Gaybutton

A highly popular gay hotel in the Sunee Plaza area is Howard's. You'll find all the information at the following URL: http://www.howards-pattaya.net

And a special thanks to you for providing this web site. Happy holidays to all.

BANGKOK, Dec 23 (TNA) Worries over new reserve measures on local banks aimed at curbing short-term capital inflows coupled with the upcoming holidays, are likely to depress both the Thai baht and the stock market next week, according to a report issued by Kasikorn Research Centre. The report said the baht -- which slipped to Bt36.41 against the dollar late Friday -- is expected to move within Bt36.20-Bt37.00 per dollar next week due to various factors. These factors include reserves to be made by commercial banks in anticipation of large withdrawals by customers ahead of New Year while investors are still concerned about the direction of Thai currency and overseas banks closed because of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Late Monday (Dcember 18), the Bank of Thailand (BoT) shocked both the currency and equity markets with its announcement that foreign inflows would be subject to a 30 per cent reserve requirement. But Pridiyathorn Devakula, deputy prime minister and finance minister, clarified Tuesday night that the order would not be applied to foreign direct investment (FDI) and equity investments after the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index tumbled 14.84 per cent and over Bt800 billion in value was wiped out in the market's largest one-day loss since the SET established 31 years ago. The SET composite index, closed at 680.31 points on Friday, down 7.6 per cent from a week ago, is expected to continue retreating next week due to persisting worry about the central bank's new measures. The BoT is scheduled to announce key economic data for November next Friday. Most investors will be absent from the market due to the year-end holidays. (TNA)-E111

Despite the fact that Hedda and I disagree on this, if he was a lawyer I would indeed want him as my defense attorney. A good attorney will provide the best possible defense for his client, and I can't think of anyone who could do it better. What some fail to realize is that it's actually possible to disagree with people and still hold the greatest respect for them.

Two Faces, in Jomtien Complex is hosting a Christmas Eve charity party. The details are in the file below. I copies their flier verbatim. Obviously it was not written by a native English speaker, but I think you'll get the idea. This is the flier that was distributed at the beach. I'm sorry, but I do not have any information other than the flier. I do not know what charity is to be the recipient of the proceeds or what percent of the gross will be donated.

Just one. Most of the time when boys order a drink, it's a soft drink. From what I have been told, they get a 20 baht commission for a soft drink and get nothing for a hard drink or beer. Also, I believe, but I am not sure, that the drinking age applies to customers, not to people working in the bar. As I said, I am not sure on this one, but it is my understanding that as long as a boy is at least 18 years old and is drinking as an employee of the bar, then no law is being violated. That makes no sense at all, so that's why it's probably true. Nevertheless, perhaps someone who knows more about it can clarify it for us.

