Gaybutton

Note from GB: Despite these bombings, life in Pattaya is perfectly normal. Following the coup, unless you were watching the news you would not have known, in Pattaya, there had been a coup. The same is true after these bombings. Apparently there is a greater police presence in Walking Street, but other than that if there is a significantly greater-than-usual police presence, I have not spotted it. There are, of course, concerns that something could happen in Pattaya, since the city is such a highly popular holiday destination, but at least so far there have been no incidents in Pattaya and people are going about their business routinely, just like any other day. The following articles appear in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Latest Developments: Bomb Type Identified, Chief Investigator Named (BangkokPost.com) Assistant police commissioner-general Jongrak Juthanon has been put in charge of investigating the double wave of bombings which killed three people and injured 38 on New Year's Eve. Coup commander Sonthi Boonyaratkalin cut short his Haj pilgrimage, and flew back to Bangkok this afternoon from Saudi Arabia. Pol Lt Gen Jongrak said he would start by instructing teams to watch tapes made by closed-circuit TV cameras at the Central World Plaza to see if they can spot anyone who might have been involved. Pol Lt Gen Jongrak has built an insider's reputation as a no-nonsense officer. He led the police to try to arrest Thailand's most powerful mafia-type figures, Somchai "Kamnan Poh" Khunpluem of Chong Buri last April. Somchai was long considered so well connected that he was legally untouchable. Meanwhile, the six foreigners known hurt were identified as two Serbians, two Britons, a Hungarian and an American, said Suchila La-oan of the Police General Hospital, where they were sent. Police spokesman Pol Gen Achirawit Suphanphesat said experts have identified the type of bomb used in most of the New Year's Eve incidents. He said they were small, about 5 by 3 by 1 inch, made primarily from ammonium nitrate, and set off by digital clocks. He called them "M-4 bombs". Around Thailand, officials ordered stepped up security, particularly at popular tourist sites in Chiang Mai and in Phuket, although no other incidents were reported outside Bangkok. The caretaker of a Chiang Mai mosque was wounded Monday morning when teenagers on a motorcycle threw a hand grenade at the mosque but the case was believed to be vandalism and not connected to the organised Bangkok bombings. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said "politicians who have lost power" are behind the bombings. "Based on various reports of intelligence agencies and evidence available, it was the work of people who lost political benefits, but I cannot clearly say which particular group was behind it," the prime minister told a news conference. The lawyer for the family of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Noppadol Patama, was quoted on the Matichon newspaper's web site as saying that Mr Thaksin was in China, and not involved in the bombings. The former secretary-general to Mr Thaksin's government, Prommin Lertsuridej, said today he has been invited by the Council for National Security to help them with their enquiries into the bomb blasts. Mr Prommin immediately asked CNS deputy commander Gen Saprang Kanlayanamitr to delay the invitation. Three major private associations will meet Wednesday to confer regarding their responses to the expected negative effects on business and the economy following Bangkok's New Year's Eve bombings, according to Pramon Suthiwong, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Thailand has in the past been recognised as a safe country by foreigners for both tourism and investment, and tourism revenue has been growing steadily, Mr Paramon said. But the very high profile New Year's Eve incidents could definitely affect international tourism. _____ Grenade Thrown at Chiang Mai Mosque Chiang Mai (BangkokPost.com) A grenade apparently thrown by two teenagers on a motorcycle has wounded a man at a mosque in Chiang Mai. Police said the injured man, a Burmese nation who is caretaker of the Chang Klan mosque, was hit by shrapnel from the grenade thrown by the two males on the motorcycle. Chiang Mai is tense after the double wave of bombings in Bangkok, and cancelled all public New Year's Eve festivals in the nothern city. The commander of Provincial Police Region 5 in Chiang Mai, Pol Gen Kittithat Ruenthip, inspected the mosque and vowed thatpolice will find the bombers and take legal actions against them. The province governor has ordered security officials to closely monitor important places, and operate checkpoints 24 hours a day through the holidays, particularly at tourist sites. _____ PM: Politics Behind Bbombs; Thaksin Denies Involvement (dpa) - Military-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on Monday fingered political opponents as the main suspects behind a spate of New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed three people and injured more than 30 others, including at least six foreigners. "Based on our intelligence reports this was the handiwork of a group who will benefit politically," he told a press conference. Surayud, an ex-army commander-in-chief who was appointed premier on October 1 by the military junta that ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said it was unlikely that southern insurgents were behind the bomb attacks. "Whoever did this was trying to create panic during the transition period from the old to the new year when everyone is trying to enjoy themselves, and was trying to make it look like this government cannot assure the people's security," said Surayud. He suggested that the makers of the bombs, some of which were similar to those used by Muslim militants in Thailand's deep South, may have deliberately copied the separatists' style to sow confusion. Altogether seven bombs were detonated in Bangkok and one in nearby Nonthaburi province on Sunday and early Monday. In the first spate of attacks, six bombs and grenades were set off Sunday evening shortly after 6 p.m., killing two Thais and injuring about 25 people. A third victim died in hospital on Monday. Two more bombs were detonated shortly after midnight near the Central World Plaza department store in Bangkok, where a New Year's countdown had been planned but cancelled. Bangkok authorities issued warnings to revellers to cancel their New Year's Eve celebrations shortly after the first spate of attacks. Public countdowns for the New Year were cancelled at Sanam Luang and the Central World Plaza. Numerous western embassies, including Germany's, have issued "cautionary" advisories to their citizens living or travelling in Bangkok and Canada has advised its citizens to avoid the capital if possible. A bomb set off minutes after midnight at the Best Seafood restaurant near Central World Plaza ripped off the leg of one foreigner and injured three others along with two Thais, while a second detonated in a phone booth outside Central World Plaza wounded both foreigners and Thais passing by. All those injured in the World Central Plaza vicinity were taken to the nearby Bangkok Police Hospital. According to hospital sources the injured included two British nationals, two Serbians, one Irish national and one Hungarian. Their names were not immediately available. Bangkok-based political analysts were also inclined to blame the bombs on disgruntled supporters of Thaksin rather than on Muslim militants, arguing that the coordinated attacks were beyond the operational capacity of the southern separatists who have in the past limited their activities to Thailand's three southernmost provinces. "It doesn't add up," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies. "The southern insurgents have been very reluctant to expand their conflict beyond the deep South, which has been an ethno-nationalist separatist movement so far." Until now, despite three years of carnage that have left 1,900 people dead, the southern terrorists have made few attempts to operate outside their three Muslim-majority provinces next to the border with Malaysia. The only other systematic violence witnessed in Thailand in recent months has been the burning of 14 public schools in North-East Thailand, the political stronghold of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party. "I think this ultimately boils down to Thaksin," opined Thitinan. "It's this is political who else would benefit?" But Noppodol Pattama, Thaksin's lawyer and unofficial spokesman, was quick to deny the allegations. "He had nothing to do with it," said Noppodol. "How would the old regime benefit from the tragedy? Thaksin's people would never do anything like that. We love the people. We would never harm the people," he added. Thaksin, a billionaire businessman who held the premiership between 2001 and 2006, is currently living in Beijing and is reportedly seeking to return to Thailand to fight several corruption cases against family members and his political associates. Thus far the military and Prime Minister Surayud have blocked his return, arguing that it would further destabilize the political situation. Thaksin's family fortune is estimated at 2 to 3 billion dollars, giving him considerable clout in Thailand where "money politics" tends to rule.

