'Elite visas' in Thailand give Chinese a haven from dictatorship

CHIANG MAI. More and more Chinese are moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-largest city, in search of a freer and quieter life. Some, like Leon Li, buy “elite visas” for hundreds of thousands of dollars. “I feel freedom in my heart and peace of mind here,” he says as he shapes one dumpling after another. The traditional Chinese New Year's dish is the only thing he lacks from his homeland.