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MCOT also published the following: _____ UDD Red Shirts Block Entrance to Pattaya Cabinet Venue PATTAYA, April 7 (TNA) - Red-shirted anti-government demonstrators blocked access to a top hotel in this seaside beach resort where Thailand's weekly Cabinet meeting is being held on Tuesday, launching verbal attacks against the nearly four-month old government. Hundreds of shields-equipped police have been deployed around the Royal Cliff Beach Hotel to ensure security. Carrying the ongoing political protest into the heart of the kingdom's tourist industry, the protesters reasserted the seriousness of their challenge to the government. Chonburi governor Suraphol Pongpitakgul urged the protesters to remain peaceful and not break into the hotel premises. Protesters assaulted the government with truck-mounted loudspeakers, demanding that the prime minister and foreign minister resign. Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, whom the pro-Thaksin protesters accuse of being behind the 2006 coup ousting prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was also a prime target. The hotel is also the venue of this weekend’s three-day summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners from other regions including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand starting on Friday. Thailand currently holds the chairmanship of ASEAN under a rotating system. ASEAN's 10 members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (TNA) _________________________________________ Actually, the goings on in Pattaya are much more far-reaching than the news articles would make you think. I've never seen anything like it before in Pattaya. Entire areas of the city are blocked off, barricaded, set to forced one-way, etc. Remember the phrase "you can't get there from here"? Well, you really can't. All I can say is I'm sure glad I live on "The Dark Side." Out here, you wouldn't know anything is going on at all. Everything is functioning normally out here and there are no more traffic delays than usual. But once you get into the city, look out!

I wish they would hold their meetings at the Ambassador Hotel, which is on Sukhumvit a few miles south of town and is set up for just such meetings, where protests or anything else would have little or no effect on the people of Pattaya. I find it very annoying when a relatively small group of politicians don't have any problem at all about snarling traffic and inconveniencing the people of an entire city.

Plot to assassinate Obama foiled in Turkey By Ed Henry CNN Senior White House Correspondent ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) -- U.S. officials have taken "very seriously" a plot to assassinate President Barack Obama involving a Syrian man who was arrested late last week in Turkey, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. But the officials strongly cautioned that American presidents are frequent targets of threats that are all watched very carefully, and in this case the alleged plotter did not appear to get anywhere close to Obama during his European tour. The officials also noted that while Obama gets more threats than usual as the first African-American U.S. president, this particular threat did not force any change to his schedule. "Life goes on," said one of the officials familiar with the matter, who suggested the threat may be getting more attention because there has been a heavy international focus on Obama's first overseas trip since taking office. White House officials declined to comment on the matter, citing a policy of not talking about security and threats around the president. U.S. Secret Service officials spoke only briefly about the case. "We work closely with the host country whenever there is an arrest, which we are doing in this matter," Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. The plot was first reported by the Saudi Arabian newspaper al-Watan, which revealed that Turkish security services arrested a man of Syrian origins Friday in connection with a plan to kill Obama during his visit to Turkey. Obama was in Strasbourg, France, on Friday for a NATO summit and did not arrive in Turkey for the final leg of his trip until Sunday. The Saudi paper reported the suspect, who was carrying an Al-Jazeera TV press credential in the name of "M.G.," confessed to authorities after his arrest that he and three alleged accomplices plotted to stab Obama with a knife during the Alliance of Civilizations Summit in Istanbul, which Obama attended on Monday evening. The U.S. officials confirmed those allegations, but stressed to CNN that the information provided by the man is still being verified. Al-Jazeera's bureau chief in Ankara, Turkey, Yucef al-Sharif, told the newspaper his news organization knew nothing about the man and suggested he may have obtained a forged press credential. According to U.S. officials, it's unclear whether the man, a permanent resident of Istanbul, had obtained a real press credential. On Sunday, U.S. and international journalists covering Obama's trip did face more extensive searches of their baggage than usual by the U.S. Secret Service before boarding a press charter flight from the Prague, Czech Republic, region to Ankara. The same extensive searches were conducted Monday before a flight from Ankara to Istanbul. But U.S. officials downplayed the possibility the more extensive searches were done out of concern that plotters may have infiltrated the media. Instead, the officials suggested that since Turkish security officials had not necessarily handled such a large crush of media before, U.S. Secret Service officials simply wanted to go the extra mile in their searches.