Most of us who are in Pattaya found out about the bombings within an hour of it happening. In my case, I was having dinner with friends when one received a phone call from his boyfriend who was in Bangkok. He told us what had happened, but it was too soon to have much information as to the details. When we finished, a few of us went to the Corner Bar in Sunee Plaza. That bar has two large screen televisions and that's where we were able to catch up on more of the details. Meanwhile, many of the Thai New Year's Eve revelers were continually setting off fireworks almost directly in front of us. Of course, each one created a loud boom . . . somewhat eerie to hear explosions in light of the news. However, that did not dampen the spirits of New Year's Eve goings on in Pattaya. As far as I know, despite cancellation of events in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand, no events in Pattaya were cancelled and there was no trouble here. People in Pattaya seem to be reacting with shock and surprise, but without fear that bombings will occur here. Everything in Pattaya is proceeding normally. I was somewhat surprised that even a few hours after the Bangkok bombings, I saw no heightened police presence in any of the Pattaya tourist areas. The latest news as to who is behind the bombings is, so far, pure speculation. I have been reading reports that government officials suspect that a radical group of supporters of Thaksin, opposed to the coup, are behind the bombings, but it is too soon for anyone to be certain. Thus far, no groups have claimed responsibility. Some government higher-ups are advising people to remain in their homes today, especially in Bangkok, for fear of even more bombings, but there has not yet been any such official advice. It is also too soon to know whether the bombings will have any effect on the currency exchange rates. Both today and tomorrow are banking holidays in Thailand, so new postings of exchange rates may not be available until Wednesday morning.

