Leaderboard

Burdett’s Bangkok series encompasses six books over a dozen years. If I had to pick two must reads, it would be the bookends: Bangkok 8 and The Bangkok Asset. But I found all of these gems good reads that offer much insight into prostitution, Buddhism and corruption, Thai style. Although I agree with CurtisD on the wisdom of Col. Vikorn when it comes to matters of prostitution, it’s noteworthy that the protagonist of the series, Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep acknowledges that his most significant other is fellow cop and boyhood pal, Pichai, who we come know in the first few pages of Bangkok 8. Sadly, Picahi meets an untimely death in the line of duty and our detective makes no qualms about his intense emotions for the young man: “I roll a fat spliff, light up, inhale heartily. Now all of a sudden, I’m distilling grief. I’m ripping off every Band-Aid, I’m daring to bleed, and I’m concentrating the pain (Buddha, how I loved that boy!) I don’t want relief, I want him. With my agony carefully located right between my yes, I take another toke, hold it as long as I can, repeat the process. I don’t want enlightenment, I want him. Sorry, Buddha, I loved him more than you.” These are books I've reread many times. You can read more about the series, and other Burdett novels at the link below. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burdett#The_Sonchai_Jitpleecheep_Series Lucky has also recently posted about the Burdett novels.

Golden Blood premiered today .

From MSN News Thai stars relive experiences, lessons Filipinos saw the emergence of Thai Boys Love (BL) genre last year and embraced it with open arms. I Told Sunset About You (ITSAY) was one BL series that caught their attention and fancy. Good news is, POPTV, the first all-Pinoy streaming service, streams the Filipino-dubbed version of the coming-of-age drama series, produced by Nadao Bangkok and Line TV. A quick recall of the ITSAY plotline: Childhood friends named Teh and Oh-aew, played by actors Billkin Putthipong and PP Krit, respectively, ghosted each other because of a petty misunderstanding. After many summers, they run into each other in a review school. As they work their way to pass, if not ace, the college entrance exam, the two rekindle their friendship. “I think ghosting is something we could do but we should not do, because we should actually solve the problem,” PP gave his two cents, through a translator, on a person’s decision to cut ties and cut off communication with another person without explanation in an interview with The STAR. “We should find the cause of the problem. And we should talk about it, like be clear with each other.” He added that sometimes people are not in the mood to talk about their problems, and if one may add, they feel compelled to run away from others. “If we will eventually talk, but our mood has not settled down yet, it may bring the problem to a bigger effect,” said PP. That’s why people need some time and space to think things over and talk again. According to Billkin, there are two possible reasons why a person ghosts another in a relationship. “One is you are hating that guy so much,” said he in English. “Another thing is you love that guy so much. You want to raise the attention from him.” Billkin continued that ghosting is not a sign of cowardice but didn’t rule out the possibility that one ghosts another “(because) he is a coward.” What’s clear is, reasons for ghosting are varied and personal. He added that a person may do it to see how people react to and feel about the former’s sudden disappearance. “I like his confidence,” said PP about his character, Oh-aew. “He knows his goals, his aims and his objectives (in life). Although he may not be sure about his future path, his future career or what he actually wants to do (next) but his being confident is (what) I really love about him.” Teh’s concern for others, on the other hand, has won the heart of Billkin. “He is a caring person,” said the actor. “He always thinks of others in everything he does. He cares for his mom, he cares for his brother, he cares for his friends. That’s the thing that I love most (about my character).” I Told Sunset About You is among the popular BL series of 2020. Many may attribute its following to PP and Billkin’s performances, the script and cinematography. Its sequel I Promised You The Moon is available on Line TV and Vimeo Plus. https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/i-told-sunsets-about-you-thai-stars-relive-experiences-lessons/ar-AALoRlB

Im disgusted to say that my first flight after vaccines and tests etc will be nothing more exciting that Gibraltar - but as that's purely to visit family there I'm pretending ( to myself ) that that doesn't even count as a holiday destination just - mind you I'm that bored and stressed out here in the UK it's ridiculous how much I'm even looking forward to getting away, even if only to there !

