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I'm not sure how close Saranrom Park is to the areas where all the political problems are taking place. I hope it's not so close that there won't be any boys around. There's only one way to find out, I suppose. If you make it to Pattaya, contact me. I'd like to meet you.

While I don't want to see this situation become violent, to me the ideal situation for farang would be a windfall for the exchange rate. We're about due for a turn-around on the exchange rate, but I am truly sorry if this is the way it will happen.

For those of you who don't already have it, here's the link to the COPA's new web site: http://www.copapattaya.com

When the hurley burley's done. When the battle's lost and won. - Shakespeare: Macbeth - The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ PAD Snubs Somchai's Call for Reconciliation Acting prime minister and People Power party (PPP) deputy leader Somchai Wongsawat said at a press conference after 298 out of 466 MPs voted him the new premier on Wednesday that he planned to work and complete his four-year tenure. The new cabinet has yet to be determined, Mr Somchai said. The caretaker prime minister said he did not feel let down because disqualified premier and PPP leader Samak Sundaravej could not attend the House meeting to vote for him on time. Mr Somchai said he still respects the former premier, and he will ask him for advices because of his experience. He said deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra did not call him to congratulate him for becoming the 26th premier. Mr Somchai is his younger brother-in-law. Top priorities at present include the flood disaster in many provinces across Thailand and the economic problems caused by Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, according to the PPP deputy leader. Concerning the People’s Alliance Democracy (PAD)’s relentless anti-government demonstration, Mr Somchai said now is the time for Thai people to reconcile and unite to bring peace back to the country. On the PAD’s side, its key members, Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang and Mr Somsak Kosaisuk, held a press conference on Wednesday, reiterating the group’s stance to oust the PPP-led government. According to the group, even though the parliament has elected a new prime minister, it would not end the crises, adding that the parliament cannot solve the national problems. The PAD claimed that Mr Somchai is not only Mr Thaksin’s nominee, but he is involved with many corruption activities. The group said the newly appointed premier is also related to one of the election commissioners and is also one of the cabinet members who voted for Thailand to give up Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia. The PAD further criticised Mr Somchai, saying his intention is to amend the charter to do away with his wrongdoings.

Anti-Govt Protesters Refuse Time for New PM to Prove Himself BANGKOK, Sept 17 (TNA) Anti-government protesters gathered under the banner of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrating in the capital for nearly four months reasserted Wednesday they will not allow newly-appointed Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat a grace period to prove himself, according to a key PAD core leader. Retired Maj-Gen. Chamlong Srimuang told journalists that it is useless for Mr. Somchai, appointed prime minister by elected House members early Wednesday, to prove himself with his work as his past deeds were reason enough for PAD to reject him now. But if Mr. Somchai, brother-in-law of ousted fugitive prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, wants the PAD to accept him, then he should try to bring back Mr. Thaksin to Thailand to face graft and corruption charges in court, Gen. Chamlong said. Mr. Thaksin's diplomatic passport must also be seized, the PAD core leader said. The ex-premier, his wife Pojaman and their three children are now living in Britain. The couple was reportedly seeking political asylum from the British government. Several corrupt practices were seen in the previous government in which Mr. Somchai was deputy prime minister and education minister, such as supporting the Phnom Penh government to successfully list the Preah Vihear ancient temple as a World Heritage site, being a proxy of Mr. Thaksin and on a decision to lease air-conditioned buses for commuters in Bangkok which was a corrupt contract, Gen. Chamlong said. PAD core leaders will meet with students rallying against the government before deciding their next move after Mr. Somchai was appointed prime minister. (TNA)

I hope it doesn't come to that, but the PAD is definitely not happy. But the news reports make it seem as if the political situation in Thailand is a bomb about to blow. Apparently, the financial market is already reacting. This morning, probably because of the Lehman Brothers collapse, most foreign currencies were down. The US dollar started at 33.87 against the baht, the lowest it's been in about two weeks. At this moment, the US dollar is already back up to 34.11, and there is still more than two hours to go for trading rounds today, from the time of this post. So far I've found two reactions from the PAD. This one, in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Shortly after the vote, core leaders of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) Chamlong Srimuang and Somsak Kosaisuk held a news conference, saying that the group does not accept Mr Somchai because he is a nominee of Mr Thaksin. ____________________ And this one, from TNA: _____ His appointment as the Kingdom's top minister takes place amid warnings by anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters that they would not accept any member of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as Thailand's premier. The PAD has accused the PPP-led government of being a proxy for Mr. Thaksin, who is now living in Britain.