There hasn't been any "Flying Farang" stories recently, but now there's a new one. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Dutchman Falls from 20th Floor of Bangkok Apartment A Dutchman was killed after falling from the 20th floor of an apartment building in Bangkok early Sunday, police said. The man was identified as Pudwell Bernd, 40. Police said the man fell from the Boss Mansion Tower on Rama IV Road in Klong Toey district at about 2:45 am. Police said the death was likely an accident and the man might be drunk and fell from his own balcony.

In Pattaya the Mercure is quite close to the Pattayaland-Boyztown area. However, I don't know anything about the hotel. I've never stayed there and I do not know anyone who has. I do not know if the hotel is gay-friendly. It probably is, considering the location, but I can't be sure. Perhaps someone else knows. In Kanchanaburi, the Resotel is an excellent choice, but it is located about a 30 minute drive from the city. It is right on the River Kwai and they do provide transportation to the tourist areas, including the infamous bridge. There are no gay venues in Kanchanaburi, so it really doesn't matter where you stay. However, at the Resotel, since it is outside of the city, there is virtually no chance of having a "guest" join you in your room unless you meet someone in the city and he is willing to come out to the Resotel. That probably will not happen. "Geezer" has stayed at the Resotel. If he sees this message, I'm sure he will be happy to provide you with much more information than I can. In Phitsanulok there are no gay venues. Chiang Saen is just outside of Chiang Rai, between the city and the famous Mai Sai shopping area. I have not been to Chiang Rai in many years. I do know there are one or two gay bars there, but someone else will have to provide you with the latest information about those, and the other hotels on your list.

The ones I can talk about first hand are: Ol

If polygamy is legal in Thailand, that's a new one to me. Apparently it is provided one is a Muslim. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Aree Defends Sonthi Interior Minister Aree Wongsearaya Saturday defended Council for National Security chairman Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin against allegations that he had broken the law by having two registered wives, saying that it was a personal matter. Aree, who like Sonthi is a Muslim, was reacting to a call made on Thursday by an anti-coup group calling itself "Phirab Khao (White Dove) 2006" for Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to sack the junta leader for having allegedly registered two marriages. The interior minister said it was a personal matter that should not be publicised. "They [the anti-coup group] should consider how they can restore harmony to the country rather than try to expose personal matters," he said. Aree said he didn't know whether the Army chief had in fact registered two marriages, but added that whoever was raising the issue should desist because it was damaging rather than constructive. "This government has the objective to solve the problems of the country; why do they have to create conflict rather than harmony? If they want to criticise, let's talk about the [government's] work" he said. Aree said Muslim men could have four wives according to tradition. "I have six wives while the CNS chief has only two, so it is nothing to talk about," he said. The Nation

From where I'm sitting, nearly everything has returned to normal and normal speeds. I checked the various gay Thailand web sites and had no problems getting into any of them, with the exception of the Sawatdee forum. For the past few days, when I try to check that forum, I get the following: _____ Not Found The requested URL /favicon.ico was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. _____ I don't know if others are getting that message, but that's what I'm seeing.

