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Sorry to come back to this point but it seems @vinapuis not so well aware of Thai customs and law. In Thailand, the age of consent is 15. However, a rather unique aspect of Thai law is that if a teen (15 - 18 yo) has sex outside the home, parental consent is required. As I have said before and as @Boy69has clarified in his last post above, the issues of face and destruction of a potential career are powerful considerarions. As if that is not bad enough, there is the publicity issue for the family. Anyone accusing another of forced sex or sexual harassment whilst between the ages of 15 and 18 will have to drag his parents into Court. That will expose them to publicity they will certainly not want. Their positions in their communities will be subject to ridicule, if only because it will be assumed/gossiped they had failed as good parents to control their child. That would doubly result a case of loss of face. I have to say again, it will not happen in Thailand. Do you know of any case where such an case has come to Court and been successfully resolved in favour of the boy (or girl)? I have wondered whether instead of taking a case to court a molested boy might seek a substantial amount of cash in lieu of legal action. I cannot see that working either, athough some paltry amount might be given just to get rid of the boy. The reason it won't work is it becomes a he said/he said case. In Thailand the senior high-so married with kids "pillar of the community" will always win.

Sorry I have not seen any of the BLmovies. If I interpret the above post correctly, the dinner scene takes place in the parents house. In that event, Thai law - perhaps oddly - says that is perfectly acceptable for sex with a 15 -18 year old boy or girl in the parent's house as it presumes the parents have given their permission! Make of that way you will! The vital importance given to 'face' in most Asian societies - certainly Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Thai - is rarely understood in the west. The following article is an interesting introduction. I shall quote merely a few points here. The writer starts with an introduction about 'face' and then discusses it in relation to Chinese communities. Given that a vast number of Thais intermarried with Chinese in the 19th century, it is absolutely applicable here - "One way to describe Face is that it is the prevention of embarrassment at all costs. But that is insufficient as Asian cultures emphasize a concern with loss of Face for the individual personally, and for others as well. For example, a son would never disagree with his father in public, a colleague would never criticize another in public, nor would a subordinate point out an error made by a superior. "There are many aspects of Face: one can lose Face, gain Face, and lose Face for others. One can also get the most unfortunate reputation of one who does not want Face, or worse, one who has no Face. ".... It is important to remember that many Chinese see themselves as seamlessly integrated with a wide range of other people, including their schoolmates, co-workers, and extended family, as well as their social, professional, and friendship networks. "Since Americans don't have this same strong sense of integration with an extensive community, the concept of Face is based on a kind of relationship between people that is literally foreign to us. "By explaining Face as shame, embarrassment, or loss of honor we are individualizing and personalizing the concept in a very American way, which prevents us from truly understanding it the Chinese way. An individual's loss of Face can unravel the complicated, carefully woven fabric of social relationships, what the Chinese call Guanxi, upon which every person's success in society depends." Because face has been so deeply ingrained in the vast majority of Asians and Thais for centuries, I believe it that reducing its importance will equally take at least a century. https://internationalman.com/articles/what-is-face-in-asian-culture-and-why-should-we-care/

Saw today there will be a Second Season of "Call It What You Want". it will be interesting to see what they come up with... Cheers

@t0oL1Thanks for posting this. I sent my donation just now.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has sent out a letter to people in the tourism industry saying that Phuket will open to vaccinated foreign tourists from 1st July. They do not need to do quarantine but they must stay in Phuket at least 7 days. Children only need to do rapid test. The TAT will start their official countdown next week with full details of the rules and what is open for the visitors. (From Richard Barrow)

Thanks, Gaybutton, for your clarifications. Because The Nation article is long, I'm copying the remaining content that covers many topics. If anyone is aware of other discrepancies or ommissions it would be helpful to call attention to them. =================== Thai embassies and consulates are issuing a Certificate of Entry (COE) for all travellers to Thailand, including those in the visa exemption list, as well as 60-day tourist visas and special tourist visas (STV). Foreigners entering Thailand are required to have an ASQ hotel reservation and Covid-19 insurance. At present, only semi-commercial flights are allowed to land in Thailand. Foreigners allowed entry include diplomats and foreign workers, including their families, business representatives and experts invited by the government, permanent residents, foreigners with Thai families, students and their guardians, medical tourists and their attendants, business visa holders, Thai Elite Visa holders, APEC cardholders, STV and tourist visa holders, non-immigrant O retirement visa, non-immigrant OA and OX holders and migrant workers with official documents. All foreigners are required to get in touch with their local Thai embassy to apply for a COE and for more information. Until September 30, 2021, Thailand will allow a limited number of long-stay tourists under the STV programme. This long-stay visa is open to foreign nationals travelling to Thailand with the intention of staying long-term as a tourist. Those eligible can get in touch with the Tourism Authority of Thailand Office or Thai embassy in their current location for more information. Visa amnesty/extension What is visa amnesty? As of May 29, 2021, all foreign nationals living in Thailand affected by the Covid-19 crisis will be granted a 60-day visa extension. Who is covered by the visa amnesty? All foreign nationals living in Thailand legally with a visa exemption entry stamp, tourist visa, non-immigrant visa or yearly extension of stay. What are the rules related to visa amnesty? Visa or permit to stay that is still valid and updated by the local immigration office. Foreigners holding long-term visas, such as a work visa, marriage visa or retirement visa are required to apply for their yearly extension at the immigration office as usual. Foreigners do not need an embassy letter to be granted the automatic visa extension due to Covid-19. Is the Covid-19 visa extension free of charge? No, the Covid-19 extension of visa costs 1,900 baht. Will the visa amnesty be extended? There is no indication that this visa amnesty or grace period will be extended. What happens when the visa amnesty is lifted or not extended? When the situation is resolved and returns to normal, foreigners must leave Thailand on or before the permit to stay date in their passports is up or must apply for the proper type of visa at the immigration office. Travel Ban Most international flights are banned, though some semi-commercial flights are allowed to land in Thailand. Foreigners qualified to enter Thailand must apply for a “Certificate of Entry to Thailand” before they book a seat on the available repatriation flight. 90-day reporting If you are a foreigner staying in Thailand for a period longer than 90 consecutive days holding a Non-Immigrant Visa or Extension of Stay, you are required by Thai Immigration to report your current address every 90 days. You may file for the TM47 notification in person, by mail, online, or through an agent. Consequences of visa overstay During this Covid-19 crisis in Thailand, some foreign nationals may find themselves overstaying in Thailand either by mistake, miscalculating the length of stay, forgetting their visa expiration date or by unforeseen cancellation of their flights due to travel restrictions. As a foreigner, you are strongly advised to avoid overstaying in Thailand. But if you do find yourself in Thailand on an expired visa it is very important that you act fast and in the right way. Cancellation of Visa on Arrival Travellers from the following countries are no longer allowed visa on arrival: Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu. Travellers from these countries are required to obtain a proper visa to travel to Thailand. Though the visa on arrival for Russia has been cancelled, Russian passport holders may still enter Thailand for 30 days under the bilateral agreement. Cancellation of Visa on Arrival Travellers from the following countries are no longer allowed visa on arrival: Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu. Travellers from these countries are required to obtain a proper visa to travel to Thailand. Though the visa on arrival for Russia has been cancelled, Russian passport holders may still enter Thailand for 30 days under the bilateral agreement.

