Sri Lanka has stabilized, to the extent that the country is now charging for tourist visas, instead of for years practically begging people to come. Here at WoWasis, we’re going there next month to investigate. So what were the Civil War years, from 1983-2009 really all about. As journalist William McGowan so cogently describes in […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Crime Scams & Espionage' Category
French silicone breast implant scandal thought not to include SE Asia
The scandal involving French implant company Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP)’s use of substandard, industrial silicone for breast implants concerns potentially tens of thousands of women in at least half a dozen European countries. So far, it appears that none of these implants, which reportedly are prone to rupturing, were distributed in Southeast Asia. As reported […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Kempei Tai: Japanese Secret Service’ by Richard Deacon
Veteran espionage historian Richard Deacon really seems to love the Kempei Tai, Japan’s pre-Cold War military police-based intelligence agency. His Kempei Tai: A History of the Japanese Secret Service (1983, ISBN 0-8253-0131-9) is replete with personal histories of its founders and leaders, stories of intrigue, and arcane espionage factoids. The author emphasizes intelligence-gathering as practically […]
Read the rest of this entry »Deadly bar scams on Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy?
For several years now, we’ve been hearing allegations that patrons have been unfairly overcharged at several bars on Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy. When they’ve challenged the bill, they’ve told stories about being physically threatened. The allegations have been made in particular regarding a number of bars owned by an Iranian who is known locally as “The Arab.” […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Judith Heimann’s The Airmen and the Headhunters (Borneo)
Judith M. Heimann’s The Airmen and the Headhunters: A True Story of Lost Soldiers, Heroic Tribesmen, and the Unlikeliest Rescue of World War II (2007, ISBN 978-0-15-101434-7) is more than just an adventure story, encompassing many fascinating anthropological elements of the Dayak culture of Borneo. It starts off slowly, but becomes a real page-turner as […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Taiwan’s Customs Museum in Taipei
One of Taipei’s more curiously odd museums is the Customs Museum. It sits in the highly secure Customs Building, so like we did here at WoWasis, you’ll need to call for an appointment. You’ll be given a tour of the museum by a uniformed customs official, and ours clearly enjoyed leaving the desk and pointing […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis mailbag: Tourist rip-offs in Vietnam, Greece, and Egypt
We’re at WoWasis are always happy to get mail. Here’s an email we received this week: Dear WoWasis, We surfed your website and the information you give about annoyances in Vietnam was very helpful to us. Just one thing: you mention that touts and rip offs in vietnam are as common as in Greece or […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Dragon Lady’ by Sterling Seagrave
China’s Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi (1835-1908) was truly the stuff of legend, but as veteran Asian historian Sterling Seagrave (along with co-researcher Peggy Seagrave) points out, most of the legend was false. In Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (1992, ISBN 0-679-40230-6), the author debunks the myths that unfairly […]
Read the rest of this entry »Pa Farang on taxi scams in Bangkok
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: My taxi driver refuses to turn meter on: taxi scams in Bangkok Dear Pa Farang, What gives withBangkok taxis? Half the time the driver refuses to turn the meter on, and quotes me a rediculous price. Am I being taken to the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis sex book review: Lujo Bassermann’s ‘History of Prostitution’
We here at WoWasis were skeptical at first: would this be just another titillating tome, or would there be real substance here? We were thrilled, because Lujo Bassermann’s The Oldest Profession: A History of Prostitution (1967, ISBN 0-88029-248-2) is scholarly, well-written, and readable. And it’s not a history of prostitution so much as it is […]
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