Tommy am I wrong or was that guy in the bar offering you a commission to recruit foreigners for him? I thought that's what he was doing and was like wtf? I bet Mey about shit her pants hearing that...thinking am I next?! Geez...what a horrible nasty place.
I'm Chinese and know this area. This zone in Laos and the autonomous border zones in Myanmar are major vice zones. There's a lot of Chinese fugitives that settle down in these areas. Its kind of crazy.
The Chinese government's foreign policy is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, so these criminals cannot be hunted down if they escape abroad. Only if two or more governments jointly crack down on crime (such as Myanmar now) can they have an impact abroad.@@ronnie5329
My jawdropped after watching this episode. About 10-15 years ago, my wife and I crossed into Laos from Thailand with a local tour. The Thai customs took the passports from everyone in our tour before we boarded a boat to cross the Mekong River. During the crossing, the local guide told us the mainland Chinese were building some kind of casino upstream and we could vaguely see a contruction site in the distance. Back then, there weren't that many Chinese from the mainland. Once we landed on the opposite shore in Laos, we were brought to a flea market where the locals were selling fake goods and hard liquor. We were all feeling a little insecure without our passports and made sure we boarded the same boat and returned back to Thailand. This episode really opened up my eyes on what 's going over there after our trip. Well done, Tommy!
I remember doing the same crossing into Laos from there, 15 years ago for me too. I remember them taking everyone’s passports loading us up into trucks like cattle and we just waited there for an hour or so.. was sketchy asf!!
Your videos show how important it is to learn different languages.. you can see the respect everyone gains when you speak in their language! It’s beautiful!
This is worth watching. I work in Laos, and the video is a fair reflection of the area visited. I post on LinkedIn about human trafficking, so this gets linked. Thanks for doing the work.
Silk pajama cardboard street party chick and the fam was an awesome group of characters to kick off the main quest! What a journey! Thanks to you two for sharing!
Hey Sabbatical, your channel has turned from more traveling to actual journalism. Don't get me wrong, it was great before, but this is fantastic. Thank you for doing this and showing us what is going on. You're doing a great job. Keep up the good work!
i wouldn’t think it’s anything evil going on, but the railway china built that goes through laos is opening more business to laos. laos will be catching up to vietnam and thailand in terms of economy within the next 15 to 20 years. this is just the early start of it. edit to add. i think cambodia also has zones like this. off limits to their own citizens but open to tourists into their casino areas
Great video! I was about to go into the golden triangle from Myanmar maybe 10 years ago. Many people told me to avoid that area. After seeing your video, I am glad I didn't go. At least you speak Chinese and that helped a bit.
I got a call last night from India, my friends Son has just been Trafficked to work in Scam centres as a prisoner in this exact town. Trying to call UNODC and Embassy to help.
I visited recently during a trip to Chiang Rai. It's quite a dull place and not at all difficult to access from Thailand. Chinese have not come back yet after COVID. Casino was empty, no nightlife. Mostly Thais on day trips. You can find similar Chinese exclaves in Cambodia and Myanmar, they're all pretty similar in character.
@@maorkob6547 Sure, it's designed for tourists. There's a big casino resort; a bunch of overpriced Chinese restaurants; some KTVs; they are (were?) building an international airport. I'm sure there's a lot of dodgy stuff happening behind closed doors, but for most visitors it's pretty ordinary. I assume it was more interesting before 2020, similar to Sihanoukville or Myawaddy.
Just got back from there the guards let us in after a few minutes of fiddling with my passport. They must have the author of this video on some kind of no entry list.
Tommy! Another absolute phenomenal excursion. Thank you for all you do in taking us on your journeys and being such a great American Ambassador. Very glad you weren’t forced into Call Center work. Telemarketing is a grind!
They want unsuspecting foreigners who don't know much or have anything or anyone. I'm sure they are aware this guy could be some kind of travel vlogger, seeing how fluent he is in many languages. All he'd have to do is get a cellphone in there and they could be exposed.
@AcidxAnarchy They're not aware of anything. Those people depicted, including security are extremely ignorant of the outside world and foreigners in general.
I am just watching this now and thinking the same thing.. This guy doesn’t give a shit though because this video is a year old. She’s probably long gone 😢
Me and my wife just went to Luang Prabang last March-April. We started watching your channel because I'm Indonesian, my wife is Chinese Laotian, and today your video just like tied all of those together. Although Luang Prabang is way nicer than golden triangle, I also witnessed mainland Chinese 'occupation' there. I think your beer Laotian girl picnic buddy comment about wanting to live in China instead of Laos was like a sad reality, but I heard of Cambodia also has same fate of being run by Chinese corporation. I'm looking forward for your future great travel videos.
Khmer here. In Sihanoukville, all the criminals are members of the "Bamboo Union" Mafia from Taiwan (Republic of China 🇹🇼), not from Mainland China (People's Republic of China 🇨🇳). Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, nearly 90% of Mainland Chinese businessmen left Cambodia. It will be soon 2024, and they don't return yet. In Khmer we say : Choncheat Chen = all Han Chinese 🇨🇳🇹🇼🇭🇰🇲🇴 ; Dey Kok = Mainland ; Khet = Province ; Koh = Island.
Loa is very undeveloped - why wouldn't you want to go china ? It's like eastern Europeans coming to UK to work etc ....... Just normal development stuff mate
This is so interesting, I can't believe not more people are talking about the amazing journalism of going undercover and getting this information for us about this "special zone" and an inside look at the people being trafficked there.
The Golden Triangle Region was infamous for drug trafficking. Under the coordination between China and local governments, the drug industry is almost gone. However, scammers started to grow in recent years. Then China started to work with local governments to deal with scammers this year. That’s what is happening in Myanmar. The scammers in Laos are kindly doomed. Hope they won’t turn to other crimes in next a few years.
Oh yeah ? You naive fool where do you think all the big pharma ingredients come from for the opioid medication production ?? Yes exactly it's grown in Laos and other similar places .... Naive fool
The drug industry is almost gone? 25% of the worlds opium was being produced there right before the Taliban started cracking down on opium production 2 years ago and has only increased since.
you said you arent a journalist but that vid was very much an investigative report. Great content and such a great cause highlighting this issue. Great work
Im used to that every video of yours is an absolute banger but this one was on a whole different level! It felt like watching a movie. Couldn't believe what i saw and heard, glad that you made it out safe🙏🏽 praying for the locals who live there
Thanks for this interesting vid. I was up at the Golden Triangle last November on the Thai side of the river, before later travelling down the mighty, beautiful Mekong to Luang Prabang. Looking across the Mekong I could see all the high rises and casinos on the opposite bank in Laos, also signs of further construction ongoing. I was told there are plans for an airport . It seems to becoming the new Macau. When I was in Vientiane I saw numerous ostentatious palace size homes in some areas of the city. Most likely owned by local pollies and financed by northern neighbourly business interests. Looking forward to watching some more of your travel experiences. I wish you safe and happy trails.
This is damn true i remember few months back some Sri lankan software engineers were tricked in to a place in laos in goldern triangle and forced in to work without salaries; It was very hard for SL government to take them back but finally was able to rescue them. I think its this place; Looks damn scary
The number on the front is a temporary registration number until the car's license plates are received. In Laos, it takes a while to receive license plates when a car is purchased new or re-sold in Laos.
Hi just want to thank you and appreciate you for making this video and sharing your trip and informative regarding to Laos and special economic zones in Golden Triangle..
that man that said he was going to come to new zealand, and offered you commission for "hiring foreigners" blew me away. i'll definitely let my government know to check this video out so he cannot encroach on our soil. he is sickening to think about.
The New Zealand economy will now collapse without slave labour. Corporate kiwis have been throwing future generations under the bus for decades. All for tidy personal gains...
