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The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Southbound Plane Returns to Suvarnabhumi with Wing Defect After leaving Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday morning, a Thai AirAsia aircraft had to abort its flight to Narathiwat, officially due to technical reasons, but passengers said the U-turn was more about part of its wing falling off. The jet eventually reached its destination safely after a five-hour delay at Suvarnabhumi and lengthy arguments between passengers and airline representatives. One of the 94 passengers, Anothai Polsuwan, 40, a lecturer at Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, said they boarded at 9.35am and after half an hour into the flight, the captain announced that a technical problem had occurred and turned the plane back to Bangkok. Passengers were told they would have a new plane ready for departure at 12.45, Anothai said. He and his co-passengers believed that the "the technical problem" was in fact the cover of the upper section of the jet's right wing that had peeled off. They noticed that the mechanics fixing the wing did not look too confident, he said. After two hours of waiting, they became upset upon learning that they had to fly on the same aircraft, which the budget airline's officials insisted had been repaired, he said. The chief mechanic was summoned to assure the passengers that the missing component - which was not replaced due to the lack of a spare - would not impair the aircraft's operability. But some passengers were not convinced. They insisted that Thai AirAsia officials back up their word that the plane was safe by getting on with them and flying to Narathiwat. "If it's a test flight, I won't complain, but this is a plane full of passengers. How can you fly it when its wing has no cover like that?" Anothai said. Airline officials even offered to refund the airfare. But after an hour of furious discussion between both sides, the passengers gave in and boarded the plane, finally arriving without any further adventure in Narathiwat at 2.30pm.

If that is the case, then they may be eligible for a work permit. If so, that could solve a lot of their problems. If they don't have a work permit perhaps they ought to try for one. Based on what you wrote, it seems to me that your friends are doing exactly the type of thing Thailand has imposed these regulations to prevent . . . a "contact" at immigration who can make "special arrangements" for them. Apparently corruption lives merrily on in Thailand and some of the very officials who are supposed to be fighting against it seem to intend to take full advantage instead.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Cobra Kissing World Record Attempt from Ripley's at the Royal Garden Plaza The International Press made their way to Ripleys! Believe it or not located at the Royal Garden Plaza on Saturday to witness a World Record Attempt with a difference. Khun Kum aged 45 from Kon Kaen was attempting to consecutively kiss more than 11 Cobras in the space of 10 minutes. This record is currently held by Gordan Cates from Florida, USA who puckered up back in September 1999 to hold the existing record. The press looked on as he managed to kiss 19 snakes inside 10 minutes to break the existing record. However, we may have some bad news for Khun Kum. We have discovered that back in March of this year at Ripley

I'm very sorry to hear that you and your boyfriend became victims of this sort of crime, but since it did happen, I'm glad you posted about it. People ought to take note of the fact that this crime happened in broad daylight. The local criminals have become quite brazen about committing such thefts and unless you're really lucky, there won't be much the police can do about it. Sometimes I read stories about how the police managed to catch the thieves, but most of the time they get away with it.

It is technically mandatory, but the police are usually quite understanding if you carry a photocopy of your passport instead. Passports can be pick-pocketed too, you know. Make sure the photocopy includes your information and identity page, departure card, approved address report if you are holding a visa that requires one, and the entry stamp or visa stamp. In almost every case, if there is any serious question the police will accompany you to check your actual passport. It's your call, but the last place I'd take my passport would be into a bar. It's unusual for the police to bother the "farang" at all during such raids. I'd rather have to go through the inconvenience of paying a fine and retrieving my actual passport in the unlikely event of being caught up in a raid and the police also demanding to see my passport. If you think that's a hassle, try experiencing the expense along with what you'll go through if your passport is lost or stolen. Carrying a photocopy is the lesser of the evils, in my opinion. My guess is the "farang" who were in the bar that night didn't even have a photocopy on them. As far as I know, you only need your actual passport on your person when transacting business in a bank or opening an account, cashing travel checks, driving a car or motorcycle, a first time visit to a hospital (the hospital will issue you an ID card upon your first visit), traveling on an airline (even domestically in Thailand), doing paperwork at the Immigration Police office, or checking into a hotel. I can't think of any other circumstances in which having my actual passport with me was ever necessary.

