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The following appears in the Pattaya City News: _____ Crazed Man Seeking TV Stardom Steals Fire Truck in Naklua Police units were called into action in the early hours of Thursday Morning following reports of a young man who had attempted to steal a fire rescue truck from a station in Naklua. The attempt was successful and the crazed man, Khun Sitipon aged 36 drove away and eventually crashed the vehicle and was caught by Police. He explained that he was desperate to get himself on TV and decided to steal the truck so he would be on the news here in Pattaya. He is now behind bars awaiting a court appearance but is apparently happy that his dream of being on the news has been fulfilled. (See http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_15_05_51_4.html for photos)

Thursday, May 15: Opening rates: US Dollar: 32.18 Euro: 49.665 British Pound: 62.515 Australian Dollar: 29.8275 Canadian Dollar: 31.8875 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.19 Euro: 49.95 British Pound: 62.57 Australian Dollar: 30.01 Canadian Dollar: 32.025

New storm head toward cyclone-devastated Myanmar AP Another powerful storm headed toward Myanmar's cyclone-devastated delta on Wednesday and the U.N. warned that inadequate relief efforts could lead to a second wave of deaths among the estimated 2 million survivors. The country's junta told visiting Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, however, that it is in control of the relief operations and doesn't need foreign experts. Samak visited a government relief center in Yangon and told reporters after returning to Bangkok that the junta has given him the "guarantee" that there are no disease outbreaks and no starvation among the cyclone survivors. "They have their own team to cope with the situation," Samak said, citing Myanmar Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Thein Sein. "From what I have seen I am impressed with their management." International agencies say bottlenecks, poor logistics, limited infrastructure and the military government's refusal to allow foreign aid workers have left most of the delta's survivors living in miserable conditions without food or clean water. The government's efforts have been criticized as woefully slow. The U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said there is a good chance that "a significant tropical cyclone" will form within the next 24 hours and head across the Irrawaddy delta area. The area was pulverized by Cyclone Nargis on May 3, leaving at least 34,273 dead and 27,838 missing, according to the government. The U.N. says the death toll could exceed 100,000. An estimated 2 million survivors of the storm are still in need of emergency aid. But U.N. agencies and other groups have been able to reach only 270,000 people so far. Dr. Thawat Sutharacha of Thailand's Public Health Ministry said Wednesday the junta has given permission to a Thai medical team to go to the cyclone-hit delta. If the team is able to go as scheduled on Friday, it would be the first foreign aid group to work in the ravaged Irrawaddy delta. The junta has said that it will allow 160 relief workers from neighboring countries to come to Myanmar, but it is not clear if they include the Thai medics or whether they will be allowed to travel to the delta. "The government has a responsibility to assist their people in the event of a natural disaster," said Amanda Pitt, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs. "We are here to do what we can and facilitate their efforts and scale up their response. It is clearly inadequate and we do not want to see a second wave of death as a result of that not being scaled up," she said. The news of a second cyclone was not broadcast by Myanmar's state-controlled media. But Yangon residents picked up the news on foreign broadcasts and on the Internet. "I prayed to the Lord Buddha, 'please save us from another cyclone. Not just me but all of Myanmar,'" said Min Min, a rickshaw driver, whose house was destroyed in Cyclone Nargis. Min Min, his wife and three children now live on their wrecked premises under plastic sheets. "Another cyclone will be a disaster because our relief center is already overcrowded. I am very worried," said Tun Zaw, 68, another Yangon resident who is living in a government relief center. Prof. Johnny Chan, a tropical cyclone expert with City University of Hong Kong, said the new cyclone would likely not be as severe as Nargis because it is already close to land, and cyclones need to be over sea to gain full strength. "There will be a lot of rain but the winds will not be as strong," he told The Associated Press. Getting to the worst-affected areas was getting more and more difficult, and the impending storm was expected to compound the misery of the survivors. "They are already weak," said Pitt, the U.N. spokeswoman. A new storm will impact "people's ability to survive and cope with what happened to them ... this is terrible." Soldiers have barred foreign aid workers from reaching cyclone survivors in the hardest-hit areas, but gave access to an International Red Cross representative who returned to Yangon on Tuesday. Bridget Gardner, the agency's country head, described tremendous devastation but also selflessness, as survivors joined in the rescue efforts. "People who have come here having lost their homes in rural areas have volunteered to work as first aiders. They are humanitarian heroes," said Gardner. Gardner's team visited five locations in the Irrawaddy delta. In one of them, they saw 10,000 people living without shelter as rain tumbled from the sky. "The town of Labutta is unrecognizable. I have been here before and now with the extent of the damage and the crowds of displaced people, it's a different place," Gardner was quoted as saying in a statement by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In Labutta and elsewhere she said volunteers were giving medical aid to hundreds of people a day even though "they have no homes to go back to when they finish." Some survivors of Cyclone Nargis were reportedly getting spoiled or poor-quality food, rather than nutrition-rich biscuits sent by international donors, adding to suspicions that the junta may be misappropriating foreign aid. The military, which has ruled since 1962, has taken control of most supplies sent by other countries, including the United States, which began its third day of aid delivery Wednesday as five more giant C-130 transport planes loaded with emergency supplies headed to Myanmar. Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, a spokesman for what has been dubbed operation Caring Relief, said a total of 197,080 pounds of provisions have been sent into Myanmar on the eight U.S. military flights that have been cleared to go. Most of the provisions have been blankets, mosquito nets, plastic sheets and water. As the U.S. military's effort to expand its relief effort appeared to make major headway, Myanmar also agreed to attend an emergency meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers next week to discuss problems in getting foreign aid the country, Asian diplomats said Wednesday. Diplomats from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Myanmar, were crafting the agenda for the meeting to be held Monday in Singapore, said two Manila-based Southeast Asian diplomats knowledgeable about preparations for the gathering. Singapore, which currently heads the ASEAN bloc, organized the meeting after getting a nod from Myanmar, which has committed to sending its foreign minister, according to one of the diplomats. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media. The European Union's top aid official said Wednesday he is not opposed to the idea of air-dropping aid in Myanmar but does not think it will work. "I am not against solutions which can help the people but ... I think it will not be the best solution," EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel told reporters in Bangkok when asked to comment on suggestions about unilateral air drops to circumvent the junta's restrictions on international aid. ____ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines contributed to this report.

