Gaybutton

The only serious complaint I have ever heard about The Ambiance is the fact that there are no elevators (or lifts, if you prefer) and you have to walk up and down several flights of stairs to get to and from your room. The Ambiance Hotel has started the process for installation an elevator which will service all floors. This will also make the Penthouse suites on the roof, with the private sitting and sun bathing areas, easily accessible to all guests. Approximately 10 million baht is to be spent on the elevator installation. This, along with the upgrading of Throb and Splash bars and the terrace of the Lé Cafe Royale, represents a huge investment in the future of Boyztown and the confidence the owners of these properties have in future gay tourist growth in Pattaya. I have no information at this point as to whether Lé Cafe Royale will also be installing elevators.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Inflation at 10-Year High May Rate of 7.6 Percent Forces BOT to Revise its Forecasts Thailand's inflation rate soared to 7.6 per cent in May, the highest in nearly a decade, due to the unrelenting rise of oil prices. According to the Commerce Ministry, May inflation was the highest since August 1998, prompting the Bank of Thailand to announce it would revise its economic growth and inflation rate forecast for the year. "The BOT will revise its forecast of economic indicators again as oil prices now have already surged higher than the worst-case scenario," BOT senior director Amara Sriphayak said. The central bank forecast for GDP growth in 2008 is currently 4.8 to 6 per cent. The central bank also forecast headline and core inflation for this year at 4-5 per cent, and 1.5-2.5 per cent, respectively. Amara said the inflation rate is a cause for concern as oil prices are rising continually. Currently, however, the central bank considers an equal risk between growth and inflation. "Higher inflation and the rising cost of living because of oil prices makes people more cautious about spending money," Bloomberg quoted Kasikornbank president Prasarn Trairatvorakul as saying. Consumer confidence, which fell for the first time in six months in April, may decline further in coming months as oil prices increase, said Thanavath Phonvichai, an economist at the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce. According to Bloomberg, Indonesia's consumer prices rose 10.4 per cent in May from a year ago, while India's inflation has accelerated to its fastest pace in more than three and a half years. The Thai government also asked four refineries controlled by state-owned PTT to cut diesel prices for six months to ease inflation. "The ministry will look at all products to see what we can do to reduce the public's burden," Bloomberg quoted Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Siripol Yodmuangcharoen as saying. The inflation rate in Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, may be as high as 5.8 per cent this year, up from 2.3 per cent in 2007.

Would you really want to chance that and risk the possibility of facing tax evasion charges? That doesn't sound like a very good idea to me.

Actually, that has nothing to do with it. Those flights are almost always full. It's not the number of seats being filled. It's the operating cost. When it gets to a point that operating costs are eating away the profits, even on totally full flights, then it makes no business sense to keep it going. Some might argue that raising the ticket prices would be the answer, but then the prices would have to be raised to the point that the cost of a ticket can no longer compete with other carriers and the price simply would not be worth it to enough people to cover the additional cost and reap a good profit for the airline. If Thai Airways ever invests in the new Airbus A-380s, then it could be a profitable enterprise for them again and they may eventually reinstate those non-stop flights. But that's at least several years away, if it ever happens at all. If I am correct, Thai Airways had intended to buy some of those aircraft, but the current economy has forced the airline to shelve their A-380 plans for the foreseeable future.

That is a very nice surprise. They never gave that to me, so apparently that is a more recent rule change. Congratulations on your new visa. I would also suggest, now that you have it, getting a Thai driving license, even if you don't intend to drive.