People also need to understand that it's a mistake to carry more cash than necessary when going out on the town. Some of the major danger areas haunted by pickpockets are Beach Road at night, Walking Street, the darker, more remote areas near Yensabai Condo, and anywhere that is not well lit and where you'll find yourself alone. If you are going to a sauna or massage parlor, be very careful about your wallet and mobile phone. The gay massage parlors in Pataya usually charge about 400 baht for the massage and want a 500 baht tip for the boy for a "happy ending" massage, so you don't need to enter a gay massage parlor with more than 1000 baht cash. Unless necessary, there really is no need to carry things like credit cards, ATM cards, your passport, etc. If your room has a safe, that's the place to keep those items. If not, at least keep them in the hotel's lobby safe or very well hidden. If you intend to bring back a "guest" that's not the night to be wearing expensive gold chains or jewelry. You're better off if the boy doesn't even know you have such items. One trick, if you are planning to bring a "guest" to your room, is to have his tip money ready and hidden before you even go out. That way, when you are ready to give him his tip you won't have to access your wallet or open your safe at all. When you return to your hotel with your "guest" make sure he has his ID card (and make sure it's actually his) and have him leave his ID card at the front desk, with instructions not to give the ID card back to him unless you personally accompany him or the front desk first calls you to verify that everything is ok. Make sure the "guest" knows that you have given those instructions. Several hotels do that as a matter of routine, but not all. If the boy has no ID card or the photo does not sufficiently resemble him, then don't bring him to your room. When you enter your room, the first thing to do is to put any valuables, including your mobile phone, in your safe. Most boys want to shower and also have you shower before engaging in other activities. It's when you're in the shower that you are most vulnerable to theft. There have been many times when the "farang" emerges from the shower only to find both the boy and his valuables gone. I know many prefer to keep the boy overnight, but you're much safer doing "short time," when you'll send him on his way after you're done and you can sleep knowing you won't wake up to find belongings gone. If you like the boy, you can always make an arrangement to meet him at some mutually agreed time the next day. Some of this may seem overly cautious, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Some of you may recall that not too long ago a "farang" was murdered when he brought two boys with him to his room at the View Talay condos. The condo has security guards. I'll bet if he had insisted that the boys leave their ID cards with one of the security guards, then it never would have happened. Unfortunately pickpockets, petty thieves, and even violent crime is far more common than ever before. The odds are greatly in your favor that nothing at all will happen, but why take the chance? It's better, I think, to be overly cautions than risk having your holiday ruined by an incident. A phrase I often use, and I think it applies here, is think with your brain, not your crotch.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Bus Number 500 Steals 500 Baht from a Norwegian Tourist and Pays the Price An interesting case now from the Tourist Police Mobile Unit located on Walking Street. The Baht Bus cooperative who operates over 700 Baht buses here in Pattaya last year implemented a customer complaint response unit which has proven extremely effective in solving disputes between Tourists and buses. In this case the complaint service was put into practice by the Tourist Police after they received a complaint from Mr. Pal Hageencen from Norway and his family who employed the services of Baht Bus number 500. The journey began at the View Talay Condominium in Jomtien to Big C in North Pattaya, however an exact price for the journey was not agreed upon by both parties. At the conclusion to the journey, the taxi driver quoted 60 Baht but Mr. Hageencen only had a 500 Baht note on him. He passed it over and he then claims the taxi driven by Khun Sor aged 45 then drove off without giving back the change. The Tourist Police contacted the Baht Bus Cooperative who located the Baht Bus in question which made its way to Walking Street. The Driver initially claimed that he thought he was given a 50 Baht note but this did not explain why he allegedly drove off without receiving the extra 10 Baht. Eventually the driver admitted he had driven off with the 500 Baht note which was duly returned to Mr. Hageencen who, despite the attempted theft, gave the driver 60 Baht to him for the journey. Khun Sor is now suspended from driving pending a further investigation.

Fountainhall, one of the complaints I have been reading about is difficulty trying to figure out which luggage carrel is the one that services your flight. I've read that the announcement board prints the carrel information so small that it's difficult to read. What was your impression? Did you encounter any problems? How long would you say it took for your luggage to show up?

I would advise either Pattaya Memorial Hospital or Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital. Neither will be very expensive. Another alternative might be close to your area. In the same parking lot where Food Mart is, directly across the road from Pan-Pan, you'll find Dr. Monkol's clinic. He's excellent and may have the medication on hand.

