re: Really interesting Yes Theory episode about Saipan, Japan

Been there many times when I worked in that area.

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A guy I knew was appointed special prosecutor for Saipan/Northern Mariana Islands about 2 years ago. He’s very outspoken about everything on Facebook so he gave a play by play of his time there , wisely or not He basically was sabotaged the second he stepped foot on the island , at least according to his account, and got nowhere trying to prosecute the local governor or whatever for egregious corruption like you said. Also to your point he is constantly sounding the alarm about chinas influence in the pacific.it sounds like these are American territories in name only.

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Not surprising. Corruption is historically out of control there and people from the mainland are held at arm's length. The minute that they figure you are going to bust their games, everyone works to undermine you on every level - using all sorts of dirty tricks. It's a very tribal environment. Better to quietly build cases and then hand them off to an outside agency - which is a very Asian practice.
And the corrupting influences are not just from China. Add Russia, Japan (non-government) and organizations from several other Asian countries. Espionage, smuggling, immigration schemes, tech theft, counterfeit product scams, and a host of other BS filters through Saipan.
But it is beautiful in some places such as Bird Island.
Lots of historical sites. Sherman tanks can be seen at low tide - still sitting in the surf. Monuments in several places are interesting.
Hiking and exploring Mount Tapochau is also interesting. You can find all sorts of crazy WW2 items there, but these belong to the island. Most people donate these to the WW2 museum in town.
The diving is great, but you need a local guide because many places are not safe until you learn the tricks.
Food is interesting, but very different. Fresh foods are pretty rare and go bad quickly.
All of these islands are gun phobic and the locals are protective of their local thugs.
On a quarterly basis, there is a huge explosion as BATFE and the US Navy ordinance disposal guys blow up the old WW2 explosive items discovered during that time.
I am curious about this special prosecutor - must have been federal since the locals would not want such an intrusion into their business...