A great many farang complain about the fact they are asked to pay 10 baht per ride in Pattaya while Thais pay only 5 baht. That complaint might disappear if 10 baht per ride starts to look pretty good. The baht bus drivers have filed a petition asking to be allowed to raise their prices. Apparently nothing is yet specified as to what the new fares will be, if the increase is approved. Quite frankly, with fuel prices the way they are now I can't say I blame them. Pretty soon, those who complain about the fares may be longing for the "good old days" when farang fares were "only" 10 baht. Details are in this week's PATTAYA MAIL: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd5

I said I would continue publishing the opening and closing rates for the baht if any significant movement continues. Right now the movement is significant, and still moving favorably. The closing rates for today, Friday, June 6 are: US Dollar: 32.94 Euro: 51.27 British Pound: 64.34 Australian Dollar: 31.40 Canadian Dollar: 32.2075 The Bank of Thailand is saying the reason for the current trend is due to a major sell-off of Thai stocks. As for me continuing to publish the rates, I'm afraid I will not be able to keep my promise for most of next week. I will be out of town most of the week and will not be able to publish the rates until I return. If you wish to monitor the rates yourself, I suggest the Bank of Ayudhya web site as the most accurate and most often updated: http://www.krungsri.com/thai/exchange01.aspx

From Pattaya's main bus terminal (that's the 'regular' bus station) on North Road (Pattaya Nua) the airport buses run at the following times: 6:00 AM 9:00 AM 11:00 AM 1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 10:00 PM The fare is 150 baht. There is also an airport bus that runs from Soi Chaiyapruk (very far south on Jomtien Beach Road). It is located on Soi Chaiyapruk, about half a block from Jomtien Beach Road. The fare is 106 baht. That bus also stops at the secondary bus terminal on Sukhumvit Highway, just south of Central Road (Pattaya Klang). Sorry, I don't have the schedule for that bus.

My all time favorite was the time a body, weighted down and hands tied behind the back, was discovered out in the bay. That was ruled a suicide! Ok . . . Well, that kind of death does sound a little bit like what can happen is you mess with the Thai version of The Godfather. I suppose if you do, that's suicide! There was no suicide note, but there was that broken wristwatch. The Broken Wristwatch. Sounds like a perfect Agatha Christie title, doesn't it? It wasn't a suicide. The butler did it. I wonder if he was one of those dorks who wears his watch on the inside of his wrist.

I hope you get that rate or better. The actual closing rate for Tuesday, June 4 was 32.43.

If a search warrant was issued on the basis of a boy saying he had sex with someone three years earlier, you can bet there was a hell of a lot more to the story than just that. I'm not so quick to buy into the idea that NGOs or anyone else is out there trying to set people up . There is obviously plenty of genuine pedophile activity going on around here to keep them busy without having to resort to virtually creating pedophiles. I know of no evidence whatsoever that such a thing is occurring. Again, as far as I know there has never been an incident involving a farang being arrested simply because he patronized a bar and called a boy over to sit with him, and the boy was under age. Not one. And I don't expect there will ever be such an incident. Caution is one thing, but people are becoming needlessly paranoid. There are also people out there who get their jollies by making up bullshit and trying to frighten people with it. Sitting with an under age boy is one thing. Having sex with him is quite another. I'm all in favor of trying to clear out the pedophiles, but I also see no reason for people to be needlessly afraid. It is not incumbent upon a bar's customers to check the ID of a boy who is simply sitting with them. If anyone is ever arrested for that, then it will be the first time in the entire history of gay bars in Thailand. In my opinion, the law enforcement people who are going after the pedophiles should also be going after the venues that employ under age boys in the first place. I'm not going to start getting paranoid that deals are being made with the owners of these venues to get them to start setting up people who are not breaking any laws until and unless there is some solid evidence that such a thing is actually happening. So far, there is none that I know of. Once again, the vast majority of these pedophile arrests have nothing to do with farang taking boys off from bars. That may happen rarely, but the vast majority of these cases are farang messing around with the neighborhood kiddies. Other than when raids occur, I never see any police presence in Sunee Plaza, Pattayaland, Jomtien Complex, or anywhere else where there are gay venues. If people want to start convincing themselves that something sinister is going on, that's their prerogative. I see nothing of the kind and it will take a lot more than people simply insisting that it's true before I'll buy into it. I also have never heard of a single case, ever, in which a farang was sitting in a bar, had a boy sitting with him, and the next thing he knew the police were leading him out in handcuffs or he was arrested later.