Perhaps not, but I don't think this man was with street kids. I think he was with kids from his own neighborhood. That's just a guess on my part, but that's the impression I get.

I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or just give up. I can't even remember now how many years I, and others, have been trying to convince people not to come to Thailand and start engaging in sex with under-age boys. I can't imagine that any of the people who have been arrested over the years were ignorant of the consequences, and yet they continue to think with their crotches instead of their brains. The part that angers me more than any of it is not the fact that they do this and get caught. If they are stupid enough to take the risk and lose, then my position is 'tough shit.' It angers me because the sheer number of arrests places a terrible stigma on those who come to Thailand and don't do this kind of thing. I can't help but wonder how many Thais, indeed how many people throughout the world, assume single gay farang in Thailand, especially in Pattaya, are probably pedophiles. How many totally innocent among you get hassled and harassed by customs officials when you reenter your home country? How many are questioned and are forced to undergo inspections of your notebook computers, cd's, or anything else on which pornographic images can be stored? I also get annoyed when I see people post that farang in Sunee Plaza must be pedophiles. Horse hockey! When was the last time you heard of anyone being arrested when they took a boy off from a Sunee Plaza bar? In nearly every one of these cases, it's a farang who was messing around with neighborhood boys or street urchins. That could just as easily be interpreted that farang who do not frequent Sunee Plaza are the pedophiles. Here's the latest: The following appears in THE NATION: _____ German Lecturer Arrested in Pattaya for Buying Sex from Two Boys Pattaya, Chon Buri - A German university lecturer was arrested here early Wednesday for allegedly having sex with two underage boys. Wolf Rudiger Engelke, 67, was arrested in the act with a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy inside an apartment at 1 am. Alerted by informant, police raided the room and found the three inside the bed. The two boys said Engelke promised to give each of them Bt500 in exchange for sex. Police said the German is a lecturer of a university in Phitsanulok. The Nation

