Gaybutton

It's 7:00 AM in Thailand. Here's the latest: Thailand is now under martial law. If there are military supporters of Thaksin, they have not yet acted in opposition to the coup. This is Thailand's 17th military coup since 1932. As of this moment UBC is still completely offline. The coup leaders have declared today (Wednesday) to be a government holiday, which will include banks, while they hold meetings with officials and try to establish order. Thaksin's wife went to Singapore on Monday and is still there. The whereabouts of the rest of Thaksin's family is not known. There are reports of arrests of key govenment officials loyal to Thaksin and replacements of key government officials by the leaders of the coup. There is a report that His Majesty, the King granted an audience with the leaders of the coup at about midnight last night. That is not yet confirmed and there are no reports yet as to the results of the audience, if indeed it took place. Obviously, the Internet is still functioning normally. Telephone service is also still functioning normally, including mobile phone service. The coup leadership is being referred to as the "Democratic Reform Council." There are no reports yet as to whether there will be any effect upon the opening of Suvavarnabhumi International Airport. There are no reports of any international or domestic flight cancellations. Last night at 2:00 AM my boyfriend called me. He was with friends near Sunee Plaza. There was a driving rain and he asked me to pick him up and bring him home, which I did. There was absolutely no police or military presence at all and the city was functioning normally. He and his friends were not yet aware of the coup. In all liklihood, most people were not even aware of the coup at that point. There are no reports, as yet, whether the coup leaders first consulted LetMeTellU prior to their action. __________ The following appears in THE NATION: Coup leaders declare a holiday Wednesday is a national holiday, the military coup leaders announced early this morning. They said that government offices, the stock exchange and all banks should stay closed "in order to quickly restore law and order." The declaration was one of four orders read in the wake of last night's coup. The decree ordered university presidents, state enterprise officials and senior civil servants to a special meeting this morning at 9 a.m. at military headquarters, where they will be read details of new policies. Foreign diplomats also have been invited, the announcer said. __________ BANGKOK, Sept 20 (TNA) Identifying itself as Thailand's 'Democratic Reform Council,' a group of the armed forces commander and the national police commander led by Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, carried out a bloodless coup d'etat on Tuesday night and dismissed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra while he was in New York. Despite the demonstrated public distaste for military coups and military rule, one year of political impasse and deteriorating confidence in the prime minister developed into a situation where the public could view the military as a possible protector of the country's hard-won democratic reforms.. Carried out as Mr. Thaksin was in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, the lead-up to the coup saw the now former premier attempt to dismiss Gen. Sonthi on Tuesday, unsuccessfully. Military armoured units surrounded Government House, and occupied the office of the prime minister, other key government offices, and radio and television stations. Describing its action, the Democratic Reform Council said in its first announcement, shortly after 9pm in Bangkok, that "for the sake of peace and order" in the kingdom, the council imposed martial law on a nationwide basis, and repealed the state of emergency that Mr. Thaksin had declared earlier in the day. In a second announcement, the council halted all mobilization and military movements, and ordered troops to their bases. In its third announcement, the council repealed the 1997 Constitution, and dissolved the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Constitution Court. However, the council affirmed the role of the privy council, the role of the courts of justice

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Australia advises citizens to avoid Thailand Australia urged citizens not to travel to Thailand following a bloodless coup last night. Staff at the Australian embassy in Bangkok have been told not to send their children to school until the situation was clarified. "In light of the very uncertain political situation and apparent military-led takeover of the government, we strongly advise Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Thailand until the situation is clarified," the Department of Foreign Affairs website said. Australians in Thailand Should Exercise Extreme Caution "You should avoid concentrations of military personnel or military activity. You should avoid demonstrations and political rallies as they have the potential to turn violent. You should stay indoors, monitor the media, and follow the instructions of the local authorities," the website advised. Tim Fisher, chairman of the Australia-Thailand Institute and former deputy prime minister, said all Australians should take the travel advisory very seriously. "(It) has all the hallmarks of a back-to-the-future coup d'etat," Mr Fisher said. "I urge all people to follow closely the updated travel advisories which have been issued already, and will continue to be updated as further information comes to hand." New Zealand warned its citizens in Thailand to avoid government buildings and large crowds, but issued no travel advice. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman Brad Tattersfield said New Zealanders in Bangkok should exercise caution, respect any curfew and stay within tourist areas.