oh, so what I took for an airport must be somebody's driveway

From The Thai Enquirer Government’s latest Covid-19 restrictions spark civil disobedience campaign The hashtag #กูจะเปิดมึงจะทําไม (“We’re staying open. What are you going to do about it?”) trended on Thai social media on Wednesday following the country’s latest Covid-19 restrictions, which prohibit restaurant dine-ins and mandate a 9 pm closing time for one month. Thailand tightened its Covid-19 restrictions from June 28 after prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declined to call for a lockdown of the capital to control the outbreak that began in April. These latest restrictions were announced in the middle of the night on June 26, prompting criticisms and complaints from citizens nationwide. On Tuesday night, one Facebook user and restaurateur took matters into their own hands and began a campaign, which sparked the trending hashtag, calling for other restaurateurs to band together and allow customers to dine-in — with Covid-19 measures in place — despite the ban from the government. There has been tremendous online support for the campaign, with many netizens pledging to dine at any restaurant that participates. Restaurateurs, specifically, have also chimed in to express their grievances and frustration with the government’s handling of the situation. “How is it fair that big corporations like 7-11 are allowed to stay open for 24 hours while us small businesses are left to die? We’ve barely seen any clusters originating from restaurants,” wrote one Twitter user. “We can go into the malls and walk around for hours but just can’t eat at a restaurant in there. What kind of logic is this?” asked another user rhetorically. https://www.thaienquirer.com/29165/__trashed/ ========================================== Medical body tells government to stop buying Sinovac, focus on mRNA vaccine A recommendation from the Infection Disease Association was widely shared on social media on Wednesday urging the government to acquire more mRNA vaccines and less Sinovac. In a statement dated Tuesday, the body recommended the purchase of mRNA vaccines, including those made by Moderna and Pfizer, rather than inactivated vaccines, such as Sinovac, in anticipation of the Delta variant. The Delta variant, first found in India, has the potential to surpass the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, as the dominant variant in Bangkok within the next couple of months, the Department of Medical Science said on Monday. “In the plan to purchase 150 million doses, Sinovac vaccines account for a high percentage, even when the vaccination is not very effective against Covid-19,” the statement said. “The ratio to buy mRNA vaccines should be the highest, and that would benefit the efforts to contain and prevent the virus,” they added. They said that existing vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant than they were against the original variant. mRNA vaccines are also less effective, and their ability to develop immunity is reduced, but they are still protective. Despite modest reductions of 3.2 to 2.1 fold in response to the Delta variant when compared to the original strain, Moderna said the vaccine should still protect against it. AstraZeneca’s ability to develop immunity against the Delta variant is also reduced. But a study released by Oxford University last week shows that AstraZeneca and Pfizer remain effective against the variant. Both vaccines offer 90 per cent protection against hospitalization from the Delta variant. However, there has yet to be any study that suggests Sinovac is effective against the Delta variant, as no official study has ever been released by the Chinese maker, the Infection Disease Association said. “The Sinovac study confirms its effectiveness against only the Alpha variant, which is insufficient for determining what vaccines to consider for the next batch,” they said. https://www.thaienquirer.com/29152/medical-body-tells-government-to-stop-buying-sinovac-focus-on-mrna-vaccine/ ==================================== From The Thaiger Covid-19 Update: 4,786 new cases A record high of 53 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,023. The vast majority of Covid patients died over the past 3 months with the daily fatality count in the 20s to 40s. 4,786 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, with most infections reported in Bangkok. The CCSA has reported a total of 259,301 Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic last year. Of that number, 230,438 cases were reported since April 1 in Thailand’s latest and most severe wave of infections. The current wave of Covid-19 is on an upward trend with 49,799 active cases 1,911 are in critical condition, including 556 of those patients are on ventilators. 1,826 new cases in Bangkok. More than 100 clusters in Bangkok are being monitored, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily Covid update in English. “We are all facing emotional fatigue as well as general exhaustion in society, not only in Thailand but around the world. Now that’s something that we have to continue to join hands, continue to fight off Covid together. Our efforts will pay off, for sure.” Cases remain high provinces surrounding the capital with 433 new cases reported in Samut Prakan, 253 cases in Samut Sakhon, 191 in Nakhon Pathom, 177 in Pathum Thani, and 155 in Nonthaburi. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/wednesday-covid-19-update-4786-new-cases-provincial-totals

