Gaybutton

I went with "I mostly like Asian guys." Asian guys are definitely my preference, but I don't rule out exceptions once in a while.

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: For photos, see: http://www.pattayaone.net/news/2009/june/news_15_06_52.shtml _____ Transsexual Demands that He is Sent Back to Prison to Resume a Relationship with an Inmate A bizarre story now from Chonburi Police Station located 60kms from Pattaya. Police Colonel Nopadon is in charge of the station and was the former chief of Police here in Pattaya. On Monday Afternoon, Khun Anatsanan aged 21, a transsexual residing here in Pattaya presented himself to officers at the station and claimed he was in possession of marijuana and he demanded that he be sent to Prison. Police were obligated to arrest the man and during questioning he explained that he had been arrested in Pattaya last month on a minor drug offence which resulted in a 36 day prison sentence. Although the man was currently in a relationship with a German man who has now returned to his native country, Khun Anatsanan met a Thai Man, Khun Atit, whilst in prison. The pair fell deeply in love and when Khun Anatsanan was released, he promised his new boyfriend that he would return soon so they can resume their relationship. Police charged the suspect with class 5 drug possession and because of previous offences it is likely the judge will grant his wish and he will soon be reunited with his lover. ____________________ And this, from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ KATOEY WORMS HIS WAY BACK TO LOVER IN JAIL A lovelorn ladyboy, and ex-jailbird, distraught about being separated from his lover in prison, decided the only way they could be reunited was for him to hand himself in to the police with some drugs, on 15 June 2009, so as to be put back into jail. He got his wish and was duly returned to custody. At 11.30 am, on 15 June 2009, at Chonburi Police Station, Pol.Col. Noppadol Wongnom, Chonburi Police Superintendent and his officers were somewhat surprised to be presented with a ladyboy, Mr. Anusanon Walaijai, [21] who surrendered himself to them, armed with a bag of marijuana asking that he be arrested. Mr. Anusanon, a go-go dancer in Pattaya had apparently been previously arrested for possessing some Yah Ice and he had been subsequently put in jail in Chonburi. Whilst inside, he met a man, Mr. Artit, [26], who was also in jail for the same offence, and, as chance would have it, fell madly in love with him. Although Mr. Anusanon was due to be released soon, he vowed to his boyfriend that he would try to get arrested again so he could continue their affair in jail. Mr. Anusanon was duly released one week ago, but as he had surmised, he missed his boyfriend insanely and began to plan how best to return to be an inmate. He tried to buy some Yah Ice, but all he could get was some ganja so he bought some and then rolled up at the police station, where he surrendered himself to the police. In passing, he regaled the officers with his life story. He said he had a German boyfriend who kept sending him money and had no problem with his life. His German boyfriend only came to see him once in a while, but he had already had his breast-implants at a cost of Bt40,000 and was looking forward to having the full operation in the future, but as it would cost another Bt100,000, he didn’t quite know what to do. He then told police about his lover in jail and his desire to rejoin him. Pol.Col. Noppadol Wongnom said he had questioned the ladyboy to find out if he was suffering from dementia, but he said the ladyboy appeared perfectly normal (mentally, that is) and seemed quite knowledgeable about law. This obviously left the Colonel in somewhat of a quandary, but as he didn’t really see how he could do otherwise, considering the ladyboy had surrendered himself with a prohibited substance, he granted his wish and returned him to jail. The Colonel finished by saying it was very difficult to stop people doing as the ladyboy had done, but he had no suitable answer to such a dilemma.

Hi, Well if I have pressed all the right buttons, at the right time, you should have attached two info posters. The first is a reminder/invite for my birthday party on 22nd., and the second is details of our next concert trip on the 27th. Naturally I would love to see you on one of the dates, if not both! I have a few tickets for Mama Mia, the Musical, in Bangkok on Sunday 23rd. AUGUST. They are 2,500 discounted down to only 2147. It's first come, first served. We will be doing the trip by minibus and the cost of a seat will be around 400. As it is the last night of the run,it promises to be an extra good performance with a great party atmosphere. Book now!! Finally. It's party night in Sunee Plaza tonight. The winner or the recent "Face of Sunee" will be presented around the Balkan Express area tonight at 10pm. Afterwards all member bars, identified buy balloons, will be having a party with plenty of varied promotions, and a few surprises. Hope to see you there. All the best, Mike & the Team

I don't think you have to worry about racial problems. Many black people do come to Thailand and I've never heard of any of them encountering racial problems. As long as you have money in your pocket, race is not an issue at all. You might want to consider instead of hiring a guide, find a bar boy who you like, take him off, and let him be your guide. However if you do want a guide, in Chiang Mai I recommend Ben's Tours. See the following for details: http://www.geocities.com/benstours/Benstours.html In Bangkok you could do quite well with a bar boy. Let him be your guide. In Mae Hong Son I don't have a clue who to recommend as a guide. Perhaps someone else can post a recommendation.

