so from the very beginning thailand was involved. as for whether he would give his blessing had it gone forward, i don't know. it's hard to imagine without his support such a thing taking place. >> host: currently what kind of relationship does the u.s. military have with the thai military? >> guest: the united states still has a close relationship with the royal thai army. this hasn't changed since the vietnam war. we have regular annual exercises with the thais and other regional armies, but they hold them every year in thailand. and many of the thai officers trained in the united states and have contacts with the american counterparts here. so, that hasn't changed from the vietnam war. there was a brief souring of thai-u.s. relations at the war's conclude but it was momentary. most of the team we have had close relations with thailand. >> host: why is it important to know about the thai involvement in vietnam? >> guest: there's a couple reasons. thailand had the third largest army in south vietnam that the war was underway. after

biggest investors in thailand. but we believe we can do even more. so we've agreed to reconvene our trade and investment in counsel to explore new ways that our countries and entrepreneurs can continue to do business together. we'll continue to work with our apec partners and move toward a seamless regional economy and we'll work together ads thailand works to lay the ground work for high standing trade agreement such as the tran sends partnership. all of this will advance our position of a region where a trade is free and fair and all nations play by the rules. third, on this 50th anniversary of the peace corps in thailand, we're moving ahead with new partnerships to move with human development and dignity. we'll focus on public health, develop a vaccine for hiv/aids and ensuring that development is sustainable, especially in regions along the macon river. i recently anoujsed new steps the united states is taking to confront the scourge of trafficking, modern slavery. thailand is also taking steps including measur

. >> "in buddha's company" thai soldiers in the vietnam war" what warded did thailand play? >> they were a very close ally during the vietnam war. people familiar would know that not only did thailand send troops to fight along the united states, but also served as a base for many aircraft for bombing missions over ho chi minh trail, over laos and at the time we had built seven their bases and developed a port as well to facilitate the u.s. effort and also many soldiers went to bangkok and in terms of support thailand was the close ally. >>host: did they have soldiers? >> absolutely. they spent 37 -- cent to 37,000 soldiers to fight in vietnam also they sent smaller naval units but definitely fighting and working with the united states and south vietnamese. >>host: what about casualties? >> 500 + that died in south vietnam while fighting the the it can't -- vietcong. it is important because of those who don't know 10 to dismiss them as the insulting term is america and mercenaries because we paid for the military part where but for four years thailand would carry out the war

it's something thailand should be proud of.d supported the cause of democracy in burma, hosting refugees and promoting reform. and i very much appreciate the prime minister's insights as i prepare to visit tomorrow.

as a member of asean, thailand

biggest investors in thailand.rade and investment council to explore new ways our companies and entrepreneurs can do business together. we'll continue to work with our apec partners to reduce barriers and move towards to seamless regional economy and work together as thailand begins to lay the groundwork for joining high standard trade agreements such as the trans pacific partnership. all this have will advance our vision of a region where trade is free and fair and all nations play by the rules. third, on this 50th anniversary of the peace corps in thailand we're moving forward to development of human dignity and focus on human health and developing a vaccine for hiv/aids and available especially along the mekong river. and i announced the steps that the united states is taking to confront the scourge of human trafficking and thailand is taking new steps to address this challenge including measures to better protect, empower women and girls and i'm very pleased to see the leadership as the prime minister has taken

he is a renowned figure throughout thailand., of course, then after thailand. >> on to burma. >> back he goes to myanmar, otherwise known as burma. and there he be meet the renowned activist, an seaactivi. aung san suu kyi. so encouraging dedemocracy in that arena. then he goes to cambodia for the east asia summit and he'll meet the cambodian minister as well as the new chinese prime ministe minister. >> every time the president travels overseas it's historic, but this is especially historic because there are definitely firsts. >> definitely first. we know hillary clinton was there. but what a time. we have the benghazi hearings, petraeus, the looming what begins with an "f." >> fiscal cliff. >> he's going to be doings all of this in next three four days. it reminds me of dr. seuss, oh, the places you'll go, the people you'll meet. >> one of my favorite childhood books. he's beloved. there'll be flags and books and mugs. >> huge to have an american president. what it says about our faith in the country as dan lothian said earlie

you both talk about democracy in thailand but my question is this. are you both satisfied with how democracies work -- the situation of democracy in thailand? i'm talking about the situation of those who are responsible for 2010 incident. you have many political prisoners and recorded human right abuse. i mean in your opinion, do you call the satisfying? and mr. president, which thai cuisine dish is your favorite? could you be specific? thank you, sir. >> prime minister may answer the question first. >> let me answer the question on democracy today. i think our destination is the stabilization ofl democracy. because of it will there be economic growth in the future. the destination to go with that vision is that provisional conciliation. but i think we will speak with a true democracy by using the outcry and the due process and make sure that all things will be equal and fair. and in thailand also we aim for -- we like to see additional reconciliation. so our opposition will be with the passion and peaceful way. a democratic way will be the place to

