Gaybutton

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Airport Not Fit to Open 'Officially' for Six Months Committee Says Suvarnabhumi Still has Far too Many Issues Involving Safety and Noise By Post reporters A panel overseeing the opening of Suvarnabhumi airport has found the facility unfit for an official opening, recommending it be put off for six months. Chalit Phukphasuk, the committee chairman and air force chief, said safety and noise prompted the panel to urge delaying the airport's inauguration, which was expected this month. The committee, appointed by the Council for National Security (CNS), wrapped up its work on Friday. ''There is a load of problems to be fixed. The airport will not be ready for the official opening for six months,'' he said. ''Since His Majesty the King will preside over the opening, it is imperative that everything is ready.'' Suvarnabhumi airport's modern and stylish design has been eclipsed by problems since the Sept 28 opening to commercial flights, he said. Long waits for luggage, hold-ups at check-in counters, roof leaks and inadequate toilets highlighted the early days of operations. Weeks later, uneven and cracked taxiways and parking bays were found at the airport. Current issues include sexual harassment of female staff by men who work for outside contractors and noise pollution. The airport's plan to close one of its two runways for four hours every night is raising suspicion it has something to do with cracks on aircraft taxiways and parking bays. ACM Chalit said noise problems are being attended to. Solutions include changing flying techniques for approaching aircraft and reallocating flight times. He said Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), which manages the airport, has also been told to improve safety measures before the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) inspects the airport in June next year. The airport requires an aerodrome certificate from ICAO to permanently operate. It currently has an interim certificate from the Aviation Department. ACM Chalit said he has reported the findings to CNS chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen. An official report on airport operations since opening on Sept 28, including an overview of problems, will be submitted later, he said. ACM Chalit said the meeting on Friday was the committee's last. The panel was set up after the Sept 19 coup amid calls for the opening to be put off until it was declared fit for operations. Suvarnabhumi airport, a much-touted project of the deposed Thaksin administration, is plagued with corruption scandals, some being investigated by the Assets Scrutiny Committee. A newly-appointed AoT board, with assistant army chief Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr as a member and potential chairman, is seen as a CNS attempt to expose graft at the new airport. Other alleged irregularities involve selection of duty-free shops and food stalls, bids for trolley procurement and the construction of car park buildings. Issarapan Sanitwong na Ayudhya, national deputy police chief, yesterday said sexual harassment at the facility had been confirmed. He said Chokechai Panyayong, THAI vice-president for ground services, said female staff were harassed, but had not filed complaints with police investigators. Pol Gen Issarapan, however, said no complaints of rape or other violent crimes at the airport were lodged with police.