That's very interesting. As you may recall, a Thai immigration official had said that if Karr is not convicted of anything, then he would be welcome to return to Thailand. Here's the story: _____ SANTA ROSA, California (AP) A judge dismissed child pornography charges Thursday against former JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr after prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence to take the case to trial. Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Rene Chouteau ordered Karr released immediately. So ended Karr's strange, bringing two-month odyssey through the U.S. criminal justice system. It began when he was extradited from Thailand on suspicion of killing the 6-year-old beauty queen. Karr, 41, was returned to California last month to face the five-year-old pornography case after DNA evidence cleared him of killing the girl in her Boulder, Colorado, home in 1996. The pornography case fell apart almost as quickly, as investigators admitted losing vital computer evidence that was seized from Karr in April 2001 when he was working as a substitute teacher in Sonoma and Napa counties. Defense lawyers tried twice unsuccessfully to get the charges dismissed and were seeking to have evidence barred from trial when prosecutors gave up. "The impression that we've had all along is that the prosecution had every intention of getting this case to trial, regardless of the evidence," said defense lawyer Robert Amparan. "I am pleasantly surprised by them having done the right thing." Karr's attorneys launched a fresh attack this week, saying the computer that held the alleged images was never used in California. Defense attorney Robert Amparan said Wednesday that the printout made by sheriff's deputies cataloging the contents of the hard drive on Karr's computer showed the computer hasn't been used in eight years. "Nothing has been accessed on that computer since 1998, two years before the Karrs moved from Alabama to California," Amparan said. Divorce records indicate Karr, his former wife and their three children moved from Alabama to Petaluma in 2000. At least one observer said if Karr obtained the images more than a year before charges were filed, a judge could dismiss the case because the deadline for bringing charges had expired. "If they can show that computer wasn't even accessed after 1998 and the last time it was accessed he was in another state, as well, then there's some serious problems," said Joseph L. Stogner, an attorney and professor at Empire Law School in Santa Rosa. Last week, a different judge refused to toss out the case after the defense filed a dismissal motion based on authorities' loss of Karr's computer. Investigators have acknowledged they lost the computer, but said they found a "mirror image" of its hard drive on a sheriff's department computer. On Thursday, Chouteau had been expected to hear two more defense motions -- one to exclude the evidence found on the hard drive, and another to invalidate the search warrant that led to the confiscation of the computer because investigators allegedly were relying on an informant who was mentally ill. Karr was charged with possessing child pornography in 2001, but the former teacher fled before his trial later that year.

A friend arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport two nights ago. He said his airplane parked at the gate at 1:10 AM and he had retrieved his luggage, cleared customs, and was out of the airport by 1:50 AM. He was in Pattaya by and in his hotel room by 3:30 AM. He said that he had no problems at all. He said clearing customs was far more quick and easy than he had ever experienced at Don Muang and was quite satisfied with the new airport. Another friend arrived on the night of September 29, the second night the airport was open. His story was about the same as the one above. At least as far as late night arrivals is concerned, the airport seems to have its act together. Once some of you go through morning and afternoon arrivals, I hope you will post about your experiences. Also, I hope some of you will post about departure experiences and domestic flight experiences. One of the goals of the new airport is to become a hub for Asian flights. There are nearby airport hotels, but they seem to be quite expensive for travelers who only want a room for a few hours. The Tokyo-Narita airport has inexpensive day rooms for rent, right within the terminal building. You don't have to clear customs to use those rooms, but at Suvarnabhumi you would have to clear customs to use any of the nearby airport hotels.The last time I used the Tokyo day rooms the price was US $5 per hour. Does anyone know if Suvarnabhumi has anything similar to the Tokyo day rooms?

Wow! I had no idea there were so many circumventing the visa rules in that manner. If that is the case, then that makes a lot more sense out of the new regulations. Unfortunately, it makes things much more difficult for the people who abide by the rules. Have your friends told you what they're going to do now and how they are going to be able to stay in Thailand? Are any going to give it up and leave?

I understand what you're saying and in many cases my guess is that you're right, but loaded questions make for unfair assumptions too. Someone recently posted that merely being in the Sunee Plaza area makes one a pedophile. To me, it's similar to the Niddy's Nook brouhaha. The Niddy's Nook haters have probably done more to bring business their way than anything else could have done. Many people are going there out of curiosity. Now, many people will probably patronize certain bars not because they are pedophiles, but out of sheer curiosity after reading all the hoopla about what goes on. I really do not think it is fair to imply that people must be pedophiles simply because they want to know the locations of these bars.

For those who have not been there, click the following link: http://www.utopia-asia.com/chakran There is a gay massage very near called V-Club. Their web site is: http://www.v-clubbkk.com As long as we're on the subject of saunas, yesterrday evening I was at Howard's Hotel to meet a friend for dinner. Punya was there and I asked him about the opening date of the sauna in Pattaya. He said he is hoping to be able to open at some point in mid-November. He said the reason for the delays is. "You know what it is like trying to get work crews to complete work on time and do things right." Yes, I do know what that can be like, so please be patient with Punya.