. >>> thailand has hosted international transgender beauty on t contest. we report on how one contestant made her way along a winding road to happiness. >> reporter: international beauty struts their stuff while competing for the crown but this is not your average beauty pageant. 21 contestants from 15 countries are here for the miss international queen 2012 a world class transgender beauty pageant. the annual contest is now in its 8th installment. this is the first year for toyota be broadcast internationally to viewers in over 100 countries. >> translator: this pageant promotes thailand's image and enable the whole world to have a good understanding about transgender. >> reporter: representing the country thailand, a 21-year-old. from a young age he had been more feminine than other boys. at the age of 16 he decided to have a sex change operation. now as an up and coming transgender fashion model new opportunities present themselves for her. there is a reason she must win. that reason is her only family, her mother. >> translator: all along my mother has

disk drives in thailand. when thai experienced severe flooding those western companies got hit. what is attractive about thailand for long-term investors? >> it's mainly political to begin with. as you know they went through a lot of political turmoil. you had the red shirts, the yellow shirts, fighting on the streets of bangkok and so forth but they have a fufl foundation for political stability which is very good. and also they have a very diversified economy. >> we'll continue talking with mark mobius tomorrow, china's communist party selects a new set of leaders this week. we will talk about how this change in power could impact china's economic relationship with america, and american investors. >> reporter: i'm sylvia hall in washington- still ahead, u.s. borrowers owe more than $1 trillion in student loan debt. so could helping them pay it down be a $1 trillion industry? i'll introduce you to some entrepreneurs who think so. >> susie: besides the fiscal cliff, invor no wall street were talking about som

. >>> thailand has hosted an international transgender beauty contest in a popular beach town. we report on how one contestant made her way along a winding road to happiness. >> reporter: international beauties strut their stuff while competing for the crown. but this is not your average beauty pageant. 21 contestants from 15 countries are here for this miss international queen 2012. a prominent world class transgender beauty pageant. the annual contest is now in its eighth installment. this is the first year for it to be broadcast internationally to viewers in over 100 countries. >> translator: this pageant promote's thailand's image and enable the whole world to have a good understanding about transgender. >> reporter: representing thailand, 21-year-old joined the race for the crown. from a young age, jalai had been more feminine than other boys. at the age of 16, he decided to have a sex change operation. now as an up and coming transgender fashion model, new opportunities present themselves for her. but for jalai, there is a reason she must win. that reason is her only fami

will sell thailand military equipment. fighter jet engines are likely to be included. >> the united states is committed to helping the thai military further develop it's all impressive capabilities so that it can assume even greater security responsibilities in this region. >> the u.s. had stopped supplies arms to thailand because of political turmoil including a military coupe. >>> japan and north korea have ended their first day of senior working level talks in mongolia. analysts believe japan is pushing for the resolution of north korea's past abduction of japanese nationals. they began bilateral taulks on thursday. he was represented by the north korea official in charge of normalizing talks with japan. japan urged to take specific steps to address the abduction of japanese citizens during the 1970s and 1980s. >> translator: we discussed the sometimes difficult agenda in a sincere manner. there were frank discussions on a viearieties of issues. >> the talks are scheduled to continue on friday. >>> japan's space agency

so it's faux obama visiting faux thailand.merican embassy takes a heartwarmingly aggressive approach to courting good will from the locals. in addition to the cardboard president at the famous sites of thailand feature, they have lots of pictures of dogs, which they use to explain dog-related idioms. so this one is accompanied by an explanation of the phrase, dog eared. this one explains what dog tired means. this one explains what sick as a dog means. so we wish the fine folks at the u.s. embassy in bangkok congratulations on their presidential visit and their

so it's faux obama visiting faux thailand. a heartwarmingly aggressive approach to courting good will from the locals. in addition to the cardboard president at the famous sites of thailand feature, they have lots of pictures of dogs, which they use to explain dog-related idioms. so this one is accompanied by an explanation of the phrase, dog eared. this one explains what dog tired means. this one explains what sick as a dog means. so we wish the fine folks at the u.s. embassy in bangkok congratulations on their presidential visit and tir