For those of you who wish to post a poll, but don't know how, you have two options. One is to send your poll to me and I'll be happy to post it for you. The other is to click on "Poll Options Click here to manage this topic's poll," which you'll find just under the "Topic Title" when writing a post. You can also put a poll in place or edit your poll when editing your post.

Wednesday, April 8 is "D-Day" for the Red Shirt Thaksin supporters. Prime Minister Abhisit says there will be no bloodshed or use of force, but the government also will not tolerate rioting. Meanwhile up to 500,000 protesters are expected in Bangkok. Thaksin has said there will be no civil war. We'll see. The Bangkok Post says, "On the eve of mass rallies by red-shirt protesters, the prime minister promises in a special TV speech to the nation that there will be no civil war on his watch: 'State officials will not use force against the people, but at the same time they will make sure the situation does not get out of hand.'" The following appears in THE NATION: _____ A Lot at Stake on D-Day Published on April 7, 2009 Tomorrow is D-Day for the red-shirted protesters' version of the "people's revolution", with their leaders expecting at least 300,000 to 500,000 protesters. The government as well as the police and the military will not block the protesters. Instead, they will use existing laws to handle the matter. The government and concerned agencies have made it clear they will not use violence to crack down on the protesters or disperse them as they realise that acting first might put them at a disadvantage. The government understands that if it blocked the protesters, it might be accused of having double standards, and there will be comparisons with the yellow-shirted protesters. The police do not want to be much involved and are merely doing their duty of maintaining law and order. They are afraid of a repeat of the violence of last October 7. On that day, police fired tear gas at People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters when they besieged Parliament to block the Somchai Wongsawat government from delivering its policy address. The incident led to two deaths and hundreds of injuries. And police were blamed for the violence. The military are also too worried about taking any action now as it might be viewed as interference in politics, lending credence to recent accusations against them by fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. So, they may choose to remain still until the situation goes out of control. More importantly, soldiers are now severely divided into groups. They are allied with different groups in the political conflict. Despite claiming it is confident of handling the D-Day protests, the government has its share of worries, especially that of a strong red-shirt movement. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of keeping order and security, seemed to be mobilising support from citizens loyal to the monarchy by urging them to stand up against and help protect the institution. "Those who think of overthrowing the constitutional monarchy are dreaming. I'm confident that Thais will not let anyone overthrow the revered monarchy or touch the King. I can speak for the rural people because I used to serve as a village head and have been an MP for 30 years, so I'm not concerned. I believe that when the majority takes a clear stance on this matter, a smaller group of a few tens of thousands will fade out," Suthep said. Suthep's remark came after Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda said that Thaksin's motive in attacking people who serve His Majesty the King was likely to sabotage the revered institution. When Prem was asked by reporters whether he believed Thaksin wanted to sabotage the monarchy by attacking people who serve the King, the Privy Council chief said "probably". The battle is likely to be prolonged and unlikely to end easily. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva showed his optimism by pleading with Thais to be patient and wait for the full truth to be revealed, then the situation would eventually ease. Earlier, the PAD, which staged its protests for about three years and successfully brought down Thaksin's regime, vowed to reunite its yellow-shirted supporters and renew its massive rallies if the red-shirted protesters caused any violence. If the threat is realised, the capital risks becoming a battleground for the reds and the yellows.

