Gaybutton

One of my chief gripes is that Americans pay high tax rates, even under retirement, and look what we've got to show for our money.

That question is nearly impossible to answer. There are too many variables. It depends on how much you're going to spend for a place to live, your lifestyle, your food and entertainment choices, transportation, utilities and telephone, medical expenses, etc. The only way I can think of to even come close to answering your question would be to say that I wouldn't want to try it on less than US $2000 per month. Many people live here on less, but I doubt they're having much of a life.

Doesn't it strike you as mildly ironic that US embassy officials, the people who are supposed to be the true experts on the goings on in the country to which they are assigned, come up with the most asinine statements of all? It's as if they don't have the first clue as to what is really going on and why it is going on. I have seen no reports of warnings, urgings, sanctions, or anything else coming from any foreign governments other than the USA. I am an American, but quite frankly I just don't see how the USA justifies trying to be the police of the entire world. If the US government really wants to impose it's own policies and form of government on other nations, then why don't they concentrate on nations that really need policing? Better still, why don't they hire embassy officials that at least know what they're talking about?

I don't know if I would agree that it is unfair. The point of the two methods is to ensure that the person applying for the retirement visa has enough money to be able to live in Thailand and contribute financially to the country. If one has a pension, that too has a minimum. I believe it is around a 70,000 baht per month minimum. I have forgotten. Perhaps someone knows the rule on that one. If someone does not have a pension, then 800,000 baht in the bank meets approximately the same minimum requirement for a year that the minimum pension would yield during the same time period. I do agree that the new three month rule about the 800,000 baht is unfair in comparison. They have made it clear that they want to put a stop to people who top off their bank account and then remove the money once they've secured their annual visa. That's the part that I don't get. What difference does it make whether someone withdraws it or not? What difference does it make whether the money is deposited 3 months in advance or on the very day the new visa is issued? Either way, the person obviously has 800,000 baht to live on, doesn't he? Perhaps they think people who do not have have the minimum pension and also not enough money borrow the 800,000 baht from someone, place it into their bank account, obtain the visa, and then return the money to the lender. If that's the case, that doesn't strike me as very realistic. How many people are going to trust someone else with 800,000 baht, whether it's one day or three months? Even if people do trust someone with that amount of money, when the borrower gives it back, then what's he living on? Would there be enough people pulling a stunt like that to justify forcing everyone else to maintain 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for three months? Unless I'm missing something, I think this is yet another example of a rule that has not been properly thought through.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ US Urges Thailand to Lift Martial Law in 10 Days "If martial law is not lifted in a week to 10 days, that would be a problem," a US embassy official in Bangkok said. Bangkok - The United States on Wednesday urged Thailand's military coup leaders to lift martial law within seven to 10 days and to bring forward elections the generals have promised for late next year. "A year seems like a very long time," said a US embassy official in Bangkok, speaking on condition of anonymity. The diplomat added, "if maritial law is not lifted in a week to 10 days, that would be a problem." The junta that ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra on September 19 installed retired General Surayud Chulanont last weekend as interim prime minister until polls they have promised for October 2007. The generals had initially pledged to make way for a civilian government, but their new constitution maintains military influence over the new premier, and restrictions on political activity and the media remain in place. The White House had called Tuesday for "a quick return" to democracy in Thailand and warned its new military leaders that Washington was weighing action beyond US sanctions imposed last week. Spokeswoman Dana Perino said Thailand's relations with the United States and its global image would suffer until it returns to democratic rule. "We call for clear and unambiguous protection for civil liberties by the interim authorities and the military, and a quick return to democratic elections," she said as US President George W. Bush visited California. "Thailand's image in the eyes of the world and US-Thai relations will suffer until Thailand returns to its place as a democratic leader in Asia," she said. Perino said the United States had "noted" the appointment of Surayud as interim prime minister, as well as the promulgation of an interim constitution. "We remain concerned by restrictions on civil liberties, provisions in the draft constitution that appear to give the military an ongoing and influential role in decision-making, and the lengthy timetable for democratic elections," she said. "Following the implementation of Section 508 sanctions last week, we are assessing additional next steps to be taken," she warned. The United States halted 24 million dollars in military aid for Thailand last week in protest at the September 19 coup by top generals who ousted civilian prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over corruption allegations. The sanctions jolted years of close links between US forces and Thailand, a non-Nato ally -- the closest US designation a foreign military, that is not a member of the Western alliance, can enjoy. Some aid deemed crucial to US national security was spared, notably in the field of counterterrorism, in which the kingdom has emerged as a low-key, yet valued partner in the US battle against Al-Qaeda.

