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The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Border Clashes Draw Attention SUBIN KHEUNKAEW Chiang Rai - The Pha Muang task force in Chiang Rai is carefully monitoring the border situation for possible incursions and is preparing for a spillover following a mass mobilisation of Burmese troops to attack Shan State Army (SSA) forces. Task force commander Maj-Gen Wannatip Wongwai said Thai border forces have been put on alert for a possible clash between the two sides at the border demarcation line, just 800 metres away from Poona village in Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang district. There have been reports of clashes near Tachilek on the Burmese side over the past four days. Military personnel are preparing to evacuate nearby villagers to a safe area if the situation intensifies, he said. A military report said six battalions of Burmese troops were recently mobilised and had passed Burma's Ban Hong military base opposite Thailand's Chiang Dao district in Chiang Mai. On Sunday, two divisions from the United Wa State Army had arrived as reinforcements from Pang Sang in northern Burma. The SSA believes the combined forces are front-line troops which are set to invade its stronghold with backing from the Burmese junta, which provides heavy weapons to the troopers. Maj-Gen Wannatip said the conflict was Burma's internal affair and Thailand would maintain a non-partisan role.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ German, American Face Child Sex Charges (Bangkokpost.com from Agencies) A German and an American were arrested in Pattaya for sexually abusing children, police said Tuesday. Unemployed Andreas Hubinger, from the southwestern German city of Mannheim, was arrested at a bar in Pattaya last Thursday accused of sexually abusing seven Thai boys, all under the age of 18, police said. Four Thai bar staff were detained along with 53-year-old Hubinger and have been charged with procuring children for the German. "The German man has denied the allegation, saying he just went to the bar but didn't buy sex services, but the boys have confirmed the abuse,'' said a Pattaya police officer. In a separate case 62-year-old John Langan, living in Thailand on a retirement visa, was arrested last week and has been charged with sexually abusing three Thai girls aged under 18. "If found guilty, they could face a maximum of 15 years in jail and fines of up to 20,000 baht or both,'' the police said. He said that Hubinger had entered Thailand frequently over the past five years using a tourist visa, with his latest entry on August 24. "We were asked by the German police to arrest the pedophilia suspect last month, and it took two weeks for us to find the suspect,'' said a Bangkok police officer in charge of the protection of women and children. Police hope to take both cases to Thailand's criminal court before the end of December. Hubinger also risks being tried in Germany, since local laws allow German authorities to try pedophiles for acts committed elsewhere.

The Spring Hotel has a web site at: http://www.vietnamonline.com/spring

Here are the latest exchange rates for several currencies: Wednesday, December 13 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 35.08 Euro: 46.43 British Pound: 68.975 Australian Dollar: 27.4325 Canadian Dollar: 30.2825

I have been hearing several stories lately about a series of raids taking place in Sunee Plaza, primarily directed at the bars that employ under-age boys. I have not been in Sunee Plaza lately, so I have no first-hand knowledge as to what's going on. I have not heard any stories about "farang" being arrested, but what I have heard is that several boys have been carted off, but many also get tipped off about the raids and quickly vamoose before the raids take place. If anyone has been in Sunee Plaza during these raids, please let us know what you have observed and experienced. How many of these raids have occurred?

Heyyyy, I get it. That's another good one, Smiles. I used to love to tell those kinds of jokes too . . . right up until my 9th birthday.

I just tried it again. It's opening up just fine for me. Where are you located?

Sorry about the address typo. Now that you found it, what did you think of it?

Note from GB: The baht opened against the US Dollar today at 35.06 and closed at 35.18. That was the actual exchange rate. These articles usually bring up the impact the strength of the baht has on exports from Thailand, but I never see these articles bring up an impact on tourism. Today is right in the middle of the high season. I was at the beach yesterday. There were no more people than I normally see in the middle of low season. I understand it's been like that for some time now. I have not seen any statistics that show how much of an impact the strength of the baht has on tourism, but my guess is that it is at least having some impact. Less tourists are coming and the ones that do come are spending less once they get here. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thai Baht Hits Nine-Year High Bangkok - The Thai baht hit a nine-year high Tuesday, peaking at 35.26 to the dollar, despite recent intervention from the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to try and slow down the soaring Thai currency. The baht moved in line with other Asian currencies except the Japanese yen against the weak US dollar, closing at 35.27-30, up against Monday's close of 35.46, traders said. BoT conceded that the baht went up "too quickly" and has continuously risen despite intervention from the central bank. "The baht has become so strong after the dollar and the yen have weakened," said the central bank's assistant governor Suchada Kirakul. "Capital inflows have continued moving into Asia, especially Thailand, on solid current account surplus," she told reporters, adding that the baht had risen 14 per cent since the beginning of this year. "We have stepped in to help manage the baht by monitoring the currency movements both in terms of trading volume and its value. Today the baht rose too quickly," she said. Exporters have asked the government to soften the baht, saying that the Thai currency's appreciation has outpaced regional rivals. But BoT played down the impact of the strong baht on exports. "The baht actually went up 9.3 per cent over the past two years which is the same levels of movement of other regional currencies," Suchada said. "Thai exports have remained competitive against shipments from our regional rivals," she said, adding that the baht is targeted to appreciate against the dollar by only 5.0 to 6.0 per cent this year as a whole. Analysts, however, expect the Thai baht to further appreciate despite the BoT intervention. "We target the baht to rise to 35.00 to the dollar pretty soon," a trader at a local bank told AFP. Agence France Presse