Ok, then what is your actual position? I'll agree I can't really know what I would do if falsely accused of a serious crime, but what I think I would do would be to first make sure the police are really police, and refuse to answer questions until I speak with my attorney and notify my embassy. I do not think I would pay anybody to get out of something I had not done. It certainly would be a frightening experience to find yourself falsely accused of a crime in a foreign country where you don't speak the language and have no idea what to expect, especially since Thailand is a "guilty until proven innocent" country.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ No Witch-Hunt, Says Lands Department Foreign Ownership Debate Intensifies By: KANANA KATHARANGSIPORN Published: 15/06/2009 The Lands Department does not have a policy to scrutinise acquisitions in which illegal use of Thai nominees on behalf of foreigners is suspected, says director-general Anuwat Maytheewibulwut. Land ownership revocation cases mostly occur when a complaint or conflict is brought to the department's attention, he said. "Each year there are 5.5 million land-related transactions handled by the department and we receive around 1,000 complaints," he said. "We have no time to check every transaction, but we will investigate when there's a complaint." Mr Anuwat was responding after several sharp letters in the Bangkok Post over the past two weeks from readers who questioned the department's policy on land acquisition by foreigners. Some alleged it was xenophobic. He said it was likely a misunderstanding that the department would scrutinise every transaction suspected to have a Thai nominee owning land for foreigners. In fact, an investigation will be initiated only if there is a complaint. "There is nothing new in the Land Code for land acquisition by foreigners," he added. "For purchases or transfers, we have some regulations and processes to investigate illegality, but not that many. We must respect individual rights and assume individuals will not give fake statements to officials." According to the Land Code, a foreigner can legally acquire land by inheritance as a legal heir, and his or her land ownership must be approved by the Interior Ministry. Alternatively, a foreigner must invest at least 40 million baht and maintain it for five years through investment in Thai government bonds, property mutual funds, or in share capital of a Board of Investment-promoted company. Under these two criteria, a foreigner can purchase up to one rai of land for residential use. The department also allows foreign ownership up to 49% of saleable space in a condominium, said Mr Anuwat. If a foreigner has a Thai spouse, either legitimate or common-law, and wants to buy land, the Thai spouse must give officials of the Lands Department a joint written confirmation that the money for the purchase is wholly separate property or the personal property of the Thai spouse, not jointly acquired property. "If a foreigner has a conflict with his or her Thai spouse and makes a complaint on land ownership to the department, we will investigate," said Mr Anuwat. "If we find the ownership is illegal, we will ask them to transfer or sell that piece of land within 180 to 365 days." If the transfer or sale cannot be made within a year, the department will use its authority to do it. Any legal dispute between the couple not involving land ownership must be resolved under civil law. "Changing foreign land acquisition regulations such as an extension of the leasehold period to longer than 30 years or increasing foreigners' quotas to buy condominiums is a government matter. The department is always ready to carry out the government's policy," Mr Anuwat said. He added that all foreigners who comply with the law will get full protection under the law. "For anyone involved in land ownership on behalf of foreigners, what they should be sure of is concern for the nation, ethics and morality in applying the law to make sure they are good Thai citizens," he said.

What would you do? Pay them?

This morning I was out and about shortly after 6:00am. Today is the 15th, the day the one-way parallel roads begin. The traffic signals were now working. Of course, the red light lasts much too long in one direction and not long enough in the other, so even at that hour there were small delays. My favorite part was at the intersection at which you can now only turn left. That intersection has a right turn arrow traffic signal! By the time I was returning, at about 8:30am, the traffic signals were on flash again and the traffic cops were out there directing traffic. The traffic heading toward Sukhumvit was backed up by at least a quarter mile. Welcome to Thailand . . .