I'm writing this at 6:40 AM. It's still too early to report on the actual exchange rates. I'll post what happens with the baht when the information becomes available. Meanwhile, according to the following article, we can expect the baht to take a plunge as a result of the coup. Obviously there is no way to predict, at this point, how much of a hit the baht will take, but I have a feeling it will be short lived and start heading in its 'normal' direction once the dust settles from the coup. Take advantage of the favorable rates while you can, guys . . . The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: ______ Baht Records 4-Year Record Fall New York (Agencies) The baht suffered its greatest fall in four years this morning after news reached currency markets of the coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The baht fell 1.3 percent to 37.77 per dollar at 4 p.m. in New York, from 37.29 late on Sept. 18, the biggest decline since July 2002. Thai bonds and a New York-traded fund of the nation's stocks also declined. Bloomberg news agency quoted Nick Bennenbroek, a vice president of foreign exchange research at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York: "It's an issue of confidence. I would tend not to downplay the impact this could cause on Thailand's financial markets." "We can probably see further weakness in the Thai baht," Bloomberg further quoted Bennenbroek. "I would not be surprised to see a very significant drop in the equity markets." Marc Faber, founder and managing director of investment firm Marc Faber Ltd. in Hong Kong, was also quoted by Bloomberg: "It appears that it's a military coup to basically oust the prime minister, and the implications are not obviously overly favourable because it creates a lot of uncertainty. It is far from certain that the coup will succeed and if it succeeds, we don't know exactly what kind of government will follow." Investors said the coup was unlikely to trigger declines in emerging-market securities as happened after Thailand's devaluation in 1997, when bonds, stocks and currencies across Asia tumbled and economies in Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia slipped into recession. The risk of owning Thai government bonds jumped to a two-year high, according to traders betting on the creditworthiness of countries in the credit-default swaps market. The price of the contracts rose to more than $47,000 from $33,000 today, according to HSBC Holdings Plc. The contracts, which pay investors $10 million in exchange for the bonds should the government default in the next five years. Yield premiums on Thailand's 7.75 percent bond due in April 2007 compared with benchmark Treasuries rose 2 basis points to 60 basis points, the highest in a month, HSBC prices show.

Thank you very much, JO. I just downloaded and tried it. It works beautifully!

Attention American Citizens: A group calling itself the Committee for Democratic Reform under the Monarchy as Head of State has apparently seized control of the government institutions in Bangkok and declared martial law. We have seen various reports that the military has deployed troops around key government facilities and other strategic locations around Bangkok. There are no indications of any violence at this point. We advise all American Citizens to continue to monitor the situation closely, avoid any large gatherings and exercise discretion when moving about the city. At this point, we are not advising Americans to leave Thailand; however, Americans planning to travel to Thailand may wish to carefully consider their options before traveling until the situation becomes clearer. The Embassy will continue to follow developments closely. If there is any important information regarding the security of US citizens the Embassy will post it on the U.S. Embassy Bangkok and Department of State websites. **************************************************************************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe to this list, go to: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/acsemaillist.htm The U.S. Embassy Consular Section is located at 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand (Nearest BTS Skytrain station: Phloen Chit) American Citizen Services Unit Window Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 - 11 AM and 1 - 2 PM Note: The ACS unit will be CLOSED on Friday, September 29 and Monday, October 9. Tel: +66-2-205-4049 Fax: +66-2-205-4103 E-mail: acsbkk@state.gov

It's now 1:10 AM and rain has started in Pattaya and it's a heavy rain. Perhaps that's the reason we've all lost cable and satellite. I have a feeling it's going to turn out to be sheer coincidence. We'll know soon enough.