Don't believe everything you read in an Email. ONE of the bar owners? That doesn't even narrow it down. Those cameras are a lot of hogwash too. Yes, there is a requirement to have the cameras. Nothing in the requirement says that they have to even be turned on or what direction they have to face, and several venues are in full compliance with the law. They have the cameras. They're not hooked up, but they have them. Second, I know of no law against having a boy sit with you in a bar, even if he is under-age. If he's under-age, but working in a bar, then that's the bar's problem, not the customer's. I know of no requirement for a customer to check a boy's age simply when calling him over to sit. The law prohibits engaging in sex with under-age boys. I know of no law that prohibits sitting and talking with a boy. Now, if some farang is sitting there publicly fondling the boy, I suppose in a stretch, legally that could be construed as sex. To my mind, that's in very poor taste, but I am not aware of any arrests, ever, for that. The only arrests I am aware of are when a farang has an underage boy in his room with him and is engaging in sex.

Coincidentally enough, the following appears in today's BANGKOK POST: _____ Update: Paedophile Suspect Denies All Charges Canadian paedophile suspect Christopher Paul Neil, nabbed in Thailand last year after Interpol "unswirled" his altered Internet photograph, pleaded innocent Monday to charges of abduction, molestation, kidnapping and producing child pornography. "I deny all charges," Neil, 32, told the Bangkok Criminal Court through an interpreter. Prapat Dawan, the father of two boys allegedly abducted and molested by Neil, told the court that the suspect had ruined his reputation and those of his sons. In what might turn into a civil case should Neil be found guilty of criminal charges, Prapat demanded 300,000 baht ($9,524) in compensation from Neil. "I have no money," Neil responded to the judge's question of whether he would pay Prapat compensation. "I have no job. I'm having financial problems." Neil, with his head shaved and in an orange prison uniform, entered the court smiling and appeared relaxed through the opening session of his trial. He was arrested last Oct 19 in Nakorn Ratchasima province. He had fled South Korea a week earlier after Interpol released his picture with a red alert, its highest search signal. Thai police dubbed Neil, a former English teacher, "a serious threat to society" suspected of having abused scores, possibly hundreds of children - girls as well as boys as young as 6. Neil is accused of abusing two Thai boys and a teenager during his time as an English teacher in Bangkok in 2003. He faces 20 years in jail if convicted. German police investigators triggered an international manhunt for Neil last year when they managed to "uncoil" his digitally altered, swirled Internet photographs that showed him abusing a dozen young boys in Cambodia and Vietnam, some appearing to be well under 10 years old. Neil was tracked down in the Northeast after a Thai boy came forward to accuse the Canadian of paying for oral sex, allowing police to issue an arrest warrant. Canada also has laws allowing it to punish paedophiles for their activities in third countries. Former colleagues have regaled reporters with their impressions of Neil as an "unassuming character" who was a "diligent teacher." But writings attributed to him on social-networking websites and elsewhere show evidence of an arrogant character who offered advice about cleaning a computer of "dangerous" photographs and how to avoid character checks when applying for teaching jobs. On MySpace, Neil once wrote that he had been "kicking around Asia for the past five years, teaching mainly and finding other forms of mischief." Neil fled Korea last year after deleting hundreds of postings he had made on an English teachers discussion group and shaving his hair. At least three young Thais said Neil abused them and paid them money after luring them to an apartment he once rented in Bangkok four years ago, Thai police said. German police started investigating his activities when they discovered three years ago that his swirl-disguised picture was common to scores of Internet images and his paedophile activities in Asia. (dpa) __________________________________________________ Earlier report: Trial Begins for 'Swirled' Paedophile Suspect The trial of Canadian paedophile suspect Christopher Paul Neil - who was nabbed in Thailand last year after German police "unswirled" his image on the internet - began Monday in a Bangkok criminal court. Police have dubbed Neil, a former English teacher, "a serious threat to society" who is suspected of having abused scores, possibly hundreds, of boys - some as young as six - and girls. He is on trial for allegedly abusing boys during his time as an English teacher in Bangkok in 2003. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Neil, his head shaved and wearing an orange prison uniform, entered the court smiling. His case was one of four being opened in the courtroom Monday and it was unclear how long proceedings would take. Neil, 32, was arrested last Oct 19 in Nakorn Ratchasima province. A week earlier, he had fled South Korea, following the release of his picture by Interpol with a "red alert," its highest search signal. German police investigators triggered an international manhunt for Neil last year when they managed to "uncoil" his digitally altered internet photographs that showed him abusing a dozen young boys in Cambodia and Vietnam, some appearing to be well under 10 years old. Neil was tracked down in north-east Thailand after a Thai boy came forward to accuse the Canadian of paying for oral sex, allowing police to issue an arrest warrant for the suspected paedophile. Canada also has laws allowing it to punish paedophiles for their activities in third countries. Former colleagues have regaled reporters with evidence of an "unassuming character" who was a "diligent teacher." But writings attributed to him on social-networking websites and elsewhere show evidence of an arrogant character who offered advice about cleaning a computer of "dangerous" photographs and how to avoid character checks when applying for teaching jobs. On MySpace, Neil once wrote that he had been "kicking around Asia for the past five years, teaching mainly and finding other forms of mischief." Neil fled Korea last year after deleting hundreds of postings he had made on an English teachers' discussion group and shaving his hair off. At least three young Thais said Neil abused them and paid them money after luring them to an apartment he used to rent in Bangkok four years ago, according to the Thai police. The German police started investigating his activities when they discovered three years ago that his swirl-disguised picture was common to scores of internet images and his paedophile activities in Asia. (dpa)