According to an article in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS, the Thai Prime Minister is saying the reason why the Burmese junta is intentionally keeping out and slowing down foreign assistance for the cyclone victims is because they went ahead with the national voting despite the cyclone and they don't want the world to see the vote rigging that is occurring. Also, according to the article, those who wish to make donations can do so at the Sattahip Temple, where they are asking for light bulbs, galvanized iron sheets, canvas, dried foodstuffs, rice, and drinking water. The items will be delivered to Burma via the Thai Navy. The Thai Navy assures the public that the items will reach the people in need. The full article can be seen at: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000005975

If you have been following the "Exchange Rate on the Move . . ." thread, you've been witnessing the strength of the baht weakening over the past several days. The Bank of Thailand is saying this weakening is only temporary. I will try to keep tabs on the daily opening and closing rates in the "Exchange Rate on the Move . . ." thread for you. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Baht Softens Temporarily An ongoing softening of the Thai currency, the baht, against the US dollar is expected for a short-term basis while inflationary rate in Thailand is projected to continue rising on the back of increasing in oil and commodity prices, Bank of Thailand (BoT) governor Tarisa Watanagase said Tuesday. Mrs Tarisa told participants attending a Euromoney fair that the baht which had fallen to about Bt32.20 against the dollar on the onshore market now was considered lowest in the past two-and-a-half-month but the impact was still not too serious. There are still both buying and selling of the dollars by importers and exporters and the weakening of the baht would be temporary, said Mrs. Tarisa. The central bank will monitor the movements of the baht to ensure that it is not soften or strengthen too fast and the currency must move within the market demand and supply. On Thailand's economy, she said it grew more than 6 per cent during the first quarter this year with investment expanded 7.2 per cent during the period, exports up 21 per cent and the current account enjoyed a surplus of about US$3 billion. This year, the country's current account is expected to enjoy a surplus of around US$4-7 billion due to disbursement by the government, said Mrs Tarisa. The government-sponsored mega-projects will also help stimulate private investment in future. Inflation last month rose to 6.2 per cent as global oil prices continued increasing, she said, adding that the BoT would follow movements of goods prices closely. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Suwit Khunkitti said he was confident economic growth during the second half this year would surpass the first half on the back of solid economic fundamentals and fine investment atmosphere. The World Bank has now ranked Thailand 15th out of 178 countries among the most attractive countries for investment and the government will adjust investment regulations to facilitate foreign investors, said Mr. Suwit. He said the government has projected to invest on improving infrastructure at US$66 billion between 2008-2011. (TNA)

Wednesday, May 14: Opening rates: US Dollar: 32.19 Euro: 49.67 British Pound: 62.505 Australian Dollar: 30.1225 Canadian Dollar: 31.8925 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.28 Euro: 49.685 British Pound: 62.53 Australian Dollar: 30.005 Canadian Dollar: 31.9425