The site now seems to be working again.

Also not from here. However, the forum is working: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum

Then I must be very naive. All this time I thought that's what the USA is supposed to be fighting against.

I'm not worried at all. I just don't like someone pissing down my back and telling me it's raining.

I have to wonder whether you know it, or for that matter anyone else. One thing I am dead set against is baseless accusations, no matter at whom they are directed. I keep reading that the recipient of that accusation is guilty of skipping town while owing a large amount of money to the establishment where he had been living. I have also been reading about several other accusations against him involving money. What I haven't read or seen is any evidence whatsoever that any of these accusations are actually true. So far I've seen nothing but hearsay, primarily from people who only know the rumors they've heard from others. If anyone actually has evidence of the veracity of any of these accusations, I'd like to see it. I'm sorry folks, but to my mind no matter how much you may like or despise someone, making an accusation that you can't back up is highly inappropriate. In my opinion, unless you have the evidence to support your accusation and are willing to provide it in conjunction with your accusatory post, then you have no business making the accusation at all.

I hope so too. I completely agree with Pearl69er. I too am sick and tired of the assumption that if a person is gay, then he is also a pedophile. It's a totally erroneous stigma that people simply made up. It's just like the attitude that occurred when AIDS first started happening. All the Bible thumpers kept insisting it was God's punishment on the gays. They kept insisting on that, right up until heterosexuals began contracting the disease too. As far as I'm concerned, this nonsense is the same thing. Next time they question you, remind them that the vast majority of foreigners that get arrested in Thailand for engaging in under-age sex are heterosexuals who get caught with little girls.

My friends, you may notice that until now I have not participated on this thread. I really don't want to get involved in this other than to ask just one question: Whatever happened to "Don't Feed the Trolls"?

Perhaps incognito. Well, look for big limo cruising around Saranrom Park . . . .

Deface a picture of GB? Now that would be crass . . .

In the thread below, "Thai slaves in USA," (see: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1034 ) the story is about 48 migrant Thai workers who were held as virtual slaves in the USA by a human trafficking ring. That story is certainly a sad one, but it does bring up a question: How did they get into the USA in the first place? It is extremely difficult, and most often impossible, for so many Thai people to get a visa to enter the USA, so how did these workers manage to get in? Unless I'm missing something, nothing is included in the article to suggest they entered the USA illegally, so each of the workers who were duped must have had a visa to enter the USA. How did they get it?