Wednesday, September 17 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 33.87 Euro: 47.97 British Pound: 60.455 Australian Dollar: 27.105 Canadian Dollar: 31.5975 _______ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.15 Euro: 48.41 British Pound: 60.755 Australian Dollar: 26.9775 Canadian Dollar: 31.9625

My own experiences there have been completely different from what was posted on that blog. It wasn't "rough trade" at all. It was primarily university students trying to earn some money. I've gone around both in my car and on foot and felt perfectly safe either way. I do agree that it's hit and miss. I've been there when there were very few boys and I' ve also been there when there were so many that it was just incredible. In that respect, it's simply a question of luck.

I think the following two threads will answer that for you. If not, let me know and I'll try to explain more clearly. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=399 http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1029

I don't pretend to know anything at all about economics. I really don't. I'm posting the way I see it in hopes that someone else who does understand economics will point out where I'm mistaken in the way I see it and clarify the situation as it truly is. For quite some time the exchange rate was hovering around 31 to 32 baht per US dollar. Once the political crisis began in Thailand a rapid drop in the baht's value began to occur until the exchange rate was getting close to 35 baht per dollar. As the turmoil continued in Thailand it was expected that the baht would drop even further. Then came more economic troubles in the USA, so far culminating with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Stocks plunged in the USA, but right along with it stocks have also plunged in Thailand, to the lowest point since January 2007, with Thai banking stocks taking the biggest hit. In the meantime, the controversy over who will be Thailand's next Prime Minister still rages. The PAD protests continue and show no signs of slowing down. A second arrest warrant has been issued against Thaksin. Cambodia is calling for Thailand to hand over chairmanship of ASEAN to either Singapore of Vietnam because of the political turmoil. The Asian Development Bank is predicting a slowdown of economics throughout all of Asia that will last at least two years. In other words, Thailand is in Chaos both politically and economically, and the USA is in much the same boat. What's going to end up happening to the exchange rate as a result of all this? For the time being it all seems to be just about status quo. The value of the US dollar is weakening, but so is the value of the Thai baht, almost concurrently with each other. The exchange rate at the time of this post still hovers right around 34 baht to the US dollar (34.06 at this moment). Is it going to continue to be status quo? Will the US dollar weaken against the baht? Will the baht weaken against the US dollar? Obviously I'm hoping the baht will weaken against the dollar, but for now it's just a hope. I don't have the economic knowledge to predict what will happen next, so I'm wondering what you think is going to happen.

The menu is in PDF format. Click to download.

Tuesday, September 16 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.20 Euro: 48.60 British Pound: 61.285 Australian Dollar: 26.8975 Canadian Dollar: 31.8225 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.09 Euro: 48.28 British Pound: 60.74 Australian Dollar: 26.7825 Canadian Dollar: 31.63

Yes. It's still accurate.

It's almost like the relationship between the Earth and the Moon. The dollar is dropping, but so is the Thai baht, at an almost equal rate. I think the relative rates between the two are what's keeping the exchange rate just about status quo. I think if the dollar was in better shape and the Lehman Brothers collapse didn't pick right now to happen, then the exchange rate would already be much more favorable to the dollar, in light of the political chaos in Thailand. I thought because of it we'd all be experiencing an exchange rate windfall by now. It hasn't happened. The exchange rate for the US dollar moved from the 31s to the 34s rather quickly, but for the past week it has been stagnating. If I were to point my finger at the place to blame for all this mess, then I'd be pointing at the person who currently occupies the desk where "The Buck Stops Here" sign ought to be. I think if it wasn't for the enormous amount of money literally being wasted in Iraq, then the dollar would be in excellent shape by now, and so would the USA economy. It seems to me that most of those thousand points of light have blinked out. How would you like to be the speechwriter for the next State of the Union address?

