- By Stingray, Thai Intel’s national security journalist
Thai Rath, a local newspaper for the traditionalist Thais, reported yesterday, that USA president Obama, has put one of the largest Yakusa Gang in Japan, on a “Black List” to have their assets frozen and confiscated.
This is the latest news from Obama, who had been fighting against the Yakusa for a few years now.
But the problem for Obama is, Yakusa, is no longer a Japan specific problem-but very much an ASEAN problem.
Growing up and going to school in Thailand, ones comes across a many people who ones end-up calling a friend-and one of my friend, was the son of a Thai, who rose from driving a taxi cab in Southern Thailand, to being a Thai baht billionaire.
And the reason I knew he was Yakusa, is because my friend was so proud, in telling all of his friends, that his father, had cut the tip of his fingers off-a sign, of being a high-ranking Yakusa man.
From there, off course, being a kid and then a teen-age, it was great to hit Bangkok with him-and not just hearing of stories of his father’s vast business interest in Bangkok and throughout Thailand-but also in enjoying the facility of that vast business empire.
From whorehouse, hotels, cock-tail lounges, disco and clubs-to shopping malls-all were there at my friends finger tip, and I enjoyed a great deal of it-to the point, that on New Year‘s eve-the friend would come by with smoke grenades and machine guns to fire into the sky.
Then I went to study in the states at about 14 and lost contact-and saw him briefly many years latter, who said he joined his father’s business.
According to David Kaplan, an investigative editor at US News and World Report, in his famous book, called simply Yakusa-about 1990, there were about 200 Japanese Yakusa in Thailand-and in 1993, they became so active, the Japanese police held a seminar here in Thailand on how to deal with Yakusa in Thailand-and representatives from about 140 Japanese firms in Thailand showed up.
And according to David, they have been around in Thailand, way back, to even in the 1980s, when the Golden Trangle, of heroine trade, was still very much un-checked. But also, according to David, the Japanese Yakusa have been moving into the ASEAN region, even in the early 1970s-involving in anything to do with drugs, guns and women.
Last week in a Thai province, a large horde of brand new weapons were captured in Thailand-said to have been found ablut 3 months ago. Then it appears that the drug trade in Thailand had been allowed to boom. Then on the sex-industry, Thailand, over the years have developed into a global center.
And that is just the start of it-Thailand’s black market is so hugh, it reflects Thailand’s massive “Underground Econmony.” It is to the point, USA calls a major Thai shopping mall, Pantip Plaze, quote: “A Black Market.”
And unfortunately for Obama, also last week, there were news that Thailand had entered the “Dark Gray” list, of a global anti-money laundering and transnational crime-enforcement body.
Obama, knowing it or not, is fighting an up-hill battle with the Yakusa-and he may just do not have a clue of what he is dealing with.
For example, the USA ambassador here in Thailand, have made fighting “Human Trafficiking” as a priority-and this includes to a great extent women in the sex industry. Believe it or not, human trafficking is a big business in Thailand-and as sure as anything, the Yakusa is involved-all anyone has to do, is visit the Patpong’s sex industry section that serves the Japanese business people in Thailand.
Would Obama’s crackdown on the Yakusa in Japan, sees more Thais with the tip of their fingers cut off, as Yakusa moves to safe heavens as things heat up in Japan-like to Thailand?
And one thing is for sure, Thailand’s capital Bangkok, is a very global class global city-where people from all over the globe converge-to enjoy the many bad deeds of the Yakusa.
- The following is from UPI:
World News
Thai authorities find large weapons cache
Published: Feb. 24, 2012 at 2:02 PM
PRASART, Thailand, Feb. 24 (UPI) — Thai authorities say they’re uncertain how a large arms cache, including grenades and other heavy artillery, ended up in the northeastern province of Surin.
The weapons were found three months ago hidden in bushes in the Prasart district after authorities learned about a recent arms delivery in the area, but the discovery was only released to the media this week, the Bangkok Post reported.
“We are trying to identify the people who hid the weapons there,” Department of Special Investigations chief Tarit Pengdith said. “That’s why we have only just told the media about it.”
The weapons — which included grenade launchers, rockets and rifle ammunition — were seized in a joint operation involving the Department of Special Investigation, army rangers and the Border Patrol Police, the Post said.
Tarit said the weapons were not connected to street clashes in 2010 or to Feb. 14 explosions in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/02/24/Thai-authorities-find-large-weapons-cache/UPI-67151330110169/#ixzz1nNEYxli0
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