The following appears in PATTAYA TODAY: _____ Up to 100 Blacklisted Foreigners in Pattaya FOLLOWING the success of a recent campaign by Thai police and US law enforcement agencies to rid Pattaya of serious crime organised by both Thais and foreigners, it’s confirmed that the hunt for wanted farangs in Pattaya and Bangkok goes on. During Operation Rattlesnake in May, about 80 people were arrested mostly for drugs possession and trafficking in a haul which included large quantities of yabba, marijuana and crystal methamphetamine. One of the aims of the ongoing crime crackdown is to root out that minority of foreigners who are involved in serious crime of any kind. On May 21, an ex-Merseyside policeman from UK, Ian Shuttleworth, was arrested for alleged big-time involvement in sending Thai women to UK where they were quickly snared in prostitution rings throughout the country. Mr Shuttleworth has denied the charges. This arrest came after a tip off to Thai police from London’s metropolitan police. It’s believed that there are 100 foreigners in the Pattaya area alone whom police want to question in connection with nefarious activity. Sex with underage children has been one of the target areas. For example, Jean Marie Luc from the Netherlands and Ian Charles Tracey from UK were both arrested at their homes for alleged indecency with young boys. Both have denied the charges, Mr Luc claiming his interest in youths was educational only and Mr Tracey protesting he was set up. The ongoing hunt for unwelcome foreigners has involved national and regional crime squads as well as the Pattaya police and the office of the Chonburi governor Pracha Taerat. Pattaya police superintendent, colonel Noppodhol Wongnorm confirmed that inquiries and undercover work were continuing and that more arrests are expected soon. He added that both Thai suspects and foreigners were under investigation in various parts of the country. Amongst the cases of foreigners still being pursued in Pattaya are several alleged drugs lords and money launderers who use seemingly legitimate businesses as a cover, often in the name of a Thai wife or partner. There are also files on a number of alleged foreign pedophiles with photographic evidence collected at secret stake-outs. A senior policeman said, “Operation Rattlesnake and its successor phase are providing the biggest data base on undesirables for many years.”