It seems that just about everywhere in Pattaya and the surrounding vicinity, if there is any land available at all, something is being built on it. Most of it is new apartments and shop houses, along with condos and new shopping centers. That would be fine except there seems to be no substantial infrastructure improvement taking place to support it. If it's been as short a time as even six months since you were last in Pattaya you are likely to be surprised at the amount of new construction going on. South Road (Pattaya Tai) is torn up at the moment. The water company, from what I understand, is putting in new pipes. Other than that, I don't see much infrastructure improvement going on. What I do see is more and more massive traffic jams. So far, it's not quite as bad as Bangkok, but the traffic situation is getting steadily worse and so is parking. Compounding the traffic problems are people who double and even triple park with impunity. Right now, you might as well forget about trying to drive or even take a baht bus down South Road (Pattaya Tai). There will be long delays, especially during rush hour and the evening hours. If you don't know the back roads and how to bypass the Pattaya Tai traffic, then you're going to be stuck in it. Then, if you're driving a car, once you get into the city, good luck finding a place to park. I have no idea, with all the construction going on, how electricity, water, traffic, parking, trash, and sewage will be dealt with. Pattaya is having plenty of problems trying to deal with the present situation as it is. Even when a major improvement project gets started, there always seems to be major delays. Then, once the project is completed, there is often something wrong with it and it is either left as it is or it has to be done all over again.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Foreign, Local Demand Fuelling Boom in Pattaya's Property Market The residential market in Pattaya has proven resilient, thanks to pent-up demand from Pattaya locals and Thai and foreign buyers of condominiums and single houses, says a new research report by international property consultants CB Richard Ellis. In response to the growing market, CB Richard Ellis plans to open a new office in Pattaya. As a result of the opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport and continued improvements in both infrastructure and the property market, more property developers are now entering the Pattaya market and launching a variety of developments, including residences, international chain hotels and retail and lifestyle facilities. This will benefit Pattaya and increase its attractiveness as a convenient leisure-home location. The company is seeing more people buying houses and condominium units in Pattaya as first homes, second homes for leisure and relaxation and retirement residences. CB Richard Ellis managing director Aliwassa Pathnadabutr said the rise in demand had been seen in all grades of residential property - particularly condominiums - and proven by good sales performances. A good example of a successful project in Pattaya is The Sails, a five-star beachfront condominium project that has already sold more than 75 per cent of the total units. Another successful development is Baan Talay, a luxury single-detached housing project on Jomtien Beach with a starting price of Bt15 million that has received a lot of interest from Thais and foreigners looking for luxury resort homes with true privacy. Prime locations in Pattaya include Wong Amat, Khao Pratumnak and Jomtien, where many commercial and residential developments have been constructed. For residential projects, especially in the luxury market, prime areas have been extending towards Bang Sarae and Tawanron Beach, both of which feature stunning scenery, clean beaches and higher levels of privacy. Most of the projects are located on the beachfront or within close proximity of the beach. Ensuring sea views from units is a crucial element for grade-A developments in achieving high prices. The latest survey of residential condominium projects in Pattaya conducted by CB Richard Ellis' research team reports there are six high-rise developments being actively marketed totalling 966 units, 70.4 per cent of which have been sold or reserved. CB Richard Ellis forecasts there will be only 329 grade-A condominium units at several projects that are scheduled for completion next year and another 463 in 2008. The total supply of grade-A condominiums will then reach 2,100 units next year, which represents only 8.5 per cent of the total market. Given the strong demand and limited high-quality supply, prices have been increasing. The average price of grade-A high-rise condominium developments at prime beachfront locations is now Bt85,000 to Bt110,000 per square metre. CB Richard Ellis believes Pattaya is now riding the rising wave of a new property cycle as demand continues to improve and expects to see developers launching more new residential condominium and holiday-home projects in Pattaya next year.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Pattaya Dragon to Feature First 'Cool Pub' A Bt1.2-billion entertainment complex in Pattaya will feature Thailand's first cool pub. The Pattaya Dragon will be located on a 23-rai site on Second Road in the city resort and is expected to attract both foreigners and locals. The project will consist of three zones - Moonlight, Ice Bar and Slim Pattaya. Moonlight will be an outdoor area designed for staging events, including concerts and competitions. It will accommodate up to 10,000 people. The Ice Bar will be the first cool pub in Thailand, with different temperatures in four areas. It will hold up to 600. And Slim Pattaya will be a pub with four areas - a slim zone focusing on young people, a fashion zone aimed at drawing a business crowd, a cigar zone for smokers and a terrace and bar for dining. Ana Wongsing, managing director and project director at Baan Beer Pattaya, said construction would be completed next year. The business is expected to grow 30 per cent a year. She said the goal was to build a new tourist attraction in Pattaya that was different from all the others. "This place will also feature a hotel, shopping plaza, pub, spa, food courts, multinational cuisine and drinking booths," said Ana. About 70 per cent of visitors are expected to be foreigners. Western tourists tend to visit Pattaya from November to February, while Asian tourists, particularly Taiwanese and South Koreans, prefer to come from August to October. The location of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport will boost the number of tourists visiting Pattaya as well as the complex. Tour operators are being approached to include Pattaya Dragon in their itineraries. Suchat Sritama The Nation, Pattaya

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ International Jazz Concert Coming to Pattaya in December We previously reported details of a Jazz Festival which will take place between 9th and 17th December which will feature top international jazz artists. On Thursday Afternoon at the Horseshoe Point, the event was officially presented to the media at this press conference. The event has been organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and is being held to celebrate the 80th Birthday of His Majesty the King. Kenny G, McCoy Tyner, Nancy Wilson, Chris Botti, The Regina Carter Quintet, and The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band are just some of the artists taking part in the event which will be held here in Pattaya and also in Chang Mai, Phuket and Bangkok. Here in Pattaya, there will be two days of music between 11th and 12th December. The music featured at the event will include compositions from His Majesty. Tickets are 1,500 Baht and are available at Thai Ticket Master (Tel. 0-2262-3456 www.thaiticketmaster.com) and the TAT Regional Office located on trhe Pratamnuk Hill. For more information, you can contact the TAT Call Center 1672 or E-mail : info@tat.or.th

I think he did it because he wanted advice. Some of us can see a big difference between advice and hate-filled, inappropriate, mean-spirited venom. It's all in the presentation. With that, I think I've had about enough of this thread too.