@@helvetius1572I think they’re saying that because they don’t want their people to be trafficked by him. But I totally disagree, people alive now aren’t accountable for what their ancestors did. Every group of people on this earth has at some point taken land from others. So by your logic the whole worlds population is guilty. Wherever you were born is your home no matter if you have a different ethnicity
My father fought in Burma, which is now Myanmar, in World War II. His company's mission was to build an airstrip. He was instructed to put up a sign to recruit local workers and pay them two cents per day. He didn't think anybody would show up, but the next day there were lines and lines of people, including women with babies. I don't recall if the airstrip ever got finished, but my father said shortly after that his whole battalion was killed except for him. He finally made his way to a US army unit. Don't recall if he continued in the war after that or where he went. I wished I'd asked him more questions... What a shame to see everything they fought for and gave their lives for coming down to this only 80 years later...
In fact, Chinese people are also victims, because the main targets of telecommunications fraud in these parks are ordinary people within China. In China, the Chinese government strictly prohibits such fraud crimes, so they have been transferred to Southeast Asia. However, the current war in northern Myanmar is a warning from the Chinese government against such telecommunications fraud.
Amazing and very interesting video, I have seen other videos where they were able to go inside the zone and see the casino. Maybe it was the guards being very strict that day, on a sidenote the music from the club.. i wish i knew the song name. Love your content.
Amazing video - almost to the level of investigative journalism. Sihanoukville, Cambodia is open access China influenced but this Lao village is secretive and thus seems much more dangerous. It reminds me of an Apocalypse Now frontier town boarding between civilization and complete lawlessness where people disappear and never return. Amongst all the usual travel blog videos that flood TH-cam, this is one gritty epic I'll never forget.
Hi, Khmer here. The mafia operating in Sihanoukville comes from Taiwan (Republic of China) ; not Mainland China (People’s Republic of China). They are members of the "Bamboo Union" Triade from Taichung & Tainan cities in 🇹🇼 ➡️ their identity documents shown by 🇰🇭 police + interview of the Vietnamese & Taiwanese victims (who were taken care of by the 🇨🇳 embassy). And no Sihanoukville (formerly Kampong Saom) was never a paradise after the end of the war in 1998. That's why our former King named it after him, hoping that it would become prosperous. Sihanoukville before 2016 : - Was the capital of prostitution and sexual disease in Cambodia ; - The inhabitants didn't have access to drinking water (except tourists area) ; - Nor education (that's why the 🇨🇵 association "Pour un Sourire d'Enfant" was there, because it was so bad) ; - No decent housing and modern infrastructure. Since 2017, Cambodians no longer go to work abroad for low pay & abuse ; because there is more and more local work (congratulated by the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund & UNICEF). Infrastructure Development and Vocational Training are the foundation of the Economy : - The inhabitants of Sihanoukville province (and in many other provinces) have now access to health, education, professional training, full employment, and even access the Middle Class ; - An Economy is only prosperous when its workers are well paid = increasing qualified workers ; - In 2020, +30,000 new residents from other Cambodian provinces came to settle in Sihanoukville to work. The only problem is when at the start of the pandemic in 2020, investors from Mainland China left all Cambodia ; members of the “Bamboo Union” mafia from Taiwan came en masse to Sihanoukville. They pretended to be Taiwanese businessmen replacing Mainland Chinese who were afraid of COVID-19, bringing a lot of Taiwanese workers, followed by Vietnamese (without going through an employment agency) ; to later sequester them in Call Centers. In Khmer, we called "Choncheat Chen" = "Chinese origin", all Han Chinese from : - the People's Republic of China (Mainland, PRC) 🇨🇳 + - the Republic of China (Taiwan island, ROC) 🇹🇼 + - the 2 Special Administrative Region of Macau 🇲🇴 & Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (SAR). PS : before 1970, around 1 million of Cambodians was full Han Chinese ethnic. Han Chinese signs always existed in Southeast Asia alongside with Local script (archives).
Thank you, Tommy! You did a wonderful job! I heard that, The Chinese government is cracking down on those similar criminals in Myanmar in the last few days. Many Chinese were victims in those scams. It’s difficult to handle this because it is in another country and under different jurisdiction.
Yes, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people have been scammed to northern Myanmar and forced to participate in telecommunications fraud. They have completely lost their freedom and cannot leave regardless of whether they have paid ransom or not. Many Chinese people have been killed and disabled due to their lack of cooperation or attempts to escape. The recent war in northern Myanmar was due to the massacre of Chinese people attempting to escape by private armed forces on October 20th. The massacres included undercover police officers who were still brutally murdered after identifying themselves. A total of dozens of Chinese people were killed in the incident
@@maorkob6547 This issue is very complex because it involves the history of the Myanmar nationalist independence movement, the longstanding division between local and central authorities, and the internal conflict triggered by the 2021 coup in Myanmar. These issues are intertwined with China's recent telecommunications fraud problems. I'm interested in political and history, so I'm happy to share information with you. Reducing it to just 'war between ethnic armed groups and government forces' would be too simplistic. If you're interested, you can look up more information to understand these issues better, but let me provide some insights based on what I know. Currently, in the northern region of Shan State in Myanmar, in an area called Kokang, which borders China, there exists an ethnic insurgent group. They have initiated a war in this area, citing China's crackdown on telecommunications fraud as their reason. Their slogan is 'Rescue Chinese Compatriots,' which might sound peculiar. This is because the people here have historically been strongly influenced by Han Chinese culture; their ancestors migrated from China centuries ago, and locals have lived together. They speak Chinese, celebrate traditional Chinese festivals, yet also have their own unique customs. Many still culturally identify themselves as Chinese, ethnically as Kokang, and regionally as Burmese. In 2009, a coup took place within the local ethnic self-governing body, resulting in the loss of their control in this area, which transformed into an ethnic insurgent group. The faction behind the coup collaborated with the Myanmar government, leading to the successful takeover of the Kokang region by the Myanmar government. But with the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, armed conflicts have erupted frequently in the northern parts of Myanmar, and the Kokang insurgents saw an opportunity. Due to cultural close, they don't even need to learn any language. Hence, many Chinese individuals have gone there to engage in telecommunications fraud, colluding with local forces. It has now evolved into incidents of kidnapping, human organ trafficking, and slave trade. The situation has become serious, causing a stir on the Chinese internet, and the Chinese government is now determined to address these issues. Therefore, this has provided them with yet another strong pretext to initiate war. Consequently, the war has now officially begun.
Woah I never knew about this...Been to Laos and currently live in Thailand for the past 3 years. I am going to check this out (from a distance) for myself in the next couple weeks. Cheers dude, good stuff as always
Did you notice the scammers jobs advertise in facebook thailand and even in whatsapp thai they offer jkbs in remote zera must come from that place casinos in fact since one month i see so many fake jobs offer in thai social media
Excellent video. By far the most intense in your channel. Had it been me, i'd gotten the hell out of there. But at the same time, your bravery and social know-how allowed you to bring light to these kind of regions that actually exist in the world. We'd like to think we are beyond issues of human cruelty, right violations and so on, but recorded evidence like this, not even far from 2024, really goes to show otherwise. I lost my faith in humanity a little after this.
China is a vastly different culture. Look at the horrors in its history and everyday it's been been getting worse. See the mysterious pneumonia outbreak.
Huge "Thank You" to Mey....❤🫶You're a very brave woman and an inspiration to others that might have been overwhelmed with fear and unable to do what you've so courageously accomplished. Again, Thank you, Mey!!!💜💜💜
nice visit!!! first time seeing the laos situation. one tip, 安静 doesn't mean safer, it means quiet, the 1986 shirt dude like it there cuz its more quiet xD
Wow man. U deserve some serious credit for making this video. Amazing job. Be careful out there tho bro, the forces your exposing surely would want to do some harm to anything getting in their way
you have been my favorite youtuber as of the past couple years. the international content you put out is unmatched. you always provide insight. god bless tommy
He is taking a lot of risk. Have to be careful. The plus point, he has an Asian looking partner. Always good to have an Asian looking partner in South East Asia(SEA) as extra security.
Thank you so much for showing this. Very brave, ai Sabbatical. Lao people (I'm one of them!) are lovely people that just keep getting dealt tough hands. Some of it is self-imposed because greed and power corrupts, but a lot of it is just unfortunate repeated victimization on the part of others.
Your government basically sold out to China. That special economic zone is run by Chinese mafia alright. That Chinese mafia is none other than the Chinese government.