Good or bad, that's the way the law works in Thailand and the Thai people are aware of the law. So am I. In my position I am compelled to abide by the laws whether I like it or not. It is extremely difficult to understand just where the line is drawn. For that reason I cannot allow any discussion of this issue on this web site. No offense, but I'm not willing to risk, even remotely, being imprisoned and/or deported for allowing people to post their opinions about the lese majeste laws in Thailand. For that reason I am locking this thread and will delete any posts discussing the royal family or the lese majeste laws. I'm very sorry, but those who wish to discuss those issues will have to do so on another web site, and this thread is now locked.

I agree with that. Frequent changes of the photos and keeping the staff photos current would be a good idea. I think people will visit the web site much more often if there are new photos and announcements on a frequent basis. As it stands now, it's still the same photos and same announcements that have already been there for months. In other words, it's getting to be old news.

That's really a shame. A brand new hotel ought to be far better than that. It just goes to show that people ought to have a look at hotel rooms before deciding to stay. Of course, in your case there wasn't much choice after a long flight. Based on your report, I guess the best that can be said is the fact that you can get an early morning breakfast there. I hope that, at least, is worthwhile.

No, that's not something to do to people you dislike. That's the name of a computer technician I can't recommend highly enough. I've written about Killin before and I'm prompted to write about him again. If you are having computer troubles, Killin is a miracle worker. I've had any number of people thank me for referring them to Killin and if you experience any computer troubles, even with a laptop when in Pattaya on a holiday, Killin is the person I recommend contacting. Killin will come to you and repair your computer on the spot. If he has to take your computer with him, he'll almost always have it back to you the next day. His English is excellent and his prices are more than reasonable. I mentioned on another thread that I was in Bangkok for a few days. Just prior to leaving I contacted Killin to have him repair some problems while I was away. He shows up when he says he will and returns your computer when he says he will. I was having all kinds of little problems. My computer would freeze up for no discernible reason. My mouse would also freeze up. Some of the USB ports weren't working. My DVD writer wouldn't write DVDs. My web cam stopped working. Trying to restart my computer would take 10 or more tries before everything would load. Sometimes, on a restart, I couldn't get a picture on the monitor at all. Killin took my computer when I left and gave it back when I called him to let him know I had returned. He doesn't simply hand it over. He plugs everything back in and fully tests out everything in your presence to make sure he's leaving you with a trouble free computer. The computer works perfectly now. One item that had to be replaced was the DVD writer drive. Apparently it had simply worn itself out. The new one works beautifully. Total cost: 2100 baht. That's US $60, including the new DVD drive and the service. Let's see you beat that! Killin's phone number is 081 295 3860.

Ok, I've set it up as a poll for those who wish to participate. I also eliminated your thread so that everything could be kept under one topic. I hope you don't mind. Those of you who voted on the other thread, please re-vote here. Sorry for the inconvenience. By the way, I chose Italian.

I'm afraid not. Everything I know about it is in my post above. I suppose I should have checked those things, but I didn't.