Unnnnnnnnnnnbelievable! This just keeps getting better and better. I promise you, I don't make these things up. The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: for photos, see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000009467 _____ PATTAYA - Thai Man Accused of Impersonating Police and Extorting Money From Paedophiles At 1:00 pm on the 12th June 2009 Pattaya police announced the arrest of a Thai man for impersonating a police official and extorting money from a suspected paedophile. Police Major General Koson Paowes, Police Lieutenant Colonel Greetha Tunkanaruk and Police Lieutenant Colonel Ormsin Sook Karnkah of the Children, Juvenile and Women Division Region 2 together with Mr. Supagon Noja of the Pattaya-based Child Protection and Development Centre revealed that they had arrested Mr. Bancha or Kung Wansanor [39] from Rayong, with warrant no. 559/2522 issued by the Pattaya court on 11th June. Major General Koson said, that on 24th May 2009, he was informed by Mr. Tunwa [22] and Mr. Peter [alias], a foreign national, that Mr. Bancha or Kung Wansanor and an accomplice had visited Mr. Peter at his home. They were wearing black uniforms and claimed they were members of the Pattaya police. They told Mr. Peter they had received reports that he had taken young boys back to his house to have sex on a regular basis. They said they had photos and videos as evidence and if Mr. Peter wanted to avoid arrest he would have to pay them 140,000 baht. The two victims were scared and agreed to pay the money but bargained a reduction to 120,000 baht. They withdrew the money at Big-C, North Pattaya and made an appointment to make the pay-off at a parking lot in the Jomtien area. As the money was paid to Mr. Bancha, Mr. Tunwa secretly made a video of the transaction on his mobile phone. Armed with this evidence Mr. Tunwa and Mr. Peter reported the incident to Police Lieutenant Colonel Ekadit Srimoon at the Dongtan police station. The police managed to arrest Mr. Bancha at the traffic light intersection of Central Pattaya Road and Sukhumvit Road. Mr. Bancha confessed that he had worked with Mr. Sitthitham or Joe Walaisri [33], from Ubon Ratchatan, pretending to be police officers extorting money from foreigners who liked to have sex with young boys. He said he had gained his expertise from previously working with the police and had information on elderly foreign men who liked to pick up young boys from the Sunee Plaza area in South Pattaya. Police filed his case and would bring him and his accomplice to justice. __________ One hour later, at 2.00 pm on the same day, the same police team arrested a foreign man after a parent of a 13 year-old-boy had claimed that her son was tricked into having sex with him at the foreigner’s house. The suspect denied the accusation. Police used warrant no. 566/2522 from the Pattaya court to arrest Mr. Johan Sven Ove Tanglars [36], at his house in Soi Bongai, Moo. 10, Nongprue, Banglamung charged with having sex with a child under 15. Mr. Tanglars was frightened to face the reporters and refused to leave the house. To start with Mr. Tanglars denied the charges but after being questioned he told police that he was kidnapped by a group of Thai men who said they were police officers and demanded 300,000 baht for his release. Mr. Tanglars offered them only 90,000 baht which his captors accepted and let him free. On hearing his story, the police team showed Mr. Tanglars the photos of Mr. Bancha, who had previously been arrested in the case reported above. Mr. Tanglars said that the photo was of the same man who had kidnapped him. Police said they would now investigate Mr. Bancha more and Mr. Tanglars would be brought to justice and his embassy would be notified.

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ Bangkok School Fumigations; Phuket Nightlife Venues Close in Virus Response BANGKOK, June 13 - Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials on Saturday began cleaning and fumigating all 435 schools under the agency’s administration in the Thai capital, while entertainment venues in Thailand’s Andaman Sea resort province of Phuket have been asked to close for five days after an employee was found to have contracted the Influenza A(H1N1) virus, officials said. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the two-day school cleaning campaign, ending Sunday, is aimed at preventing the spread of the flu to students under City Hall’s supervision. The BMA campaign follows the H1N1 diagnosis Friday of a student of St. Gabriel’s College, a private school operated by the Roman Catholic Brothers of St. Gabriel in Bangkok’s Samsen district. A private tutoring school the school the student attended on the weekend will also be closed for a week to curb the spread of the disease. Urging cooperation from all concerned state agencies, especially at border checkpoints, to help prevent the spread of the virus, Mr. Sukhumbhand said he had invited about 2,000 operators of Bangkok’s Internet cafes, school administrators, and the managers of malls and cinemas for a meeting on Monday. He said they will be told of the danger of the disease and also be asked to help clean their business establishments properly in response to the virus, he said. Mr. Sukhumbhand said BMA officials will join with the First Army Region in cleaning 431 temples in Bangkok during July 4-6. The campaign will start before Buddhist Lent which begins on July 8. Meanwhile, entertainment establishments on Phuket Island were asked during a meeting Saturday to close their businesses for five days so that the owner would have enough time to clean and spray their places. The request was made after an employee of one entertainment centre was found to have contracted the virus, becoming the first case to have been reported in the popular resort. Blood tests on 26 employees of Phuket nightlife and other entertainment venues on the island believed to have come into close contact with Hong Kong tourists who returned home recently and were diagnosed with the virus, will be known later Saturday. (TNA)