Well, golly gee. And all this time I thought I was an incomplete dunce.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Phuket Struggles to Handle Excess Waste Garbage Overload Puts Resort Island in Crisis ACHADTAYA CHUENNIRAN Phuket _ Provincial officials are struggling to prevent the island province from being flooded with garbage as an increasing amount of waste has placed the resort island in crisis. The province's waste incinerator, with 250 tonnes-a-day capacity, cannot cope with the 450 tonnes of garbage a day, said Nakhon Phuket Municipality chief Somjai Suwansupana. She blamed inefficient garbage sorting for the high volume of waste and the poor operations of the incinerator as organic waste hindered the incineration system. Previously, the municipality hired a private firm to sort garbage but it did not work out. It now plans to build a second incinerator, Mrs Somjai said. The burner costs around 1.3 billion baht which, she says, is affordable given the municipality's revenues. Besides, she said, the municipality is preparing to ask for a government subsidy. However, an environmentalist is cautioning against the plan, which is seen as a short-term measure. Piriyut Wanapruk, director of the Development of Environment and Energy Foundation, said the island needed better waste management to reduce garbage. He said authorities should encourage local communities to sort the garbage because different types required different methods of disposal. The foundation, which conducted a study on Phuket's waste management found that the waste was composed largely of organic waste, or ''wet garbage,'' leftovers and other residues from households and hotel kitchens. This waste is causing a problem for the incinerator because its dampness requires the burner to use more electricity, resulting in lower efficiency. It must be buried, but the island's landfill is inadequate. In an attempt to reduce the amount of rubbish, provincial officials have asked two municipalities _ tambon Thep Kasatri and tambon Choeng Talay, to join a pilot project to make use of the garbage. They are being urged to turn the organic waste into fertiliser. A first fertiliser factory was built last year in tambon Thep Kasatri and a second is expected to be constructed soon in tambon Choeng Talay. To solve the problem long run, the province must curb the increase in its garbage each year from 7% now to less than 5%, Mr Piriyut said.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Film Festival Postponed Until July KONG RITHDEE The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has decided to postpone the Bangkok International Film Festival from next month to July 2007, TAT announced yesterday. It cited the recent decision of a potential cinema venue not to proceed with further discussions with TAT because of financial considerations as the main reason. Last year the festival took place at Paragon Cineplex of Siam Paragon shopping mall. According to TAT, every Bangkok multiplex expects to reap big business from the Jan 18 release of MC Chatrichalerm Yukol's ''The Legend of King Naresuan'', and is reluctant to spare screens for the festival. Originally, the festival was scheduled to take place from Jan 29 to Feb 5. TAT last month cancelled a contract with the American firm which ran the festival for the past four years. In an unexpected move, the tourism board has invited Kriangsak Silakong, director of the competing World Film Festival of Bangkok, to serve as the festival's interim director

While Pattaya is enjoying some of the finest weather we've had in quite some time, other areas of Thailand are not so fortunate, as the following article by TNA illustrates: _____ Three Provinces Declared Disaster Zones Due to Strong Waves SONGKHLA, Dec 22 (TNA) Four-metre (13 ft) waves in the Gulf of Thailand pounding several coastal areas prompted three Thai southern provinces -- Songkhla, Surat Thani, and Nakhon Si Thammarat -- to declare disaster emergency zones along their shorelines. Songkhla governor Sonthi Thechanun has declared coastal areas in two districts -- Ranod district and Chana district -- as disaster zones following powerful waves hitting the shorelines there. The local meteorological department forecast that strong winds and rough seas in the Gulf of Thailand would continue through Saturday (December 23). Songkhla's head of the disaster prevention and mitigation said that the pounding waves damaged 15 seafront houses and a road in two districts. Agencies concerned will build temporary shoreline breakwaters to prevent more damage. In Surat Thani, four-metre waves washed away 22 houses in a fishing village in Tha Chana district and about 50 people became displaced. Five metre waves and rough seas continued on Friday. Surat Thani governor Niwat Sawatkaew is cooperating with local military units to help evacuate people in 150 village households to safe areas. A sandbag embankment was built as a breakwater and a school in the village closed indefinitely until the situation returns to normal. In Donsak district, surging waves damaged eight houses, leaving 30 villagers homeless. The governor has declared Tha Chana district and Donsak district disaster zones and ordered all small boats anchored. In Nakhon Si Thammarat, the 54 kilometre shoreline from Huasai district to Laem Talumphuk in Pak Phanang district is also a critical area, following high waves that smashed the shores and caused inundation in the two districts. (TNA)-E004

Best of luck to you and to whoever ends up with Niddy's Nook. One question . . . what about your service that provides a means for "farang" to be able to send money, at an excellent discount, to their Thai boyfriends? Will that continue at least until the restaurant is sold? Do you have plans to continue offering that service after the restaurant has been sold?

I'm glad you at least managed to get the call through after all the frustration. I hope things go smoother for you from now on.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Details of the Pattaya New Year Countdown 2007 Released The New Year is now just over one week away and one of the highlights on Pattaya

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I don't understand what you mean by, "did not response over claiming." In any case, I hope you give the restaurant another try. I think the majority of people who have been there feel as I do, that it is an excellent restaurant. I once had a bad experience at Lux'or, but that doesn't mean it's not a great restaurant. It is a great restaurant, but there are nights when everything just goes wrong, and that sometimes happens to every restaurant.