I just returned from a few days in Bangkok. Sorry, I don't go to the Bangkok bars, but I do have some information to share: The USA embassy has entirely changed its entrance facade since I was last there. It's much more high tech now and much quicker to enter, leave your belongings, and retrieve them when you leave. Three of us went to the embassy and each of us had appointments we had made online. ( see: https://evisaforms.state.gov/acs/default.as...K&appcode=1 ). Due to traffic we were more than half an hour late for our appointments and the American Citizens Services room was crowded. Nevertheless, they still accepted our appointments, mentioned that they understood about traffic problems, and we were taken immediately. I always stay at the Malaysia Hotel when I can. The room rate is now 800 baht per night and, of course, plenty of boys still hang around outside, usually in the smoking gazebo or in the immediate vicinity. 500 to 800 baht is the going rate for "short time." Some of you may recall a lot of noise from construction that was taking place directly across the street from the Malaysia Hotel. That construction is now complete and resulted in a brand new hotel, the Ibis. I went in to have a look. For the time being they have a promotion going and all rooms are 1300 baht per night. Their restaurant is 24 hours and they start serving breakfast at 4:00am and you can get breakfast until noon. Non-smokers may want to give the Ibis a try. Absolutely no smoking is permitted in the hotel at all and no smoking is allowed in any of the rooms. I have no idea whether the hotel is gay-friendly, but being in that area I would guess that it is. See: http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6537-h...kok/index.shtml I also discovered a wonderful new restaurant that has been open only 4 months. It's a French restaurant called Vickie L'amour, owned by Monsieur Jackie, a very affable gay gentleman who also has the restaurant walls decorated with works of art that are for sale. It's a small restaurant, two tables outside and six tables inside. The menu is wonderful and very reasonably priced. It is not an extensive menu at all, but I enjoyed it so much I ate there twice. Try the ham and cheese stuffed pancakes as a starter. Don't miss it! Also, I have been looking all over the place for Eggplant Parmesan, and that was one of his menu selections. I was absolutely delighted. The portions are substantial and served piping hot. The restaurant is located between the Malaysia Hotel and the Pinnacle Hotel, a bit closer to the Malaysia, on the Pinnacle Hotel side of the street. The hours are 11:00am to 11:00pm, closed on Tuesdays. I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. If you are staying at the Malaysia, the Pinnacle, the Babylon, or anywhere else in the area, it's a must. I would even go as far as recommending going to eat there if you are staying in another part of town.

My thanks too. I'm going to try that recipe. It seems easy enough and also will give me a good excuse to use the food processor I bought, but hardly ever use.

Maybe that's it, then. Maybe at just the right time, someone had a little 'accident.'

I'm not following the logic of that question. Considering the fact that Sansuk is the first and only gay sauna in Pattaya, how could there be other successful saunas? Do you mean successful saunas other than in Pattaya and Bangkok? If that's what you mean, then you can find listings on both the Dreaded Ned and Utopia web sites. The listed saunas have been there for years and as far as I know are doing just fine.

Sounds good to me. Does it have to be one's own or would the offerings of willing donors work? Just take a whiz into an empty container, seal it up, and go to the beach. Then you'll be ready for anything. I wonder how a few beers prior to the stings would affect how well the pee works. They say red wine has health benefits. Maybe a glass or two prior to entering the infested waters would enhance the effectiveness of the pee. If pee works, I wonder if a good ol' turd would work even better. If it does, then guess what I'm going to bring to the beach. When they say "take a shit," I guess I really will . . .

Not 'probably.' Change that to 'definitely.' I can't imagine that the Thai concept of an American style sausage could possibly have come from a Thai who has ever been to the USA or has ever tasted an American sausage. I also can't imagine that an American was ever consulted. If the Thai concept of American sausage actually came from an American, then they picked the wrong American. Finding a real American sausage in any restaurant in Thailand is probably close to impossible. The one time I ever had a real American sausage in Thailand was at the buffet breakfast at the Marriott in Pattaya. When I went there a second time, they weren't serving the American sausages that time, so even there it's hit or miss. The only place I have ever seen real American sausage for sale is Villa Market. Unfortunately, probably due to import costs, it's very expensive. I never buy it because of the price. I'd love to be able to get American sausage in Thailand, but not at that price. And nobody in Thailand seems to have ever heard of corned beef hash, which I used to love at breakfast. Even Villa Market doesn't carry it. That's one food item I truly miss The American style bacon that the Brits out there refer to as 'streaky bacon' is good in Thailand, just as good as in the USA. But I, like lvdkeyes, want it cooked crisp. That can often be hard to find. I have yet to ever find a really good American breakfast in Thailand. If I ever find one at which the eggs are cooked properly, the bacon is crisp, and if sausage is served, they have the right kind, then that's where I'll have breakfast if it's at a reasonable price. In my case, if I have breakfast at all (I usually don't), most of the time I'll make it myself at home.

If there are enough gays in Krabi to support your idea, then I think you have really latched onto something. I can't imagine anyone better than Punya to advise you. Knowing him, he will help you in any way he can. I hope you decide to do it and I hope you succeed. You'll certainly be welcome to advertise on this board and I believe you will have plenty of support here. Let us know if and when you will open for business. I've never been to Krabi and coming there to support your efforts and try your sauna would certainly be incentive enough for me!