Now it's 12:45 AM. I don't know whether this has anything to do with the coup, but my TV service is provided by UBC Satellite. It has now gone completely off the air with a total loss of satellite signal to any stations at all. Maybe it's merely coincidence. I don't know yet, but what I do know is that there were no storms today and the weather is just fine, so there is no weather related reason for UBC to be completely offline. It's too soon to know for sure whether this has anything to do with the coup.

Here are the first reports coming from the BANGKOK POST: _____ Troops loyal to Army Commander-in-Chief Sonthi Boonyaratgalin staged a coup tonight to overthrow caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. As of now, the troops appear to be in control of Bangkok and all television stations although, earlier, TV Channel 9 which is under the control of PM's Office Minister Newin Chidchob managed to broadcast a message from the embattled premier declaring a state of emergency in Bangkok. Tanks and troops are seen at the Government House and Sanam Luang. _____ Army commander Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin has launched a military coup, with tanks surrounding Government House and the military in charge of all local broadcast media. The actual coup came in the middle of a panicky message by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from New York. In a connection to Thai TV and radio, Mr Thaksin attempted to declare a "severe state of emergency in Bangkok" but was cut off midway. Shortly after that, a message appeared on screen on public TV stations, saying the army was in charge, and appologising for inconvenience caused. The last military coup in Thailand - there have been 19 since 1932 - was in 1991. It was overthrown in 1992 amid considerable bloodshed, and after that a democratic constitution was proclaimed. "[Gen Sonthi] seems to be behind it. Since this afternoon there have been troop movements into Bangkok," said Panitan Wattanayagon, a professor at Chulalongkorn Univeristy who specialises in military affairs. __________ No one has claimed to have taken control of government, but a power vacuum has occurred and it appears that there has been a military coup. Tanks are on the streets of Bangkok, and parked on Sanam Luang (the Royal Grounds), near the Government House, in the main administrative region. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawtara, currently in New York, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday evening, amid rumours that the military had staged a coup d'etat. The broadcast with the Thaksin decree was cut off in mid-sentence. It has been common in past military coups - Thailand has experienced 19 since 1932 - for the military to seize control of the airwaves as their first step to seizing power. Mr Thaksin also ordered troops restricted to barracks. Tanks have taken up positions around Government House - meaning troops have not stayed in their barracks. TV and radio stations are playing music and old videotapes of the type played during military coups in the bad old days of military dictatorships. "I declare Bangkok under a severe state of emergency," said Mr Thaksin before his audio transmission was cut off by broadcast media. Mr Thaksin requested an earlier speaking time at the United Nations -- early Wednesday morning Thailand time. Aides told reporters in Thailand that he intended to fly directly back to Bangkok after the speech, which would bring him back to Bangkok on Thursday morning at the earliest. The official Thai News Agency was unavailable on the Internet, or by telephone.

Yes, of course I am sure he really is an attorney. Not only that, he's a damned good one.

Now it's 12:10 AM. All of the news stations, including CNN and BBC have gone off the air. However, obviously, the Internet still functions just fine, so on this end we'll be able to see the news via Internet for the time being. I guess, at least for the next several hours, people outside of Thailand will know more about what's going on than those of us within Thailand.