Man those dudes that took you to the bar were sketchy. There was a feeling of impending doom during this whole video... Really eerie. Glad you got out of this place alive.
45:00 love the short interaction you had with the local Laotian children. Its the only part of the video that I wasn't worried for you. It also just shows how precious and innocent children are until they get corrupted by the adults...
What really hurt my heart are the girls in the end who were so happy with their ice cream. Knowing that in just a few years, they will probably end up in that bar. May their life be filled with the happiness they felt at that moment.
He has a somewhat thick accent when speaking Chinese that’s just a little grating, but for the most part he got his point across and communicated what he needed. The fact he was able to haggle with the taxi driver was quite impressive, I’ll say.
Thank you for exposing the real issues occurring in Laos right now. It's so sad to see this especially that I have a lot family that still live in Laos. Not many wants to speak about these issues and this needs to be brought to light. The Lao government is no help to the Lao people. I hope one day the Lao people will rise up and make a change because this is heartbreaking to see..😔🥲💔
Go you good thing!! 👍🏽 Amazing insights into a world only known to some. You’re a brave man. Thank you for bringing this to light and all the best with your journey and endeavours.
In fact, the Chinese settled in the northern part of Myanmar and Laos about four centuries ago. after the fall of the Ming Dynasty‘s capital Beijing (1644 AD), the surviving members of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty, with some loyal courtiers and civilians, went into exile all the way to the south to form a government in exile called "Nanming南明". Want to counterattack the Qing Dynasty to retake power, but it is obviously impossible. Their home country no longer had their place, and eventually most of them settled in present-day Myanmar and Laos.
Thank you for sharing. You’re very brave. I left Laos back in 1978. I came to American back in 1979 and never went back since. I would love to visit Laos one of these days.
I never knew anyone from Laos until I lived in Paris. There is an enclave of Lao immigrants who could also include Hmongs....then again I don't know much about Lao people.
This is probably one of the darker videos I’ve seen you make, man. There’s a reason they didn’t let you in. They flagged you from a mile away. What a crazy spot. Straight up Deer Hunter vibes.
Enjoyed watching your excursion to the Lao special economic zone in the Golden Triangle. The scammers and child slave labor recruiters are not limited to that area of Lao. They also travel throughout rural Lao recruiting the 10 year old's who have completed their education. I'm an American citizen who lives in Kengmaihia, Champasak province, Lao.
Really interesting. I wonder what's shaking up at NKP? You can see the limestone hills across the Mekong from the promenade the French built there. There was once a clock tower dedicated to Ho Chi Minh in the center of town. I understand there's a four star hotel there now. Maybe the stink of open sewers has gone away??? Anyway, excellent video of a place to avoid.
As a traveler from China, I often conceal my nationality when traveling in many countries. I claim to be Japanese. Firstly, my appearance does indeed resemble that of Japanese ;Secondly, I believe that the biggest threat faced by Chinese travelers comes from these villains originating from China. They specifically target Chinese individuals and can be extremely ruthless. During my travels in Thailand, I encountered Chinese villains who recommended illegal drugs and wanted to engage in illicit transactions with me. I managed to escape by pretending to be Japanese. I want to caution all friends from Southeast Asia, especially female friends, that the majority of Chinese individuals in Southeast Asian countries, particularly in areas not governed by the authorities, have impure intentions. While most Chinese people are friendly and kind, but these criminals are an exception.
I hope you visit other parts of Laos too. It’s a beautiful country with some of the kindest, most gentle and generous people I’ve met anywhere. I lived in Luang Prabang for over a year and traveled through the north and northeast part of the country. Other than the roads, I never felt unsafe, and I never felt cheated. The Lao people and the other minorities that I met - Hmong, Khmu, Lue - were all welcoming and generous. I really hope you explore other areas that haven’t been corrupted by the lawlessness and international criminality and exploitation of the golden triangle.
Lao's people are not the problem. But the government and officers are corruptionist. Most country's benefit not to the people, to their pocket...infrastructure still bad....lost their natural resource..etc.
The meat you are eating in those chinese restaurants has been soaked in soooooo much toxic chemicals that they won't go bad for the next 1000 years. I would never eat at chinese restaurants there.
Your videos are awesome. The fact that you speak quite a few languages fluently add so much to your videos as I'm sure it does to your travels. I have been to over 70 countries, all over Asia, and many times I wish that I had spoken the local language.
This video is absolutely wild, you really did do some damn unintentional investigative journalism here. I've been deeply following and researching the situation in the Kokang SAZ in Myanmar and this really... really corroborates so much. Also really appreciate your nuance and complexity shown throughout in trying to iterate that this isn't necessarily something orchestrated or sanctioned from the top-down by China, rather an issue of corruption, decentralization, distance, and so on perpetrated by organized criminal groups (who may of course have local/provincial governmental ties given the decentralized nature of Chinese government which does tend to result in accountability issues). Also sent you a message on IG if you're willing to chat at all ever!
a bit naive about the Party's Public Security mission extended abroad. Syndicates have always been major money launderers, conduits to invest home bound capital out of the country, and influence governments and disrupt the social fabric in the borders states...some textbook colonialism here.
There is another meaning to the word "colony" ie a group of people with a shared interest living together in a single area. We also speak of bees, ants etc as living in colonies. I agree it would have been better to use something like "enclave".
Don Sao was just a little village with a post office in the early 90’s…..and the closest major town was Ban Huay Xai hours away on the river…..days away over land
Hey Tommy. You just keep on living on the edge. A good thing you had your cute bodyguard/sly videographer, Mey, along with you at the moment. Great and eye opening video brother. Thank you both. Be safe. Gods protection be with you.
Between this and Bald and Bankrupt following the migrant trail through latin america, it's almost like travel vloggers are the new investigative journalists.
Very interesting film. The beer Lao lady was a talkative mine of information. Can't help but think that Bald and Bankrupt would have got himself into that special economic zone no matter what the consequences. Probably would have talked himself out too if in trouble. That's the difference between Brits and Americans.
@@EddieManningHard to talk your way in and out of things as an American in a foreign nation, most places seem to hate us. There’s probably cultural reasons that are valid, but still, it does make things difficult when you’re immediately seen as the enemy.
@@EddieManning It's not very smart to put yourself into a situation where you think you will have to try to talk your way out. It doesn't always end with being able to talk your way out.
If you have spent good enough times in South East Asia countries except Singapore, you can easily decipher that body language and hints from that security guard. If you slip a USD$50 inside your passport, this video would have got some cool fun stuff from the casino or free trade zone. Yes, some remote areas in those countries can be really corrupted.
@@rzadigi How would they kidnap him and force him to work? These people may get tricked or scammed into working for these scams. but they're not physically forced? Correct. There needs to be clarification on exactly how forced is forced and what is different from being tricked into misleading of fortunes
Great show Tommy !! So interesting....have done a lot of travelling but will leave it to you for places like Laos and a real feeling for your experience 🙂
Hi Tommy, awesome video. Apparently not the only place along the Laos - China border where casinos are being developed on a twilight zone between both countries. Could you let me know where exactly the guard post is located where you tried to enter this 'Special Economic Zone'? Is it around the region of Bokeo International Airport (20° 18′ 59.96″ N 100° 9′ 16.07″ E)?
Hi, Tommy, 15:05 literally there is no such a spot where Lao,Thailand,Myanmar, China all meet, The Golden Triangle is located at the border of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, while China's border is still 150 kilometers away in a straight line from here... Regarding the cyber scams and human trafficking you mentioned, the real hotspots aren't here but further north, hundreds of kilometers away in Myanmar's Shan and Wa States, near the China border. That's where the true hell lies, up for a visit? LOL
The Golden Triangle is the territory controlled by the Kuomintang that retreated after the [Chinese Civil War]. (The main force of the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan)
It's obvious that you didn't get what Tommy said or you don't understand what he meant. He mentioned China as "part of the Triangle" because Chinese can be there illegally in a second. It's a "figure of speech" to say that China/Chinese is a part of that triangle as well.
Hello Tommy! Good to see you are ok. World's weather is insane. Do you ever check it before head out? I mean landslides,quakes,power outages etc.. Now ill watch the this film and love it im sure!. A Mineola Fan.