BANGKOK, Dec 10 (TNA) Thailand's Ministry of Labour is coordinating with the Thai consulate in Los Angeles to find ways to help 48 Thai welders who were lured to the US by a suspected labour trafficker and forced to live in squalor, a senior ministry official said Sunday. Permanent Secretary for Labour Chuthatawat Indrasuksri said the ministry was finding out if any of the 48 workers want to return to Thailand or otherwise need help. If the workers are members of a fund set up to assist overseas Thai workers, they will receive compensation and travelling expenses to return home, Mr. Chuthatawat said. "The ministry has sufficient information to prove that offences (have taken place) and lead to the punishment of the culprits. But it is preferable to keep it confidential for the time being," Mr. Chuthatawat said. Reports by international news services published in newspapers in the Thai capital Sunday said a statement was issued by the United States federal government's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) saying it had reached a settlement with Trans Bay Steel Inc, which agreed to pay US$1 million in compensation to the 48 Thai workers who were brought to the US in 2002. The statement said Trans Bay Steel hired the workers after receiving a sub-contract to provide services to rebuild the aging San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in northern California. Two separate recruiting companies, Kota Manpower and Hi Cap Enterprises, were then hired to bring the workers from Thailand. The EEOC alleged the Thai workers hired by the Trans Bay Steel Inc. had been held against their will, their passports confiscated and their movements restricted. Even worse, they had worked without pay for long periods of time. Supat Kukhun, director of the Ministry's Office of Overseas Employment Administration, said there are now more than 100,000 Thai students and workers living in Los Angeles and more than 90 per cent of them went there without passing through proper channels or procedures. Mr. Supat urged Thais wishing to work in the US to study American working procedures and labour practices first so that they would not fall prey to illegal manpower firms. (TNA) - E 111 __________ And this: The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Govt helps workers in US 48 LaboUrers Worked in Slave-Like Conditions The Labour Ministry is taking steps to help 48 Thai labourers who were deceived by their employers in the US, where they were forced to work in slave-like conditions before their rescue by US authorities. When recruited they were told by their employers, the Kota Manpower and Hi Cap recruitment companies, that a steel-making company wanted welders to work in California. However, when they arrived in the US, only nine were given the jobs while the rest were forced to work without pay in Thai restaurants owned by the two companies in Los Angeles and Long Beach. ''The ministry has asked the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles to take care of them,'' permanent secretary for labour Chuthatawat Indrasuksri said yesterday. ''They will be immediately flown back to Thailand if they so wish, and those who are members of the overseas employment fund will also be eligible for compensation from the fund,'' he said. Earlier, Trans Bay Steel Inc, which hired the two recruitment companies to find workers for them, agreed to pay a $1 million (36 million baht) compensation to the Thai workers, who were taken to the US in 2002.The company hired Kota Manpower and Hi Cap to feed labourers for its work to retrofit the San Franciso-Oakland Bay Bridge in northern California. The workers were forced to work 10-hour shifts, seven days a week, at the Thai restaurants, where they were kept in squalid conditions without enough electricity, gas or water. Their movements were also restricted. Their misery came to light when a Thai worker managed to escape from the restaurant and took refuge at a Thai temple. ''The ministry is investigating the matter and has already obtained evidence that will lead to the arrest of the wrongdoers,'' Mr Chuthatawat said. He did not elaborate. Kota Manpower closed the two Thai restaurants after the police raids. The company's Korean owner, identified as Yoo Taik Kim, has escaped arrest. There are currently more than 100,000 Thais, including students and workers, in Los Angeles. However, up to 90% of workers have not followed correct job recruitment procedures, according to Supat Kukun, director of the Office of Overseas Employment Administration. ''We are sharing our information on human trade with US state agencies,'' said Mr Chuthatawat, referring to the kingdom's latest attempt to deal with illegal employment. Thais should be more careful when seeking jobs in the US, he said

Next time someone says that, show him a lit cigarette. Apparently they are monitoring you somehow. I'd be very interested to know upon what basis they are doing so. I am not aware that traveling to Thailand, staying in a gay hotel, patronizing gay bars, being gay, or engaging in sex with boys of legal age is a crime or even something a police agency has a right to question. I understand why you would not want this to end up in the local press, but I don't see how it can hurt anything to consult an attorney, let him know of your fear of publicity, and see what he says about the whole thing and how best to handle it. As far as I know, you have committed no crime and were not charged with a crime, so I'd be very interested to know why this interrogation took place at all. As I said, I don't know the law in the UK, but I would think you do have a right to at least be informed of the reasons why you were questioned. However, I don't think the police have to tell you how they acquired their information unless this ends up in court or as a lawsuit. Perhaps an attorney can find out without it ending up in the newspapers.

This is the first time I have ever heard f such a story. It sounds like sheer gay harrassment to me. Being an American, I know very little about the laws in the UK. If I found myself in a similar situation, then unless I was being charged with a crime, I would have gotten up, told them it's none of their business, and walked out. My next stop would have been my attorney's office. In the UK could you have done that?

You're not supposed to post photos of that size. Neither is anyone else. Quite some time back Stef posted a request that the "File Attachments" section of a post or reply (which you'll see if you scroll down a little bit when posting) be used and that people do not include photos directly on posts. We would like everyone to cooperate with that request.

But Jomtien . . . Don't you realize that we would all be so much better off looking like and thinking like Smiles? Being just like him has certainly long been one of my goals. I can't think of anything more stimulating than instigating a debate over the health value of a sandwich. Well, if someone doesn't want to eat the cheese steak sub, there are plenty of other choices on the Subs-N-Suds menu. I guess one of those choices would be better for those who can't enjoy a sandwich once in a while because it doesn't meet his health standards. One could always order the sub and ask that the Cheeze Whiz, or whatever they're using, be left off. Don't forget to take a nutritional guide book with you. Otherwise you might not be able to check the nutritional value and health standards of the bread being used. And for heaven's sake, whatever you do make sure that you don't order anything with mayonnaise on it. If you do, us "Amurcans" will not only be the the fattest, most unhealthy creatures on earth, but considering that Soi Yamato is quite a narrow street, the ambulance may not be able to make it to Subs-N-Suds in time to save you after the heart attack. So, if you eat there, make sure your thong is clean. After all, we all remember what mother said about wearing clean underwear in case we have to be taken to the hospital.

Somehow I'm not surprised that at least one poster, especially one in particular, has decided to create yet another argument . . . over a sandwich!