124,000 sq mi) and is fed by the Chao Phraya, Mae Klong, Bang Pakong, and Tapi Rivers. It contributes to the tourism sector owing to its clear shallow waters along the coasts in the southern region and the Kra Isthmus. The eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand is an industrial centre of Thailand with the kingdom's premier deepwater port in Sattahip and its busiest commercial port, Laem Chabang.

The Andaman Sea is a precious natural resource as it hosts popular and luxurious resorts. Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Phang Nga and Trang, and their islands, all lay along the coasts of the Andaman Sea and, despite the 2004 tsunami, they remain a tourist magnet.

Government
British-style parliament with Prime Minister, and a President (confuses the hell outta me too). But, everyone listens to the King, who opens Parliament, oversees it, and signs laws with the President. Same boring stuff, I know. But, and this is the beauty part, the King isn't elected, neh? So he can ram stuff through that is good for the country, but politically hazardous. For instance, Thailand used to have anti-drug laws, anti-smuggling laws, etc. When the Crash hit, business and tourism started drying up. What to do?

The King said "get rid of these restrictions; let's make it a real free market and tourist paradise!" Now, is that chill or not? So now we have a government that won't try to legislate morality on us, but will bust people for fraud (say, if they sell you some low-grade yaa, or weapons that don't work very well), and have a special Tourist Police (from the Thai Authorities of Tourism) to watch out for fall.

As for the drug market, they had just legalized the growing of opium, to save the economies of the hill tribes that grew it for the druglords (and to take a slice of the action) when the DEA released their custom virus, and wiped out most of the crop. This fracked off the king (Rama XX at the time), and the Thai government has had a bad relationship with Washington ever since. A lot of Thai bio-techies are working on R&D for Khan Pa on a new strain of poppy, since growing it is cheaper than synthesizing, and provides for the tribes.

Economy
Welcome to the Pleasuredome! If someone somewhere else wants it, it can be found, made, and bought here. Fixers run guns to Laos for timber which they sell to the Japanese; they buy Myanmar gems from both the government and the rebels, and order to Vietnam for custom gadgets. Any type of sordid good time can be found here, and some of the best vaccine researchers in tie world are here trying to find cures for the diseases that go with good times. It's a giant open free market.

WARNING: No one will sell you one, even the lowest Svoluch will report you, and you cannot bribe your way out if you are busted for trying to smuggle out one thing: its frighteningly illegal to take Buddha images out of Thailand!

The official currency is the baht (B), but Eurobucks, New yen, American Dollars, gold, trade, anything can be used. So, there is no black market trade for baht and Eb, but Thailand does have a thriving market for restricted currencies of other countries, such as Myanmar. By the way, its 30B=1Eb.

Haggling is a way of life, and is done for even the smallest things. Of course, Fixers are rife here, and the competition is cutthroat Due to the intense free market, everything is cut-price. The difficulty lies in getting it back home. Having "Thailand" on your passport is a sure ticket for a real good shake-down at the Aerospace ports.

Theft by steam or con, not by force. Razor artists (bag-slitters) and pickpockets are out in droves. Watch for drugged food and drinks bought for you by "friend" Thais. Most Thais are genuinely friendly, but never trust anyone completely (like I have to tell you that!)