Felt so anxious even watching this one. I do worry about your safety sometimes Tommy 😅. Truly shocking stuff but I really hope this video can encourage some sort of change here.
"Thank you Tommy, especially for your closing meditation and message at 42:20... It caused me to reflect back on my time in that part of the world in the year you were born, and about my world, the old world I will soon leave, and the new world that you will soon enter. I can't say I care for what that new world appears it will be, as it will be rooted in the worst of my world, only amplified. It appears that one thing that has remained unchanged for generations is Lao. A people who have suffered greatly and in many ways are better people, better prepared, perhaps than we are to endure this new world, I pray that the Lao people and their country find better times in the new world, may God bless them, they deserve better. Thank you Tommy and Mae, for letting me revisit the old world, I needed that."
Around 21:30 it sounds like she's saying "if we wait 3-5 we'll be Chinese" and she sounds pretty happy about that. Nice folks, hope everything works out for them
My HK wife and I are Canadian citizens as of 3 years ago. I have dual Irish citizenship. I was declined using my CAD passport but then allowed in after a few hours by showing my Irish passport (make that make sense). My wife was permitted entry but only after we paid something close to $200 CAD equivalent. I think it's just a scam and they want money to be honest.
Yeah, I don't know why this dude didn't try going in low key like that instead of the "But I'm American" (look of stunned disbelief). I'm also American and have been living all over Asia the last 15 years and there ain't but only one solution to every problem.
America has sanctioned the gangster who literally owns the enitire SEZ and has tied up any money he has in the West. So Americans are not permitted to enter. Canadia is basically an American colony so they are carrful about Canadians because they are worried that they are actually American intelligence. The intelligence services in my country have been using Canadian passports to get into places that Americans aren't allowed for a century, so the gangsters have kinda figured it out. They let you in after a couple hours because they probably had you checked and didnt see you as a risk.
This is not the first time I've said, "Tommy (if that really is his name lol) is crazy putting himself in this situation". But it is the first time I've seriously meant it.
Hey Sabbatical, just a heads up when you ask authorities questions and they don't give an answer but appear to understand - this means they want money from you without asking for me. Just hand them a $20 and say let me in. Don't ask questions.
Damn, great video!!! Really well done. Too close to the edge for me but you're so good at this you seem to know just how far you can go before it's time to leave. Injustice has been around since the beginning of civilization. It's very sad...
So much for a relaxing vacation. This one was a doozy.
You nailed it Tommy. I thought I could show you these things in Laos but you figured it out quickly. There's another one in Cambodia, Sihanouk Ville.
TY Mey!
Can Americans go to other people's homes at will in the United States?
I'm struggling without translations here 😅
Tommy am I wrong or was that guy in the bar offering you a commission to recruit foreigners for him? I thought that's what he was doing and was like wtf? I bet Mey about shit her pants hearing that...thinking am I next?! Geez...what a horrible nasty place.
I'm Chinese and know this area. This zone in Laos and the autonomous border zones in Myanmar are major vice zones. There's a lot of Chinese fugitives that settle down in these areas. Its kind of crazy.
希望国家把那些败类捉了杀掉
If they are running from prc gov, it sounds like a little too close for comfort to settle there 🤔 or does the gov really have zero reach there
The Chinese government's foreign policy is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, so these criminals cannot be hunted down if they escape abroad. Only if two or more governments jointly crack down on crime (such as Myanmar now) can they have an impact abroad.@@ronnie5329
Many Chinese here open casinos, hire people to make electronic scam, human trafficking etc, not a good thing
@magnetospin absolutely retarded comment. Americans in Mexico are law abiding, unlike the Chinese in the SEZ who are mostly a bunch of weirdos.
My jawdropped after watching this episode. About 10-15 years ago, my wife and I crossed into Laos from Thailand with a local tour. The Thai customs took the passports from everyone in our tour before we boarded a boat to cross the Mekong River. During the crossing, the local guide told us the mainland Chinese were building some kind of casino upstream and we could vaguely see a contruction site in the distance. Back then, there weren't that many Chinese from the mainland. Once we landed on the opposite shore in Laos, we were brought to a flea market where the locals were selling fake goods and hard liquor. We were all feeling a little insecure without our passports and made sure we boarded the same boat and returned back to Thailand. This episode really opened up my eyes on what 's going over there after our trip. Well done, Tommy!
It's literally the other end of the country
Mainland China’s criminals fled from Chinese government punishment. Not Mainland Chinese. They are two very different concepts.
I remember doing the same crossing into Laos from there, 15 years ago for me too. I remember them taking everyone’s passports loading us up into trucks like cattle and we just waited there for an hour or so.. was sketchy asf!!
The Chinese 🇨🇳 government controls these Chinese gangs and scammers.
@@hdvoiceHow could they flee?
The Chinese 🇨🇳 government controls these Chinese gangs and scammers.
You know it's bad when an Indian scammer saying 'Lao are scammers'... 😂
Indians 're no1 scammer in the world... Even Aussie reject mostly Indian students(media report it), coz they like doing scam...
😂😂
😂😅
😅
😅
Your videos show how important it is to learn different languages.. you can see the respect everyone gains when you speak in their language! It’s beautiful!
🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸😎
None of them respected him. It’s obvious
老挝是我们中国的友邦，老挝人是我们中国人的朋友，这标题说是殖民地是几个意思？你们问问老挝人他们认为自己是中国的殖民地吗？如果我们殖民他们为什么我们自己都不知道这个事情呢
@@byronj9741 你不知道不等于别人不知道
@@之賢-h9q 对对对，就你知道，别人都不知道
This is worth watching. I work in Laos, and the video is a fair reflection of the area visited. I post on LinkedIn about human trafficking, so this gets linked. Thanks for doing the work.
Silk pajama cardboard street party chick and the fam was an awesome group of characters to kick off the main quest!
What a journey! Thanks to you two for sharing!
she was cool AF
It’s almost like Alice running into the tea party on a different level
Silk pyjama cardboard chick 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Those lao girls that offered you food are so honest and friendly. Lovely people!
they were a little bit vulgar too, you know
@@PertinaxmanIn what way? Their jokes are pretty common for that region
Not vulgar at all, have you met black girls that talk about WAP in the US, that's vulgar. Those Lao girls just wanted some company and drink beer
Probably gone missing now
This channel seems to be just another Western propaganda
Wow. I am a Lao American and planned a trip to Laos next year. I’m very glad I watched your video!
Hey Sabbatical, your channel has turned from more traveling to actual journalism. Don't get me wrong, it was great before, but this is fantastic. Thank you for doing this and showing us what is going on. You're doing a great job. Keep up the good work!
This channel seems to be just another Western propaganda
i wouldn’t think it’s anything evil going on, but the railway china built that goes through laos is opening more business to laos. laos will be catching up to vietnam and thailand in terms of economy within the next 15 to 20 years. this is just the early start of it.
edit to add. i think cambodia also has zones like this. off limits to their own citizens but open to tourists into their casino areas
Great video! I was about to go into the golden triangle from Myanmar maybe 10 years ago. Many people told me to avoid that area. After seeing your video, I am glad I didn't go. At least you speak Chinese and that helped a bit.
I am so amazed how many languages you speak and with very good quality conversationally/
BRO THIS IS AMAZING! Please keep creating this kind of video for the humanity. Cheers from Indonesia!
I've never heard of this region before as a Canadian. Now I'm going to go deep in the rabbit hole. Great video!
Good Luck Bud Just Be Safe! Ehh
Human trafficking's , drug, violence . Golden Delta is just as bad as Bampton ..
any findings?
@@wilsonedwards5016 hes not alive anymore to tell the story..
I appreciate the videos. You are brave to film this.
I got a call last night from India, my friends Son has just been Trafficked to work in Scam centres as a prisoner in this exact town. Trying to call UNODC and Embassy to help.
I visited recently during a trip to Chiang Rai. It's quite a dull place and not at all difficult to access from Thailand. Chinese have not come back yet after COVID. Casino was empty, no nightlife. Mostly Thais on day trips. You can find similar Chinese exclaves in Cambodia and Myanmar, they're all pretty similar in character.
It's safe for tourists to go there?
