Abe offers condolences to Thailand over death of king

But Japanese companies in Thailand are forcing their Thai staff to work on this day of mourning.

You sure about that? This article says that Japanese corporations in Thailand halted operations out of respect and to allow the employees to mourn.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20161014-00000110-jij-int

King Bhumidol Adulyadej (1946-2016) was a typical "Thai Rake Thai" [Thais love Thais]. He deserves the official one-year mourning period. Although the late King only held the ritual power, he left honorable traits of the Chakri dynasty--e.g., free of foreign rule. Let's hope that the mourning period will help those Thais who love Thais to prevent the ambitious individuals who have advocated the purchase of the Communist Chinese submarines and placing Thailand's under the Chinese neo-colonial rule. .

@ ChinhDao

Historically, the only country in Southeast Asia that became a colony of China is Vietnam. Other countries there were able to take care of themselves.