Ok, we'll see if GayThailand shares your opinion and wants to answer. I'm not upset that he isn't taking me to Brazil. Been there, done that. But next time he goes to Spain . . . .

Yes, indeed I can. GayThaland scanned and sent the results to me and I received them in an E-mail. I'm glad you take the flamers in stride. It boggles my mind that there are actually people out there who spend time posting their nonsense. It's incredible to me that people spend their time poking their noses into your life. They may claim it has nothing to do with jealousy, but that's at least a part of what it is. Jealousy, envy, holier than thou, just plain being mean, or whatever it is, I'm glad your attitude is not to give a damn about what they write. I don't know why the flamers can't content themselves with minding their own business, but as far as I'm concerned they can all go to hell. Your life and the way you wish to live it is absolutely nobody's concern other than your own and you don't have to defend it to anybody. I'll bet that most of them would love to be able to live their lives being able to do anything they damned well please. So would I. Go where you want with whoever you want. If these creeps don't like it, tough luck. Geezer is absolutely right. TROLLS! If it isn't necesarily so, but that's what I think. It doesn't assume anything about "everyone," but it assumes plenty about the so-called TruthTeller. I hope GayThailand answers your question about why not take him to Brazil as soon as you can explain what business it is of yours or anybody else.

From what I understand, the dental clinic has been moved and is now located in the new building on the fifth floor.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ England Jails Extradited Thai Madam (BangkokPost.com, from reports) An affluent Thai woman holding British citizenship, extradited from Thailand after a nine-year court battle, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison on charges of trafficking Thai girls into prostitution in England. Angela Miller, 49, was part of a group which lured Thai girls into Britain to work as prostitutes at massage parlours in Northampton and Leicester. Miller fled to Thailand in 2000 before her trial and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in her absence. At the trial on Thursday, an uninformed British judge added another nine months to the sentence for her flight, according to the BBC. The broadcaster reported this exchange at the trial: After a six-year legal battle to extradite Miller back to the UK, she was brought before the original trial judge, Richard Bray. Jailing her for an extra nine months, he said: "You were playing for very high stakes here. You lost and you must pay the penalty." Julian Fattorini, defending, said Miller had committed no further crimes while living in Thailand and had spent almost five months in a Thai jail cell with up to 80 other prisoners while awaiting extradition to the UK. "Running a brothel in Thailand, I understand, is not illegal," the judge replied. The judge's misinformation aside, the BBC reported that Miller was first arrested after a raid in 1998 at a massage parlour in Kingsley Park Terrace in Northampton. When she failed to attend a court hearing at Northampton Crown Court, all ports and airports were put on alert for her. Det Con Paul Beck, who tracked Miller to the coastal resort of Pataya, said she would now face a confiscation hearing to get back some of the 500,000 British pounds (about 34.5 million baht, or $944,350) of assets she is thought to own in Thailand. Miller's prostitution gang was masterminded by her husband Ron Miller, now 70, who was jailed for four years in September 2000, the BBC reported The girls were smuggled into Britain through either Heathrow airport or Eurostar using fake passports and then taken to the Millers' two massage parlours.

Ohhhhhh, I get it. There was nothing malicious in your post. It was merely friendly advice from a kindhearted soul with no axe to grind. How foolish of us not to see that . . .