We can't even leave the state, let along the country. A Japanese friend with Australian citizenship recently applied to leave Australia with his Japanese wife to return to Japan to retire. He was refused 3 times until I wrote an application for him. They returned to Japan on Singapore Airlines. There were only 6 passengers on the flight! Australia is now in almost total lockdown due to the appearance of the Delta variant. If it gets into Thailand it will wreak total havoc and we can forget about visiting for years.

I'm now vaccinated but Australia's roll-out is painfully slow. That means that we reach herd immunity sometime next year if we are lucky. And our borders will remain closed until then. So no overseas travel for us.

I believe the Asakusa 24Kaikan opened in 1912, not as a gay sauna but rather as a place for cross-dressers to meet in secret. Public bathing and gay saunas are in no way related, as PeterRS has indicated. Public bathing is all about social interaction, often based on the Japanese belief that, although their society is hierarchical and everyone knows his or her place, everyone is equal once they take their clothes off, as there is no indication of their status. My friends and I were frequent visitors to the sento (public bath), not because we didn't have our own baths but because we loved to chat with others. I, of course, had a separate interest! And lots of guys had an interest in the foreigner - I often found myself surrounded by guys wanting to see my cock. But I doubt they were gay; just curious.

Thailand handled the pandemic so well for the first fifteen months or so, but now, as people and businesses are barely surviving, this massive surge in infections and deaths is terrifying. When you then look at the incompetence around the vaccination programme, I cannot see any end in sight until well into next year. Meanwhile the deaths mount daily and the "government" carries on chattering about reopening "sandboxes" around the country in July or October............it leaves me speechless with anger.

GameBoys is a great Series. Well worth watching. And there will be a Second Season starting shortly...

I thought of this thread when I was writing Alan's review. He was quite out of my comfort zone, this time I dared to go there thanks to the empathic recommendations from other clients. I thought that in Buenos Aires we may not have saunas, but we may find other alternatives to get input and motivate us to take risks with guys.

