The Greatest Lie Part 15

Tran pulled me away from the scene, and whispered, "Remember, they always call this 'the land of smiles,' but they'll cut your throat without a moment's hesitation." Then she turned to the angry cops, smiled and said "I'm so sorry, my friend has very bad jet-lag. I apologize for her."

She bowed to them deferentially, and then pushed me through the gate to Dr. Sanguan's office, snarling, "Do that again, and you'll be getting a posthumous sex-change operation. Mind your manners, Alexandra."

I nodded obediently.

Sanguan's assistant, Pim, greeted me with a smile and a hug as I reintroduced myself. She said "I remember you by your name, but I would never have recognized you. You are so much more beautiful now."

I guessed it was a canned line, but it was a nice one, so I reciprocated. "Thanks so much. I'll never forget the kind treatment that I got from you here." The Thais are unfailingly polite in their social discourse, and to fit in one should reply in the same polite language. And I admired the way that Sanguan's staff invariably supported the emotional well-being of his patients.

I said, "We saw the most horrifying thing on the way here: a murdered street vendor, shot in the street outside your gate, and the cops helping themselves to her food. What's happening to this wonderful country?"

She shook her head sadly, and replied, "It's the drugs. Prime Minister Thaksin has declared a war on the drug dealers, and many of them are killed and thrown away, 'ying ting.' When I heard the noise, I was afraid to go out. It was Mama Meo, wasn't it?"

I nodded my head. "It's horrible; she was just a kindly old lady."

"A kindly old drug dealer. Along with dumplings, she sold yaba. She had to be stopped: yaba, the amphetamine pills, are ruining the country, and killing the children. The drug dealers must be ying ting to save the children from the yaba."

"You mean these killings are happening regularly?"