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I would but who will benefit then ? Only said struggling and homeless , not appointed councilors

Hometown Embrace finished today, not the greatest series but certainly watchable with only 8 short / 1/2 hr. / episodes, all in woods, far from usual Bangkok and university settings. Few very handsome actors.

It's a situation where there are no good options. Biden put out a statement today laying out what the administration sees as the situation. He seems to mainly blame the previous administration's "peace" deal that set a May 1 withdrawal date for the remaining US forces - effectively saying his hands were tied. Since the Taliban would appear to not be upholding their end of that deal at this point I'd imagine that the US could also go back on our side of the deal. But I think the train has basically left the station now. As noted previously the US has had only a very small troop presence for several years in training roles along with some air support. I guess there are also lots of "contractors" there. I don't know exactly what their roles are since there are quite a few mercenary "security" contractors. The disorganization and corruption of the Afghan regime seems to be a big part of the problem. The Taliban was smart enough to lay low and wait for us to leave before they swooped in. I was reading a piece earlier talking about how the Taliban isn't a monolithic organization but is a sort of group of franchises that are coordinating with each other. Without the US and allied presence for the last 20 years no women or girls would have had a chance at education. Would it be better that no one had a better life for that period of time because their hopes are going to be dashed now by the Taliban? Is the US required to stay there forever? Sure, I think we all wish the Bush administration had more realistic goals. And the mission creep started long ago. But just because those things happened are we all required to stay there indefinitely? When does it end? How much more mission creep is required? The fact that it's collapsing so quickly would seem to indicate that there wasn't all that much to prop up. People are happy to shit on Biden's decision to continue with the agreement reached by Trump. But no one seems to have an answer to what he should be doing instead and how and for how long and at what cost. People complain when the US intervenes and polices the world. And then they complain when the US doesn't. Do I wish the UN would have sent troops in to Myanmar? Kind of. But I don't know what they would have been able to accomplish and how. Stopping arms sales and cutting off the junta's funding sources makes sense. Unfortunately the Russians are only too happy to sell them arms. It's not in anyone's interest for Myanmar to become a failed state. Certainly their neighbors will be most effected and would seem to have the greatest interest in doing something about it. But we all know ASEAN is full of dictators and wannabe dictators who aren't going to do anything that might shine a light back on them. The Chinese aren't going to send their army. And there are plenty of other internal conflicts all of the world. Should we get involved in all of them?

Can you blame them? They are interested in your erotic adventures as much as we are! Tell them they can read everything and much more on this message board!

Back in February, the US and the EU placed sanctions against Myanmar. For details, see: https://www.sanctionsexpert.com/myanmar Also in February, China blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the military coup in Myanmar. In this thread we've seen the US lambasted for what it did--or did not--do in Afghanistan. I don't think you're going to see too many western nations lining up to send troops to intervene now in SE Asia. So if the UN is handcuffed by China, and ASEAN has no history of intervening in other than diplomatic ways, what specific actions would you suggest be taken against Myanmar and China, and who would you suggest take those actions?

I spent the evening at Lagoa today. The place was filled with boys. Most were not my type (overly muscled doesn’t do anything for me) but I did find two that were lean and toned and fully vers and passionate which made the trip more than worth while. If anybody else happens to be in SP, I’m planning on spending at least a little more time at Lagoa tomorrow too.

A month or two ago, I read an article about the business model of onlyfans.com. Nothing really new there, but apparently the lockdowns from Covid have accelerated its business many times. Purveyors of in-the-flesh pleasures pivoted to selling virtual interactions instead. I am curious if Thai guys, many of whom must be badly out of work for months and months, have also tried to sell themselves virtually. I see no discussion anywhere about this (but then I haven't really looked hard) so my impression is that they have not. If so, is it for want of trying or might there be technical obstacles? Or do you think there's really no market for online interactions with Thai lads?