Monday, September 15 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.39 Euro: 49.16 British Pound: 61.81 Australian Dollar: 28.1275 Canadian Dollar: 32.23 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.41 Euro: 48.855 British Pound: 61.555 Australian Dollar: 27.7875 Canadian Dollar: 32.065

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Country Must Embrace 'New Politics' or Implode- Suriyasai Published on September 15, 2008 With no end in sight, the months-long protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy is driving politics to a dead end with little chance of a solution. Many questions are being asked of the PAD. The Nation's Sathien Viriyapanpongsa talked to PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila about its stand. Q : It seems the PAD will not get off the tiger's back. On what condition will the PAD stop the demonstrations? S : Now, we have two tasks. We are not only opposing the proxy government but we are also pushing for new politics. We must lead the society from old politics to new politics. In 2006, we fought only to free the country from the grip of Thaksin [shinawatra] without laying out long-term measures. Eventually, we got Thaksin episode 2 in the form of a proxy government. We have learned a lesson to upgrade our fight to a new level. We need to plan what we want next after winning this fight. Eventually, the PAD will have to re-evaluate itself to see whether it has done its best, and whether we are tired and should stop. It's not true that we have no way to halt this. We can stop anytime but we have gone this far and we have a chance to become successful. Now, senior people in society and the media have debated this issue a lot so it is part of our success. In the past, no one dared to move to new politics although they were fed up with this kind of politics. The PAD is now doing that. But the current Parliament shows no interest in taking up the PAD proposal of new politics to deliberate. In particular, the three PM candidates [somchai Wongsawat, Sompong Amornwiwat and Surapong Suebwonglee] seem to ignore the proposal. A puppet prime minister, who will come from the three, cannot support new politics because the People Power Party has its mission to return power, interests and honour to Thaksin. It wants to reinstall the business politics so that business tycoons can dominate politics. Q : How about the choice of Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-archa as the prime minister? S : The choice of Banharn would be unexplainable for society and the PAD cannot be sure whether he will forget his five-point promise when he works with the PPP. When he joined the coalition, he demanded that Thaksin had to stand trial, but now Thaksin has fled the country and issued a statement criticising the courts, so Banharn has no legitimacy left. Q : So, there is only one choice left - having coalition partners switch sides to join the Democrat Party to form a coalition. Will the PAD stop protesting in this case? If the political condition does not change and the next government will still become a proxy government after September 17 [when the House will elect the new prime minister], we will have to come out with new campaign tactics. We can't stop but we'll have to go on fighting. It will matter only how we will fight. Q : Will PAD propose establishment of a government of national unity? S : We'll have to wait and see the composition of such a national government first. If the government is composed of all political parties in the House like what Abhisit [Vejjajiva, Democrat leader] proposed, the politics will remain in quota system and the PPP will retain the majority vote. Will such a national government be successful? Will the Democrat be able to work with the PPP, which has a completely different stand? How could the Democrat explain this to society? Q : So, it is like that the PAD will propose a government with a non-MP becoming the prime minister? S : We will think about this during a meeting today. We will announce our official stand regarding to the national government and non-MP prime minister choice. Q : According to your initial discussion, how will the non-MP prime minister be? S : Our principle is that political reform must be done by non-politicians. Although a non-MP prime minister is appointed to carry out political reform, the society must also take charge, not the prime minister. But we affirm that the PAD won't accept a non-MP prime minister who is appointed by the military after a coup. We don't think that such a measure will be successful. But the military can take part by proposing its principles. If the military has a proposal that can help the society move forward, the PAD will be ready to talk with the military and cooperate to lead the country out of the crisis. Q : So will the next prime minister be a representative of the elite class? It will be okay to have a prime minister from the elite class as long as he has a clear mission. That is, he must have a mission to push for new politics and he must be free from control of the government, political parties, Parliament and politicians, and he must have society take charge of political reform. Q : But if the prime minister comes from the elite class, he will design new politics to benefit members of his class and the majority of the people will not receive benefits? S : I think he will represent the elite class only symbolically. Society must be the one to determine the direction of political reform. But during the transition period, sometimes, it needs influence of the leader. But not all changes in the past, which were supervised by members of elite class, were designed to benefit the elite class. For example, when Anand Panyarachun was the prime minister, he was seen as a member of the elite class but the 1997 constitution incredibly had many points that favoured the people. Or the 2007 charter, which originated from the military, is more advanced than the 1997 charter. For example, it was required to be approved by national referendum first. And the Council for National Security ordered the drafter to allow non-MPs to become the prime minister, the drafters refused to comply. Sometimes, the transition of politics did not depend on whether the leader is an elite or not, but it depends on whether we could arouse the people to take part in political reform and try to fight for their interest. I think this will determine the outcome.