all it takes is one person who doesn't care about that . We have those issues sometimes discussed in BL Series ( Korn and his sister in "Together with me ", dinner scene with Kao, Pete and their parents in " Dark Blue Kiss" for example). Like many things of old , losing face fear may lose it's luster in time

Interesting stuff, thanks a lot! I don't have any insight in Thai customs - so very interesting topic for me. Most Thai BL actors are 18+, although. But even a 15 year old does not need his parents for the court, if he waits 5-10 years. Thai BL is relatively young - first series was Love Sick in 2014. In the western world, accusations mostly come long after the actual happening, when they already became a grown up self-confident and maybe even famous actor - because noone is listening to an unknown wannabe actor. People nowadays don't necessarily go to court, they post on instagram and facebook and TicToc (?) What is your assessment regarding face? Isn't it changing, at least somewhat? We read about protests where people demand things they are not allowed to talk about - why isnt't that loss of face for their parents and should therefore not be possible to happen? Will try to watch "Call it what you want" over the weekend... btw. in the chat in the youtube trailer people gossip about what the real happenings the story is based on and which BL actor is involved.

Just watch the Series "Call it What You Want". Many of those issues get addressed...

Another "great" Thai idea that is given wide publicity - except that it is just pie in the sky. It hasn't even been presented to the Heath Ministry yet, let alone the cabinet. When will these idiot officials learn?!!

Looks like the cunt is back. Amy Cooper, White Woman Who Called 911 on Black Birder, Sues Over Firing Looks like she's suing her former boss for, get this, "racism," in connection to her being fired. Many lawyers think the suit will be dismissed. I hope it is, and I hope she gets countersued to pay everyone's legal bills.

I expect we must have met (!) - or at least passed in the night - as my visits were as regular. And I agree that one of the reasons I eventually abandoned the new larger premises was the change in clientele. Not that an hour or more with a gorgeous guy from places like Singapore and Hong Kong cannot be as much fun as with a Thai guy. Indeed, one of my fondest memories is with a young guy from Kuala Lumpur. As I have written before I regret I am one who does not share Vinapu's optimism about the future. It's partly about real estate. The central location of too many gay venues of the past have been one cause of their demise. Location for the foreign tourists who were the mainstay of many venues once most of the local Thais had moved away, is vital. Example. When the very popular Albury Massage Spa moved from its Sukhumvit 13 location to its less convenient new one down from Emporium close to Rama 4, it lasted little more than a year before it finally died. The price of central area real estate has become too high. If we think of Babylon, the land value of that entire plot (which is more than just the sauna and the Barracks) must be humungous. Just across the road are the 40 storey Sukhumvit Residences. When they were put on the market ten or so years ago, the apartments were the most expensive in the city. As long as the owner of Babylon was happy to create and look after his Eden for gay men, its future was not in doubt. He had tons of money and it did not matter that Babylon never made profits. If he has now lost his interest, nothing is likely to prevent the land being sold. Developers will be salivating at such a large centrally located plot becoming available. The other issue is one that has occasionally been aired: the dislike of the elite and those in power for Bangkok being known as the gay capital of Asia. One who agrees if the excellent author Alex Kerr who has spent most of his life in Asia, the last 25 or so years in Bangkok. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of and acquaintanceship with several Thai movers and shakers. In a short section dealing with nightlife in his book Bangkok Found, he compares Bangkok today with the dying days of the Weimar Republic in Germany. For a short period, Berlin was the Eden for gay men, as the novelist Christopher Isherwood who lived there has described. Then the Nazis came to power and gay Berlin quickly died. He believes the same fate is in store for Bangkok.

That must have been startling. You had a lucky escape @Enlgishman