Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a country at the center of the Southeast Asian Indochinese Peninsula composed of 76 provinces.
History
Following the Crash of '94, Thailand faced a dire economic crisis. To solve it, King Rama XXI decided to legalise the production of many things considered illegal in most other countries, such as drugs and smuggling. This successfully turned Thailand into a tourist and criminal hotspot.
Some time after, a bio-engineered plague created by the United States of America killed off all the legal opium fields in Thailand, and the Thai have hated the US ever since.[1]
Government
Thailand has a British-style parliament with both a prime minister and a president, but the king is the one who opens parliament, oversees it, and signs laws with the president. Since they’re not an elected official, the king is free to back things that would be politically controversial.[1]
Culture
The two most important things in Thai culture are the king, Rama XXI, and the Buddha. You can get away with most things in Thailand, but insulting either of them will likely result in you getting beaten up.[1]
Economy
If someone somewhere else wants it, it can be found, made, and bought in Thailand. 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.
The official currency is the baht (B), but Eurodollars, New Yen, American Dollars, gold, barter, and anything else is acceptable. Haggling is a way of life, and is done for even the smallest things - Fixers are rife here, of course, and the competition is cutthroat due to the intense free market.
Theft is also common too. Razor artists (bag-slitters) and pickpockets are out in droves, and watch out for drugged food, though most Thaia are friendly.[1]
Major Cities
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 PASQUARETTE, C. Pacific Rim Sourcebook. Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1994. (pp.92–96)