I'm not sure that would work any better than using proxy servers at an Internet cafe if they use keylogger programs. If some entity wants to examine what web sites you visited and what you did on that web site, a keylogger program would still tell all. Unfortunately, as the world seems to become more and more paranoid, there is always some jerk who manages to get into a position of authority, and then comes up with yet another way to erode individual privacy. Here we are in the 21st century, and there are still people who want to decide for you what you can read, what you can look at, what your religion should be, who you can marry, how to have sex, etc. Now they want to control your use of the Internet in order to protect . . . . . well, what exactly are they protecting? Hey! That guy looked at a web site we don't want him to look at. Jail him!

I know how you can find out. Play the VCD. The pirated, low quality versions are already out among the vendors.

Sadly, TOQ will soon be moving away from Pattaya out to the hinterlands of Thailand, which means we will be losing those wonderful Pattaya pics. Don't worry, though. He will be back to Pattaya every few weeks and we will also get to see the wonderful photos I anticipate and hope he will be posting from the rural parts of Thailand, the areas that many farang never get to see.

I agree. Just how much of a disclosure is necessary? The dinner is 1600 baht. 500 is going to the charity. PattayaMale says it would cost about 400 baht to prepare the dinner. I think it would cost more than that, but let's say it does cost 400 baht. Do the math. It would mean the restaurant is making a 700 baht per dinner profit. I don't think that's over-the-top at all. What more of a disclosure do people want? Do people think the restaurants should also provide a full accounting of exactly how much they spent to buy the ingredients and prepare the dinner? Do people feel that the restaurant should close down it's business for the night and donate everything beyond actual cost to the charity? In my opinion, that would be getting just a wee bit ridiculous. To me, the only disclosure I care about is how much is going to the charity. As for the rest of the price, I agree with GT that it's an "up to you." If you like what you see on the menu, think you will enjoy the evening, and are willing to pay the price, then go. If not, then don't go. What's the problem?

It's been about four years since I last ate at the Leng Kee. I didn't know they had a Chinese menu. When I ate there I was with Thai people and I let them do all the ordering. Of course, everything they ordered was Thai food. Ok, great! Now that I know they have a Chinese menu I'll give it another try.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Emergency Ends The government will lift the state of emergency in Bangkok on Sunday after just 12 days in effect. The decision was made at a Saturday night meeting between acting prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Army cief Gen Anupong Paojinda. They agreed the state of emergency was merely damaging the country, and the political situation was under control. Then-premier Samak Sundaravej imposed the state of emergency early on Sept 2, after a violent clash in which one pro-government protester was killed.

It's the religious right that scares me. It's getting to the point in the USA that all you have to do is mention Jesus a few times and the religious right is all set to support you, no matter what. At this point my money is still on Obama, but the election is still more than a month away. Anything can happen.

