Gaybutton

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Police Step Up the Pressure on Foreign Paedophiles A Male Briton Runs a Website Offering Child Sex in Thailand By: Wassayos Ngamkham A foreign mastermind and at least 20 more foreign paedophiles are being sought under Operation Naga, a joint investigation between the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and the Royal Thai Police. Four foreigners and one Thai were arrested on charges of sexually exploiting minors in Pattaya on Dec 11, but the operation is not over yet. On the Thai side, police from the Children, Juveniles and Women Division (CWD) are running the operation. Panya Cha-emtes, an inspector at the CWD, is gathering evidence to arrest other suspected paedophiles who are customers of a male Briton running a website offering child sex in Thailand. ''It's an organisation deeply involved in the sex trade with a British man as the mastermind,'' Pol Lt-Col Panya said. ''He contacts customers through a website and has a Thai transvestite procure children for customers, most of whom are Europeans who have businesses in Thailand or retirees who have settled here.'' According to the inspector, the British man is a big procurer in Pattaya. However, on the morning of Dec 11 when police arrested four foreign paedophiles there, they did not find any evidence linking them to the mastermind. Operation Naga unfolded on Nov 17 when CEOP representatives took a huge stack of files to CWD chief Pol Maj-Gen Chaiwat Ketworachai. The CWD formed a team of 18 detectives to go after members of the ring, with their inquiries centred in Pattaya. CWD deputy chief Suwitpol Imjairat, who is heading the mission, said the first phase of the operation took place between Nov 17 and 21 when detectives split into three groups to gather information from the abused children and seek out the procurers and suspected paedophiles in Pattaya. Detectives collected enough information to be able to begin the mission's second phase from Nov 24 to 28, when abused children were asked to identify the suspected paedophiles. ''This stage had to be carried out carefully because most of the victimised children are normally reluctant to speak out. We worked with difficulty because the parents of some children did not know their children had provided sex services in return for money.'' Pol Col Suwitpol said abused children tend to be uneducated, aged seven to 16. Police spent five days interviewing eight abused children, a week before the raid. The children's accounts and other evidence were submitted to the Pattaya court, where police sought arrest warrants for four suspected foreign paedophiles. The alleged Thai transvestite procurer, Eknarin Chaicharoenchokdee, 30, also known as Saeng Kaetdee, was sought on an arrest warrant before that. On Dec 11, five groups of police conducted raids at various locations around Pattaya. They arrested Malcolm Payne, 59, and Robert Horsman, 45, both from Britain, as well as 62-year-old American Robert Lond and 66-year-old German Fritz Blattner. The four were charged with sexually abusing minors, separating the minors from their parents and torturing children physically and mentally. The other group of police reached the residence of the main British procurer suspect, but they did not find any incriminating evidence. At transvestite Eknarin's house, police seized six dildos, photographs of the four foreign suspects allegedly having sex with children, pornographic VCDs and books, a computer hard disk and documents. ''Most of the foreigners who bought children from the service have been staying in Thailand for a long time and were frequent customers. They love Thais but they did wrong and broke the law, so we must take action,'' Pol Col Suwitpol said. ''Police are monitoring at least 20 more people and seeking warrants for their arrests,'' he said. Police are hunting not only the British ringleader but also three more Thai suspects who allegedly procured children for him. ''These gangs exist not only in Pattaya. We believe they are in other major tourist destinations in Thailand as well, including Chiang Mai and Phuket. Countries in the region are exchanging information and we might conduct raids on other tourist spots soon,'' Pol Lt-Col Panya said.

I wonder why they do that. Just another item on my "I Don't Get It" list.

It must be the size of an olympic pool!

The rate I'm seeing shows the baht closed at 34.77 today. But let's hope it works out as you say. Only a couple days ago it looked like it was going to go back into the 33's. If it reaches 35 on the sites I check, I'll start posting the daily rates again. Monday's opening should be an interesting one.

That's the whole point. Thailand has its own definition and, quite frankly, it can be confusing to try figuring out just what that definition actually is. However, anybody who ends up arrested for sex with an under-age boy can show the arresting police officers a dictionary. They may even read it . . . the whole trip downtown.