I found this recent report from US public broadcasting to be quite interesting. I don't know if it's geo-blocked. But their Afghan reporter recently returned and interviewed the Taliban (and expected to be murdered) as well as some other people on the ground. There's some sense that Iran is actually meddling quite a bit in Afghanistan

The popular consumer motto "never pay retail" has been embraced by the Thai Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO). Acting against the advice of the Rural Doctors Society, the GPO is going ahead with the purchase of 8.5 million questionable Covid antigen tests at a reported price said to be twice the retail cost. From Bangkok Post The battle lines have been drawn between the Rural Doctors Society and the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) over the purchases of 8.5 million Covid-19 antigen test kits that the doctors say could cause problems. The reliability of the brand chosen by the state agency, the doctors say, has been ”controversial on a global scale”. The rural doctors’ group, through chairman Dr Supat Hasuwannakit, on Saturday issued a statement demanding that the GPO, Rajavithi Hospital and the Ministry of Public Health take full responsibility if they proceed with the purchases. The conflict involves a request to buy kits by the National Health Security Office (NHSO), the unit responsible for the country’s universal healthcare programme, a legacy of the late Dr Sanguan Nittayarampong, a former chairman of the Rural Doctors Society. The budget to buy the kits belongs to the NHSO but it cannot make the purchases itself. Since the military coup in 2014, the NHSO has been required to ask Rajavithi Hospital or the GPO to buy medical supplies on its behalf. The conflict involves a request to buy kits by the National Health Security Office (NHSO), the unit responsible for the country’s universal healthcare programme, a legacy of the late Dr Sanguan Nittayarampong, a former chairman of the Rural Doctors Society. The budget to buy the kits belongs to the NHSO but it cannot make the purchases itself. Since the military coup in 2014, the NHSO has been required to ask Rajavithi Hospital or the GPO to buy medical supplies on its behalf. Disappointed, the rural doctors claimed the wholesale price for the Chinese kits was only $1 each or less than 35 baht, but price was not everything, they stressed. “We maintain ATKs are the heart of Covid containment. We should use kits with high quality and accuracy — those that could reduce or eliminate the need for retesting using RT-PCR. This will save lives, time and budget,” read the statement. Dr Supat also cited controversies around the Lepu kits. “While the product was endorsed by Thailand’s Food and Drugs Administration and tested by Ramathibodi Hospital on 150 subjects, its reliability is controversial on a global scale.” The statement cited as an example a study published in Virology Journal on 33,000 people in Pakistan, which found Lepu had a low sensitivity rate, compared to its 90% claim, and a 48% false-negative chance. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2165315/rural-doctors-oppose-choice-of-test-kits

Just finished to see the whole series no doubt it is the best Thai BL commedy this year even better than the Lovely Writer series ,So many hilarious scenes and such a great cast , The main couple Jin and Bbomb are adorable .

From Bangkok Post Motorists occupy Ratchaprasong intersection, one of the starting points for road rallies to oust Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha,on Sunday. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul) 'Car mob' rallies rev up to drive out Prayut The country's largest "car mob" rallies to date geared up on roads in Bangkok and other provinces on Sunday to put pressure on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign after seven years in power. Motorists took their vehicles to Bangkok roads in a three-pronged campaign organised by red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar and activist Sombat Boonngam-anong. The Tha Lu Fah movement, whose recent protests in the capital ended with clashes with riot police, on Saturday decided to join the demonstrations. Mr Nattawut, backed by protesters and members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, led a convoy at Ratchaprasong intersection. Mr Sombat headed another parade from Ayutthaya to Lat Phrao intersection. Tha Lu Fah assembled at Democracy Monument. Before his rally set off from Ratchaprasong, the red-shirt leader stated that protesters would avoid confrontations with police and stay away from politically sensitive places, including Government House and the prime minister's residence. The rallies would reach their climax at 6pm, when drivers would honk throughout the national anthem to warn Gen Prayut that he had no choice but to resign. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2165607/car-mob-rallies-rev-up-to-drive-out-prayut

The sanctions imposed by the US were targeted at individual coup leaders, freezing any assets they held in the US. But you avoided answering the questions of what actions you'd believe be taken against the Myanmar regime and who should take them. Or against China for its treatment of the Uyghurs that you talked about in a previous post. This thread has examined every possible fault that the US and its allies made relative to Afghanistan. There seems to be general agreement on what they were. I believe we all get it at this point. But if you can be so exhaustive in your analysis of that situation you surely must be able to come up with some ideas on how to handle the Myanmar and China dilemmas, no?