It's been a little while since we've had a "Flying Farang" story, so here's the latest. It seems like "flying" is the most popular way farang choose to commit suicide in Thailand. Of course, for the conspiracy theory buffs out there, maybe it's really murder, rather than the farang version of hara-kiri. The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ DISTRAUGHT GERMAN MAN LEAPS OFF PATTAYA UPPER CONDO CAR PARK At 4.30am on June 2, 2008, Pol.Lt.Col. Apimook Amnajmunkong, Pattaya Investigator, Dongtan Station, was notified that a foreign man had fallen from the upper car park of Jomtien Complex Condotel, Jomtien beach, and the man was dead. Pol.Col. Nopadol Wongnom, Superintendent and Sawang Boriboon accordingly went to the incident scene to investigate. There police found Mr. Fredric Stuart Loffler (44), from Germany, lying dead, face down on the ground. He was wearing a black T-shirt, olive-green shorts and black shoes. His head was severely injured and there was a pool of blood on the ground. In his short's pocket, police found a Nokia mobile phone, a bunch of keys, cigarettes, a broken wrist-watch and a passport, all of which police kept as evidence. On inspecting the 6th floor car park of the condo building, Police found signs of climbing on the banister. There was no sign of fighting in the area, however. Mr. Pirun Roongsawang (23), a condo security guard, told police that, while he was on duty, checking around the front of the condo, he heard the sound of a heavy object impacting on the ground outside the condo building, around the building's ground floor parking zone. He rushed out to investigate and found the dead body of a foreigner. Mr. Pirun further told the police that the man was a stranger, and he could have either been a newcomer who had just rented a room at the condo, or a guest of a resident. Normally, people who could enter the car park would be condo residents or guests only. Police assumed that Mr. Loffler was probably distressed from personal problems and decided to commit suicide; this assumption was reinforced by the fact that there was no sign of fighting in the immediate vicinity. However, police will send his body for autopsy and find out where he was staying. The German Embassy will be informed accordingly.

I was not!!!

Better still, just stay here . . .

Neither have I. I looked on the Thai Airways web site and in the major English language media web sites. I can't find anything about this. Please inform us of the source of this information.

That's all just fine. Now we know where to go if we happen to be in New York or San Francisco. The intent of this thread was to discover whether anything similar can be found in Pattaya. Are there no more recommendations?

Today someone sent an Email to me, pointing out that I have an error in terminology within my article. What I have been calling a "visa on arrival" is actually a "visa exemption." I will make the correction in the next revision. In the meantime, the details are below. Again, I sincerely appreciate it when people discover any errors in my article. I want it to be as accurate as I can make it, so if anyone else notices any errors, please continue letting me know. Here are the details (which I took the liberty of copying and pasting directly from the gentleman's Email): Visa Exemption Conditions applying to persons wishing to enter Thailand under the "Visa Exemption Rule" are as follows:- Passport holders of any of the 46 countries listed below are entitled to enter Thailand under the "Visa Exemption Rule" for a maximum period of 90 days in any 6-month period (see page 6/6) provided they meet all of the following criteria:- a) Purpose of visit is strictly tourism. B) Must be in possession of a confirmed flight ticket (e-ticket acceptable) to show they will be exiting Thailand within 30 days of entry. Open tickets do not qualify. Traveling overland out of Thailand to check-in for a flight from an airport in another country (Malaysia, Singapore, etc) is not accepted. c) Having access to living expenses of 20,000 baht (approx £300) per person or 40,000 baht (approx £600) per family. It may be necessary to be able to prove this on entry. List of countries which have special agreements with Thailand entitling their nationals to enter under the "Visa Exemption Rule" for a single stay of up to 30 days provided they can satisfy the conditions above:- 1. Argentina 2. Australia 3. Austria 4. Bahrain 5. Belgium 6. Brazil 7. Brunei 8. Canada 9. Chile 10. Denmark 11. Finland 12. France 13. Germany 14.Greece 15. Hong Kong 16. Iceland 17. Indonesia 18. Ireland 19. Israel 20. Italy 21. Japan 22. Kuwait 23. Laos 24. Luxembourg 25. Macao 26. Malaysia 27. Netherlands 28. New Zealand 29. Norway 30. Oman 31. Peru 32. Philippines 33. Portugal 34. Qatar 35. Russia 36. Singapore 37. South Africa 38. South Korea 39. Spain 40. Sweden 41. Switzerland 42. Turkey 43. United Arab Emirates 44. United Kingdom 45. United States 46. Vietnam Please note that effective from 01 October 2006 a maximum of 90 days in Thailand are allowed within any 6-month period under the Visa Exemption Rule. There is no visa fee applying to persons entering Thailand under the Visa Exemption Rule. Visa On Arrival Conditions applying to persons wishing to enter Thailand under the "Visa On Arrival Rule" are as follows:- Passport holders of any of the 19 countries listed below can enter Thailand under the "Visa On Arrival Rule" provided they meet all of the following criteria:- a) Purpose of visit is strictly tourism. B) Must be in possession of a confirmed flight ticket (e-ticket acceptable) to show they will be exiting Thailand within 15 days of entry. Open tickets do not qualify. Traveling overland out of Thailand to join a flight from another country is not accepted. c) Having access to living expenses of 20,000 baht (approx £300) per person or 40,000 baht (approx £600) per family. It may be necessary to be able to prove this on entry. List of countries which have special agreements with Thailand entitling their nationals to enter under the "Visa On Arrival Rule" for a single stay of up to 15 days provided they can satisfy the conditions above:- 1. Bhutan 2. China 3. Cyprus 4. Czech Republic 5. Estonia 6. Hungary 7. India 8. Kazakstan 9. Latvia 10. Liechtenstein 11. Lithuania 12. Maldives 13. Mauritius 14. Oman 15. Poland 16. Saudi Arabia 17. Slovakia 18. Slovenia 19. Ukraine The fee for this visa is 1,000 baht (approx £15), subject to change.