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thai Swine-flu Cases Rise to 106 Published on June 14, 2009 17 Kindergarteners Test Positive; THAI Crew to be Grounded if Passengers Test Positive Seventeen pupils of a kindergarten in Pathum Thani province were yesterday confirmed to have the Type-A (H1N1) influenza, thus bringing Thailand's confirmed H1N1-virus patients to 106, a five-fold leap from Wednesday's 16. Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said that 17 of 50 kindergarten students whose virus samples were collected for testing on Friday had tested positive for H1N1. "Altogether 106 swine-flu cases were confirmed today," Wittaya said, adding that academics said Thailand had the flu outbreak in some areas but they remained within a limited circle. Nearly 100 more kindergarteners, many with fever, went for check-ups at Pathum Thani Hospital yesterday morning, while provincial governor Preecha Butsri had officials clean all schools in Muang district in a bid to stop the disease from spreading. Wittaya said the ministry and medical experts had agreed to bring treatment in line with the latest updates, especially in the matter of anti-viral medication, which would now be given only to those in need to prevent drug resistance. This will be notified to all doctors nationwide on Tuesday, he said. The ministry also suggested the general public take care not to fall ill and that businesses and schools send sick employees and students home rather than closing their premises. For details, go to http://www.moph.go.th . (That's the Ministry of Public Health web site. At the top right of the page you can click for English) Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Paijit Warachit said that besides the 17 new confirmed cases, lab confirmations were pending on a Mahidol Univ-ersity student and patients in Ratchaburi and Roi Et. Citing the latest WHO report that there have been 29,669 cases in 74 countries and 145 deaths, he said that Thailand had 106 cases and most of those affected had recovered. Dr Tawee Chotepita-yasunon, who chairs the ministry's influenza academic team, said the Thai situation was at level B, an outbreak in a limited circle with only 10-15 patients to a group, but that it was expected that the situation would be upgraded in one month to level C, extensive outbreaks as seen in the US, the UK and Japan. The public must be told the virus is not dangerous and only 10 per cent of people exposed to it fall ill and 0.01 per cent die, mostly those with previous medical problems, he said. Bangkok Governor MR Sukhum-bhand Paribatra yesterday said the city's 435 schools would be cleaned yesterday and today while teachers at kindergarten and primary levels were instructed to watch their pupils carefully as they were of the age most at risk. He said there was no need to close all schools. Urging city residents not to panic about this curable disease, he said a meeting of representatives of schools, tutorial academies, hospitals and shopping malls would be held tomorrow at 1pm at the JJ Mall to achieve a better understanding of the new flu and how to prevent an outbreak. Meanwhile, the crew of any Thai Airways International flight will be grounded for seven days for monitoring if a passenger tests positive, a senior THAI official said yesterday. Surapol Isarakura na Ayutthaya, head of crisis management at THAI, said this would ensure the crew did not pass on the virus. Flight crew of flights returning from risk countries will also be required to undergo check-ups at the Bamrasnaradu Infectious Disease Institute, he said.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ US removes Laos, Cambodia from trade blacklist By: AFP Washington - US President Barack Obama removed Laos and Cambodia from a trade blacklist, opening the way for US loans to companies doing business in the former US adversaries. The United States has been boosting ties with both Southeast Asian nations. But the decision on Laos was sharply criticised by campaigners for the country's Hmong minority, which says it faces persecution. In brief declarations issued late on Friday after all major news broadcasts had ended for the weekend, Obama said Cambodia and Laos had each "ceased to be a Marxist-Leninist country," a designation that prevented financial support by the US Export-Import Bank for businesses operating in the two nations. The move, which still must go through formalities, means that US businesses would be eligible for US government-backed loans and credit guarantees as they can receive when operating in most countries. "Given the commitment of Cambodia and Laos to open markets, the president has determined that this designation is no longer applicable," an Obama administration official said. * The Lao People's Democratic Republic has ceased to be a Marxist-Leninist country. * I hereby determine that the Kingdom of Cambodia has ceased to be a Marxist-Leninist country. - US President Barack Obama With the decision, the United States forbids US-backed loans for businesses to operate in only six countries - Cuba, Iran, Burma, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. US ties with Cambodia and Laos were long clouded by concerns about the fate of US service members missing since the Vietnam War. In Cambodia, the United States worried about corruption and accountability for Khmer Rouge war crimes. But the United States has been moving closer to both nations, where China is also stepping up influence. Washington established normal trade ties with Laos in 2004 and three years later lifted all restrictions on aid to Cambodia. Obama's decision to boost trade ties with Laos came under fire from supporters of the Hmong, a hill people who supported US forces during the Vietnam War and say they face retaliatory abuse decades later. A recent report by Paris-based Medicins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, said Hmong who fled since 2005 to Thailand have said they suffered killings, gang-rape and malnutrition at the hands of Laotian forces. Obama's declaration "is completely shocking and outrageous," said Philip Smith, executive director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis, which promotes Hmong rights. "This is a one-party regime which is closely allied with Burma and North Korea," he said. "This will embolden the Laos government to continue to slaughter and massacre civilians." Many Hmong are still in hiding in Laos. Another 250,000 Hmong have resettled in the United States. Last month, Medicins Sans Frontieres pulled out of the sole Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, complaining that the kingdom was forcing some 4,700 people in the camp back to Laos where they fear persecution. US lawmakers plan to send a letter next week to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking her to press Thailand to halt the repatriation of the Hmong to Laos. "The US has been a champion of the Hmong since the Vietnam War," said the letter, so far signed by 17 members of Congress. "We continue to have a vital national security interest in and moral obligation to assist our former allies, especially those with bona fide persecution claims," it said.