The cyclone in Burma has already killed tens of thousands of people. Most of the emerging stories are about the death toll, the expected dramatic increase in numbers of dead, and the incredibly callous and unfeeling handling of this disaster by the Burmese government. Now another disaster has hit, this time in China. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Beijing - A 7.8-magnitude earthquake felt as far away as Bangkok killed more than 700 people and buried thousands in Sichuan province of southwest China. Authorities said they feared 5,000 or more were dead. and Chinese President Hu Jintao ordered "all-out" efforts to help 900 school children buried in rubble. At least four teenagers were confirmed dead after the earthquake caused school buildings to collapse and bury nearly 900 students at the Juyuan Middle School in Sichuan's Dujiangyan city, about 100 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake, the official Xinhua news agency quoted local officials as saying. Official Xinhua news agency quoted officials from the Sichuan provincial disaster relief headquarters as saying that 80 per cent of buildings in Beichuan had collapsed after the earthquake. It said officials also estimated that about 10,000 people were injured in Beichuan, which is about 100 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake. The earthquake also affected Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, and nearby Chongqing. At least 45 people died in Chengdu, where officials suspended rail and air services, the provincial government said. More than 600 people were injured, 58 of them critically, state media quoted the provincial seismological bureau as saying. Government and local officials said the quake struck at 2:28pm local time (1:28pm in Thailand) in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province. It was felt in cities hundreds of kilometres away, including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, in addition to Bangkok. "Major tremors" were felt by residents of cities closer to the epicentre, including Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, and nearby Chongqing, the official news agency Xinhua said. The first reports of casualties came from Chongqing's Liangping county, where four children died and more than 100 were injured at two primary schools which collapsed during the earthquake, the official Xinhua news agency said. The epicentre was about 95 kilometres west-northwest of Chengdu in Wenchuan county, which has a population of 112,000. Initial reports put the magnitude at 7.6 but the State Seismological Bureau later upgraded it to 7.8, while an official at the Beijing Seisomological Bureau said it was measured at 8.0. Premier Wen Jiabao was travelling to Sichuan to supervise relief work, while President Hu Jintao issued a statement urging "all-out efforts to help those affected" by the quake. The People's Liberation Army dispatched troops from Chengdu to help in relief work and damage assessment in Wenchuan county. Xinhua quoted a worker in Chongqing as saying his factory was evacuated after the roof began to crack, and a resident of Sichuan's Leshan city who said a garden wall had collapsed. Mobile telephone services were briefly cut off in Chengdu and Chongqing, while workers were evacuated from some major office towers in Shanghai, the agency said. Flights to and from Chengdu were suspended, and a main road near Chengdu's southern railway station flooded after the quake fractured an underground water pipe, it said. In Hong Kong, people rang emergency services in panic when the earthquake made ground shake and buildings sway in the city of 6.9 million, 1,360 kilometres south-east from Chengdu. There were no reports of injuries of damage in Hong Kong. A tremor measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale was recorded in Beijing's eastern suburb of Tongzhou at 2:35 pm, the seismological bureau said. Earlier Monday, an undersea earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook Taiwan. There were no reports of damage or casualties from the quake that struck at 10:43 am (0243 GMT), 3.4 kilometres under the sea off Taiwan's eastern Orchid Island, the Seismological Observation Centre said. Seismologists in Taiwan said the earthquake was unrelated to the one in Wenchuan. (dpa) ____________________ The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Chinese disaster officials say the death toll from Monday's devastating earthquake in southwestern China has spiked to near 10,000. Meanwhile, seismological experts in Sichuan province said more than 1,180 tremors up to 6.0 magnitude had been recorded as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, state media Xinhua reported. In nearby Beichuan County, 80 percent of the buildings were reported destroyed and an estimated 3,000 were reported dead there alone. In addition to the death toll, state-run media reported 10,000 more people were injured in Sichuan, Gansu, Chongqing and Yunnan provinces, CNN reported Xinhua reported at least 2,300 were trapped in the collapse of two chemical plants. About 80 tons of ammonia leaked out and 6,000 people were evacuated, CNN said. Reports said 50 bodies were pulled from the rubble of a high school in Wenchuan County, where 900 students were feared buried. "Some buried teenagers were struggling to break loose from underneath the ruins while others were crying out for help," the state-run Chinese news agency reported. Xinhua said Premier Wen Jiabao was on hand to direct the rescue efforts. Tremors were felt in other parts of China, as well Hanoi, Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan. Communication with China's Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center has been cut off, State Forestry Administration officials said. About 130 giant pandas are living in the center and another 150 wild pandas roam the Wolong reserve. Venues for the 2008 Summer Olympics weren't damaged, Xinhua reported. A quake that measured 7.5 on the Richter scale killed more than 10,000 people in the same area in 1933. The country's worst earthquake, on July 28, 1976, in Hebei province, killed more than 240,000.