A good friend sent me the following in an E-mail today: __________ I just finished renewing my retirement visa this afternoon and I can report that this is even easier than before! As reported in Pattaya Today and Thaivisa.com, they are no longer requiring a medical certificate for renewal. I used the letter from the US embassy for proof of income and as before, they accepted a copy of the (three year old) letter, but they did want to see the original. A few changes: they now take a digital picture of you (in addition to the photo you provide) and the visa stamp in your passport has a block that says "RETIREMENT". All and all a piece of cake!

Agreed. In Thailand it's more presumption of guilt. We read articles all the time in which an alleged criminal is caught, confesses to the crime, confesses to every other crime he's ever committed in his life, and even re-enacts the crime for the police. Your guess is as good as mine as to how the police manage to accomplish that.

Oh, I don't think PapaDavid was lying. He was merely mistaken. Corruption? What corruption? Thaksin rooted out all the corruption. Didn't you know that? He also made sure nobody in Thailand is poverty stricken anymore and he made life just wonderful for all the Thai people. They all have plenty of money now. Why, the boys are even paying the "farang" now. The farms all have young, healthy water buffalo too and all the grandmothers are also in perfect health. Corruption? Surely you jest . . . .

You know, with all this fuss about cheeseburgers, how many out there are all that interested in eating a cheeseburger in the first place? With all the marvelous food choices available in Pattaya, somehow a cheeseburger doesn't make it to my top ten list.

Those of you who remember my web site may also remember I had published several articles about day trips around the Pattaya area, and cultural venues are included. If you have not visited the Vihanra Sien Chinese Museum, you just don't know what you're missing. By the way, if you do go there, ask for 'Johnny.' He is a guide at the museum and his English is fluent. He'll show you everything and explain the details about what you are seeing. That alone is a must if you can get there. If anyone would like a copy of those articles, simply send me an E-mail at gaybutton@gmail.com and I will be happy to send them to you.

The Siam Thani is not closed. Art, the owner, happened to be in Manhattans the night I tried it. He said the Siam Thani is open for business.

Not long ago Thailand passed a regulation prohiiting publication of photos of the faces of alleged criminals. The press vehemently protested the regulation. I never heard whether the regulation was lifted, but most of the time the faces of accused criminals are still published. If an alleged criminal has something with which to cover his face, the police do not seem to prevent him from doing so. In my view, I am not opposed to publishing photos of people arrested for committing crimes, but I would be opposed to forcing people to pose for such photos. Several articles that appear in the Pattaya City News do show the faces of those arrested. In this particular article, the boys arrested were juveniles, between the ages of 15 and 17. Personally, I see no reason to hide the face of a criminal simply because he is a juvenile. However, I think Thailand does strictly prohibit photos of juvenile offenders, hence the ski masks. If anyone wants to see the article we're talking about and the photos of the ski masked boys, click the following link: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_03_10_49_3.htm

Great logic, and we're still not going to mention the name of the bar(s). Perhaps you forgot about the fact that the owner of at least one bar asked that we don't and it is our intent to comply with his wishes. If the bar owner wants us to advertise for him, following his request, then he will submit a new request or he is at liberty to personally post an ad. You said it yourself . . . "presumably." Sorry, but we're not going to be goaded into posting the names based on your presumption. It wouldn't matter if this web site is hosted on the moon. Some of us live here and we do not intend to try to circumvent Thai laws. If a bar owner, or anyone else for that matter, wishes to file a lawsuit against the web site owner, do you really believe he would have any problems finding the name of the owner? Do you think they don't already know anyhow? You wrote, "therefore the usual concern about Defamation did not apply, as a Thai Court would be unable to prove ownership of the site, and that therefore any action by a complainant was pointless." Which Thai law school did you attend? Assuming you're a Thai attorney and are well enough versed in Thai law to know how the system works, and you also know for a fact that the usual concern doesn't apply, perhaps you'll be willing to represent this web site in court if a lawsuit does occur if we decide to follow your advice about naming bars. I'm sorry, but the web site owner has already made it clear that the names of the bars are not going to be posted. I agree with him and I believe the other moderators also agree with him. It's not worth the risk. Nobody visiting Pattaya will have the slightest bit of trouble finding those bars on their own, so you might as well give it a rest.