textbooks are sold in thailand for just a fraction of the cost. so he gets his family and friends to buy those textbooks in thailand and guess what, ship them to him in cornell university. he sells them on ebay and makes, get this, $1.2 million in profits. >> what? >> stephen: 1.2 million dollars, it that textbook price, that has to be like eight books. but academic publisher wiley and son sued sit kaening-- kirtsaeng saying they own the copyright of that resold material despite a 1908 court decision which established the first sale doctrine which says that after a buyer first purchases a copyrighted work he or she has the right to resell it. i'm sorry, i don't buy this first sale argument. and if i did buy it i would not resell it. (laughter) because i don't have the right. yeah. damn straight. and i don't even know what never's clapping for. (laughter) but god help us, if the u.s. supreme court does overturn the right of first sale. >> you are hearing a case that if they rule one way would say to us, we the people, hey, you can't sell your own s

so it's faux-bama visiting faux thailand, which is perfect. a heartwarmingly aggressive approach to courting good will from the locals. in addition to the cardboard president at the famous sites of thailand feature, they have lots of pictures of dogs, which they use to explain dog-related american idioms that might not make sense in translation. so this one is accompanied by an explanation of the phrase dog-eared. this one explains what dog-tired means. although that dog doesn't look very tired. this one explains what sick as a dog means. so we wish the fine folks at the u.s. embassy in bangkok congratulations on their presidential visit and their effort to leverage this visit

so it's faux obama visiting faux thailand.s a heartwarmingly aggressive approach to courting good will from the locals. in addition to the cardboard president at the famous sites of thailand feature, they have lots of pictures of dogs, which they use to explain dog-related

here's the report. >> seeking sand and thailand's famous hospitality. they include rising numbers of muslim too. from the middle east, india and other parts of southeast asia. one of the annual events shows what the island has to offer muslim guests. visiting the fair, threw his weight behind the plan. >> if we want to cater for all sorts of clients and tourists, we need to be sensitive to their demands. muslims when they travel. with that in mind, halal means permissible. >> this restaurant has -- diners can eat with confidence it uses only permitted ingredients with no pork or alcohol. many tourists find the frequent halal signs reassured. >> i think it's the best place. it has a lot of halal food, restaurants. it's a very nice place. >> a new type of islamic culture has also opened. this hotel we're coming into muslim guests features prayer mats and signs pointing to mecca. it also has copies of the koran available. the hotel is located --t boasts a restaurant and rooms. it has islamic designs to appeal to muslims. >> translator: since we opened this

he will be visiting thailand and myanmar and will attend the east asia summit in cambodia. the president promised during his re-election campaign to put more pressure on china to make it meet basic international standards with respect to trade. but analysts say despite his plans the world's top economies are tightly woven together and that interactions will continue. >>> the south korean government welcomed china's new leadership. >> translator: we hope our relationship with china will develop farther and as a new leadership. >> the media gave extensive coverage to the news from the country's largest trading partner. owe yonhap news agency noted all seven member es of the communist party's political bureau's new standing committee have visited south korea. the agency said china's relations with south korea are expected to strengthen. >>> north korean leader kim jong-un has sent a congratulatory telegram to xi jinping. north korea's state-run media quoted the telegram as saying xi's election to the post is an indication of the people's trust and expectations at a time when s

isa, nhk world, thailand. >> and that concludes our report. i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. >>> a cutting-edge factory for growing vegetables has opened its doors. the government of hokkaido in partnership with area businesses unveiled the new biotechnology research facility. around 70 people attended on tuesday the opening ceremony in sapporo. the buytech facility features five rooms. one functions as a green house with glass that absorbs sunlight but repels heat. the color and intensity of the room's lighting can be adjusted through an array of l.e.d.s. another room has lamps that can re-create summer sunshine. these rooms can control the percentage of water in plants grown inside as well as their biochemical composition according to their sbeblded purposes. for example, plants grown for medical purposes have different requirements than those grown for food. genetically modified or hydrouponally cultivated plants can also be studied. hokkaido business officials and business leaders invested $12 million to build the facility. they hope it