From the BBC The colonial law that left an anti-LGBTQ legacy in Asia For much of the past two centuries, it was illegal to be gay in a vast swathe of the world - thanks to colonial Britain. Till today, colonial-era laws that ban homosexuality continue to exist in former British territories including parts of Africa and Oceania. But it is in Asia where they have had a significantly widespread impact. This is the region where, before India legalised homosexual sex in 2018, at least one billion people lived with anti-LGBTQ legislation. It can be traced back to one particular law first conceptualised in India, and one man's mission to "modernise" the colony. 'Exotic, mystical Orient' Currently, it is illegal to be gay in around 69 countries, nearly two-thirds of which were under some form of British control at one point of time. This is no coincidence, according to Enze Han and Joseph O'Mahoney, who wrote the book British Colonialism and the Criminalization of Homosexuality. Dr Han told the BBC that British rulers introduced such laws because of a "Victorian, Christian puritanical concept of sex". "They wanted to protect innocent British soldiers from the 'exotic, mystical Orient' - there was this very orientalised view of Asia and the Middle East that they were overly erotic." "They thought if there were no regulations, the soldiers would be easily led astray." While there were several criminal codes used across British colonies around the world, in Asia one particular set of laws was used prominently - the Indian Penal Code (IPC) drawn up by British historian Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay, which came into force in 1862. It contained section 377, which stated that "whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" would be punished with imprisonment or fines. Lord Macaulay, who modelled the section on Britain's 16th Century Buggery Act, believed the IPC was a "blessing" for India as it would "modernise" its society, according to Dr Han and Dr O'Mahoney's book. The British went on to use the IPC as the basis for criminal law codes in many other territories they controlled. Till today, 377 continues to exist in various forms in several former colonies in Asia such as Pakistan, Singapore, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Brunei, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Penalties range from two to 20 years in prison. In places with Muslim-majority populations which also have sharia law, LGBT persons can also face more severe punishment such as flogging. Lasting legacy Activists say these laws have left a damaging legacy on these countries, some of which have long had flexible attitudes towards LGBTQ people. Transgenderism, intersex identity and the third gender, for example, have traditionally been a part of South Asian culture with the hijra or eunuch communities. In India, where for centuries LGBTQ relationships were featured in literature, myths and Hindu temple art, present-day attitudes now largely skew conservative. "It's in our traditions. But now we are getting so embarrassed about [LGBTQ relations]. Clearly the change happened because of certain influences," says Anjali Gopalan, executive director of Naz Foundation India, a non-governmental organisation which offers counselling services for the LGBTQ community. One common argument governments have made for keeping the law is that it continues to reflect the conservative stance of their societies. Some, like India, have even ironically argued that it keeps out "Western influence". But activists point out that this perpetuates discrimination and goes against some countries' constitutions which promise equal rights to all citizens. This has a "de-humanising effect" on an LGBTQ person, and can seriously impact their access to education and career opportunities as well as increase their risk of poverty and physical violence, said Jessica Stern, executive director of LGBTQ rights group OutRight International. "If you're a walking criminal, you're living with a burden every day. Whether you internalise it or not, it affects you and everyone who loves you," she told the BBC. The Covid pandemic has exacerbated these problems, she added. One recent example her group found was in Sri Lanka, where the police were tasked to distribute emergency rations while the country was under curfew - but some in the LGBTQ community were too afraid to come forward due to the country's anti-sodomy law. "People said they have to risk arrest or risk going hungry… it's a stark life or death choice they have to make," said Ms Stern. Some governments, like Singapore, have tried to tread the middle ground by publicly promising never to enforce the law. But the LGBTQ community in the city-state say this is unfair as they live knowing the government could change its mind at any time. Olivia and Irene Chiong left Singapore five years ago for the US, where they got married and are both legally recognised as the mothers of their two daughters - something that would not be possible back home. The lack of rights is one reason they find it difficult to return, as well as the refusal among some Singaporeans including government ministers to acknowledge that there is discrimination. "I think for me the biggest frustration comes from the fact that Singaporeans think everything's okay - that as long as gay people keep quiet... keep themselves in the closet, it's fine!" said Olivia. "There are many rainbow families in Singapore…You can't just keep sweeping things under the carpet. "The only reason why Singapore is holding so tightly to (377) is because it gives them the illusion of control," she said. A long road ahead There has been progress - most notably, of course, with the Indian Supreme Court's decision in 2018 to repeal 377, following years of legal challenges mounted by determined activists. It was a historic decision and a major step forward for LGBT rights in India. But three years on, there is still a very long way to go in changing cultural attitudes, activists say. "The most common thing we still see in counselling is families wanting their gay sons to get married (to a woman)," said Ms Gopalan. "Everything is linked to the family in India, and marriage is a very big part of our lives. So the first issue is acceptance from the family and then by extension, society." Activists say more protection is needed, such as anti-discrimination laws. Earlier this month, a court in Chennai ordered officials to draw up plans for reforms to respect LGBTQ rights. Still, India's repeal of 377 has helped to lessen the stigma - and inspired other countries. In Singapore and Kenya, activists have used the repeal in legal arguments against their own colonial anti-homosexuality laws. Two centuries after it was used by the British as a legal blueprint, India once again is seen as an example to follow - this time to strike down that very law that was exported across Asia. "It has emboldened others in Asia, unequivocally... it sent a message to all former colonial outposts," said Ms Stern. "Activists I spoke to have said that if it can happen in India, it can happen here too." https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/the-colonial-law-that-left-an-anti-lgbtq-legacy-in-asia/ar-AALyE86#image=3