If anyone knows cooking, it's certainly you. But there are times when I would like to use a roasting bag for other things. So, I'm still curious if anyone has spotted them anywhere.

Not only that, but this time there probably will be an attempt to control. During the PAD protests nobody did much of anything to control any of it. If the Thai government wanted the police and/or military to intervene, they weren't listening. However, I agree with you that this round of protests could escalate into at least police intervention. I don't think Thailand wants to see airports or anything else that could cause serious disruption happen again. I think Thailand is really beginning to feel the pinch. The first indicator, in my opinion, is the exchange rate. Only a couple days ago the US dollar to baht exchange rate was 34.3. This morning it opened at 34.53. At the moment I'm writing this, less than an hour after the opening rate, it's 34.71. The next indicator, in my opinion, is the gay personals web sites. I like GayRomeo. For quite a while the ads I saw were the same ads that had been there for a long time. Now I'm suddenly starting to see a lot of new faces appearing on the personals sites. That tells me something. The tourist industry is also beginning to really suffer. I'm hearing about more and more lay-offs and people either ending up out of a job or having their number of work days and hours cut back. However, I'm still not seeing very many boys working the beaches. That surprises me. Maybe they can't even afford the bus fare and concession fees.

They don't. I'm registered and all I ever get is an occasional Email from them with an ad specifying what kinds of promotions and specials they have available. Even then, I only get those Emails because I checked a box requesting those Emails. Other than that, if I'm getting any kind of Email from other advertisers, fine with me. I never see any of them. I don't know about other Email services, but on Gmail those kinds of ads never make it to my Inbox. They all end up in the Spam folder and I enjoy deleting the contents of that folder without reading any of the Emails there. I also never receive phone calls or text messages from anyone advertising air travel, or any other kind of travel for that matter. So I'm pretty well convinced that they don't sell any of your personal information to anybody.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was "We have two different licenses available: A ten-year license priced at 5,500 Baht and a twenty-year license available for 6,500 Baht. This license is valid in over two hundred countries around the world, listed below on this page." Until now I never knew an International Driving Permit is available for greater than one year. In the USA, the only place I know of to obtain an International Driving Permit is AAA. As far as I know, they only issue the permit with a validity of one year. If they have ten and twenty year permits available, they never told me. Of course, the one year permit is much less expensive than what is being advertised on that web site.

Does it really matter how dictionaries define it? I don't think so. I think what really matters is the practicality. We can debate the fine points as to what constitutes a pedophile from now until Kingdom Come, but the fact is that under Thai law you're a pedophile and you're going to jail if you are caught engaging in sex with anyone under age 18. Some people might say, "Yes, but that only applies if money is involved. Under Thai law the age of consent is 16 provided no money is involved." While that may be true, I wonder if any farang actually believes that if he is caught engaging in sex with a 16 year old the police and the Thai courts are going to accept a claim that no money was involved. I wonder if anybody really wants to find out. The point is that whether it is technically correct to refer to someone as a pedophile if he engages in sex with someone who has already reached puberty, that's not going to change what will happen if caught engaging in sex with someone under 18 years old despite whatever dictionary might be available.

My favorite comedian, George Carlin, made dozens of comments about the ludicrousness of organized religion. My favorite one is the following: _____ Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man who lives in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time! But He loves you.

Photoshop is a wonderful thing . . .

Now that you mention it, I haven't seen roasting bags in Thailand at all. I haven't been looking for them, but I think I would have noticed. Has anyone spotted them anywhere?