Why rip it out? If you like a bath, you have a bath tub. If you like a shower, you also have one. I fail to see any point in taking it our unless you intend to remodel the entire bathroom.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Photographic Training Course Announced by City Hall Khun Niran, the Mayor of Pattaya co-chaired this press conference at Pattaya City Hall to announce further details of the Cities celebrations to mark the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the Kings Birthday which takes place on 5th December. As part of the celebrations, a Photography training course has been organized as His Majesty is a keen photographer. The event will take place between 1st and 3rd December and is open to both Thai

In Pattaya I would suggest getting the residence certificate at the Immigration office. Most of the time you submit the application and they tell you to come back in one hour to pick it up. Often, if they're not too busy, they'll do it for you on the spot. They charge a 200 baht fee.

And that is the truth, Aunty. How do you like this guy? He registers just so he can post this kind of garbage? Are we going to hear all about how appalling GayThailand's lifestyle is? I'd love to have the means to do the same things. It is quite clear that so would TruthTeller. GayThailand is living exactly the life he wishes to lead. Isn't that terrible? I'd like to know how his life, or anyone else's for that matter, is anyone's business except his own. All these things that he was "seen" doing. Sheeesh! Didn't anyone see him the day he took a dump on the mangos at Big-C?

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Exporters Seek Action to Curb Baht Interest-Rate Cut Could Ease Impact POST REPORTERS Ten leading food and farm product export groups have called for the Bank of Thailand to arrest the surge in the baht, saying they have been losing market share to rivals in other countries with more attractive exchange rates. One thing the central bank could do, they say, is cut interest rates, which could lead to depreciation in the baht. The baht was trading yesterday at 36.52/55 to a US dollar _ its strongest level in almost eight years, but down slightly from 36.40/43 on Tuesday. Tarisa Watanagase, the central bank governor, said yesterday that the baht had appreciated rapidly due to steady capital inflows, but maintained that over the past two years, it had been competitive with other currencies. ''The baht has appreciated sharply this year. But last year it was surpassed by regional currencies. So up until now, the baht is not stronger than regional currencies.'' Dr Tarisa insisted that the central bank would stick to its managed float policy and let market forces determine the baht's value. The central bank would intervene in the foreign-exchange market only to prevent the exchange rate from changing too rapidly. ''The central bank can look after the baht, but only to a certain extent. We cannot withstand the market trend. The private sector needs to hedge against risk and beef up efficiency, such as through cost-cutting.'' She said baht volatility was expected to persist for a while as it resulted from depreciation of the dollar. The central bank, she said, would introduce new rules to facilitate offshore investment by local businesses, focusing on easier documentation and relaxed rules on holding foreign currencies. ''The pressure on the baht would be reduced if the central bank facilitates capital outflows. As well, these measures would help improve local firms' efficiency.'' Export groups plan to brief central bankers on their members' problems today. They include the Thai Frozen Foods Association, Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association, Thai Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association and the Thai Food Processors' Association. The groups represent businesses with combined exports of 400 billion baht a year. Poj Aramwattananont, president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said SET-listed seafood export companies had reported losses from third-quarter operations, partly because of the baht. Pornsil Patcharintanakul, the deputy secretary-general of the Board of Trade of Thailand, said exporters could not raise their prices to cope with losses because of heavy competition in the marketplace. As well, their problems were compounded because most orders are placed three months in advance and they had to bear the burden of currency changes. Dej Pathanasethpong, chairman of the FTI's garment industry club, said the currency value was controllable if the government decided to act. ''The baht would depreciate if the government decided to reduce interest rates by 1%,'' he said. In the electrical and electronics sector, revenue losses linked to a strong baht could reach 30-40 billion baht this year, said Katiya Greigarn, chairman of the electrical, electronics and allied industry club of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). ''If government cannot do anything, all we can do is to pray for yuan appreciation,'' said Mr Katiya, noting that cheap goods from China were the Thai industry's main competitors. Luckchai Kittipol, president of the Thai Rubber Association, said baht appreciation had pushed down domestic prices of rubber sheet to the lowest point of the year, 53 baht a kilogramme compared with 100 baht a year ago. A Finance Ministry official said the baht was now 10.2% stronger than the average of the currencies of 11 major trading partners due to external and internal factors, the latter being linked to capital inflows. In relative terms the baht is now 7.9% stronger than the Korean won. Other comparison figures are 7.8% against the Indonesian rupiah, 7.2% against the pound, 6.9% against the Philippine peso and 6.2% against the Singapore dollar.