This evening I went to one of the bars that now does a nude show to see for myself. Everyone had a wonderful time, including the boys and the customers. I saw no under-age boys. The boys get to decide for themselves whether they want to participate. Many chose not to participate. There was nothing unsavoury about it at all, in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I thought it was just the thing many gay go-go bars ought to do. The boys were clearly having fun. It beats hell out of watching boys looking bored out of their minds, just standing on the stage half-heartedly moving a knee back and forth. GayThailand has never put anybody down, except for you. Instead of consistent paranoia, you would be far better served to stop complaining about everything. You do have some good posts on this board, but the complaints and accusations you keep coming up with just don't hold water and it ought to be obvious to you by now that nobody lends any credence to them. The libel and defamation laws were in effect long before anyone ever heard of Thaksin. I'm glad you at least see our position. And Will Rogers never met you, did he?

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (TNA) Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday resigned as leader of the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party, reasoning his resignation was to secure the party future. Mr. Thaksin, also the TRT's founder, sent his letter of resignation dated October 2 from London where he has been staying following the September 19 military coup d' etat in which his government was deposed. His message was announced at party headquarters in Bangkok Tuesday afternoon by party executives. In his message, Mr. Thaksin thanked all party members for their contribution in making TRT "a real people's political party" that won an overwhelming majority of the vote in the past several general elections, enabling it to form two governments. As a traditional practice performed by political parties in democratic systems, he said, at times of political change such as the current period, a party's leader and its executive members should resign to be replaced by a new party executive committee. Any party members opting to change their political path or personal life can take advantage of this crucial opportunity to decide what suitable for them. As for himself, Mr. Thaksin said in his letter, he chose to make the sacrifice of resigning from the party leader's position. Mr. Thaksin ended his letter by emphasising he must resign since the current circumstances forced him to do so in order to secure the future of the party. TRT deputy leader Pongthep Thepkanchana said the letter made Mr. Thaksin's resignation effective immediately and all party incumbent executives will lose their administrative status automatically. According to the law, the party must convene to select the new executive committee within 45 days, but it cannot do so at present due to the order issued by the now-defunct Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) prohibiting the meeting of political parties. Despite his resignation as the party leader, Mr. Pongthep said, Mr.Thaksin still holds the status of being a party member. According to party regulations, Mr. Pongthep said, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, former Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, who is second in line for the party administrative responsibility, will be the party's acting leader until a new executive committee is formed. To date, 69 TRT members including party executives have tendered their resignations, according to Mr. Pongthep. The party is well aware of the reasons why they decided to leave. However, he said, some remaining members will continue working for the party. (TNA)-E009 ____________________ Text of Thaksin's Letter, as it appears in THE NATION: _____ UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION OF THAKSIN'S LETTER London, The United Kingdom, 2nd October 2006 Subject Resignation from the Thai Rak Thai Party leader Dear Thai Rak Thai executive committee and party members, As I was elected as the Thai Rak Thai party leader ever since the party was established, I would like to express my gratitude to all the party members as well as the executive committee and the party staff members who have joined hands in building the Thai Rak Thai party as a true political party for the people, with more than 14 millions members. The party received the overwhelming votes in the general elections and was able to form the government twice. Of all these times, I have dedicated myself working with the ambition in preserving the country's and people's interests and stick have always been true to my oath that "(I) will be loyal to the king as well as follow the constitution of Thailand in every way." There were several and heavy criticisms as well as protest against the government after the general election in 2005. I have been patient and tried every possible way to avoid violence so much so that I dissolved the parliament in February 2006 to let the Thai people made another decision. I had to take the job as the caretaker premiere according to the constitution in order to prepare the jobs transfer to the new government. However, the delay as well as conflicts with the anti-government groups had risen sharply. Government was not able to implement the law that it was supposed to do. And so the coup took place on September 19, as you all are very well aware of. According to the norm of political party in the democracy regime, when such political change took place, I believed that the party leader and every executive member should sacrifice by resigning from the posts. Such move will allow party members to elect a new executive committee to run the party when the law allows it to. For those who wish to change their political or personal path, they will also be given such an opportunity. As for me, after a careful consideration, I believe I have to sacrifice by resigning from the post of Thai Rak Thai Party leader, with an immediate effect. I would like to send my best regards to all executive committee, the party staff members and the party members. Once again, thank you very much for your dedication in building this party together as well as your thoughtfulness for myself and my family. Finally, I would like to apologise to the party members and Thai people who wish to see me remaining as the party leader. I would to emphasise that I have no choice. because the new environment forced me to choose to preserve our pride and the future of those who love our party. Your truly, Thaksin Shinawatra

By Thai law that is exactly what it means. You can be sued for libel and defamation even if you have iron-clad proof, if it is deemed to be detrimental to a business. We don't make the Thai laws, but we do have to abide by them. If you truly believe that anyone running this web site has some sort of hidden agenda, then you simply are wrong. You can argue about it with us all you want, but we are not going to place this web site in legal jeopardy. Once again, if you are adamant about posting the names of bars you feel ought to be accused, you are at liberty to start up a web site of your own. We're not going to do that here and like it or not, that's the way it is going to be, period.