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: ____ UDD Will Rally Until Abhisit Calls an Election Red-Shirts to Start Gathering on Sunday By: Post Reporters and TNA Published: 26/12/2008 at 12:00 AM Anti-government forces yesterday promised to begin a mass rally that would continue until Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva calls a general election. Leaders of the red-clad pro-Thaksin Shinawatra group, the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said they would start their demonstration on Sunday, the day before the government is due to deliver its policy statement to parliament. It would continue until the prime minister dissolved the House. They said they did not believe Mr Abhisit and his cabinet would run the country honestly. The UDD leaders and hosts of Truth Today, a political talk show recently removed from state-run television station NBT, said their protest would be peaceful. Key UDD leader and veteran politician Veera Musikhapong, one of the Truth Today hosts, said the protest would start at Sanam Luang on Sunday about 3pm. Supporters would show their disapproval of Mr Abhisit. "Mr Abhisit is not qualified for the job as he avoided military conscription. His behaviour violates the constitution and the UDD cannot trust him to lead the country," Mr Veera said. Puea Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan, another Truth Today host, said attempts to prevent UDD members in the provinces from joining the protest rally in Bangkok would not be successful. Natthawut Saikua, a former government spokesman and leading UDD member, said a new strategy had been planned and a House dissolution was the only target. Mr Natthawut said some UDD members would rally at parliament on Monday, but would not resort to the tactics used by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which seized Government House and both of Bangkok's airports. Mr Abhisit said yesterday it was far too soon to think about setting a date for a general election. The government's priorities were to turn the economy around and bring about peace and reconciliation. Only when the job was done would he consider whether to dissolve the House. "I do not think it is necessary to fix the timeframe," said Mr Abhisit. When the time was right power would be returned to the people, he said. People needed to be realistic. There were several factors to consider and several pressing matters, including political reform. He dismissed concerns that conflict within the party over the distribution of cabinet seats could be his government's undoing. The government's stability would depend mainly on its ability to solve the country's problems, Mr Abhisit said. If the government could not regain the confidence of the public and foreigners, its stability could be at risk. The prime minister said he had impressed upon his cabinet ministers that they were working against time to achieve those aims and he required a total commitment from them. He stressed that the government would press ahead with political reform and would bring in people acceptable to all sides to work together on the political reform. Responding to a warning by social critic Prawase Wasi to beware of adopting the populist policies of the Thaksin government, Mr Abhisit said other countries had also taken necessary measures to jump-start their economy. Failure to maintain the purchasing power of the people could lead to a severe economic slump, he said. Dr Prawase warned that embracing Thaksin-style populist policies aimed at helping rural people could be "addictive" without proper management. Mr Abhisit said urgent measures were needed to ensure people have ready money in their pockets. But disbursements must be controlled with a clear aim to generate returns. He said his frequent interviews with the foreign press were necessary to clarify the country's situation to the world and win back foreign investor confidence. Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart was confident the Abhisit administration would remain in power far longer than most people expected. After the government's policy statement is delivered in parliament, dissident members within coalition parties, particularly the Democrats, could be tamed, he said. He was confident the military would not meddle in politics.

I think, but am not certain, that with a valid Thai driver's license the better travel agencies can issue them. If not, they can probably point you in the right direction. If you are able to find out, please let the rest of us know.

I've always had a warm spot in my heart for a major religion that preaches all about how God and Jesus loves you, but in history didn't have much of a problem about gruesomely torturing people and burning them alive if they said or did anything the church didn't like. I also enjoy the idea that someone elected by humans gets to declare himself infallible. I was under the impression that overpopulation is the current major threat to the future of the human race. If that's the case, then he ought to be grateful for the existence of gays and lesbians. Not too many gays and lesbians are adding to the overpopulation problem. I believe one flaw in the evolution of humans is the tendency to hate and condemn minority groups. How would you like to have been a European Jew during the Nazi regime? What makes me sick is that here we are about to enter 2009 and this kind of hatred toward minority groups is just as rampant as ever. I believe if some anti-gay fanatic ever gets into a position of leadership, then another form of holocaust can easily happen again. If there really is a God, then I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to live in a country like Thailand, where being gay is acceptable.

Come over to my house. He stopped by for a quick drink . . .

That's a new one to me. I've taken many people to get both licenses and they were denied the motorcycle license without an International Driving Permit that had motorcycle marked on it. Maybe the trick is to do just what your friend did; just fill out the applications and go for it. Obviously, until we know for sure that it can be done that way as a matter of policy, it's still best to have an International Driving Permit that specifies both. Actually, as long as you fulfill all the other requirements, you can get a Thai driving license, one for car and one for motorcycle, without an International Driving Permit at all, but you will be required to sit through the movie, take the written test, and take the "road" test, which is really only driving around a small obstacle course. It's an all-day affair, but at the end of the day you will have both licenses.