Yes, it's a coup. This doesn't come as any major surprise, at least to me. It's too early to know whether it will be successful. I am writing this at about 11:45 PM, Thailand time. Here's what's going on: In Bangkok troops have taken over key government offices, including Thaksin's office. Television programming on several Thai television stations has been suspended. They are running tributes to the King on several stations. However, cable TV is running normally and all the cable channels are running their regular programming. Not too much about it is being shown on CNN just yet. Bush, just a few moments ago, concluded his UN speech, so it will be a little while before much coverage is going to be shown. In Pattaya you would not know anything is happening. Everything in Pattaya is as usual. I have a feeling most people in Pattaya don't have any idea that anything is going on just yet. For now, there is absolutely no cause for alarm for foreigners in Thailand. Everything, including banking and ATMs, are running normally and there is no unusual police presence anywhere. I have seen no evidence of military activity in Pattaya. I have not seen any Thai people doing anything other than what they do every day and there is no panic or even mild apprehension. Before anyone starts cancelling trips to Thailand, lets give it a little time and see what happens. For me, the most interesting aspect of it is going to be how it affects the dollar-to-baht exchange rate. Again, at this moment there is no reason for anyone to feel afraid. We'll certainly keep you posted as to what's going on as soon as we know more about it ourselves.

I absolutely agree with that. An excellent attorney in Pattaya is Rachain Kluanklard and his executive secretary, Pee Jee. Both of them speak near fluent English and are always on top of everything. I highly recommend them and their prices are extremely reasonable. They're easy to find. Rachain owns the Balcony Restaurant in Pattaya and his offices are on the top floor. Their firm is called A.C.E.S. Advisors Co., Ltd. Telephone: 038-411 127 Fax: 038-425 109 E-mail: aces@loxinfo.co.th

Thank you, Rene. For those who don't know where that is, you can find the information and a map on the following link: http://www.lecolonialhotel.com/location.htm

Sometimes a relationship is going well enough that a "farang" does decide to build a house for the family. Personally, I think that's a mistake, but several people have done that. The problem is not necessarily that the relationship ends after the house is built, although I have heard many such stories. The problem often occurs when the relationship is going just fine, but the "farang" has been so generous that he not only built the house, but installed air conditioning, televisions, refrigerator, washing machine, stereo, etc. Then, when the montly electric bill comes, the family can't pay it. So, they hit up the "farang" for that too . . . every month.

Since Fountainhall is obviously far more experienced than I dealing with taxis (I have a car, so I rarely end up in taxis), then he's probably correct and I'm probably wrong. I suggest, then, planning according to his comments. One thing that may help would be to have an English speaking hotel staff member explain to the taxi driver where you want to go and, if he can, suggest alternate routes. Another thing . . . when you do manage to find a taxi driver who is really good and does use alternate routes, if he has a mobile phone get his number. Quite often that same taxi driver will be perfectly willing to pick you up and get you to your next destination. I've done that and it usually worked quite well for me. It's even better if you know what time you want to be picked up and can let him know in advance. That way you won't end up having a long wait between calling him and him getting to wherever you are. The trick is finding a really good taxi driver in the first place.

Where, exactly, is it? Is it the building under construction at the top of the hill?

There are so many stories out there about "farang" being cheated and conned by taxi drivers, boys, bars, hotels, restaurants, etc. Many feel that "farang" pricing as opposed to Thai pricing for baht buses and entrance into various venues are also forms of cheating. What kinds of experiences have you had and how did you respond? I think I must be one of the lucky ones. I have hardly ever been cheated in Thailand, but it definitely has happened. I had the following experience during one of my first trips to Thailand, before I knew better. This story was part of an article I had on my web site: ________________ Renting a car is a different ballgame. Even the most unexpected places are likely to have cars available for rent, and they are usually new, in excellent condition, and have air conditioning. Sometimes insurance will be available and sometimes it won

I don't know if it's in the works, but I would love to see them do the same thing that's done in Hong Kong . . . an easy-to-get-to rapid rail system that will get people to and from the airport at a location in the central part of the city. It also wouldn't hurt anything for a rapid rail system to be put in place between the airport and Pattaya and/or central Bangkok and Pattaya.

Regarding showing you around, if you come to Pattaya I'll be glad to do that. I don't live in Bangkok, so maybe someone else will be willing to show you around in Bangkok.