>> i've recently been on to vee either ma'am, cambodia, laos, of course thailand because i have a house there and myanmar. that whole region is known as southeast asia. and i think that region of 250 million people will continue to grow regardless because you have a relatively high gdp per capita in thailanthailand, and the surg countries have a g igdp per cap less $1,000. the countries opening up now and i think with the trade links and transportation links that are being expanded regardless of what happens in the world can grow. provided there is geopolitical stability in asia which is a big

speaking in thailand today, mr. obama said any effort to resolve the conflict in gaza, quote, starting with no missiles being fired into israel's territory. today is the fifth day of attacks against the gaza rocket operations. israeli strikes hit two media centers in gaza and wounding six. seven civilians were killed in today's airstrikes. 53 palestinians including militants died since wednesday and at least one rocket was fired at tel aviv and intercepted by israel's iron dome missile defense system. >>> in indonesia, more than 5,000 people marched to protest against the israeli air strikes in gaza. the protestors marched to the u.s. embassy carrying indonesian and palestinian flags -- flags, as well as posters against israel. indonesia, a muslim nation, has no diplomatic relations with israel. >>> back here in the states, black friday deals may be red- hot, but who is really paying the price for them? stores like wal-mart, target, and best buy plan to open as early as eight p.m. on thanksgiving night to get more s

so mauritania, india, thailand... >> thailand, southeast asia. pakistan has large numbers. north and west africa, really. so we talked about mauritania, but yocan me allhe way down the west african coast, very significant numbers of enslavement. >> hinojosa: all right, now, help our audience understand the definition, because there is an image in our country, and one that, you know, in terms of the media, popular culture... i mean, i was reading your stuff, and i was writing down... well, roots, you know? that's the image that a certain generation has. >> yeah, we hold in our mind a picture from the 19th century. >> hinojosa: chained. >> african americans, cotton fields. and that was slavery at one point in time in one particular place in the world. but, you know, slavery has taken all these different forms throughout all of human history. >> hinojosa: so define it for... >> but if you take all those forms and you say, "what is the core, what is the central attributes of this," it always amounts to the same thing-- one person completely controls another person. they use vio

president obama comments on the situation in us a while on a trip to thailand. as israel mobilizes reservists, and masses crowne pour forces. >> those who champion the cause of the palestinians should recognize that if we see a further escalation of the situation in gaza, like the likelihood of us getting back on any kind of peace track that leads to a two- state solution is going to be pushed away often to the future. >> during a cabinet meeting in jerusalem, prime minister benjamin netanyahu, said is released military forces launched missile attacks against thousands of terror targets in the gaza strip and will expand operations as necessary. with fatalities rising on that side of the border, causes health minister spoke out against wilreleased military action. >> today is the fifth day for the isreali massacre accounts because of people there is continuous escalation. today, they are observing the massacre while the isreali they are targeting the building inhabited by two families. >> in israel, rockets attacked from gaza are blamed for both civilian and meta

the bank of thailand has kept rates as expected. the central bank says the economy is this good shape and strong domestic demand will help counter risks from overseas. in the philippines, the governor of the central bank insists its easy policies are confident despite economic growth. it was well above expectations for growth of just 5.3%. for more on southeast asia, joining us now, economist at southeast asia at rbs. my apologies about that. i'm butchering names all morning. >> no problem at all. >> can you talk first at all about thailand in particular. investors look to this as a global demand and asian export demand. what are you seeing in the numbers? >> well, i think to put things into perspective, the fourth quarter export is going to be quite robust because of the low base effects. if you recall, we have floods in the final quarter of last year. so i think there's no surprise that we have a strong recovery, but this doesn't mean that the headwinds can be avoided as we move into next year. >> during its last meeting, the bank

. >> president barack obama was in thailand today. the first of a four-day stop. he offered a toast to the long alliance. >> your diggity, your resilience, your friendship, your warmth. that is the foundation of our alliance. it is why you were the first asian nation to reach out to america after we won our independence. it is why in asia, to this day, we can say, thailand is our oldest friend. >> president barack obama and secretary of state, clinton, have four more days in the tour. >>> police officers still search for a second gunman. 26-year-old jonathan wilbanks was caught friday night after a chase after he and a gunman exchanged fire. one officer was hurt in the gunfire. the police are asking for the public's help in identifying the other gunman. the police say the two men are linked to four robberies and a homicide outside of san jose 7/11 store on friday. we have a reporter on the story and we will bring you full details tonight at 6:30. >>> the authorities are trying to identify a body identified in san francisco bay. the u.s. coast guard found a body of