I won't tolerate that.

Well, there you have it, GT. I'm glad all who responded so completely agree with each other. That must be very helpful to you. In other words, whatever you decide to do it will be wrong. It will also be right.

Very nice of you too. Underneath my reputation for being an opinionated, arrogant, intolerant son-of-a-b**** I'm actually kind of a nice guy. Just don't tell anybody.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Six Injured in Marine Plaza Hotel Blaze in South Pattaya On Tuesday Night, Police and Fire Rescue Workers received an urgent call to attend the Marine Plaza Hotel located on the Pratamnuk Road in South Pattaya after hotel staff reported a fire on the fourth floor and persons trapped inside. Upon arrival, fire fighters were met with a scene of chaos as hotel guests, mostly of middle-eastern origin were leaving the hotel and shouting up to compatriots who were trapped on balconies. The fire took hold at around Midnight and according to Fire Investigators began in Room Number 431 on the fourth floor. Thick smoke left many trapped and in need of rescue and although no fatalities were reported, their were six residents who were taken away in Ambulances suffering from smoke inhalation. It took firefighters 1 hour to control the fire which caused widespread smoke damage covering three floors. Eventually Fire rescue workers managed to rescue those trapped on Balconies which left Police with the task of investigating the fire and ensuring that the fire was not deliberate. Room number 431, where the fire began, was occupied by Mr. Khalid Hamed Musaba aged 24 from Oman who was taken to Pattaya Police Station where he provided a statement claiming that the air conditioning unit in his room suddenly caught on fire as he slept. He woke up and quickly left the room. Police took him back to the room after the fire had been put out but were not convinced that the fire started at the Air Conditioning Unit as extensive damage to the surrounding area and minimal damage to the Unit suggested this may have not been the case. At Pattaya Police Station it was put to him that he may have been smoking in the room but he continually denied these allegations and stuck to his original story. Further investigations are taking place to determine the exact cause of the fire. For now, Mr. Musaba continues to help Police with their enquiries and the Hotel begins the clean-up operation to repair four rooms which have been completely destroyed and extensive smoke damage in more than 20 rooms.

Well, whenever it finally does open I'll give it a try. Naturally I'll be there only for the waters . . .

BANGKOK, Nov 15 (TNA) Thailand's central bank --The Bank of Thailand --should take stricter measures to oversee the movement of the baht, after the local currency appreciated to 36.39 to the US dollar, the strongest in almost eight years, on Tuesday, the Kasikorn Research Centre said Wednesday. The leading think tank reported although the central bank only recently came up with additional measures to curb speculation on the baht (early this month), Thailand's currency continued to strengthen. So, money dealers and market observers expected the bank would come up with new measures to more closely supervise the baht's stability. KRC believed the baht would probably continue to appreciate, and rapidly, particularly if the American economy slows down considerably. Under the circumstances, the Bank of Thailand is likely to -- and should -- take additional measures to maintain the stability of the baht. One measure is to reduce the policy interest rate. The strengthening of the baht stemmed in part from a foreign capital inflow into Asian countries including Thailand due to the weakening of the US dollar. Another reason behind the stronger baht is that local interest rates remain higher than those of most countries in the region. So, should the bank cut the policy interest rate, it would help narrow a gap between local interest rates and those of other countries. It would help ease the foreign capital inflow into the country to a certain extent. KRC conceded the implementation of the interest policy might neither help slow the foreign capital inflow nor ease the strengthening of the baht if foreign investors had confidence in the economic and political stability in Thailand. It suggested that added measures to be taken by the bank to oversee the baht not be too strict because it could affect foreign investor confidence. Kasikorn viewed the bank should gradually increase the degree of controls to curb speculation on the baht, such as controlling more kinds of business transactions and seeking cooperation from financial institutions to report information in detail and with greater caution. (TNA)-E005

I think that would depend on the circumstances of his home life. If you have not already done so, why not sit down with him and discuss what his needs really are and what his family will expect of him, assuming they know he "has a 'farang' and take it from there?

I have made contact and was told that the sauna will open at some point in December. It will not be ready before then and they hope it will be near the beginning of December.

I didn't know that either. I'm glad you posted that. I think you just saved a lot of people from the possibility of a big problem.