Tuesday, May 13: Opening rates: US Dollar: 31.98 Euro: 49.545 British Pound: 62.385 Australian Dollar: 30.125 Canadian Dollar: 31.655 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.07 Euro: 49.70 British Pound: 62.505 Australian Dollar: 30.2375 Canadian Dollar: 31.745

EarWig posted about this on the Gay Ting&Tong forum. http://www.gaytingtong.com/topic2773.html I have no personal confirmation of this at the time of this posting, but I will say that EarWig's information of this type is usually reliable. Assuming it's true, my condolences to Peter's family and friends.

Thank you very much for the confirmation. I think you just spelled "relief" for many from the UK. You're lucky. You don't have to go through the hassle of a trip to Bangkok along with exhorbitant embassy fees. Was there a fee for Barry's service? You are correct about extensions being at the officer's discretion. That's why I always recommend going in with a smile and pleasant attitude and keeping it that way no matter what happens. You're much more likely to get cooperation from the officer than if you go in as one of these fools I often see who go in and immediately start acting angry and nasty. They can't figure out why they don't get the cooperation they seek. The only immigration office I have dealt with is the Pattaya office. I have always found the officers to be friendly and trying to be as helpful as possible. They're trying to help people get what they need. They're not trying to make things difficult and not trying to prevent people from getting the visas and extensions they seek.

It's so sad. These boys have a very difficult life as it is, and they just have no clue what the drugs are doing to them. What's even more sad is the only thing that surprises me about your post is that no more than 7-8 boys got out, considering that the average bar has 20 to 25 boys. I would imagine that the under-age boys got out too.

For months now, the exchange rate for the baht to US dollar has been hovering around 31.2 to 31.3. Last week the baht began to inch its way toward 31.4 to 31.5. This morning the rate opened at 31.92. That's the best its been in months. Here are the opening rates for today, May 12. I will edit this post later and let you know the closing rates. I have no idea why the exchange rate is finally starting to get a little more favorable, but I'm certainly not complaining. I'm praying that the trend continues: Opening rates: US Dollar: 31.92 Euro: 49.29 British Pound: 62.205 Australian Dollar: 29.9025 Canadian Dollar: 31.565 __________ YIPPEE!!!!! Exchange Rate Gets to 32!!! I thought I'd never live to see the day when the dollar actually begins to strengthen again. Keep your fingers crossed folks. Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.01 Euro: 49.175 British Pound: 62.255 Australian Dollar: 29.89 Canadian Dollar: 31.62

GaySacGuy, I think you can get an International driving permit through Thai travel agencies. If not, they can at least tell you where to get it. Since you do have a Thai driver's license already, make sure you take it with you when you go to the USA. The international driving permit is invalid without it. If it were me, I would also stop by an Immigration office and get a residence certificate to take along too. That way, if you have to deal with the police you'll have proof that you do actually reside in Thailand. Bob, yes you certainly are legal to drive in Thailand with an International driving permit provided that a valid driving license from your home country is also in your possession. Without it, the International driving permit is invalid. Despite the fact that the permit is supposed to be valid for a full year from the date of purchase, it is my understanding that Thailand only honors its validity for 90 days after your arrival in Thailand. I could be wrong about that. I can't remember where I got that from, but that's the way I understand it.

I have received a few inquiries as to what happened in Sunee Plaza a couple of nights ago. A few hours before closing time several bars suddenly started hustling the customers out the door and closed down for the night. That's because the bars received a tip that yet another raid was on for that night and it was imminent. The raid didn't happen. As for why it didn't happen, the only reasons I can come up with are the tip was wrong in the first place, the raid was canceled for some reason, or the police got a tip about the tip and decided to postpone until they can raid with an element of surprise. Your guess is as good as mine.