nissan motors says output at its plant in thailand will start in 2014. it says it hopes to boost sales by nearly three times across southeast asia in four years. honda motor plans to boost production capacity at its two u.s. plants next year. it says its factory in mexico now under construction should be ready for operation in 2014. the automakers say china remains an important market for them but they also need to quickly cultivate new demand outside china. >>> top officials in south korea are trying to stay a few moves ahead of the reclusive and unpredictable neighbor. they want to stop north korean authorities from possibly launching a long-range missile, and so they've turned to china for help because it has a strong influence over the north. south korea's chief negotiator on north korea's nuclear development is visiting beijing. lim sung-nam will meet with senior chinese officials inwuding wu dawei. he's the chair of the six-party talks on north's nuclear program. >> translator: we will discuss the latest situation on the korean peninsula. i hope to

we can support muslim tourists 100%. >> reporter: thailand is a mostly buddhist country.ut in phuket, nearly 40% of people are muslim. tours of islamic sites are gaining popularity. the island has areas built by ancient fishermen nearly 200 years ago. bringing alcohol or pork on to the island is strictly prohibited. everything served here is, of course, halal. >> this is in the middle of the beach nshs the middle of the sea. >> translator: we welcome all travelers. any nationality, religion, or cultural background. providing various halal services for muslim travellers is a must for us. >> reporter: phuket hopes demand from the muslim world will take its tourism industry to a new height. the lesson is that taking account of other people's values isn't just a matter of respect, it's also good for business. nhk world, phuket. >>> that's going to wrap up our bulletin from bangkok. >>> the world's tallest broadcast tower celebrates its sixth anniversary. one of the biggest tourist attractions has drawn almost 1/3 more visitors than expected. some shops around the sky tree are

met with the king of thailand, the political leader of thailand as well. one interesting aspect of this, perhaps that you've already heard the president from his press conference. he went to a buddhist temple and joked with one of the monks there, one of the religious officials that he should say a prayer for the budget negotiations back here in washington. so the president fulfilling his commitment not only to visit these countries, to be part of the asean summit, the annual summit that takes place in cambodia. the third leg of his trip. >> lots of countries there to take account for. some 50 at least in that region. thank you so much. >> okay. >>> the president told republicans to come after him, but a couple senators will not let up when it comes to ambassador susan rice. the pressure is on for her to say something about libya. but will she talk? >>> and he vowed not to talk twinkies, less he be mocked on "saturday night live," but in the end, new jersey governor chris christie took matters into his own hand, showing up to make a couple of jokes, it's a

he'll be visiting thailand, myanmar, formerly known as burma and cambodia. as you know, he's leaving right in the middle of a whole lot of chaos. middle east, fighting escalating in gaza on the border there with israel. also have the benghazi situation, the hearings there happening in washington, the situation of trying to figure out who knew what when and the whole debate over terrorists and talking points, so the president i'm sure will be keeping up to speed on exactly what's happening on those two situations. we have reporters traveling with him, of course, and we will continue to keep you up to date as well. now these are live pictures of air force one as the president gets ready to depart for asia through tuesday of next week. >>> the battle over benghazi. we're putting in focus this morning as lawmakers try to figure out what the obama administration knew when. the administration came under fire in the immediate days after the attack for blaming it on that anti-islam video. we've since learned that it was an act of terrorism, but what are the reasonab

thailand will play an important role in the meetings in cambo a cambodia. i want to thank our thai friends for being so supportive in our role. they will discuss regional challenges including security. i want to thank you for your hospitality and your partnership because of the progress we've made today i think we have put the u.s.-thai alliance on a firmer footing for many years to come. tonight i look forward to celebrating the bonds of friendship between our peoples and enjoying thai food, which is one of my favorites. so thank you very much. >> that was president barack obama in thailand, and now "your business." hi there, everyone. welcome to a very special edition of "your business." it comes in between black friday and cyber monday. this year small business saturday is november 24th. we're coming to you from maplewood, new jersey. a storm battered states where small businesses need customers more than ever. across the country in burbank, california -- park section of that city, local retailers have banded together to revitalize not only sales but als

. >>> president obama will visit thailand, myanmar, and cambodia on his first overseas trip since winning re-election earlier this month. myanmar is the destination that's making some observers unhappen pip. human rights say it's just too soon and the country's small steps towards democracy don't yet deserve a visit from the president of the united states. obama's national security adviser tom donilon defended the trip. he says it will advance the cause of reform in myanmar. >> the president's visit this time reflects his conviction that engagement is the best way to encourage burmese authorities to further action. >> human rights groups oppose the visit. they say the former pariah state has not achieved true democratic reform and ethnic minorities continue to face persecution. obama will meet his counterpart thein sein. donilon stressed obama will raise the issue of violence with myanmar's leaders. a week of violence last month claimed about 90 lives according to the official account. more than 100,000 people have been displaced. the white house says the improving u.s. relationship with