If he can do it, that is very good news indeed. If he remains open, I hope people will go and be supportive, even if Birdcage is not their favorite bar. If Birdcage can survive after all, then maybe other bars will give it a try on Soi Day-Night and maybe something can change things around for Soi Day-Night and end the 'jinx.' I think that would be to everyone's benefit. I hope Tam has a good imagination. I think he's going to have to come up with something beyond what is already happening in order to make the bar attractive enough for the gay crowd to want to make the effort to go there.

In that case, then there is no advantage to applying for a reentry permit early. Getting a reentry permit only takes ten or fifteen minutes. All that's involved is filling out an application and paying a fee, so there's no reason to get one until you know what you'll need.

Try downloading the Firefox browser. That's what I use. Whether that has anything to do with the problem, I don't know. I also tried with the IE Explorer. The problem was the same. I don't know what other detail I can give. When I try to get to my messages, I end up on the screen for sending a message. By the way, that doesn't work properly either. I can send out a PM, but I can't write one on the screen. When I try to type in the message, nothing happens. I type, but nothing appears on the send screen. I have to write the message on a word processor and then copy and paste the message onto the send screen. That, at least, works. Then I can send it. Whether the recipient can see the message I wrote is another question. In short, the PM system isn't working the way it is supposed to work. What is even more frustrating for me is I have now posted about this three times, asked three times that people send an Email to me rather than a PM, and yet people are still sending me PMs. Not one of them has yet sent an Email to me to let me know what they wanted to say in the PM. That's the latest item on my "I Don't Get It" list. Folks, if you're reading this and you sent me a PM, have you understood yet that I haven't seen your PM and cannot see it? Just send an Email to me instead. What's the problem about that?

That is good advice, also quite useful in the USA. I would advise finding attorneys with whom others have had positive, successful experiences. Obviously, I am quite satisfied with the attorney I use. I'm sure others here can recommend reputable attorneys as well. You're right. I would not advise going to an attorney just because he hung a shingle outside his office door. Fountainhall is also right. It can't hurt to go to a top legal firm. Now all you have to do is find one . . . I found my own attorney through a reliable recommendation and, as I said, I have been quite satisfied. Another way to go about it might be to seek the recommendation of the Expat's Club. Also, your home country's embassy probably can provide a list of recommended reputable law firms.

My friends, This is now the third time I've had to post a message letting you know that if you send me a PM (that's Personal Message), I CAN'T READ IT. Repeat . . . I can't read it. I can't get to your message. There is a problem with the system. I don't know how many more times I can say it. DO NOT SEND ME A PM. SEND ME AN EMAIL INSTEAD AT: gaybutton@gmail.com . Today two more PMs were sent to me. I have no way to read them, so I don't have a clue what you wrote.