I wonder if those who felt I was wrong about suggesting a caning for this guy still feel the same way, in light of the article Wowpow posted. I don't know about you, but given a choice between a caning or 75 years in prison, I'd say a sore ass would be the better choice. Thailand does not take kindly to this sort of crime and I would guess that also applies to prisoners. Unfortunately for this person, I don't think he'll have to worry about 75 days in prison, much less 75 years, once the other prisoners realize why he's there. My guess is he's in for an experience, to put it as mildly as possible, that few would envy. In any case, in Thailand you do not . . . repeat: do not deliberately insult His Majesty the King. What on earth possessed this man to do such a thing goes beyond me.

Many of you know Hugh Millar from the days when he was a manger at The Ambiance. Many of you also know that when the Mata Hari restaurant moved from it's prior location to the new Jomtien location, Hugh took over the premises and created the Symphony Brasserie. As the review explains, Hugh has dropped the 'brasserie' part and it is now the Symphony restaurant. I can't recommend the restaurant highly enough. Hugh does a marvelous job there at very reasonable prices. The food is always excellent, beautifully presented, and the service is superb. If you have not tried the Symphony restaurant, then you are missing a wonderful dining experience. You can read the review at: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/dining.shtml

What do you think is going to happen with the exchange rate? With all the publicity about the Bank of Thailand's recent interventions and the Thai stock market crash, I was expecting the baht to take a very hard hit. It hasn't happened, at least not yet. At the moment of posting this message, the exchange rate 36.29 baht to the US dollar. That certainly is a difference since only a short time ago, the exchange rate nearly went below 35 to the US dollar. But from all the publicity I was expecting the baht to weaken considerably more than it has. I thought we might be seeing exchange rates getting close to 38 or 39 to the US dollar as a result. What do you think is going to happen? I'll start off by saying I think the baht will weaken slightly more, and then stabilize. I don't foresee the baht falling below 37 to the US dollar any time soon.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Monday is D-Day for Struggling Elite Card CHATRUDEE THEPARAT The future of the Elite Card, a pet project of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra intended to attract affluent tourists, is expected to be decided on Monday. Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani will be presented with two options for the future of Thailand Privilege Card Co (TPC), the government-owned company set up to market the Elite Card. The first option is to dissolve the company and the second is to continue it but with a clearer financial plan and closer supervision by the ministry to ensure that it could generate income. However, dissolving TPC could be risky as the government could be sued by existing cardholders, said Seri Wangpaichitr, a former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor who sits on a committee that's evaluating several projects initiated by the former government. TPC was set up to sell and manage memberships of the one-million baht Elite Card that promises a wide range of lifetime privileges to well-heeled tourists. Holders receive fast-track immigration clearance, multiple-entry visas and discounts at hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas, golf courses and more. Mr. Thaksin gave the company a target of one million members by 2008, but so far only 1,734 cards have been sold. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) owns 100% of TPC with registered capital of 500 million baht. TPC's four authorised agents will hold a press conference today on the company's performance and marketing plan for 2007 to 2010. According to a source familiar with the venture, the agents would call on the government to continue TPC, saying they have already conducted marketing activities in several countries. They projected that within three to five years, the company would play a significant role in promoting the Thai tourism industry, generating both direct and indirect investment of up to 15 billion baht.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Don Muang May be Re-Opened: Official The government is considering reopening Bangkok's old international airport, just three months after it closed to make way for the much-heralded Suvarnabhumi airport, an official said Thursday. Chiaisak Angkasuwan, director general of the civil aviation department, said there was a chance commercial flights would resume at Don Muang airport because of unsolved problems at Suvarnabhumi, which means 'golden land' in Thai. "We are considering reopening Don Muang airport as problems at Suvarnabhumi airport have yet to be resolved due to poor management," said Chiaisak. "Don Muang could be reopened for domestic flights and those of low-cost airlines, but I could not say when," he told AFP. The decades-old Don Muang closed its operations on September 28 when all commercial flights moved to Suvarnabhumi airport, which the government boasted would be Southeast Asia's largest aviation hub. But almost three months after opening, the new airport has lingering problems led by inadequate bathrooms and seating areas, dirtiness and safety concerns for female flight attendants, who have complained of sexual harassment by construction workers at the site. Low-cost airline operators have asked airport officials to let them move back to Don Muang, saying the new airport has become congested and their costs rose after relocation to Suvarnabhumi. Agence France-Presse