I agree. I believe Sunee Plaza earned its reputation years ago, when bars were operating with under-age boys, very under-age boys, with virtual impunity. There were also a lot more under-age freelancers in those days. There is not nearly as much of it going on today, but it does still go on. I think as long as bars continue to employ under-age boys and as long as pedophile arrests continue to occur in Sunee Plaza and vicinity, the reputation has little chance of changing.

I don't know where he found one in Ubon, but I'm pretty sure I've seen them in Pattaya at Villa Market.

That's a debatable point. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as: paedophile (US pedophile) · n. a person who is sexually attracted to children. It doesn't say anything about it being necessarily pre-pubescent. However, at my age a 45-year old can seem like a child!!!! Dig out the handcuffs! All kidding aside, whether he would fit into the profile or strict definition of a pedophile or not won't help him very much. The important issue is for people to be damned sure about the age of a boy they are taking. If there is any doubt whatsoever that he is at least 18 years old, then you are placing yourself at this kind of risk, even if it is a scam. I also wonder if there is more to the story than was published. If the only evidence the police have is the say-so of the boy, I don't know whether that would stand up in a Thai court. I also wouldn't want to have to find out.

Do the banks have to be open? Don't they have cash deposit machines?

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Great Food and Music - Pity about the Closures By: THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL Published: 25/12/2008 at 12:00 AM Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday apologised to the public for his controversial remarks about the airport closures. He said the statements he made before joining the government would stay on record and admitted that some sentences might be misinterpreted or mistaken. He told participants, including diplomats and foreign journalists, in a seminar at Chulalongkorn University last Friday, that the protest rally led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to close the two airports was "a lot of fun. The food was excellent and the music was good". "I have to apologise to the people if I said something that caused misunderstanding or misinterpretation. I do not have any malicious intent or want to discredit Thailand," Mr Kasit said after paying homage to the statue of Prince Devawongse Varoprakarn, the country's first foreign minister who was later known as the "Father of Thai Diplomacy," on his first day in office. Mr Kasit was in the spotlight after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva picked him to be his foreign minister. Some members of the Democrat party were opposed to him being in the cabinet amid fears he would become a target of people loyal to convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as the former career diplomat was a regular speaker during the PAD protest rally, which culminated in the blockade of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports on Nov 25 and 26 respectively. At the time he strongly supported the airport blockade, calling the demonstration an "innovation" among rallies. Shutting down the airports led to complaints by business groups as it severely affected the economy and eroded international confidence. Tourists cancelled their plans to come to Thailand and exports and imports were damaged. Mr Kasit said what he had said or done before becoming a minister was because of his intention to promote democracy in Thailand. "I have been part of the democratic support for Thailand and fought for the transparent democratic society in Thailand," Mr Kasit said. The prime minister defended his foreign minister over his remarks about the airport closure, saying Mr Kasit wanted to convey a message that there was no violence in the protest. "But when it was reported, it made people feel he approved of the airport shutdown," he said. Mr Abhisit said there was no need to change the foreign minister as Mr Kasit's comments had been made before his appointment to the cabinet. The foreign minister was from now on obligated to observe nine requirements laid down for the cabinet ministers to follow to ensure good governance, the prime minister said. ____________________ The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Foreign Minister Says Sorry for his Airport Seizure Remark By Supalak Ganjanakhundee The Nation Published on December 25, 2008 Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday apologised to the Thai people over his controversial speech on airport closures, saying he had not intended to harm the country. "I apologise to all Thai people if what I said has resulted in misunderstanding or misinterpretation. It was impossible for me to have any intention of harming the country," he said. He was speaking after paying homage to the statue of HRH Prince Devavongse Varopakarn for his first day in office. Kasit is quoted by The Telegraph that he enjoyed the airport closures by protesters led by People's Alliance for Democracy because the food was good and the music was excellent. According to The Telegraph, Kasit told an audience of astonished diplomats and foreign journalists last week that the protests were "a lot of fun." "The food was excellent, the music was excellent," Kasit was quoted as saying. He did not deny outright to the media that he did not make the statements. He just gave a "yes" nod when asked by reporters to confirm his statement. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva defended his foreign minister saying the comment was reported inaccurately. "His comments were made before the royal command appointed him as minister," Abhisit told reporters. "He merely wanted to convey the message that there was no violence during the occupation, but the way the media reported it amounted to him endorsing the shutting down of the airports," the Prime Minister said. Kasit reiterated that what he said or did was for democracy, for the good of Thai society, and for the enhancement of Thai politics. "I would like to divide my life into two phases - before and after December 22, the day I was appointed as foreign minister. I don't want to erase or defend what I said before December 22. However there were attempts to misinterpret it," he said. "(By now) my work and behaviour will be under the leadership of the premier. The government has set up measures for the ministers. I will follow them and do my best," Kasit said. The former career diplomat was an active participant in the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)'s street protests. He took the stage at protests at the occupied Government House and the Suvarnabhumi Airport when the group rallied against the previous two governments. The opposition has threatened to grill him in Parliament when the government delivers its policy announcement on December 29. Having the outspoken former diplomat as foreign minister was not a good asset but a liability, it said. Kasit said he is ready to answer all questions in Parliament when the government delivers its policy statement next week. He said he understood his remarks would affect the government's performance.