I have no idea about how popular Krabi is as a gay scene, but I would suggest making sure to talk to Punya. He's the owner of the Sansuk Sauna in Pattaya. I'll bet he would be willing to offer a great deal of excellent advice and he does speak English. I hope you go for it. I think it's an excellent idea if the clientele is there. Many people thought the Sansuk Sauna in Pattaya would never have a chance of making it, but Punya has made a great, profitable success of it.

Wow, what an incredible price. I don't think I can make breakfast at home for that price. I'd like to try it. Do you happen to know what time they open in the morning? Several years ago I used to love the Lek Hotel's buffet breakfast. It used to be my top breakfast venue recommendation. But no more. The last few times I had breakfast there the quality had gone downhill so much that neither my friends or I eat there anymore. The breakfast served at the Two Guys Guesthouse was good too. Now that it has changed hands, can anybody let us know about the present breakfast quality?

Ok, I think I'd like to carry this to the next step. What is everyone's opinion as to where to find the best under-250 baht breakfast in all of Pattaya? And please, not just the name of the restaurant, but how about a good description too.

It's official. The ban has been scrapped. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: ____ Plan to Ban Alcohol Sales for Songkran Gets Canned Plans to ban the sale of alcohol during next month's Songkran festival have been scrapped. Authorities fear a ban will harm the already damaged tourism industry. The National Committee for Alcohol Consumption Control yesterday said there would be no alcohol ban during the traditional new year from April 13 to 15. Instead it had opted to launch an intensive campaign against drink-driving. The committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, decided a ban on alcohol sales during Songkran would further harm the tourism industry. The resolution was reached after a two-hour meeting with relevant agencies. Attending the meeting were Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa, Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, Social Development and Human Security Minister Issara Somchai, Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat, Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbode and Deputy Education Minister Narisara Chawaltanpipat. Maj Gen Sanan said the meeting agreed to issue a Prime Minister's Office regulation officially prohibiting the sale of alcohol on important Buddhist holidays. He said this was a gift to the Thai people. The religious days include Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalaha Bucha and Khao Pansa, or Buddhist Lent. He said agencies would launch an anti-alcohol campaign over Songkran covering drinking while driving and drinking when celebrating Songkran on the back of pick-up trucks. He said the sale of alcohol over the Songkran holiday would be in line with existing regulations, which limits sales to between 11am and 2pm and between 5pm and midnight. "The meeting decided the ban would have more of an impact on tourism, particularly on Songkran day, which draws over 80,000 foreign tourists," Maj Gen Sanan said. "An alcohol ban, if imposed, would drive away foreign tourists." The deputy premier was also concerned about increased sales of illegal liquor if a ban was imposed. He rejected the results of surveys which indicated people believed a decision not to impose a ban showed the government was under the thumb of breweries and distillers. His committee was more concerned about the impact on tourism and problems regarding the sale of illegal liquor. The panel's resolution will spark protests from people in some areas. Deputy Public Health Minister Manit said his ministry - which proposed the alcohol ban - would not be discouraged by the committee's resolution. Its efforts to campaign against alcohol would not go to waste, he said. The ministry would push for the issue of a PM's Office regulation to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in public areas during the festival. Kamron Choodecha, coordinator of the Alcohol Watch Network, lashed out at the Sanan panel for rejecting a ban. He said the panel was being insensitive as it could easily impose measures to reduce deaths and injuries.

May you be granted a thousand perfect boys if you turn out to be right . . .

It may not help the sting, but at least you'll smell like salad . . .

There are several news articles coming out at this very moment talking about simultaneous protests taking place at several city halls in Thailand, including Si Sa Ket, Kamphaeng Phet, Lampang, Nan, and Kalasin. All, of course, major Thaksin territory. So far there has been nothing about an airport takeover attempt.