I think Monty's is more of a guesthouse. It's not a stupid question at all. I understand what you mean. I have not seen any of the rooms at Monty's since the renovations, but only yesterday I had a look at the exterior and the lobby area. I agree with "Brief's" post in which he says it is looking far better than before. It certainly does and would probably be a very good choice.

If it were me, I would check the discount airfare web sites to see what kind of a deal you can get. If you don't find anything that seems to be a particularly good discount, then I would advise you to buy the ticket in Thailand. It was invariably my experience that buying tickets on the Thailand end was significantly less expensive than buying them on the USA end. Since you live in the USA, I also suggest contacting the same travel agent I have been recommending for many years: Rhonda, at Norcross Travel. She specializes in travel to Thailand and was always able to get airfares for me at hundreds of dollars less than any other source. I have no idea whether she can get you a good discount for travel between Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, but it's worth a try. Her toll free number is 1-888-888-7157. Ask to speak specifically to Rhonda.

Is it as great as the rest of your post? Nobody's asking you to leave this forum. Whether you do or not is your choice. If you think my remarks were directed solely at you, then you're wrong. When I referred to "experts" I was referring to the whole gamut of people who love to post without any idea of what they're talking about, and that's what I'm tired of reading. You're the one who came out with the absurd comment, "Me thinks ToT feeds this to the press because crime is way out of control in the tourist areas. And in an attempt to fool the tourists provide these stories." Sorry if you're all bent out of shape as to the way I responded to your post, but I stand by every word I wrote. Now you're saying,"What I did say is that Thais that work the tourist areas will rip you off or cheat you. I did not imply or suggest it was nationwide. As a matter of fact I said specifically that it was the tourist areas." Oh, ok. I get it now. It's not the whole country. It's just the tourist areas. Well, for fear of getting your dander up again, I'll let you decide for yourself what I think of that comment.

Hah! Yes, I see what you mean. An unfortunate choice of words on my part. . .

I'm sure I speak for everyone when I wish you the best of luck for your surgery and a speedy, full recovery. In all the years Gaypattayan has done his weekly reports, upon which so many of us rely, this is the first time he has ever had to miss publishing one.

One week ago the news was reporting that we could expect the baht to have reached up to an exchange rate of 37 to the US dollar by today. So far, it's not exactly working out that way. Now the predictions are that the baht will fall again next week. Considering that most of the predictions rarely turn out to be accurate, it's more likely anybody's guess. The financial brouhaha caused by the actions of the Bank of Thailand was supposed to stop the rise of the baht. Meanwhile, at this moment we're right back to where we were when all of this got started. The exchange rates as of Saturday, December 30, at 8:55 AM, Thailand time are: US dollar: 35.17 Euro: 46.30 British pound: 68.715 Australian dollar: 27.5575 Canadian dollar: 30.0075

You don't? What you do or do not believe is your own affair, but quite frankly I'm tired of seeing posts from "experts" who attempt to portray Thailand as nothing but a nest of prostitutes and thieves whose sole purpose in life is doing everything possible to rip off "farang." That is simply not true. Sure, there are serious problems with theft and dishonesty in Thailand, and Pattaya has more than its share. But there are also plenty of good, honest people, and that includes boys, who wouldn't dream of taking anything that doesn't belong to them or isn't offered and will also bend over backwards to help people when they can. Considering that you are posting under the handle 'freeyourmind,' perhaps you ought to free your own mind and be a lot less narrow minded. I suppose if enough "experts" post enough nonsense about what goes on in Thailand, then people start assuming it must be true. Meanwhile, all this stuff about the Thais being a nation of thieves and prostitutes and, while we're at it, along with posters who insist that going to Sunee Plaza means you're a pedophile, is nothing but a bunch of crap.