From Vietnam Express Vietnam has decided to shorten centralized quarantine time for fully vaccinated entrants from 21 days to seven, as the country plans to initiate a vaccine passport program. Officials made the announcement at a meeting Friday between the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It's still not clear when the new quarantine period will be applied and if it will be limited to a number of destinations in Vietnam. But it is part of the country's plan to trial the use of vaccine passports that allow foreigners to travel to certain destinations that have managed the novel coronavirus pandemic well. Previously, on Tuesday, the tourism ministry and Kien Giang authorities had been requested to prepare a plan to receive foreigners to Phu Quoc Island in the southern province next month. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-cuts-quarantine-time-to-7-days-for-vaccinated-entrants-4299431.html ===================================== Form Vietnam Express International flights may resume later this year Flight routes between Vietnam and Northeast Asia and Europe may resume later this year, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) anticipates. A CAAV representative said Monday that they expect Covid-19 vaccination rates in Vietnam and the rest of the world, especially in important aviation markets for Vietnam like Northeast Asia and Europe, would increase greatly in the second half of 2021. Back in March, the CAAV had proposed the reopening of international flight routes in stages, where certain flights could resume this September under a "vaccine passport" program, which allows a shortened quarantine period for eligible entrants. A maximum threshold of seven such flights were proposed. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/international-flights-may-resume-later-this-year-aviation-authority-4301344.html

Many countries treat their hi-so / wealthy citizens differently to the hoi-polloi. In Australia, politicians who misuse taxpayers' money by, for example, claiming travel expenses they are not entitled to, do not face prosecution. They just pay it back, along with an apology, and all is forgiven. I wonder what would happen if a bank robber offered to give the money back when he was arrested? Would that be permissible? Probably not!

I stopped going to saunas when I saw guys barebacking in Otot-otot in KL. I've also heard it's quite common in Korea, too. But having said that I really enjoyed the sleaze factor and think it would be a shame if they ever disappeared.

If Babylon is to close permanently- perhaps it has already- it will undoubtedly be the result of the property values of its surrounding area. However, anyone who remembers its old premises and the huge numbers it attracted twenty or so years ago will recognise that social media has affected the popularity of saunas, perhaps as much as that of gay go go bars. Obelisk and Colony went long ago. And others, whose names I cannot recall.

Part of the reason the elite get away literally with 'murder' is because there are no juries in Thailand. Justice is totally dependent on the judges. No need to guess what class they represent! Add to that a large dose of corruption and you have the answers!

I think you are pointing to a tradition much more universal than the Arab world, and much more ancient than the Middle Ages.

I sense that, in the Arab world as well as the Latin world, some guys consider it macho, a testament to their virility, both that they are desirable enough to be paid money and that they can get it hard, stick it into anything, and keep it hard. Plus, in the Arab world, the tradition of wealthy patrons and "young men in need of protection" goes back to the medieval and ancient eras.

Well, that at least is the heading of an article in the Pattaya Mail about a month ago which seems not to have been picked up here. I am about the last to trust anything in that rag but no doubt some of its articles have more than a degree of truth. This one focuses on the police raid on the Faros sauna in Bangkok and the arrest of 60 men, seemingly all Thais. (The Bangkok Post claims the number was 62 and the establishment is Faros 2). The concern of the police allegedly was less the sex angle but the use of chemsex and drug trafficking during the covid restrictions. Allegedly 37 of the group tested positive for drug use. "Good samaritans" had tipped off the police. On the other hand, the President of the Bangkok Rainbow Association said he was "concerned that people may now believe all gays are promiscuous and disease spreaders," a rather fatuous remark in my view given that there have been gay saunas in Bangkok for at least 35 years and quite a few very public raids on several during that time. He also claimed that "saunas were not just about sexual activity but also the human need for social interaction and mingling." Really? Aren't there bars for that? One issue that has been aired before about city centre locations becoming too expensive is also addressed. "Some say that an under-exposed reason for the closure of many gay meeting places, including saunas, is the process of gentrification. This means that, as property rents and purchase prices rise steeply in urban centers, traditional users are forced to leave to make way for expensive tower blocks, malls and top-tier residence developments. It is certainly true that much of Bangkok’s traditional night life, straight and gay, has already been scattered geographically by the huge demolition or redevelopment projects in downtown districts. "Khun Prasert of the Rainbow Sky Alliance said, 'Queer spaces like saunas will survive because people want to mix with like-minded groups, but there will be a lot fewer choices post-Covid. That’s for sure.'” https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/future-of-gay-saunas-in-thailand-now-under-the-microscope-357600