If you are going to be in a taxi, wouldn't you be better off leaving the routing to the taxi driver? The driver won't want to be stuck in traffic nightmares either and he'll know the best route to take. It remains to be seen, of course, but I'm not so quick to jump on the "it's all going to be chaos" bandwagon. I think everything is going to run surprisingly smoothly. Thailand has a lot riding on the reputation the airport will have and quite a bit of planning has gone into it. They are well aware of the difference first impressions will make. I don't think it's going to be a nightmare at all, and that includes traffic getting there. I know a lot of people just assume that no matter what it is, Thailand will screw it up. That's not always the case and I think the airport operations are going to be just fine. Getting into Bangkok from the airport is a different story. If you arrive during rush hour, then you're going to be stuck in the same traffic jams that occur every day once you are outside the airport area.

If I recall, you are going to be in Bangkok. Is that correct? As far as the best bars to go to first, there's really no way to answer that. Different people are going to have different opinions as to what constitutes the best bars or which ones to start with. Just try them all. You don't have to be stuck in a bar you don't like. There's nothing wrong with going in, looking at the boys present in the bar, and if you don't care for what you see, turning around, walking out, and moving on to the next bar. Besides, you don't really plan to just walk by a go-go bar without at least having a look, are you? Then you'll have to wonder what you missed. In Bangkok, the greatest number of bars are on Silom Road (pronounced "SEE-lom"). Try Soi Twilight. That's the most popular area. When you ask what time of day you should see, I'm assuming that means what are the operating hours of the bars. They open at 8:00 PM and close at 1:00 AM, if they are operatring legally. I'm always happy to personally help out people new to Pattaya and I have a car to do it with. If you are going to be in Pattaya and would like to contact me personally, send me an E-mail at gaybutton@gmail.com . I'll be glad to get together with you when you are here and show you the whole thing, including the venues that are not so easy to find or get to. Perhaps someone who is in Bangkok and is familiar with everything will make the same offer to you and personally help you when you are there. I recommend doing that, if someone is willing. That way you won't end up spending your first night or two just trying to figure out where everything is. Personally, I think you are far better off finding someone experienced to personally help you, at least during your first night out, but if you prefer to "work alone," then have a look at http://www.dreadedned.com . Look at his "City Guides" section. He has listings of most of the gay venues. When you arrive in Thailand, look for "Spice Magazine." It's free and most gay venues will have copies on hand. There are maps of the gay areas inside that include listings of where all the different venues are. When will you arrive and how long will you be in Thailand?

One aspect of all of this that is not going to change, but confuses me, is the 90-day Type "O" visa. I have never understood the logic of forcing 'visa runs' on holders of that visa. Since a holder of that visa has to do essentially the same thing a holder of the 30-day visa-free has always had to do, that is exiting the country, obtaining a new visa, and then returning, then why force holders of that visa to leave the country at all? If you hold the one-year retirement visa, you don't have to leave Thailand to renew it. Why do people who hold the 90-day visa have to leave in order to renew it? Why can't that be taken care of at the Immigration Police office? All it would take is to have holders of that visa fill out the same paperwork at the Immigration Police office that they would fill out at a consulate in another country, and then check the holder's passport to see if there is any reason to deny a renewal. If there is no reason, then the holder could pay the fees and be granted a new visa at the Immigration Police office. Why force him to go over the border to do the same thing? I don't get it.

A whole group of us used to go to that Wednesday buffet when he had the Ol

Isn't that the best time . . . .?

With all the new restaurants opening lately it's getting tougher to choose where to dine. There are so many marvelous choices at every price range. Now yet another new restaurant is going to open soon. It's called 'Flamboyant - Creative Cuisine,' located in the Jomtien Complex, right next door to the 'Hot Stone Grill' and directly across from the blind massage institute. The restaurant is under construction, but from what I can see it looks like it will be a beautiful restaurant. I have not seen anything yet that announces when it will open. Based on the construction progress, it looks like they are at least a month or two away from being able to open.