Herring,
I pay special attention to Thailand only partly because of my friends there. I have been there twice (I was briefly an illegal alien there when I let my 3 month visa lapse for a few weeks
) and I love the country. Pretty place, nice people.
What had concerned me most—and still does—are the Muslims in the South. The have been murdering innocent people for quite a while now (as Muslims are wont to do), and it gets little reporting. I remember reading recently of some teachers (Buddhists, of course) getting killed. When I was backpacking there in the 80s, a couple—both teachers—offered us a ride and let us stay in their house near the beach, and all I could do was think of them when I read that story.