From The Thai Enquirer Thai LGBTQ+ history through the looking glass: religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand In 2015, Thailand enacted the landmark Gender Equality Act that made gender-based discrimination illegal. However, gender discrimination is allowed if it serves to protect “the welfare and safety of a person or for following religious rules, or for the security of the nation” according to Section 17 in the Act. Despite the lack of overt persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, Thai society is still not wholly accepting of gender and sexual minorities according to a 2014 UNDP report. In this article, we interview LGBTQ+ activist Sirisak “Ton” Chaited (they/them) about their recent gender-inclusive monasticism #ทุกคนต้องบวชได้ #ทุกเพศต้องบวชได้ campaign and dive into the brief LGBTQ+ history in Thailand to better understand the intersectionality between religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights in Thai society. As 95% of Thais are Buddhists, Buddhism has been the cornerstone of Thai culture for many centuries. Regardless of your interpretation of Buddhist religious scriptures, texts, and teachings, some Thai Buddhist-practioners are of the belief that nonconforming sexual orientation and gender identities may be viewed as a punishment for past lives’ sins or the inability to control sexual tendencies and impulses. Yet a closer look at Thai history may explain why this notion is not a noble truth. Predating the Rattanakosin era (1782 AD – present), various temple murals depict homosexuality among Thai men and women according to Chaingmai-based Dutch journalist Sjon Hauser’s observations in Transsexuality in Northern Thailand Historical Notes. “Whether or not Buddhism has been instrumental in influencing the development of the popular Thai notion [of กะเทย “kathoey”, the Thai term commonly used with, but is not limited to, transwomen, intersex individuals, and effiminate gay men], a very similar mixing of physical and psychological sex, gender behaviours and sexuality occurs both in the Pali terms [sic] pandaka and in the Thai term kathoey. Both terms are parts of conceptual schemes in which people regarded as exhibiting physiological or culturally ascribed features of the opposite sex are categorized together. If Buddhism was not the source of the popular Thai conception of kathoey then at the very least it has reinforced a markedly similar pre-existing Thai cultural concept” wrote Thai history scholar Peter A. Jackson, PhD. in the book Queer Dharma: Voices of Gay Buddhists. After Thailand transitioned from an absolute into a constitutional monarchy in 1932, the state propagated national culture by implementing traditional concepts of gender as one of the tools to establish social order as observed by Scot Barme, a visiting fellow at the History Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University in his book Luang Wichit Wathakan and the Creation of a Thai Identity; and renowned Thai scholar Thongchai Winichakul in his book Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation. The concept of Thai nationhood at the time included imposing “modern” notions of gender identity and sexual orientation through state institutions such as the military, the police, and school which remained to this day. Through this “modernization”, the Thai moral construct was propagated to be inherently intertwined with Thai gender roles — modeled after the Victorian middle-class movement in Europe in order to portray Thailand as a “civilized nation”– which is reflected in personal sense of virtue. Supposedly, adhering to an indoctrinated gender role naturally serves to reflect good morals and character in Thai society. A deviation from the Thai indoctrination of gender roles, in this sense, would allow individuals to shy away from morality, exemplary character, and the Thai nationhood. It is interesting to see how once socially flexible concepts of sexual orientation, gender identity, and morality in ancient Thailand was shaped into an austere and rigid pre-conceived declaration of righteousness by modernity in the pursuit of nationhood. In our pursuit of being civilized we became uncivilized, as it were. According to LGBTQ+ activist, TEDx speaker, organizer of the first-ever Chiangmai Pride Parade in 2009, and Amnesty-acclaimed human rights defender, Sirisak “Ton” Chaited, the gender-inclusive monasticism #ทุกคนต้องบวชได้ #ทุกเพศต้องบวชได้ campaign was initiated because “religious freedom is a basic human right”. For Ton, “religion is generally used as a tool for segregation and is more often than not the root cause of discrimination unto an individual or community; a systemic issue embedded in almost each and every society, including ours”. Continues at https://www.thaienquirer.com/29087/thai-lgbtq-history-through-the-looking-glass-religious-freedom-and-lgbtq-rights-in-thailand/