Well, BKKvisitor, please let us know. Were you finally able to get your call to go through?

Property purchases have been declared exempt from the new rules. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ FOREIGN INVESTMENT BOT Steps Could Lead to Pull-Out Upside is a Badly Needed Weakening of the Baht: S&P While controls on short-term capital inflows in Thailand have succeeded in stemming further speculative inflows, they could also trigger a pull-out of foreign funds already invested in the Kingdom, says a report published today by Standard and Poor's Ratings Services. Entitled "Capital Controls Come at a Cost to Thailand", the report also reveals that the country's new capital controls have spawned tighter domestic financing conditions, harmed the Bank of Thailand's reputation, and made investors cautious. "Foreign investors will now be far more wary of investing in Thai financial markets," said Standard and Poor's credit analyst Kim Eng Tan. "This will lead to higher funding costs in the Kingdom, with negative implications for the prices of debt and equity assets. "Although this should not harm Thai economic prospects in the near term, it could adversely affect domestic investment if planned government capital spending leads to the reappearance of current account deficits. This is because such deficits would increase Thailand's reliance on foreign financing." The Bank of Thailand's latest controls initially triggered a wave of volatility across Asian financial markets, accentuated by the seasonally low liquidity in most financial markets as traders closed their books for the year. The disruption came at a time of significant concern regarding near-term market conditions, with an expected slowdown in global economic growth in 2007 Nevertheless, although the losses in Thailand outpaced those of elsewhere, most markets have since recovered. Moreover, the implementation of capital controls in Thailand is unlikely to heighten perceptions of risk in Asian markets, as financial market volatility is likely to dissipate in the short-term unless the region suffers another significant negative shock or abrupt policy adjustments, said S&P. "Barring a further significant negative shock, the volatility in Asian financial markets should subside in the near term," said Kim Eng Tan. "The healthier external balance sheets of both Asian central banks and corporations also make the recurrence of a 1997-type financial crisis unlikely. Asked to comment on the S&P report, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula dismissed the notion that the S&P might have lowered the rating of Thailand. "Normally, the credit-rating agencies would assess an incident in a country. It would not affect the credit rating of Thailand. The measure had a short-term impact. S&P also urged Asian governments to balance their instincts against exchange rate volatility and appreciation, as well as the need to focus on the fundamental determinants of competitiveness. However, Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Kosit Panpiamras said the coordination of policy might be difficult to be realised because each country has to take care of itself. He added a decision to adjust credit rating would certainly affect the cost of businesses in raising funds. S&P gave Thailand's foreign currency a rating of BBB+ (long-term) and A-2 (short-term), while the local currency rating is rated A (long-term) and A-1 (short-term). The long-term rating outlook is rated stable. Some foreign investors yesterday pulled their money out of the country after Black Tuesday. The baht fell against the dollar, closing at 36.42-44 from Wednesday's 35.80-90. Demand for dollars yesterday increased as foreigners reduced portfolios in the Thai equity bourse and Thai importers bought dollars as they were afraid of the weaker baht. But, on the other hand, some exporters are satisfied by an appropriate rate of exchange and have sold out their foreign-currency incomes. BOT governor Tarisa Watanagase said the weakening baht was caused by foreigners selling out Thai stocks. This was in line with the central bank's purpose to halt the rapid appreciation of the baht. Earlier, the baht had rapidly headed north no matter which direction the dollar moved, while other Asian currencies have shifted in a reverse path of the dollar. "The measure helped to break the one-way direction of the baht and the momentum has already ceased. The baht is not weakening too rapidly now. We continue to closely monitor it," said the governor. Aside the action of foreign investors, the weak baht was also a result of importers' purchases of the dollar for goods and service payments. But the demand for the dollar was not too high, said Pongpen Ruengvirayudh, the BOT's senior director of the Financial Markets Operations Group. Tarisa believes some foreign investors, who have already sold out Thai stocks, continue to park their money domestically and wait for the proper time of the bourse to recover. She had a talk with a long-term foreign fund operator, which was satisfied with the drawback policy and decided to maintain its money in the Kingdom The governor said that the efficiency of the reserve requirement measure would be apparently seen at the beginning of next year because the market turnover was currently too thin to reflect the actual transactions due to the holiday season. Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand also issued an announcement on their website on December 21 stating that property including land and condominiums is exempt from the reserve requirement on short-term capital inflows. Foreign purchasers of condominiums can bring funds into Thailand to purchase condominium property. According to a major local bank, foreign condominium purchasers should clearly state the project name and unit number when remitting funds. Aliwassa Pathnadabutr, managing director of CB Richard Ellis Thailand, said that the company welcomes this clarification, which means that foreign property purchasers are not affected by the new regulations. "We believe that this will reassure existing and potential property purchasers," she added There are still many foreigners who want to purchase condominiums in Thailand both to live in and as long-term investment. The rental market remains strong and the prospects for capital appreciation are good for projects in locations with limited supply and a scarcity of development sites. The negative impact on the real estate sector following currency controls recently introduced by the BOT has become evident. A number of foreign investors planning to conclude major acquisitions in the Thai property market before Christmas have immediately put their plans on hold, says Longlom Bunnag, chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle. Foreign investors' sentiment and confidence were negatively affected by the BOT's action on currency controls. Though BOT announced that the currency control measure would not apply to foreign investment in the property sector, this has apparently failed to restore the confidence of foreign investors in the Thai property sector. "All overseas investors who we are dealing with in the process of acquiring property in Thailand have immediately ceased their plans and applied a 'wait and see' approach. Though we believe that these investors remain keen to invest in the Thai property market, it will likely take some time before foreign investment activity in the market resumes, at least until the Thai government finds out how to reinstate foreign investors' confidence," said Longlom. Some foreign investors who are less concerned by the BOT's action have also held on their investment decision, waiting to see where the Thai currency is going. "If the baht currency is weakened by the BOT's measure, this means foreign investors will pay less for the assets they plan to acquire in the Thai property market," Longlom added.