@@maorkob6547 Sure, it's designed for tourists. There's a big casino resort; a bunch of overpriced Chinese restaurants; some KTVs; they are (were?) building an international airport. I'm sure there's a lot of dodgy stuff happening behind closed doors, but for most visitors it's pretty ordinary. I assume it was more interesting before 2020, similar to Sihanoukville or Myawaddy.
Just got back from there the guards let us in after a few minutes of fiddling with my passport. They must have the author of this video on some kind of no entry list.
Risked your life for this video - thanks for the effort
Also Mey's life. Maybe not so cool?
Tommy! Another absolute phenomenal excursion. Thank you for all you do in taking us on your journeys and being such a great American Ambassador. Very glad you weren’t forced into Call Center work. Telemarketing is a grind!
They want unsuspecting foreigners who don't know much or have anything or anyone. I'm sure they are aware this guy could be some kind of travel vlogger, seeing how fluent he is in many languages. All he'd have to do is get a cellphone in there and they could be exposed.
Well, not so much exposed... I'd say they don't want heat from foreign governments... such as the US.
Americans are probably safe. They don’t want anything to do with them
@AcidxAnarchy They're not aware of anything. Those people depicted, including security are extremely ignorant of the outside world and foreigners in general.
That's The Governments Problem as They Could get Charge as Embargo as No Compassion & Human Rights By U.N
You should NOT show the face of that girl who spoke Chinese! This could bring danger to her!!
I am just watching this now and thinking the same thing.. This guy doesn’t give a shit though because this video is a year old. She’s probably long gone 😢
@@FatBamMargera Is a content creator responsible for every consequence of their content?
@ yes, if someone’s safety is at risk. He could have blurred her face at the very least
Me and my wife just went to Luang Prabang last March-April. We started watching your channel because I'm Indonesian, my wife is Chinese Laotian, and today your video just like tied all of those together. Although Luang Prabang is way nicer than golden triangle, I also witnessed mainland Chinese 'occupation' there. I think your beer Laotian girl picnic buddy comment about wanting to live in China instead of Laos was like a sad reality, but I heard of Cambodia also has same fate of being run by Chinese corporation.
I'm looking forward for your future great travel videos.
Khmer here. In Sihanoukville, all the criminals are members of the "Bamboo Union" Mafia from Taiwan (Republic of China 🇹🇼), not from Mainland China (People's Republic of China 🇨🇳).
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, nearly 90% of Mainland Chinese businessmen left Cambodia. It will be soon 2024, and they don't return yet.
In Khmer we say :
Choncheat Chen = all Han Chinese 🇨🇳🇹🇼🇭🇰🇲🇴 ;
Dey Kok = Mainland ;
Khet = Province ;
Koh = Island.
they are not run by Chinese. they are run by Chinese Burmese who are not on the same side with mainland Chinese.
Laos, China? Occupy? What the fuck are you talking about
Loa is very undeveloped - why wouldn't you want to go china ?
It's like eastern Europeans coming to UK to work etc .......
Just normal development stuff mate
@@Truth-And-Freedom yeah, and this made the brexit happen
correction: they young guy said "It's more quiet here", not "I'ts safer".
yh i was gonna say
This is so interesting, I can't believe not more people are talking about the amazing journalism of going undercover and getting this information for us about this "special zone" and an inside look at the people being trafficked there.
Nobody wants to talk about it because Chinese government/mafia is in charge
Good way to get kidnapped ~ Go to the Philippines?
@@KingNewJersey Philippines is safer than the US.
You'll never see this type of Journalism from the Journalists anymore.
@@KingNewJersey Philippines is Much More Safer compared to Laos.
Love the videos. When speaking to the guy from Changsha, Hunan, i'm sure he said it was quieter, rather than safer (in the subtitles)
you are right
The Golden Triangle Region was infamous for drug trafficking. Under the coordination between China and local governments, the drug industry is almost gone. However, scammers started to grow in recent years. Then China started to work with local governments to deal with scammers this year. That’s what is happening in Myanmar. The scammers in Laos are kindly doomed. Hope they won’t turn to other crimes in next a few years.
Oh yeah ?
You naive fool where do you think all the big pharma ingredients come from for the opioid medication production ??
Yes exactly it's grown in Laos and other similar places ....
Naive fool
The drug industry is almost gone? 25% of the worlds opium was being produced there right before the Taliban started cracking down on opium production 2 years ago and has only increased since.
Literally tons of meth are smuggled out of this zone and into Thailand.
100% bullshit
Thousands of people were murdered there and their body organs sold by Evil CCP gangs, Evil china gangs sell human body organs there!!
you said you arent a journalist but that vid was very much an investigative report. Great content and such a great cause highlighting this issue. Great work
Im used to that every video of yours is an absolute banger but this one was on a whole different level! It felt like watching a movie. Couldn't believe what i saw and heard, glad that you made it out safe🙏🏽 praying for the locals who live there
哈哈笑死了前面都是烂片，这个有水准
Thanks for this interesting vid. I was up at the Golden Triangle last November on the Thai side of the river, before later travelling down the mighty, beautiful Mekong to Luang Prabang.
Looking across the Mekong I could see all the high rises and casinos on the opposite bank in Laos, also signs of further construction ongoing. I was told there are plans for an airport .
It seems to becoming the new Macau.
When I was in Vientiane I saw numerous ostentatious palace size homes in some areas of the city. Most likely owned by local pollies and financed by northern neighbourly business interests.
Looking forward to watching some more of your travel experiences. I wish you safe and happy trails.
This is damn true i remember few months back some Sri lankan software engineers were tricked in to a place in laos in goldern triangle and forced in to work without salaries; It was very hard for SL government to take them back but finally was able to rescue them. I think its this place; Looks damn scary
34:00 see the HR is from India. Man this is so scary.
Sri Lankans sold him out
A software engineer was tricked to work in golden triangle , i've thought he must have brain!
11：58 He said quieter rather than safer actually, "安静" and “安全” might sounds similar.
The number on the front is a temporary registration number until the car's license plates are received. In Laos, it takes a while to receive license plates when a car is purchased new or re-sold in Laos.
Hi just want to thank you and appreciate you for making this video and sharing your trip and informative regarding to Laos and special economic zones in Golden Triangle..
12:00 He says 安靜, which means quieter, not safer (安全)
Yes, I also wanted to point that out. He said Bangkok is a big city like Changsha, but he likes a quieter place.
我不信他的印尼女友不吃蚕蛹，印尼人可什么都吃
Yes, I noticed that too. I lived in China 17 years.
@@GrandTA1 其实不是所有印尼人都能吃这个
@@GrandTA1我是印尼人。在印尼我从来没有看过蚕蛹
that man that said he was going to come to new zealand, and offered you commission for "hiring foreigners" blew me away. i'll definitely let my government know to check this video out so he cannot encroach on our soil. he is sickening to think about.
The New Zealand economy will now collapse without slave labour. Corporate kiwis have been throwing future generations under the bus for decades. All for tidy personal gains...
yeah what new zealand government did during 2020 into 2021 makes them worst then that guy much much worst.
@@helvetius1572I think they’re saying that because they don’t want their people to be trafficked by him. But I totally disagree, people alive now aren’t accountable for what their ancestors did. Every group of people on this earth has at some point taken land from others. So by your logic the whole worlds population is guilty. Wherever you were born is your home no matter if you have a different ethnicity
@@helvetius1572ignorance
your gov does not care
My father fought in Burma, which is now Myanmar, in World War II. His company's mission was to build an airstrip. He was instructed to put up a sign to recruit local workers and pay them two cents per day. He didn't think anybody would show up, but the next day there were lines and lines of people, including women with babies. I don't recall if the airstrip ever got finished, but my father said shortly after that his whole battalion was killed except for him. He finally made his way to a US army unit. Don't recall if he continued in the war after that or where he went. I wished I'd asked him more questions... What a shame to see everything they fought for and gave their lives for coming down to this only 80 years later...
My grandfather also fought in Burma. He built forts I believe, wouldn't talk much about the war except how he had much respect for the locals there.