I certainly can vouch for Clubbing Club. Located in the heart of Sunee Plaza, this restaurant is fantastic. The location is perfect. Some of you may remember the Nok Nok bar. That changed hands and became the Spotlight. Now it's the Clubbing Club. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating (no smoking indoors) and even a beer garden. Chef Eric sees to it that everything is to your satisfaction and also sees to it that you are having a good time. The food is excellent and beautifully presented. The prices are quite reasonable. A typical dinner will run between 200 to 300 baht and you're not going to walk away hungry, that's for sure! I highly recommend this restaurant. I tried it for the first time last week and a group of us are going again tonight. This restaurant is a certain winner. I have a feeling that those of you who enjoy Sunee Plaza are going to fall in love with this restaurant. When you are in Pattaya, don't miss this restaurant.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ AIRPORT BOASTS FADE TO IGNOMINY Slipshod Work Could Force Partial Closure Suvarnabhumi airport's opening on Sept 28 was a major event of 2006. But boasting about its world-class facilities quickly faded as revelations of slipshod construction led to a countdown to its partial closure for repairs. Planning for the airport, at Nong Ngu Hao (cobra swamp) in Samut Prakan, began over four decades ago, with its opening repeatedly postponed from 2000. Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra took a personal interest in pushing for its early opening, including putting pressure on the builders by camping out at the site with his cabinet. His government made much of the airport having the largest single terminal and tallest air traffic control tower. Despite the change of government after the Sept 19 coup, authorities managed to open Suvarnabhumi on schedule. But it was not long before they found that the previous postponements were not enough to ensure a well-built, efficient airport. New problems kept surfacing. The passenger terminal roof leaked and there was inadequate lighting at night. During the daytime, sunlight pouring in through the terminal's glass structure makes working conditions uncomfortable for immigration police in the departure zone. They must depend on makeshift sunshades. The floors of the terminal have numerous cracks and the concreting is rough and unfinished. Taxiways and airport parking bays are also cracked, a consequence of building the airport on top of a swamp. The revolving doors have proven impractical with 17 of the 26 having broken down, and their glass panes have also cracked. Airports of Thailand (AoT) will replace them with sliding doors _ at a cost of at least 10 million baht. There are too few toilets and the toilet areas are too far apart. Authorities have admitted that space originally designated for toilets was instead given over to shops. Excessive shopping outlets and food and beverage facilities make for narrow walking passages in the terminal. Passengers must struggle through the shopping areas to reach their departure gates. Arriving passengers exiting customs are channelled into narrow walkways squeezed between shops and vending outlets. The crowded passages are packed with touts for expensive airport limousines. The fire-fighting systems and fire exits are also different from the original design. Recently, Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um admitted that essential repairs and improvements to the three-month-old airport would require its partial closure. Pending completion of the task, the 92-year-old Don Muang airport would have to be reactivated. AoT board member Yodyiam Theptranont, who has closely studied Suvarnabhumi's problems, said the estimated cost of the work was at least 1.5 billion baht. The problems are being discussed with airport designers and contractors, who will draw up detailed lists and set priorities. The countdown to Suvarnabhumi's partial closure is already ticking away. Apart from the physical problems, Suvarnabhumi has managerial and workflow problems as well. Staff are still unfamiliar with the luggage handling system. At peak hours, check-in queues for Thai Airways International stretch outside the terminal. Queues for public metered taxis snake outside on the ground level in a semi-orderly fashion, with chits issued to drivers and passengers, but drivers of illegal taxis prey on arrivals indoors. Ongoing construction leaves laborers working near passengers and this has led to complaints of sexual harassment.