It's not a bribe if you get nothing in return.

True, I just got robbed.

The bribe is for stamping the passport (which is required). My understanding is that every Cambodian border agent expects it. When my wife and I were in Cambodia, I paid my bribe (it was like $2 or $3), then I handed the agent the same bribe for my wife, and he gave me a dollar back as a discount for paying two bribes. I had a hard time not laughing at that.

You can always have prescriptions for OTC medication. But not sure why they held you hostage. Demanded payment for the medication?

To return my ID.

Thai customs officers confiscated a package that contained two cell phones and some miscellaneous stuff sent from the US. Reason: package contained lipstick not approved for sale in Thailand (actually sold there, but expensive). Value around $1,000 (the phones, not the lipstick -- they kept it all).

A Cambodian immigration officer held my passport and asked for a "tip." I refused, he eventually returned my passport because too many witnesses saw what he tried to do.

But enough small potatoes. I lost my job, house, and retirement savings in 2008 thanks to crooks on Wall Street, some of whom went to work for the government, which has taken about 30% of my income every year I've worked, under threat of jail. My medical insurance company charges crazy high premiums for high-deductible coverage that few doctors or clinics accept, and then challenges even routine claims. The petty corruption in Thailand and Cambodia seems quaint by comparison.