In Bangkok I highly recommend staying at the Pinnacle Hotel. Make your booking through Jimmy. Jimmy is Thai and has an office right in the Pinnacle, room 1312. Booking through him will save you a lot of money. I advise calling him rather than trying to deal with him via E-mail. He never seems to answer E-mail. The telephone number in Thailand is 081-859-6985. Thailand's country code is 66. The Pinnacle is within walking distance of the Babylon Sauna and it's only a ten minute taxi ride to the gay venues in the Suriwong-Silom-Patpong area. Booking through Jimmy, the room will be about 1100 baht. Booking through another agent or the hotel directly, the same room will be around 1800 baht. Make sure you call Jimmy between 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Thailand time. Those are his office hours and he will not answer his phone other than during those hours. It's well worth the call. If you decide to stay at the Pinnacle, send an E-mail to me at gaybutton@gmail.com. I can send you back a copy of the Pinnacle's business card. The card has the address of the hotel written in Thai. That will make it a lot easier to get there from the airport when you arrive. In Bangkok, besides the bars and gay venues, there are excellent organized tours, with English speaking tour guides. There is a tour desk in the lobby of the Pinnacle. The one problem with any organizd tour is that they're going to make a stop at a gem store. I would never advise buying gems from such a place. The thing to do is go inside with everyone else, drink the glass of champagne they'll probably give you, and then walk right back out again to the tour bus and wait. Try the legitimate Thai massages too. They're fantastic. Try both the full body massage and the foot massage. In Pattaya, especially if it's your first trip, I suggest staying at eitherThe Ambiance or Le Caf

In the midst of all the serious posts . . . the coup, deletion of messages, the new Thai government, new visa regulations, etc, there is always something to lighten-up things a little. The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: If you want to see the photos, click on this link: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_02_10_49_2.htm _____ Presenting the Man who has Converted his Bedroom into a Funeral Hall and has Slept in a Casket for 5 Years A weird story now from Nong Pla Lai sub-district. This is Khun Nipichom aged 36 who, for the last 5 years, has been living in a casket inside his bedroom which is decorated in the style of a Buddhist Funeral. The casket itself is worth 80,000 Baht and is Khun Nipichom

Thank you for posting this excellent article. There was much that I never knew and it also provides plenty of food for thought.