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Quake Outage Shows Need for Backups Taiwan tremor highlights the fragility of the telecoms network By TANALEE SMITH AND PETER SVENSSON Singapore - A few seconds of undersea quaking was all it took to cause massive telecommunications disruptions throughout tech-savvy Asia, where internet services slowed or stopped, phone lines went dead and financial transactions ground to a halt. Analysts and industry insiders said the service disruption _ caused by the rupture of two undersea data transmission cables in Tuesday's earthquake in Taiwan _ is a sign of the vulnerability the world's telecommunications network, which was frenetically built out at the height of the internet boom, but has since attracted little investment. However, activity is picking up, and the quake outage could open eyes to the need for more backup links. ''We are so accustomed to being connected at all points that it does shock people when suddenly it's no longer there,'' said telecommunications analyst Tim Dillon. ''Particularly in this region, which is tremendously connected in terms of mobile [phone], data and internet use.'' On Thursday, long-distance telephone connections were elusive and internet speeds remained slow _ and in some areas non-existent _ in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea. It is expected to take weeks to fully repair the links. ''I haven't experienced anything like this before,'' said Francis Lun, general manager at Fulbright Securities, one of many Hong Kong financial firms that were forced to conduct business by telephone on Wednesday. ''We've become too dependent on these optic fibres _ a few of them get damaged, and everything collapses. Many lost the opportunity to make fast money.'' Breaks in the undersea cables are not uncommon _ the culprits include earthquakes, volcanos, fishing trawlers, ship anchors and nibbling sharks. For this reason, fibre links are generally built as loops. For instance, FLAG Telecom's North Asia Loop runs undersea from Hong Kong to Taiwan to Korea to Japan, then takes another route back to Hong Kong. If one link in the loop breaks, data will automatically be switched to flow the other way around the ring, and customers would ideally not even notice a change. Outages occur when too many links break at the same time on too many rings. The sea bottom south of Taiwan, where the earthquake occurred, may have a dozen cables running in a relatively small area (though the exact location of the cables is usually not publicised by the owners, typically groups of telecommunications companies). In a similar event, a magnitude-6.8 earthquake in Algeria in 2003 damaged cables in the Mediterranean, cutting links to France and slowing down internet access across the Middle East. Part of the problem with this week's break may have been that a number of providers in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia may have rerouted US-bound traffic through Europe to avoid the cut south of Taiwan. But there is just a handful of cables leading west. ''The cable routes to Europe are overcrowded,'' said Mr Dillon, senior research director with US-based Current Analysis, which studies the telecom industry. Before the internet, satellites were a viable backup to land and sea links for international phone calls. But satellites can't carry the volume of internet traffic that fibre-optic cables enable. Using them is expensive, limiting them to ''mission critical'' purposes, said Duncan Clark of the Beijing-based consultancy BDA China. That leaves Asia relying largely on high-speed cables running under the Pacific Ocean all the way to North America, still the technology and communications giant. There are about 15 of these cables. Most of the high-capacity ones were installed in 2001, when companies raced to capitalise on what they thought was an imminent surge in demand for internet traffic. But demand grew slower than expected, and the building boom ended badly for investors in companies like Global Crossing and MCI. Now, internet traffic is starting to take a serious bite out of the immediately available capacity on the cables, though they can still be upgraded or ''lit'' by additional laser beams to carry more data. But the Taiwan earthquake demonstrates that capacity is not everything: a big seismic event can affect many cables if they run close together. Earlier this month, a consortium announced plans to lay a new US$500 million cable that should provide some more redundancy, enhancing a lower-speed system that serves as the lone direct link between the United States and China. The consortium for the 11,000-mile (17,700-km) system includes New York-based Verizon Communications Inc, China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom and companies in South Korea and Taiwan. Construction is due to begin in the next three months and end in the third quarter of 2008. ''That cable will assist in providing additional restoration, additional redundant routes, because obviously it's a very active region in terms of seismic activity,'' Verizon spokesman Gil Broyles said. With the cable in place, Mr Broyles said, Verizon has the opportunity to go beyond the usual ''ring'' structure and configure a ''mesh architecture''. Instead of routing in one of two directions around a loop, meshed systems have more than two routes to each endpoint. Verizon earlier this month completed a mesh system under the Atlantic, the ocean with by far the greatest amount of data traffic. ''The undersea cable in the Atlantic is a little bit more of a mature infrastructure,'' Mr Broyles said. ''We basically combine six cable routes within one system so that customer traffic can survive even multiple cuts.'' That makes the Atlantic an unlikely place for a major outage, but it could still happen elsewhere. Stephan Beckert, an analyst at Washington-based research firm TeleGeography, points out that there is just one high-speed cable loop, the Southern Cross, connecting Australia and New Zealand to the US. The two strands of the loop both run through Hawaii (though over different islands), a seismically active archipelago. AP