Try entering the USA with lots of Thai stamps in your passport. Living here and travelling a lot, virtually every page has entry and exit stamps. Whenever I enter the USA, I have no problem at Immigration. The moment a customs officer looks at the passport, I am told to go to a separate line. Then all my bags are searched.

Somehow I cant recall that USA was ever concerned about treatment of women in it's great ally , Saudi Arabia. Double standard smells from a mile

I do. I was not coming from Thailand , nor even from Asia so this kind of interrogation smells very Stalinist for me

I don't think the UK necessarily gets the gold star here. According to a report on the BBC "Newsnight" programme a few nights ago, there are a lot of Afghans who have a claims for asylum in the UK due to their work in helping the British forces who are being denied that. It stated that Britain was only allowing direct employees to claim asylum on the basis of having helped British forces, but not allowing Afghans who worked for contractors who supplied services to UK forces to do so. Also, it was claimed that the Home Office is insisting that any Afghans who have a blemish on their work record be left to the tender mercies of the Taliban. Newsnight interviewed a worker who had worked for the British Army as a translator, but is being denied a place on the evacuation flights because he was sacked from his job for using marijuana (an allegation which he strenuously denied). Because of this, it is claimed, the Home Office is refusing to let the British Embassy offer him refuge.

Goddamnit Phil

Only consolation is that it seems no government has a clue what to do and it's " try and see " approach everywhere . I recently visited two countries before returning to my own. Country 1 required proof of full vaccination and a pre-trip registration for tracking purposes indicating where I will be reachable. Vaccination proof was checked on both ends of trip but that registration only on departure, not arrival, go figure ! Country 2 did not even bother to ask for proof of vaccination on arrival but checked for it on departure. It also required pre-trip registration for tracking but only in QR code form, nor printed one. Good luck to those who don't have smartphone or it's battery just died. Fortunately border officials were helping them with their own phones, I'm kidding you not ! My own country was only one requiring pre-flight PCR test made up to 3 days before departure, likely to give me 3 days chance to catch something anyways but at great expense of 150$. Proof of vaccination and arrival registration form was also required and given cursory glance at the border. As if to produce justification to post it here border official were chiefly interested not in all those certificates but with several Thai stamps in my passport , most recent from exactly 22 months ago and usual questions "why you go there too often " etc. followed. One another hand one of my friends just completed three week circle rail trip around the Europe - Germany, Poland, Czech, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy , France, Germany and doesn't recall any case when he was asked to provide anything other that cash or credit card neither in restaurants not hotels , not to mention non-existing borders. So it seems that nonsense is largely limited to air travel. While I'm happy to finally be able to go somewhere after those 22 months I have an impression that world collectively is slowly loosing it's sense in this pandemic and suffers mighty lack of co-ordination blended with random over-regulation. While it may seem to be only nuisance it may produce disastrous results in next elections as tired populations may vote for any idiot promising to end all that nonsense.

Hi, yes, I was and it was great at all. Restaurants, Cafes etc were open. I am not sure how the situation is NOW. Sauna was open regular. Some rentboys around. Two very big muscled brazilians. Mostly slim guys. Nice atmosphere at all.

This is one of those feel-good posts - well it is for me. I guess we all have moments of self-doubt, when we question our abilities, judgement, even our sanity, And then we read of people like the man reported here and realise that the the world is filled with people even more stupid and less sane than ourselves, It's kinda reassuring in an odd way!

Gosh, I am so sorry that you didn't like many of the available guys. Considering that I haven't seen a nude guy in two years, not to mention several nude guys, not to mention several nude muscle guys, I am just full of sympathy for your plight. And you are in Rio too. So sad.

In a separate thread I recently wrote about my Thai/Burmese friend and his issue with the Sinpharm vaccine. 10 days ago he took his two flatmates, both also Thai/Burmese, to hospital as he suspected they might have covid19. Both tested positive. My friend was negative. One is now much improved and has been moved to 14-day quarantine. This morning his other friend died. He was only 25. Unless more vaccines are quickly located and those in the younger age groups are vaccinated, I fear this will become a much more common occurrence.