CORRECTION: I made a mistake. The dialing sequence I posted was 011-66-4-765-4321. It should be: 011-66-84-765-4321. I forgot that it is now mandatory to include the 8. (Thank you Jimbkk for letting me know).

First, after you dial the 011, which means you are placing an international call, followed by the 66, which is Thailand's designator, you do not dial 08. Leave off the 0. If you are getting a busy signal, then yes, the line is busy. It may not be necessarily his line that's busy, though. Thailand has more people with mobile phones than the system can handle, so it might be a system busy signal. Believe me, we often have the same frustrations right here when trying to place a local call, especially when it's night in Thailand. Quite often even here you have to dial several times before the call goes through. Even then, it's quite common to get cut off right in the middle of the call. Thailand's phone system could do with some updating, to put it mildly. Keep trying. The dialing sequence I posted is correct. You'll eventually get through, assuming he has not turned off his phone, or lost it, or sold it.

If the number you are dialing is something similar to this: 04-765-4321, then from the USA the dialing sequence would be: 011-66-4-765-4321

Actually, yes you can. Give this a try next time: when you are on one web site, go to the top left of your screen and click on FILE. Depending on the browser you're using, the pop-up menu that will come on screen will have a selection that allows you to open a new window. If you select the option to open a new window, that's exactly what will appear on your screen . . . a new window. You can use that new window to access other web sites. The window you had been working with will still be there when you're done.