Assuming the allegation turns out to be true, it's yet another example of thinking with one's crotch instead of one's brain. Either way, once again Sunee Plaza gets negative publicity. The story didn't mention the name of the "local hotel," but I can't help but wonder which hotel(s) still let a farang bring in an under-age boy. In my opinion any hotel that fails to insist on checking the ID of a boy brought in by a farang has a share of the responsibility for these incidents continuing to occur. The article says the man was arrested in Sunee Plaza and that he had taken the boy to a "local hotel," which I believe translates to a short-time room somewhere in the Sunee Plaza vicinity. I have a feeling that what transpired was that this man was lured by the 14 year old, and the 14 year old is one of the under-age boys who hang around Sunee Plaza trying to make some money by seducing the pedophiles. If the man was arrested in Sunee Plaza, then most likely the boy went with the police and personally pointed out the man. I tend to agree with Luvthai in that the reason for the arrest was that the man refused to pay the boy whatever amount the boy wanted. I also tend to believe that the parents don't exactly object to their child bringing in money this way if he's allowed to be out at night hanging around Sunee Plaza. Somehow I get the feeling that this farang was not the boy's first experience. I believe the fact that the man was turned in was a result of not forking over enough cash rather then the result of horrified, indignant parents who somehow found out that this man had sex with their child. I could be wrong, of course, but if I had to bet on it, that's the way I'd bet. In any case, this incident, whether the man is innocent or not, only goes to show once again that any kind of sexual involvement with an under-age boy can lead to disastrous results. Nothing will happen to the boy. Nothing will happen to the parents. Nothing will happen to the "local hotel," but for the farang, if he's really lucky, getting out of this will at best cost him a fortune, not to mention the stress he must be going through. The moral of the story: Don't take a boy unless he is at least 18 years old.

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Italian Arrest Following Allegations of Sexual Assault of a 14 Year Old Boy Acting on an arrest warrant, Police from the Children and Woman’s Protection Division, based at Region 2 Police Headquarters in Chonburi, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Gritar, arrested an Italian Man in Soi Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya following a complaint from a 14 year old boy who claimed he was sexually assaulted by the suspect, named as Mr. Massimo Mannari aged 49, a Chef from Italy. The suspect was taken back to his home in Soi Neun Pleub Wan where evidence was collected and he was then taken to the Region 2 Police Office in Chonburi District for further questioning. It was revealed that the Tourist Police had arrested Mr. Mannari 6 years ago following claims that he was in possession of child pornography. Since then, he has been travelling to and from Thailand on a regular basis. The current arrest warrant stated that the parents of the 14 year old boy claimed that Mr. Mannari sexually assaulted him in a local Hotel. These claims will now be investigated further and for now Mr. Mannari is assisting Police with the enquiry.