The Yoovidhya family is one of Thailand's wealthiest. Last year Forbes estimated their wealth at US$20 billion. Like the mega-rich in many countries, much of this is hidden in tax havens in the Caribbean. Not surprisingly the family's network of companies appeared in the infamous Panama Papers but some of the paperwork was found to be missing. Mind you, the family was far from the only Thais to appear on the list. 1,400 other Thai names were thrown up. Other countries were relatively quick to investigate the Panama Papers revelations. Thailand, on the other hand, called the information merely "rumours". Thailand's Money Laundering Office became involved but after years that toothless tiger has done nothing. An article two years ago in The Walrus with contributions from Associated Press reported, "Law professor Viraphong Boonyobhas, director of Chulalongkorn University’s business-crime and money-laundering data bank in Bangkok, would not speak directly about the Yoovidhyas or any other Thai person or company, saying he feared for his legal and physical safety. But he noted that, usually, when it comes to stashing money in offshore accounts, 'people do this to hide corrupt money.'" Somewhat ironically it was the murderer himself (whose nickname is Boss) who set reporters on the trail of the company's tax schemes. "The Yoovidhya family’s efforts to hide assets show how billions in private wealth can be moved around the world with minimal regulation to avoid tax and other legal constraints. The extent of the family’s confidential deals was inadvertently exposed by Boss and his social-media-loving cousins during his time on the run: they had posted photos of Boss walking into a London townhouse, and they even included the address. In April 2017, days after Boss’s attorney told a Bangkok court that his client couldn’t show up because he was on a mission in the United Kingdom, a reporter called out questions to the Red Bull heir on his London doorstep: 'What is your mission in the UK, Boss? What are you doing here? Are you going to Thailand to meet with prosecutors?' Smiling slightly, eyes averted, Boss gave no answer. Hours later, he and his parents hurried out of the home with suitcases. That was the last time Boss was seen in public." Since then "An investigation into the five-storey brick home showed that it is the address Boss’s father, Chalerm Yoovidhya, gave when incorporating Siam Winery Trading Plus in the UK in 2002, and that his mother, Daranee Yoovidhya, used when opening a food-related business there in 2006. But, according to AP, the listed owner of the home, and at least four other multimillion-dollar properties in London, isn’t the Yoovidhyas—it’s Karnforth Investments, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, according to the Panama Papers. After more digging into the Yoovidhyas, it became clear that there were more shell games being played." These games involve several more offshore Caribbean based companies which channel cash back and forth between each. And of the killer himself? Well, despite being on the run and allegedly unable to be located, social media has shown photos of him in at least nine countries since a first Interpol alert was supposed to have been issued. "Stops include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, Japan, where he posed, grinning and wearing robes from Hogwarts’s darkest dorm, Slytherin house. He’s cruised Monaco’s harbour, snowboarded Japan’s fresh powder, and celebrated his birthday at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London. This means that, while authorities say they’ve had no idea where Boss was, his friends, family, and all of their followers seem to have had no doubt about his whereabouts and the good times he’s been having. One summer, in Japan, he posted a ten-second video of sausage and eggs decorated with seaweed eyes, tagging a young relative. His parents responded with a thumbs up." Meanwhile the widow of the murdered traffic policeman was provided with compensation of just 3 million baht for the death of the 47 year old victim. https://thewalrus.ca/corruption-did-the-heir-to-the-red-bull-empire-get-away-with-murder/

All bars and clubs and go go bars have been closed since the start of April. And this wave of infections in Thailand, along with the absence of vaccines means they will remain closed for some time to come.