@@nightowl7261exactly, or he hid like a coward
coming down to what? Didn't they fight against Nazis? and fight for peaceful life of normal human being? Is this worse than a Nazi world?
Thank you for your story
The brits were total disaster in asia during ww2. They left the locals mostly defenseless and went back to england.
In fact, Chinese people are also victims, because the main targets of telecommunications fraud in these parks are ordinary people within China. In China, the Chinese government strictly prohibits such fraud crimes, so they have been transferred to Southeast Asia. However, the current war in northern Myanmar is a warning from the Chinese government against such telecommunications fraud.
这种评论绝对是专门黑中国的
yes
Chinese scammer does not care about race ….. its all $$$ to them 😂
Amazing and very interesting video, I have seen other videos where they were able to go inside the zone and see the casino. Maybe it was the guards being very strict that day, on a sidenote the music from the club.. i wish i knew the song name. Love your content.
Amazing video - almost to the level of investigative journalism. Sihanoukville, Cambodia is open access China influenced but this Lao village is secretive and thus seems much more dangerous. It reminds me of an Apocalypse Now frontier town boarding between civilization and complete lawlessness where people disappear and never return. Amongst all the usual travel blog videos that flood TH-cam, this is one gritty epic I'll never forget.
Hi, Khmer here. The mafia operating in Sihanoukville comes from Taiwan (Republic of China) ; not Mainland China (People’s Republic of China).
They are members of the "Bamboo Union" Triade from Taichung & Tainan cities in 🇹🇼 ➡️ their identity documents shown by 🇰🇭 police + interview of the Vietnamese & Taiwanese victims (who were taken care of by the 🇨🇳 embassy).
And no Sihanoukville (formerly Kampong Saom) was never a paradise after the end of the war in 1998. That's why our former King named it after him, hoping that it would become prosperous.
Sihanoukville before 2016 :
- Was the capital of prostitution and sexual disease in Cambodia ;
- The inhabitants didn't have access to drinking water (except tourists area) ;
- Nor education (that's why the 🇨🇵 association "Pour un Sourire d'Enfant" was there, because it was so bad) ;
- No decent housing and modern infrastructure.
Since 2017, Cambodians no longer go to work abroad for low pay & abuse ; because there is more and more local work (congratulated by the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund & UNICEF).
Infrastructure Development and Vocational Training are the foundation of the Economy :
- The inhabitants of Sihanoukville province (and in many other provinces) have now access to health, education, professional training, full employment, and even access the Middle Class ;
- An Economy is only prosperous when its workers are well paid = increasing qualified workers ;
- In 2020, +30,000 new residents from other Cambodian provinces came to settle in Sihanoukville to work.
The only problem is when at the start of the pandemic in 2020, investors from Mainland China left all Cambodia ; members of the “Bamboo Union” mafia from Taiwan came en masse to Sihanoukville.
They pretended to be Taiwanese businessmen replacing Mainland Chinese who were afraid of COVID-19, bringing a lot of Taiwanese workers, followed by Vietnamese (without going through an employment agency) ; to later sequester them in Call Centers.
In Khmer, we called "Choncheat Chen" = "Chinese origin", all Han Chinese from :
- the People's Republic of China (Mainland, PRC) 🇨🇳 +
- the Republic of China (Taiwan island, ROC) 🇹🇼 +
- the 2 Special Administrative Region of Macau 🇲🇴 & Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (SAR).
PS : before 1970, around 1 million of Cambodians was full Han Chinese ethnic. Han Chinese signs always existed in Southeast Asia alongside with Local script (archives).
@@NS8340-h2v LOL. The mafia in Sihanoukville is most certainly mostly Chinese from mainland China.
Best post I've read for ages. Thanks.@@NS8340-h2v
Thank you. It's very informative.
@@NS8340-h2v Very thanks your infor.
Thank you, Tommy! You did a wonderful job! I heard that, The Chinese government is cracking down on those similar criminals in Myanmar in the last few days. Many Chinese were victims in those scams. It’s difficult to handle this because it is in another country and under different jurisdiction.
Going there as a tourist is okey? Or dangerous?
@@maorkob6547 Its a warzone right now so no. Do not go there.
Yes, hundreds of thousands of Chinese people have been scammed to northern Myanmar and forced to participate in telecommunications fraud. They have completely lost their freedom and cannot leave regardless of whether they have paid ransom or not. Many Chinese people have been killed and disabled due to their lack of cooperation or attempts to escape. The recent war in northern Myanmar was due to the massacre of Chinese people attempting to escape by private armed forces on October 20th. The massacres included undercover police officers who were still brutally murdered after identifying themselves. A total of dozens of Chinese people were killed in the incident
@@dabo5078 war zone?! Who fight Who?
@@maorkob6547 This issue is very complex because it involves the history of the Myanmar nationalist independence movement, the longstanding division between local and central authorities, and the internal conflict triggered by the 2021 coup in Myanmar. These issues are intertwined with China's recent telecommunications fraud problems. I'm interested in political and history, so I'm happy to share information with you. Reducing it to just 'war between ethnic armed groups and government forces' would be too simplistic. If you're interested, you can look up more information to understand these issues better, but let me provide some insights based on what I know.
Currently, in the northern region of Shan State in Myanmar, in an area called Kokang, which borders China, there exists an ethnic insurgent group. They have initiated a war in this area, citing China's crackdown on telecommunications fraud as their reason. Their slogan is 'Rescue Chinese Compatriots,' which might sound peculiar. This is because the people here have historically been strongly influenced by Han Chinese culture; their ancestors migrated from China centuries ago, and locals have lived together. They speak Chinese, celebrate traditional Chinese festivals, yet also have their own unique customs. Many still culturally identify themselves as Chinese, ethnically as Kokang, and regionally as Burmese. In 2009, a coup took place within the local ethnic self-governing body, resulting in the loss of their control in this area, which transformed into an ethnic insurgent group. The faction behind the coup collaborated with the Myanmar government, leading to the successful takeover of the Kokang region by the Myanmar government.
But with the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, armed conflicts have erupted frequently in the northern parts of Myanmar, and the Kokang insurgents saw an opportunity. Due to cultural close, they don't even need to learn any language. Hence, many Chinese individuals have gone there to engage in telecommunications fraud, colluding with local forces. It has now evolved into incidents of kidnapping, human organ trafficking, and slave trade. The situation has become serious, causing a stir on the Chinese internet, and the Chinese government is now determined to address these issues. Therefore, this has provided them with yet another strong pretext to initiate war. Consequently, the war has now officially begun.
Woah I never knew about this...Been to Laos and currently live in Thailand for the past 3 years. I am going to check this out (from a distance) for myself in the next couple weeks. Cheers dude, good stuff as always
Did you notice the scammers jobs advertise in facebook thailand and even in whatsapp thai they offer jkbs in remote zera must come from that place casinos in fact since one month i see so many fake jobs offer in thai social media
Fascinating. Ive been to Laos a few times but never that far north. Dodgy, but being multilingual a huge bonus. Thank you.
Excellent video. By far the most intense in your channel. Had it been me, i'd gotten the hell out of there. But at the same time, your bravery and social know-how allowed you to bring light to these kind of regions that actually exist in the world. We'd like to think we are beyond issues of human cruelty, right violations and so on, but recorded evidence like this, not even far from 2024, really goes to show otherwise. I lost my faith in humanity a little after this.
Don’t need to lose your faith in humanity. The Chinese CCP is squarely to blame for these crimes against humanity.
China is a vastly different culture. Look at the horrors in its history and everyday it's been been getting worse. See the mysterious pneumonia outbreak.
@@soccom8341576 CCP has inflicted most of those horrors on their own people.
Huge "Thank You" to Mey....❤🫶You're a very brave woman and an inspiration to others that might have been overwhelmed with fear and unable to do what you've so courageously accomplished. Again, Thank you, Mey!!!💜💜💜
Mey is awesome! That looked skeeetchy. Glad you guys made it out of there safely!