The most obvious solution to the whole thing is to obtain the one-year retirement visa if you are eligible for it. Most gay "farang" who choose to reside in Thailand are eligible for it The majority of cases in which one would not be eligible for it would be for those under age 50. How about that? Under-age "farang"! In any case, if you are under 50 years old or are otherwise not eligible for the retirement visa, then I believe this article makes it clear that you still can reside permanently in Thailand under the current regulations if you follow the procedure outlined in this article. Whtever you do, don't get involved in trying to over-stay your visa. That would be literally begging for trouble. Simply follow the rules and all should be well, although it may be more of a pain-in-the-butt process than it used to be.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ A spectacular press conference now from the Plaza Athenee Hotel in Bangkok which announced the forthcoming 3rd Annual Miss International Queen 2006 which is due to be held at the Tiffany

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ (Note from GB: This is not the entire article. Another part of this article deals with the arrest of Cambodians working illegally in Thailand and is irrelevant to this issue.) . . . an announcement was made by the Colonel who clarified the new visa regulations for foreigners which came into force on 1st October. Pattaya City News has obtained a copy of a Royal Thai Police Order no. 608/2549 dated 8th September 2006 and signed by the National Police Commissioner, Police General Kowit which confirms regulations which many foreigners are already aware of. The main change is for those who reside in the Kingdom for long periods of time on 30 day entry stamps. From now on you will only be allowed to enter Thailand on no more than 3 consecutive 30 day stamps at which point you will not be able to re-enter Thailand again for a period of no less than 90 days at which point a further 3 consecutive 30 day stamps will be permitted. One easy solution to this problem is to obtain a multi- entry Tourist Visa from your Thai consulate or embassy in your native country which, if utilized fully, will allow you a total of 9 months stay in the Kingdom after making two border runs to renew the Tourist Visa during the 9 month period. There are other options available to you including a combination of 30 day stamps and single entry tourist visas should you not wish to return to your country of origin and wish to remain here in Thailand without conducting business for which a business visa would then be required.

Once you do, please let us know who you chose and how satisfied you are with the work and the price.

I don't know who you mean, but if you don't get a response in time, I suggest having a look at the listings on the Dreaded Ned wb site at http://www.dreadedned.com/directory/bytype/1/19/

You can't find one because the board doesn't have one. There are two solutions. One is to simply first write your post on a word processor and let the word processor check your spelling. The second is to download the Firefox browser. That browser does have a spell check button and it works beautifully checking spelling before you submit your post. I don't know why you are desperate for a spell checker, though. You haven't misspelled anything at all.

Justices refuse to hear Texas case on sex toys Outlawing sales of phallic devices unconstitutional, complaint says Associated Press WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider whether a Texas law making it a crime to promote sex toys shaped like sexual organs is unconstitutional. An adult bookstore employee in El Paso sued the state after his arrest for showing two undercover officers a device shaped like a penis. The employee, Ignacio Sergio Acosta, says a Texas law outlawing the manufacture, marketing or dissemination of devices shaped like sex organs is unconstitutional because it prevents individuals from using such devices, violating their right to sexual privacy. Colorado, Kansas and Louisiana have held such laws unconstitutional, while Georgia, Mississippi and Texas have upheld them, said Acosta's lawyer in urging the Supreme Court to take the case. An El Paso County court granted Acosta's motion to dismiss a criminal complaint against him, but an appeals court reinstated it, saying the Texas law did not infringe on private sexual behavior. Acosta also said the Texas law should be examined in light of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a Texas criminal law banning gay sex as an unconstitutional invasion of privacy.

Ach sooooooo. (Sefton - Stalag 17) - That does seem logical. I still frown, though, at the idea of making things difficult for everyone else when the problems are caused by the actions of a few.

Did I say that?

It is strange, isn't it? Yes, as a new board member I wouldn't blame you if you think we're all nuts or something, choosing Niddy's Nook to be just about the most controversial subject that gets posted. Most likely, you would be right. We're probably close to the end of the latest round of Niddy's Nook talk. But sooner or later there will be another Niddy's Nook ad and then we'll get to do this all over again.

Even that depends on the individual. Many of my friends love to go to the bars virtually every night. For me, I rarely go to the bars at all anymore and when I do go, I rarely stay very long. Can you imagine? I'm actually bored with the bar scene. I never thought that would happen, but there it is. As far as the restaurants go, I rarely eat at home. I'm not exactly a gourmet chef and I don't enjoy cooking very much and I enjoy cleaning the pots, pans, and dishes even less. I don't eat at the expensive restaurants very often, but I do eat out most of the time. There are so many good restaurants in Pattaya you can literally choose how much you wish to spend on food. Another thing: If you end up with a boyfriend, especially if he eventually lives with you, that's going to be a big expense too. You mentioned an income level of between