Isn't he on record as saying killing random Iraqis didn't matter cuz they were from the 12th century? Somehow I doubt he thinks much of East Asian lives, either.

It's been obvious some people in KM have a lot of money in a rather poor province. I'd suspected smuggling as a source of wealth, but now I'll add major corruption to my list.

Elevated trains might have been quicker.

NB: Jingpo people are more usually called Kachin in English. The present-day border cuts the Kachin area in half, but borders in even the recent past were not fences, keeping people in or out. The "Burmese" refugees maybe ethnic Kachins joining distant relatives.

"A sad but inevitable part of progress."

There's no such thing as progress, only change. Nothing is inevitable save death, either.

Outdoor markets obviously meet needs or they would not exist. Walmart/Carre Four are not likely to eliminate them soon, save by force.