At present, most of the web sites I access are running normally again, including the ones that are not working for you. From what I am being told, the problems were caused by damage to under-sea cables, most of which are fiber optics. I don't know much about how fiber optics work, but I do know enough to understand that whatever you're trying to access has to pass through the fiber optics. Your location determines which sets of fiber optics through which your access is routed. As soon as they have it repaired, then you should be able to access everything as normal. It's a question of time now. I have also been told it will take another day or two before everything is restored. Now all we have to do is hope that a major after shock doesn't destroy the whole kit and caboodle again.

Note from GB: I've posted about this many times, and this time of year might be a good time to post again. Tourists are being victimized by criminals. We constantly read about bag snatchings, gold chain snatchings, people being drugged and then 'rolled,' pickpockets, and just about anything else you can think of. Most of these robberies occur late at night, beyond the 1:00 AM bar closing times. Most of the time the victims are alone and in areas that are not well lit and are not crowded. That's not to say that these crimes don't also occur in broad daylight. Most of the gold chain snatchings occur in broad daylight. My advice is to try to stay in well-lit areas, where there are plenty of other people. Late at night, stay in the tourist areas. Don't go wandering into remote areas. If you sport gold chains or other gold jewelery, these days you're literally asking to be a target for a snatcher. Leave the gold chains in your room safe. Carry only the amount of cash you will need at one time. Pattaya has employed the use of 900 Thai military personnel to patrol the streets in an effort to help fight these kinds of crimes. The police department simply does not have the manpower to ensure safety for all. Even with the military personnel, that's not much help if you're wandering around alone, outside of areas where you belong, in the middle of the night. The following appears in PATTAYA PEOPLE: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000002203 CUNNING ROBBERS EMPLOY NEW TRICKS TO ROB TOURISTS Police Lieutenant Colonel, Tailert Leupeu, on duty at Dongtan Police Box, at the corner of Jomtien Beach Road, responded to a call at about 2.00 am on 29th December concerning an Indian tourist, who had been attacked by a robber. When the police arrived at the scene, only 1 km from the police station, they found Mr. Mohammed Zakir (38), an Indian National, in a terrible state with his face and his clothes covered in pepper, desperately calling out for help, and frantically rubbing his eyes. He was also attempting to run into the sea to wash the pepper out of his eyes. The police rendered immediate assistance and sent him to the hospital for proper treatment. The Indian victim told the police that he was a businessmen from India, involved in import and exports. He had came to Thailand to visit friends, who run several tailoring shops on Walking Street, Pattaya. Early last night, before heading back to his hotel, he decided to go for a walk on Jomtien beach, not very far from the police station. On his walk, he was suddenly set upon by a bag-snatcher, who had been hiding near the beach, and who threw pepper in his face. He was in shock and temporarily blinded, but still tried to prevent his bag from being stolen. Sadly, without avail, as the snatcher succeeded in pulling it from his shoulder. His bag contained US$550, his passport, 10,500 Baht, 7,000 Indian Rupees, an Ipod player, two shirts, a pair of jeans and his return plane ticket; approximate total value: 50,000 Baht. The police assumed the robbers were really well-prepared. However, they are pursuing inquiries and searching for the robbers and will inform the press about any developments. They do reiterate, however, that it is not advisable to go alone to isolated areas at such times in the morning.

Has it really come to this? Now we're going to have arguments over what speed at which someone connects to the Internet? Sheeeesh! Is there anything people don't argue about?