I am Lao. I heard about this special zone, but I've never been there. Good to see through your footage, and thanks for sharing with the world!
nice visit!!! first time seeing the laos situation.
one tip, 安静 doesn't mean safer, it means quiet, the 1986 shirt dude like it there cuz its more quiet xD
Your best video up to date Tommy.You are a legend Bro
Wow man. U deserve some serious credit for making this video. Amazing job. Be careful out there tho bro, the forces your exposing surely would want to do some harm to anything getting in their way
It’s obvious he’s a CIA agent 🙄
@@D2E80 It is to me and you. Most people are lobotomized in 2024.
HI from laos~ thanks for sharing this to the world, because we cant do anything about this place and situation in laos
This video was mind blowing. It's like a forbidden town I've never known something like this before
Great job bro , Hands down
这里就是三不管地带 领土属于老挝 军队属于缅甸 资本属于中国 你们只是看到了外城 内城里面是疯狂的 毒品 妓女 赌博 洗钱 斗兽 器官移植 在这里你能在这里面找到一切 对有钱人是天堂 穷人除了服务根本进不去 墨西哥人在里面卖军火的也挺多的😂
you have been my favorite youtuber as of the past couple years. the international content you put out is unmatched. you always provide insight. god bless tommy
He is taking a lot of risk. Have to be careful. The plus point, he has an Asian looking partner. Always good to have an Asian looking partner in South East Asia(SEA) as extra security.
Thank you so much for showing this. Very brave, ai Sabbatical. Lao people (I'm one of them!) are lovely people that just keep getting dealt tough hands. Some of it is self-imposed because greed and power corrupts, but a lot of it is just unfortunate repeated victimization on the part of others.
Your government basically sold out to China. That special economic zone is run by Chinese mafia alright. That Chinese mafia is none other than the Chinese government.
Also it's geography, laos is a sweet spot and lots of people take advantage
@@lizvu3266 The government there doesn't help either.
That's why we all should agree for our Prince to come and help get our country back
@@AhnayDiary I felt so sad walking around the old palace in Luang Prabang. Getting rid of them was a mistake I think.
Amazing, extremely informative. Thank you!
Man those dudes that took you to the bar were sketchy. There was a feeling of impending doom during this whole video... Really eerie. Glad you got out of this place alive.
12:04 安静 doesn't mean safe. It means quiet, tranquil
45:00 love the short interaction you had with the local Laotian children. Its the only part of the video that I wasn't worried for you. It also just shows how precious and innocent children are until they get corrupted by the adults...
Laotians are the African Asians that got away
This is depressing. Thanks for covering it!
What really hurt my heart are the girls in the end who were so happy with their ice cream. Knowing that in just a few years, they will probably end up in that bar. May their life be filled with the happiness they felt at that moment.
That section wasn't in the Golden Triangle area, it was a more "normal" part of Laos.
Somebody loved them enough to buy them ice cream!
This area is controlled by warlord drug gangster area .
This guy is a pure linguistic talent! I watched his channel from a year or two ago. He speaks fluent local languages everywhere he visits. 😮
He speaks Thai to the Laotian. That is why some of the people couldn't understand him.
//;;//;//*****;😊😊🎉🎉@¡!¡//;;//..
his thai isn’t good at all that’s why no one understands him
He has a somewhat thick accent when speaking Chinese that’s just a little grating, but for the most part he got his point across and communicated what he needed. The fact he was able to haggle with the taxi driver was quite impressive, I’ll say.
You and Bald and Bankrupt are doing some excellent journalism lately. Keep it up. Very insightful video.
Bald and Bankrupt is a ***tourist
Bald and bankrupt? The dude is a creep.
Wow my comment got deleted
Thank you for exposing the real issues occurring in Laos right now. It's so sad to see this especially that I have a lot family that still live in Laos. Not many wants to speak about these issues and this needs to be brought to light. The Lao government is no help to the Lao people. I hope one day the Lao people will rise up and make a change because this is heartbreaking to see..😔🥲💔
Go you good thing!! 👍🏽 Amazing insights into a world only known to some. You’re a brave man. Thank you for bringing this to light and all the best with your journey and endeavours.
In fact, the Chinese settled in the northern part of Myanmar and Laos about four centuries ago. after the fall of the Ming Dynasty‘s capital Beijing (1644 AD), the surviving members of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty, with some loyal courtiers and civilians, went into exile all the way to the south to form a government in exile called "Nanming南明". Want to counterattack the Qing Dynasty to retake power, but it is obviously impossible.
Their home country no longer had their place, and eventually most of them settled in present-day Myanmar and Laos.
they don't know any thing about this, they don't even know their own history. all their knowledge is from TH-cam
@@donyao5950 cringe
the Chinese shown here are very recent migrants
What do you imagine this has got to do with a mafia run casino town lad?
Thank you for sharing. You’re very brave. I left Laos back in 1978. I came to American back in 1979 and never went back since. I would love to visit Laos one of these days.
I never knew anyone from Laos until I lived in Paris. There is an enclave of Lao immigrants who could also include Hmongs....then again I don't know much about Lao people.
Brave or dumb? He put the young lady at great risk for the sake of a video
@@victorsr6708Yeah, he should atleast censored her face
It’s amazing, I learned a lot about Laos from this video that I never knew before.😢
Man this episode was intense 😬, glad you guys are safe . 🙏
This is probably one of the darker videos I’ve seen you make, man. There’s a reason they didn’t let you in. They flagged you from a mile away. What a crazy spot. Straight up Deer Hunter vibes.
Enjoyed watching your excursion to the Lao special economic zone in the Golden Triangle. The scammers and child slave labor recruiters are not limited to that area of Lao. They also travel throughout rural Lao recruiting the 10 year old's who have completed their education. I'm an American citizen who lives in Kengmaihia, Champasak province, Lao.
We're having a child trafficking problem here between our southern borders and the States.
That is so sad.
So sad china control your own country😮
12:10 He said 安静/quiet but not 安全/safer
Really interesting. I wonder what's shaking up at NKP? You can see the limestone hills across the Mekong from the promenade the French built there. There was once a clock tower dedicated to Ho Chi Minh in the center of town. I understand there's a four star hotel there now. Maybe the stink of open sewers has gone away??? Anyway, excellent video of a place to avoid.
As a traveler from China, I often conceal my nationality when traveling in many countries. I claim to be Japanese. Firstly, my appearance does indeed resemble that of Japanese ;Secondly, I believe that the biggest threat faced by Chinese travelers comes from these villains originating from China. They specifically target Chinese individuals and can be extremely ruthless. During my travels in Thailand, I encountered Chinese villains who recommended illegal drugs and wanted to engage in illicit transactions with me. I managed to escape by pretending to be Japanese. I want to caution all friends from Southeast Asia, especially female friends, that the majority of Chinese individuals in Southeast Asian countries, particularly in areas not governed by the authorities, have impure intentions. While most Chinese people are friendly and kind, but these criminals are an exception.
I hope you visit other parts of Laos too. It’s a beautiful country with some of the kindest, most gentle and generous people I’ve met anywhere. I lived in Luang Prabang for over a year and traveled through the north and northeast part of the country. Other than the roads, I never felt unsafe, and I never felt cheated. The Lao people and the other minorities that I met - Hmong, Khmu, Lue - were all welcoming and generous. I really hope you explore other areas that haven’t been corrupted by the lawlessness and international criminality and exploitation of the golden triangle.
Lao's people are not the problem. But the government and officers are corruptionist. Most country's benefit not to the people, to their pocket...infrastructure still bad....lost their natural resource..etc.
Thousands of people were murdered there and their body organs sold by Evil CCP gangs, Evil china gangs sell human body organs there!!
The meat you are eating in those chinese restaurants has been soaked in soooooo much toxic chemicals that they won't go bad for the next 1000 years. I would never eat at chinese restaurants there.
He needs to blur out the girls face or he'll be responsible for murder. Heartless American?
This isn’t the point of this video
I'm in China right now, planning to visit Laos soon. This video is absolutely amazing! Great find, Tommy!
老挝金三角特区，东北人的天下
@@jackytang3683 really, my wife is from dongbei(Shenyang), so I like to visit Laos some day😂
@@papagiorgio23去老挝没问题 去金三角特区 内城的话要带够钱 里面简直是天堂 不过你要是美国籍进不去 墨西哥人可以进去
Your videos are awesome. The fact that you speak quite a few languages fluently add so much to your videos as I'm sure it does to your travels. I have been to over 70 countries, all over Asia, and many times I wish that I had spoken the local language.