Happy Boy is supposedly closed for three months, which means it should be open in October if they reopen. There is still plenty of eye candy and plenty of available boys at the beach. Bars may come and go, but the beach goes on forever.

I don't know the answers to your specific questions, but considering the numbers of units available all over town compared to the numbers of customers, I would have thought it would be a buyer's market these days. I could be dead wrong, but as far as I know the only bank willing to give mortgages to farang is Bangkok Bank. I also don't know if they changed their rules, but when they first started granting mortgages to farang, it was necessary to go to their branch in Singapore to make the arrangements. I don't know if that is still the case. It is possible, of course, to find people in Thailand who are willing to hold the paper. That's fine if you have no objection to paying loan-shark rates . . . Also, as far as I know the rule that only 49% of condo units can be farang-owned still exists and farang cannot buy a house. In the past it was fairly easy to form a Thai corporation and buy houses and the other 51% of condo units in the corporate name. Thailand has become much more restrictive about that and supposedly can confiscate any properties that were bought that way, but I know of no cases in which that was actually done to anybody. If I remember correctly, it was simply decided not to grandfather that in, but they still can if they want to. Now it is not so easy to form the Thai corporation for the purpose of buying property and I wouldn't recommend trying it. The only viable option I know about, for those who wish to buy a house, is to do what I did and buy a house under the name of a Thai individual and then take out a long-term prepaid lease on the house, and have the lease registered in the Land Office. My lease is a 30-year lease. At the time I bought 30 years was the longest term legally available. I have heard, however, that longer term leases are now legal. If anyone wishes to buy a house that way, just make sure you do everything through a Thai attorney. The problem is you have to be absolutely certain the Thai individual is trustworthy. Unless you have the money to pay cash for the house, that means a mortgage. The lease cannot be done until the final payment on the property. The final payment and signing of the lease is normally done at the same time. However, since you would be buying in a Thai person's name, there is nothing to stop him from making the final payment himself and screwing you out of the property. There wouldn't be a damned thing you could do about it. There are some drawbacks to condos. A common problem is that the maintenance fees are collected, but the money ends up in the pockets of an unscrupulous management and little, if any, is actually spent on maintenance. I hear a lot of stories from condo owners that getting any real maintenance work done is next to impossible. There are also stories about people who buy a condo under construction, but then the construction undergoes major delays or the project is simply abandoned. Getting the deposit money and any other money you have put into it can be next to impossible. There is also the current story about "The Beaches" condo in which the farang vice president embezzled the deposit money. For those reasons I would not invest my money in a condo unless it is a unit already established. And I wouldn't even do that unless I was able to speak to some of the current residents to find out whether they are happy with the maintenance. There are, of course, perfectly reliable companies. Everyone I have ever spoken with who bought with View Talay has been happy with them. There are probably other reliable companies as well, but I am familiar only with View Talay.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ 10,000 Could Catch Swine Flu Published on June 13, 2009 Minister Warns of Big Leap as Cases are Reported from Several New Areas Thailand could expect more than 10,000 A(H1N1) infections nationwide as the swine flu had already spread across the country, Witthaya Kaewparadai, the public health minister, warned. Authorities reported that the number of infections in Thailand rose to 89, with 43 new confirmed cases added yesterday. Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot permanent secretary for public health, said the latest confirmed cases came for Bangkok, Songkla, Phuket and Pattaya. The Health Ministry also sent officials to collect virus samples from 50 kindergarten students in a school in Pathum Thani for checking after they got high fever. The lab test results were expected to released today. Education Minister, Jurin Laksanavisit said the executives of each school in Bangkok can make their own decision whether to suspend classes during this period. Mahidol University's Faculty of Public Health yesฌterday suspended their classes after learning that one of the students, who recently returned from the US, had been infected with the influenza A (H1N1) and was undergoing treatment at hospital. Meanwhile, the Thai Hotels Association (THA) has urged entertainment venues, pubs and restaurants in the tourist resort of Pattaya to close their outlets temporarily in order to help prevent the spread of A(H1N1) influenza. THA president Chatchawal Supachayanont said bars and restaurants are usually overcrowded so they better suspend business to avoid widespread infections. Earlier, two Taiwanese visitors and local staff were found to have been infected inside a Pattaya discoteque. The World Health Organisation on Thursday raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6, the highest level, but it recommends no restrictions on travel and no border closures. Phurit Maswongsa, Phuket Tourism Association's vice president for marketing, warned that the WHO should be careful that travellers and the general public could be frightened by the higher level of alert. To inform the public of proper measures to cope with the flu, the public health ministry will distribute manuals to all department store and other public venues initially in Bangkok areas. Individuals are also advised to keep themselves fit and if they develop mild symptom sof influenza virus, they should have immediate treatment. Health minsiter Witthaya said the governmenty has ordered two million doses of vaccines from drug manufacturers. The Disease Control Department also has a stock of antiviral Oseltamivir drug for 420,000 people, while Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is preparing to produce an additional 100,000 antiviral drugs for flu pandemic. Oseltamivir will be prescribed only to children age under 5 year old, people age over 65 year old and patient with chronic disease as they do not body immunity against flu virus.

Welcome home, GT! I think the following may be of a little help . . . . http://www.pattaya-dragon.com/nab/home.html

You make a couple good points, in my opinion. One is your ideas about the way the pedophiles ought to be punished, although something needs to be done to try to make sure they're not out there trying to have sex with more children. Your punishment would not succeed if the pedophile happens to be wealthy enough to handle paying child support without any problems. Also, by what method could anyone make sure the money is actually going to support the child? What would prevent an impoverished family from going through the money and still having the child out there as a prostitute? How could there even be a guarantee that the family would receive the money at all? You know how things work in third world countries. Some official would probably pocket it. You might be right about the social impact and that it may not have the adverse effects on children as we perceive, but that's only part of the issue. I think the other part of the issue, whether it is good or bad, right or wrong, or can prevent children from having their limbs chopped off, I still don't see how the pedophiles would have a right to be out there seeking out under-age children for sex under any circumstances. I just don't see how taking advantage of other people's misfortunes can be something positive. Some might argue that when we take Thai boys off for sex, we're exploiting them. That's a matter of opinion, but at least the boys can accept or reject our offers. Young children have no such choice.

Does anyone know whether you become immune once you have had the disease or whether it is the type of disease you can catch again and again?