Absolutely right. The owner of this board should have let the posts stand, placed himself in jeopardy of legal action by the bar(s) in question, be forced to remove the posts anyway, probably be forced to close the web site entirely or see it blocked, violate Thai libel and defamation laws, and go to great expense in order to preserve accusatory posts that were backed up with no proof of any kind. Maybe he'll decide to do it differently next time . . . just as soon as he sees you start up a board that permits the same sort of posts that were deleted.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ TRT Sinking like Titanic Mass Exodus of Executives, Factions Follows Threat of Five-Year Ban over Election Violations The Thai Rak Thai Party is on the verge of falling apart. Announcement No 27 by the Council for National Security (CNS) changing conditions in the act governing political parties has caused party executives and former MPs to jump ship en masse. Wang Nam Yom leader Somsak Thepsuthin was leading members of the party's biggest faction out the door. Commanding over 100 members, his defection could all but spell the end to Thai Rak Thai's phenomenal domination of Thai politics. Putting the nail in Thai Rak Thai's coffin, deputy leader Sontaya Kunplome also said he and his 20-member faction have resigned. According to party officials, a total of 62 former Thai Rak Thai MPs have submitted their resignations, 25 of whom are party executives. Among Son-taya's faction members to resign were Sa-nga Thana-sanguanwong, Ittipon Kunplome, Charnyuth Heng-trakul, Kritsada Karun and Pramote Weerapong. Somsak's secretary brought the Wang Nam Yom resignation forms to the party yesterday. All resignation letters contained Somsak's signature. Although no reasons were given in the resignation forms, sources said the faction was alarmed by the CNS' announcement, which will ban executive members of any party for five years if the party is dissolved for breaking electoral laws. Original laws banned executives of a dissolved party from forming a new party or becoming executives in a new party, but they were free to run in a new election. The Thai Rak Thai Party is facing trial for allegedly hiring smaller parties to serve as its proxies in the April election, which was later nullified by the courts. Somsak gave a vague explanation to reporters, saying he wanted to help the country achieve harmony, and that his faction wanted to see things "more clearly" after the September 19 coup. "Under the current situation, if we are still political party members we can't help our constituency residents who now are suffering because of natural disasters. So we want to be free in order to solve the flood problem," he said. He was referring to his faction's political stronghold, parts of which are being affected by Typhoon Xangsane. He declined to say if he would form a new party or move to a new party. Such decisions, he said, would be announced later. Former Nakhon Sawan MP Banyin Tangphakorn, who is Somsak's secretary, admitted the main reason for the faction members resigning from Thai Rak Thai was because of the CNS announcement. Somsak and other Thai Rak Thai former MPs discussed whether they would be subject to the five-year ban if they resigned from a party that was to be dissolved later, Banyin said. "The CNS amended the Political Parties Act on Saturday and that was an obvious signal that certain parties now face dissolution," Banyin said. Choochai Mungcharoenporn, a key Wang Nam Yom member, believed Thai Rak Thai would be dissolved but that it would not affect those executives who had already quit. But Thai Rak Thai executive Veera Musigapong said at a press conference that if the party was dissolved, the resigned members would be retroactively affected by the CNS' announcement. Some legal experts agreed with Veera. "The announcement was meant to punish those serving as party executives at the time of the violation," Thammasat University Rector Suraphol Nitikraiphot said. Thammasat law lecturer Somkid Lertpaitoon said Thai Rak Thai Party executives decided to resign from the party because they felt the court could not ban them from politics for five years. But he did not think the court would agree with them. "If the court rules the party is guilty, its executives will be punished even though they have quit as party members now," he said. As of yesterday, high-profile Thai Rak Thai members who have resigned include former PM's Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva, deputy leader Surakiart Sathirathai, deputy leader Sora-at Klinpratoom, Suchart Tancharoen, Sontaya and former social development and human security minister Watana Muangsook. Watana was not on the executive board. Suranand said the military coup prompted him to reconsider his political plans. "When there's a major political change, it's time for me to take a look at myself," he said. Although he defended the party's policies, a source said the looming possibility of Thai Rak Thai being dissolved had caused Suranand to desert. Meanwhile, Chon Buri faction leader Sontaya and about 20 other former MPs are expected to move to the Chat Thai Party where he was once a member. There have also been reports that certain former Thai Rak Thai members plan to form a new political party called "Seri Thai". It was reported yesterday that other factions lead by Sudarat Keyuraphan and Suwat Liptapanlop were about to make a decision on their future soon. Pracharaj Party leader Snoh Thienthong said the military council's amendment of the Political Parties Act was a crystal-clear signal that Thai Rak Thai's days were numbered. But he said he remained unsure if the Thai Rak Thai executives could escape punishment by simply fleeing the party. Thai Rak Thai's website and that of its founder, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, were closed yesterday. Kesinee Jaikawang, Sucheera Pinijparakarn The Nation

Once again, I'll point out that accusing and naming bars that employ under-age boys places this board in legal jeopardy due to the libel and defamation laws in Thailand. Some people think the names of bars where you just know under-age boys are employed ought to be posted. The solution is very simple. If you want to name the names and make the accusations, just start up your own board. That way you can name all the names you want and make all the accusations you want and then you get to be the one who has to deal with the legal consequences. I've always had great admiration for those who visit web sites and then decide to tell the owners and moderators how to run it. So, go ahead and start your own board. When you do, then you can show us all about how you're going to do it differently from the way we do things on this board.

Well, well, PapaDavid. This is indeed your lucky day! What a delight it must be for you to be able to have yet another opportunity to try to chop apart your favorite "love to hate" caf

That would depend on what you consider 'good' to be. The location is right next to where the new sauna will be, but the sauna will not yet be open when you are here. Also, it is a long distance down a hill and is not near the beach area or the city area. There are no bars nearby. You would need a taxi to reach any areas in Pattaya. On the other hand, I have heard that the rooms have recently been renovated and are quite nice, although I have not been there to see for myself in over two years. My suggestion would be to give it a try for a couple of days. If you like it, then continue to stay there. If not, you have plenty of other options. That would be true for any hotel with which you are unfamiliar.

The following appears in PATTAYA TODAY: _____ Enormous Shakeup of Visa and Immigration Rules Most farangs -will be affected What began as a restriction on the number of 30 day visas on arrival has turned out to be a major reshuffling of immigration regulations, most of which were framed as far back as 1979. The new rules apply to short term and long term tourists and farang residents and cover yearly extensions of various types, investment visas and even work permits. The fact that it was announced on September 24 that the national immigration bureau chief lieutenant general Suwit Thamrongsrisakul has been transferred to an inactive post is not thought to have any bearing on visa matters. None the less,Pattaya Today stresses that the changes described below were accurate as of September 26, when we went to press, with an anticipated implementation date of October 1.