Last night TOQ and I tried Chow Soy. I'll suffice it to say that neither of us will eat there again any time soon. Not that it was bad, but it just isn't what either of us are looking for. In other words, we're still looking for the right restaurant, if one even exists in Pattaya.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Samak Steps Back By Eakarach Sattaburuth, Pradit Ruangdit and Penchan Charoensuthipan Ousted prime minister Samak Sundaravej ended his campaign to regain his position on Friday - and street protesters of the People's Alliance Democracy vowed to step up their campaign to overthrow the rest of the government. Mr Samak's decision was revealed yesterday by Theerapol Nopparampa, his close aide, after he spent about 50 minutes meeting Mr Samak at his home. Mr Samak asked him to tell PPP members that he has tried his best to protect democracy. He would now end his effort and let the party decide on its own future. Mr Samak's remarks have led to speculation that he will quit as PPP leader as well. PPP registration officer Samarn Lertwongrat said he had not been informed about Mr Samak's resignation as party leader. Mr Samarn said any such move would only take effect when the besieged former prime minister's resignation letter reached the party's secretary-general or himself. PPP MPs held a meeting yesterday after the vote for a new prime minister in the House was postponed to next Wednesday due to a lack of a quorum. Coalition parties and about 70 PPP MPs who opposed Mr Samak's nomination refused to attend the House for the vote. The MPs asked deputy PPP leaders Somchai Wongsawat and Sompong Amornwiwat and secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee to convince Mr Samak to withdraw his nomination, though they said he should have the right to nominate someone for the job. Sompong Amornwiwat, a key PPP contender for post, said the coalition parties would announce in the next two days the formation of the new alliance. On Monday, the PPP will meet to select a member to stand for prime minister. Mr Sompong said the party will tell coalition partners the name of its contender on Tuesday before voting takes place in the House on Wednesday. According to PPP sources, deputy PPP leaders, Mr Somchai or Mr Sompong, are likely to be nominated. House Speaker Chai Chidchob postponed the vote after a group of PPP MPs and members of the other five coalition partners opted not to attend the House meeting to elect the new prime minister. The next meeting of the House was scheduled for Wednesday. Wichian Udomsak, an Amnat Charoen MP and member of the Friends of Newin Chidchob group that pushed for the reinstatement of Mr Samak, said in his opinion parliament might be dissolved if the House cannot elect a new prime minister next Wednesday. Meanwhile, three Chart Thai MPs, Pathum Thani MP Ekkapot Panyaem, Ang Thong MP Paradorn Prissananantakul, and Si Sa Ket MP Siripong Angkhasakulkiat explained Chart Thai's decision not to attend the House meeting yesterday. They said it was due to disagreement within the PPP on the nomination of Mr Samak. They agreed to boycott the meeting to ensure it was postponed. A Chart Thai source said party leader Banharn Silpa-archa on Thursday night received calls from PPP groups that supported and opposed Mr Samak's nomination. Mr Siripong said Chart Thai was not playing political games with the PPP as alleged by PPP spokesman Kuthep Saikrachang, adding that: ‘‘We want to let the major party finalise its nomination first.'' Mr Siripong said the PPP should take into account people's opinions on its nomination of prime minister, while the next prime minister should be someone capable of solving the country's crisis. Somsak Prissananantakul, a deputy Chart Thai leader, said postponing the vote would allow all parties more time to think about the country's direction. Another deputy Chart Thai leader, Kanchana Silpa-archa, daughter of party leader Banharn, said the six coalition parties remain united. Yesterday morning, about 1,000 progovernment demonstrators led by the Khon Rak Udon group (Love Udon People) turned up in front of parliament to support the reinstatement of Mr Samak. The demonstrators were from Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Roi Et, Ratchaburi and Samut Prakan provinces. Clad in red tops, they expressed their anger when they heard about the lack of quorum in the House and that voting was postponed. The group's leader, going under the alias Pey Klong Toey, vowed to list the names of PPP MPs who were absent from the House, and proposed the party expel them. They were all elected because of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's influence, not because of their own talent, he said.