WHO Declares Swine Flu Pandemic (CNN) -- The World Health Organization raised the swine flu alert Thursday to its highest level, saying H1N1 has spread to enough countries to be considered a global pandemic. Increasing the alert to Level 6 does not mean that the disease is deadlier or more dangerous than before, just that it has spread to more countries, the WHO said. As of Wednesday evening, the virus had spread to 72 countries, the health agency said. There were 25,288 confirmed cases and 139 deaths. The United States had 13,217 cases and 27 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Also Thursday, authorities in Hong Kong ordered the closure of all elementary schools, kindergartens and day care centers in the city after 12 students were found to be infected with the virus. Authorities have not determined the source of the infection, said Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang. This makes it the first cluster of swine flu cases in the city without a link to someone who had traveled overseas. Thursday's declaration of a pandemic by the WHO made this the first flu pandemic in 41 years. In Hong Kong, the schools and day care centers were told to close for 14 days as investigators tried to identify the source of the infection, said Tsang, the chief executive. The health department will decide after two weeks whether or not to continue the shutdown. A month ago, Hong Kong quarantined about 300 hotel guests for a week after the first case of the virus was confirmed there. Hong Kong's abundance of caution stems from the government's unwillingness to see a repeat of the SARS epidemic in 2004, which killed nearly 300 people. Also on Thursday, Israel's health ministry announced that the number of people diagnosed with swine flu there was 68. Health officials have begun using the virus' clinical name -- H1N1 -- to reflect that it's actually a combination of several different types of flu and to reduce confusion about whether eating pork can spread the virus. It cannot. The number of cases continues to grow in Britain, Japan and Australia -- all of them outside the Americas, where the virus was first detected in April.

This is certainly not anything new. I've seen it for myself. A couple years ago, as some of you may recall, my notebook computer was stolen. I went to the police station late at night and they had just rounded up about 30 lady-boy prostitutes. The lady-boys behaved as if it was all nothing but a big joke, and that's pretty much what it was. They were having a wonderful time! They were all fined the same 200 baht and released. By the time I was done, every one of them were right back on Beach Road, plying their trade.

I agree with every word of Shockdevil's post. The story also reiterates what I have been saying, that most of these arrests stem from someone luring local children. Again, I have never seen a story about someone arrested when taking an under-age boy off from a bar. Part of the problem with the pedophiles seems to be that no matter how many are arrested, there are always more. The really frightening part is thinking about how many are out there who have not yet been caught and how many are buying their airline tickets to Thailand at this very moment.

Let's see if the following article comes as a major shock to anyone. If nothing else, it may give you your little laugh. The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Pattaya Beach Cleared of over 100 Suspected Prostitutes In the early hours of Thursday Morning a one-off clean-up operation on Pattaya Beach took place whereby officers were given orders to round-up as many suspected prostitutes as possible. During the 2 hour operation a total of 105 people were arrested including 103 women and 2 transsexuals. They were all packed into a processing room at Pattaya Police Station and paid fines of between 100 and 200 Baht and were then sent on their way with a stern warning not to be seen on Pattaya Beach again. Minutes after their release most of them were seen to return to Pattaya Beach and some were also seen making attempts to recoup their financial loss from earlier in the night.

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ 24 Confirmed Cases of Swine Flu Here in Pattaya We can now confirm that Swine Flu has arrived here in Pattaya. This devastating news was confirmed in a press conference held at Pattaya City Hall on Thursday by Khun Wittaya, Thailand’s Public Health Minister. He confirmed that a total of 24 cases of Swine Flu have been detected and all those infected are now under strict quarantine to ensure that the disease can be controlled. 17 infected people are staff members of the Star Dice Discotheque in Naklua. The venue was checked following the news that Taiwanese Tourists who returned home after a trip to Pattaya had gone to the discotheque during their stay here in Pattaya. A further 7 infected people were either close friends or family members of the 17 staff members. Over the next few days other large venues including discotheques and pubs will be checked to ensure that the disease does not spread throughout the City. If you do notice symptoms of the flu on yourself or others, you or they must go to Banglamung Hospital which is the local dedicated disease control center. The Public Health Minister also urged all Pattaya residents and Tourists to wear surgical masks for the foreseeable future and we can also confirm that the Star Dice Discotheque in Naklua will be closed until further notice and any other venues affected by the virus will also be given closure orders.

Are they "available"? What kind of food does Moxie serve? Thai? Western? Both?

Come on, Astrrro. You're making it like trying to pull teeth. Where is "The Peak"? Where are these places? How do people who want to look for them find them?