The December 29 edition of the PATTAYA MAIL includes a report about a French "farang" who has been arrested for picking up young boys in Sunee Plaza, taking them to his apartment, filming himself having sex with them, and then posting what he films on the Internet. Somehow the phrase "total dumbass" comes to mind. To read the article, click the following link: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd9

I can now confirm that the new regulations do not prohibit smoking in bars.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Health Bill Withdrawn from Second Reading The controversial clause about patients' right to die in the National Health Bill Thursday sparked heated debate during the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) session. NLA yesterday deliberated the bill in the second reading. According to Section 10 of the bill, a person shall have the right to make a written statement declaring his or her intention not to receive medical treatments that serve only to delay his or her death in the terminal stage of his or her life, or not to receive the medical treatments for the purpose of ending the suffering from his or her illness. The statement shall be prepared in line with procedures and criteria prescribed by ministerial regulations. NLA member General Chamlong Srimuang supported the patients' right to die, citing the case of the late monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu as an example. The famous monk, who passed away in 1993, made an express intention to pass away not using a respirator to cling on to life in the last stage of his life. "However, his followers asked that the respirator be used. This is against his intention," Chamlong said. Ampon said this legal clause, if enforced, would protect people's right to choose whether they wanted to live on. However, NLA member Pathumporn Watcharasathien expressed concerns about the "terminal stage" in the provision. "Who will define the terminal stage?" she questioned. She said some patients could live on much longer than what doctors previously estimated. Pathumporn suggested that at least three specialists would be required for a comment that the patients were in the terminal stage of their lives. NLA member Somkiat Onwimon complained that this clause was against doctor's ethics. "How can a person is authorised to say that this or that person should die? It's abuse of human rights," he said. After heated debate, the controversial clause managed to get the green light from NLA. However, the second reading of the National Health Bill still hit snags on several other sections. "This bill contains many flaws," NLA member Borwornsak Uwanno said. The Nation

BANGKOK, Dec 28 (TNA) Don Muang Airport, recently decommissioned as Thailand's primary international airport, will be turned into a regional aircraft maintenance and civil aviation training centre, according to an official responsible for drawing up a development plan for Bangkok's former international airport. Boonrit Saowaprurk, director of the Civil Aviation Training Centre, said that the plan would see Don Muang Airport emerge as the region's aircraft maintenance hub within the next four years, rivalling Singapore. It hopes to gain up to a quarter of the market, sharing Bt5 billion revenue (US$138.8 million). If the plan is approved by the transport ministry, Mr. Boonrit said, work would start immediately on the south of the runways to build a large aircraft maintenance facility. This would involve an investment outlay of Bt600-700 million (US$19 million). He expressed confidence that with Thailand's geographical advantage as the centre in the Southeast Asian mainland, the new facility would win over businesses from Singapore, currently the regional hub for commercial aircraft maintenance business. "Globally, aircraft servicing is worth over Bt 500 billion. Singapore currently has about a fifth of that market. If we can share about a quarter of that, it would be worth Bt25 billion (US$694 million)," Mr. Boonrit told reporters. According to the plan, the domestic terminal would be developed into a civil aviation training centre while the two international terminals would be left unchanged in case the government decided to make use of the retired airport in the future. In October, a month after commercial flights moved to Suvarnabhumi Airport, the National Economic and Social Advisory Council suggested that Don Muang Airport could further serve the aviation industry, including being a locus for chartered flights and that the airport could become an aircraft maintenance centre for Thailand and as a hub for providing spare aircraft parts. Aviation Department director-general Chaisak Angkasuwan earlier rejected a plea by budget air carriers to return their operations to Don Muang, saying that the move would double the overhead expenses in keeping both airports in operation simultaneously. The region's low-cost airlines are reported to be unhappy with the higher costs they are encountering at the new Bangkok airport, in particular the fees for parking aircraft. (TNA)-E110

As of 6:20 AM, in Thailand, now this board is loading much faster, almost at normal speed, but it is still slow going. But it is dramatically faster than just a few hours ago.