I received an Email today asking how to get an International Driving Permit. I suppose I should have included that in the article. If I remember, I'll include that in the next revision. Since most readers here come from either the USA, the UK, or Australia here's what to do: 1. If you come from the USA you can obtain one at any AAA office, whether you're a AAA member or not. 2. If you come from the UK, check the following web site: http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/motidp002.html 3. If you come from Australia, check the following web site: http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynr...ers_permits.htm If you are already living in Thailand, you can order an International Driving permit from your home country and have it sent to you by post. You can buy one in Thailand (probably through a Thai travel agent), but it will have no validity in Thailand. I seriously doubt it would be accepted when applying for the Thai driver's license because, according to the international agreement, the permit is valid only in countries other than the country in which it was purchased. But who knows? Things are crazy enough in Thailand that it just might work. It can't hurt anything to try, but I wouldn't go in with much of an expectation that it would be accepted. If anybody actually does try it, please let us know whether or not it was accepted.

That is correct. Most people renew very close to the expiration date of their visa, so the difference in most cases is essentially meaningless. My guess, if you go to renew your visa thirty days before it expires, is you will be told they won't renew it yet and to come back in about three weeks. You're being told this at the Suan Plu immigration office? The solution to that is simple: Don't go the the Suan Plu office. If they really told you that, and if you can be certain that you haven't misunderstood, then that office is making up its own rules. Go somewhere else.

It has come to my attention that some people want the article, but for various reasons (probably because of my reputation for being some sort of control freak son-of-a-bitch) do not wish to register on this message board. In order to download the attachments, you have to be registered. If you do not want to register, but do want the article, just send an Email to me at gaybutton@gmail.com . I'll be glad to send you the article whether you are registered or not.

I'm not sure where you got the idea that you have to renew at least thirty days in advance. That is not correct. You can renew on the very day the visa expires, at least you can in Pattaya. I know. I've done it. As a matter of fact, on that day I got to the immigration office only 40 minutes before they were going to close for the day. I had no problem at all. The letter from the bank can be up to one week old, but no more than that.

Good. Since you have an established Thai bank account, as the Aussies say, "No worries." Just remember that you can withdraw all you want from that account after you obtain the retirement visa, but unless you're going to use the proof-of-income method to renew a year later, then you'll have to make sure 800,000 baht is in your account, and stays there, a full three months before your visa will expire. I know of no reason why the visa-on-entry method wouldn't work in Chiang Mai since it works just fine in Pattaya, but occasionally it seems that different immigration offices just make up their own rules. Things that work in one office sometimes don't necessarily work in other offices. If for some reason you can't get the retirement visa using that method in Chiang Mai, at least you know it will work in Pattaya.

That's right. It's much easier to get the visa once you are in Thailand.

Also, if your friend has to use a CPAP machine, Bumrungrad hospital stocks repair and maintenance parts. If the machine breaks down they can have it repaired or sell him a new one. The same is available via Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital, but they don't keep much in stock. They can order from Bangkok, but it takes four to seven days for the order to arrive in Pattaya.

BUMP I regret that I was unable to personally attend due to the construction work being done on my house. My thoughts were with Robbie today.

1. Incorrect. To my knowledge the 800,000 baht must be in your bank account for the minimum three months even if it's a first-time visa. In that case, what you would need to do, if you don't already have a Thai bank account with that amount in it, would be to enter Thailand with a Type "O" non-immigrant visa, establish a bank account, deposit the 800,000 baht, and apply for the retirement visa shortly before the Type "O" visa expires or get an extension for that visa and wait out the 90 days. I am sure if you enter on a 90-day visa the Immigration office will issue you the retirement visa if you apply for it just a few days before your non-immigrant visa expires (unless you end up being dealt with by some uncooperative anal-retentive creep). 2. I believe you are correct about that one, depending on the expiration date of your retirement visa. The re-entry permit is valid from the date you purchase it until the date your retirement visa expires. If you re-enter Thailand after the expiration date of your retirement visa, then you have to start the whole process all over again. 3. Yes, if you leave Thailand at all, then you must get a re-entry permit or your retirement visa becomes null and void. I know of no exceptions to that rule.