Very common in Mexico Too. The only do not touch plates I know of in Mexico are the foreign ministry plates issued also to Embassy staff. But then again you have organized crime groups that still dose plates to get road immunity so your only option is to stop and tip the guy if he is a nice guy or ask for the ticket which usually ends up with the Mexican cop asking for a tip in order to avoid all the paperwork.
Aslo dose plates are no longer nice to have... they attract unwanted attention... best to keep a low profile.
About a year or two ago one of the US embassy in Mexico city 200's got ambushed.
Ah I see.
In SE Asia, the cartels/organized crime group aren't as brash as they are in S America, so they leave all the cars alone on the road with the yellow plates. However, they do the kidnappings later form the houses etc at gunpoint, similar to S. America
Compared to most places in Asia, Mexico to ME seem organized and nice, more like a 2nd world country and not a 3rd world country that I am used to, where you NEVER stop your LC/Patrol for ANY reason
Irony is, in these Asian countries, all the 200 are stock, and are used/abused as they were meant to be. They COULD benefit from lift/bumpers etc, as it is easier to push the rickshaws and cows on the road or vagrants.
However, all the lifted/bumpered LC I see are in the malls of the USA where they aren't needed