This video is absolutely wild, you really did do some damn unintentional investigative journalism here. I've been deeply following and researching the situation in the Kokang SAZ in Myanmar and this really... really corroborates so much.
Also really appreciate your nuance and complexity shown throughout in trying to iterate that this isn't necessarily something orchestrated or sanctioned from the top-down by China, rather an issue of corruption, decentralization, distance, and so on perpetrated by organized criminal groups (who may of course have local/provincial governmental ties given the decentralized nature of Chinese government which does tend to result in accountability issues).
Also sent you a message on IG if you're willing to chat at all ever!
a bit naive about the Party's Public Security mission extended abroad. Syndicates have always been major money launderers, conduits to invest home bound capital out of the country, and influence governments and disrupt the social fabric in the borders states...some textbook colonialism here.
There is another meaning to the word "colony" ie a group of people with a shared interest living together in a single area.
We also speak of bees, ants etc as living in colonies.
I agree it would have been better to use something like "enclave".
Incredible work, you keep not only entertaining but informing on serious issues that we would never see in the media. Keep up the good work G.
Don Sao was just a little village with a post office in the early 90’s…..and the closest major town was Ban Huay Xai hours away on the river…..days away over land
Hey Tommy. You just keep on living on the edge. A good thing you had your cute bodyguard/sly videographer, Mey, along with you at the moment. Great and eye opening video brother. Thank you both. Be safe. Gods protection be with you.
Between this and Bald and Bankrupt following the migrant trail through latin america, it's almost like travel vloggers are the new investigative journalists.
Very interesting film. The beer Lao lady was a talkative mine of information. Can't help but think that Bald and Bankrupt would have got himself into that special economic zone no matter what the consequences. Probably would have talked himself out too if in trouble. That's the difference between Brits and Americans.
Bald and Bankrupt is a real pos phony Brit who just talks to much 🤡
@@EddieManningHard to talk your way in and out of things as an American in a foreign nation, most places seem to hate us. There’s probably cultural reasons that are valid, but still, it does make things difficult when you’re immediately seen as the enemy.
@@EddieManning It's not very smart to put yourself into a situation where you think you will have to try to talk your way out. It doesn't always end with being able to talk your way out.
If you have spent good enough times in South East Asia countries except Singapore, you can easily decipher that body language and hints from that security guard. If you slip a USD$50 inside your passport, this video would have got some cool fun stuff from the casino or free trade zone. Yes, some remote areas in those countries can be really corrupted.
Or he could’ve gotten kidnapped and forced to work scams
@@rzadigi How would they kidnap him and force him to work? These people may get tricked or scammed into working for these scams. but they're not physically forced? Correct. There needs to be clarification on exactly how forced is forced and what is different from being tricked into misleading of fortunes
Thanks!
Great show Tommy !! So interesting....have done a lot of travelling but will leave it to you for places like Laos and a real feeling for your experience 🙂
//;;//;//...
Hi Tommy, awesome video. Apparently not the only place along the Laos - China border where casinos are being developed on a twilight zone between both countries. Could you let me know where exactly the guard post is located where you tried to enter this 'Special Economic Zone'? Is it around the region of Bokeo International Airport (20° 18′ 59.96″ N 100° 9′ 16.07″ E)?
Love your videos man, and im not even into traveling or the countries you visit but you deliver it in such a way.
Hi, Tommy, 15:05 literally there is no such a spot where Lao,Thailand,Myanmar, China all meet, The Golden Triangle is located at the border of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, while China's border is still 150 kilometers away in a straight line from here... Regarding the cyber scams and human trafficking you mentioned, the real hotspots aren't here but further north, hundreds of kilometers away in Myanmar's Shan and Wa States, near the China border. That's where the true hell lies, up for a visit? LOL
The Golden Triangle is the territory controlled by the Kuomintang that retreated after the [Chinese Civil War]. (The main force of the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan)
It’s pretty clear in the video that Tommy knew that, that’s why he said “well…it’s a little upstream from here” like with his usual underplaying tone.
It's obvious that you didn't get what Tommy said or you don't understand what he meant. He mentioned China as "part of the Triangle" because Chinese can be there illegally in a second. It's a "figure of speech" to say that China/Chinese is a part of that triangle as well.
yeah dude... he literally states that in the same video...
That's why John Rambo wanted to stay out of myanmar
Hello Tommy! Good to see you are ok. World's weather is insane. Do you ever check it before head out? I mean landslides,quakes,power outages etc.. Now ill watch the this film and love it im sure!. A Mineola Fan.
I do make sure there's at least not a hurricane going on outside
@sabbatical, OMG😢! I hope that didn't put a target on your back. Stay safe! And Mey also!🙏 A Mineola Fan
Felt so anxious even watching this one. I do worry about your safety sometimes Tommy 😅. Truly shocking stuff but I really hope this video can encourage some sort of change here.
"this video" lmao
It’s actually safer than other places because no one dares make trouble
Thank you for sharing your travel experience! -- This part of Laos looks like a den of vice for China like Macau 🇲🇴
I forgot to say that was great reporting and commend you on what you did. It took courage to make that video report. Well done!
In case you are not aware, Lao people, we are afraid entering there. It's no longer part of Laos anymore 😢
Sabadee! That's why none of my friends take me there. Vientiane is where I go to see my Lao friends.
Greatest video. You really have the guts to say and show most stuff that people should know
Thank you for this wonderful documentary, you are now my favorite you tube channel
"Thank you Tommy, especially for your closing meditation and message at 42:20... It caused me to reflect back on my time in that part of the world in the year you were born, and about my world, the old world I will soon leave, and the new world that you will soon enter. I can't say I care for what that new world appears it will be, as it will be rooted in the worst of my world, only amplified.
It appears that one thing that has remained unchanged for generations is Lao. A people who have suffered greatly and in many ways are better people, better prepared, perhaps than we are to endure this new world, I pray that the Lao people and their country find better times in the new world, may God bless them, they deserve better.
Thank you Tommy and Mae, for letting me revisit the old world, I needed that."
Cuckhoo
@@TD-yj8ch ??
Around 21:30 it sounds like she's saying "if we wait 3-5 we'll be Chinese" and she sounds pretty happy about that.
Nice folks, hope everything works out for them
My HK wife and I are Canadian citizens as of 3 years ago. I have dual Irish citizenship. I was declined using my CAD passport but then allowed in after a few hours by showing my Irish passport (make that make sense). My wife was permitted entry but only after we paid something close to $200 CAD equivalent. I think it's just a scam and they want money to be honest.
What is it like inside?
Yeah, I don't know why this dude didn't try going in low key like that instead of the "But I'm American" (look of stunned disbelief). I'm also American and have been living all over Asia the last 15 years and there ain't but only one solution to every problem.
America has sanctioned the gangster who literally owns the enitire SEZ and has tied up any money he has in the West. So Americans are not permitted to enter. Canadia is basically an American colony so they are carrful about Canadians because they are worried that they are actually American intelligence. The intelligence services in my country have been using Canadian passports to get into places that Americans aren't allowed for a century, so the gangsters have kinda figured it out. They let you in after a couple hours because they probably had you checked and didnt see you as a risk.
You, Sir, are brave. Heck, I get nervous for you! Stay strong free, and healthy. Thank you for the video.
This is not the first time I've said, "Tommy (if that really is his name lol) is crazy putting himself in this situation". But it is the first time I've seriously meant it.
Really love watching your videos. Thanks so much for all your work.
Hey Sabbatical, just a heads up when you ask authorities questions and they don't give an answer but appear to understand - this means they want money from you without asking for me. Just hand them a $20 and say let me in. Don't ask questions.
Probably better he didn't go in tbh.
I am pretty disappointed that you did not describe the taste of the maggots. Still subbed ! Ha. WHAT DO THEY TASTE LIKE AGGH!
Damn, great video!!! Really well done. Too close to the edge for me but you're so good at this you seem to know just how far you can go before it's time to leave. Injustice has been around since the beginning of civilization. It's very sad...