Gaybutton

Everybody. I don't see it the way you do at all. I see nothing problematic about any of the posts you cited, although I do agree that one of them is questionable. Regarding my old board, I removed it when the powers-that-were suddenly started blocking web sites. For whatever reason, mine was the first one blocked. At the time, no one had any idea why my site was blocked. Then, next thing we knew the other gay web sites started getting blocked. Even my Thai attorney was unable to find out why these sites were blocked or who blocked them. To this very day we still don't know. Without knowing what was going on or why, I decided not to take any chances. Right or wrong, good idea or bad idea, that was my decision at the time, a decision I'm not so sure I would repeat today. However, regarding the posts you cite I'm whistling in the wind. It's not my decision to make. GT owns this board. He is where the buck stops. He'll be the one to decide whether to agree with you or not and he'll be the one who decides whether to let those posts stand or whether to remove them. I'm not going to remove them because I don't see them as dangerous posts. Don't forget, GT is looking for "a few good men" to join us as moderators. If you feel strongly about those posts, I would be delighted if you wish to join us as a moderator.

I don't know. A curfew is a curfew. I doubt such an explanation would be accepted for private vehicles and the the odds of being arrested are too great. I certainly would not ask someone to take that risk just so I can save taxi fare and between police and soldiers stopping the vehicle, I would doubt the driver would ever make it to the airport anyway. I think passengers arriving during curfew hours are just going to have to open their wallets and take a taxi until the curfew is lifted.

Air passengers can travel to and from airport during curfew hours BANGKOK, May 20 (TNA)

I agree. You have all the free speech you want in Thailand. Free speech means you are entitled to voice criticism of the government without fear of penalty. But under Thai law it is a serious violation, a very serious violation to voice criticism of the monarchy. Thailand also has libel laws that differ from the libel laws of most western countries. Those kinds of posts are what we object to and will not permit. What we are being asked by some to do is to permit this board to operate in violation of Thai law, thus placing the board owner and moderators at legal risk. That is something I absolutely refuse to do. If that makes me a "nervous nellie," then I'm a nervous nellie. I don't know anyone who posts on these boards qualified to interpret Thai law for me. I've said it before and I'll repeat it now - there is no way I will tolerate being placed in legal jeopardy for the sake of message board posts. I have yet to ever see anything so profoundly important that it just cries out to be placed on a message board despite placing the board owners and moderators at risk. If we are being asked to permit the envelope to be pushed so that political discussions don't have to be "farcical," then either don't have those kinds of discussions on this board or start your own board and you be the one who places yourself at risk. For some strange reason, I don't see very many of the critics starting their own boards. I think it is quite well known that I have the greatest respect for Hedda, but I really don't think it will be very much help to me if the police come knocking at my door when I tell them, "But Hedda said it's ok." If such a thing ever happens, I'm sure the police will listen intently to my arguments - all the way downtown.

I think it would be even better if the bars would consider opening during the day. Since the shopping malls are closed, I think they would get a lot more customers looking for something to do and someplace to go. Also, while it is good they are opening from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, that's when most customers are going to have to decide whether to go to the bars or have dinner at a reasonable hour. If special permission is needed by the powers-that-be to open during the day, along with a temporary suspension of that asinine "no liquor sales between 2:00pm-5:00pm" rule, I think it would be a good idea to try to get it, especially if the curfew ends up extended even further.

Pattaya under curfew for a further 3 days – UPDATE On Wednesday Night at 8pm, Pattaya Police backed up by Pattaya City Hall Security Officers began a tour of the city and ordered all establishments, including Bars, Discotheques, Banks, Shopping Centers and Convenience Stores, to comply with a Curfew order issued by Thailand’s Prime Minister earlier on Wednesday. The order came into force at 8pm and lasted until 6am on Thursday and we have been informed that a further 3 days of curfew are planned from Thursday until Saturday starting at 9pm and finishing at 5am until the situation in Bangkok and other provinces, where rioting is taking place, is brought under control. Here in Pattaya this could not have come at a worse time as the city struggles to continue life as normal while 150 kms away in Bangkok, fires have been reported at over 20 separate locations around the Thai Capital as the remaining Red Shirts refuse to leave the Capital quietly. On Wednesday Night we toured the city which was mostly in darkness as bars and shops were ordered to close. There were rumors spreading earlier on Wednesday evening that a bomb had been discovered at Big C in North Pattaya which had been closed since early evening. This rumor was found to be untrue and the center had been closed due to the curfew order. With many 24 hour convenience stores closing, panic buying began and Police were called to one minor incident at a store in Soi Neun Plub Wan which led to no arrests and was brought to a conclusion quickly. We can report on another incident which occurred on the overpass leading to Highway 7 in Central Pattaya where someone placed a tire on the overpass and set it on fire. Police are not sure if this is related to the Red Shirts or a prank by local youths. It is currently being investigated by Police. We must inform people currently residing in Pattaya that if you are caught breaking the curfew, you may be liable to arrest and could be fined, although it appears that authorities are not enforcing these curfew regulations in a strict manor here in Pattaya. http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/20966/breaking-news-pattaya-under-curfew/

Nothing has been said officially that I've been able to find, but I doubt very much that Thai authorities are going to expect incoming passengers, especially since many probably would not even know about the curfew, and even more especially at a time when Thailand needs all the tourists it can get, to end up being forced to remain in the airport until 6:00am. That would be ridiculous even for Thailand.

I support the curfew. I don't know whether the curfew has anything to do with it, but so far in Pattaya there have been no violent incidents associated with the Red-Shirt protest and nobody has been burning tires, burning down buildings, or trying to shoot people. If the worst that happens in Pattaya is, assuming the reports are accurate, shopping malls closing for a few days, then Pattaya is one of the luckiest large cities in Thailand.

Good question. I haven't been able to find anything official to explain it. It was a BoT decision. I haven't been able to come up with an answer that makes much sense. Until an official explanation is released, it's on my "I Don't Get It" list. I have a feeling that if and when an explanation is released, it will continue to be on my "I Don't Get It" list.

A question came up about what the penalties are for curfew violations. So far, I have not seen anything published that tells us what the penalties are. What I can tell you is this afternoon I heard a story from a farang friend who lives with his boyfriend. Despite the curfew, the boyfriend decided to go out late last night anyway. He didn't get very far. His motorcycle was confiscated and it cost him 1000 baht to get it back from the impound lot. Other than that, I have heard nothing about penalties. I don't intend to find out the hard way.

I have not yet heard whether the Pattayaland bars will also be open. If anyone knows please post the information.

I traveled the entire length of Thepprasit Road. The story that went around last night of an explosion there appears to be in error. I saw no evidence of an explosion. Everywhere I went today, everything appeared perfectly normal. Again, you wouldn't even know anything was going on if it wasn't for television and the news media. The problems in Pattaya are apparently downtown. I wasn't anywhere near that area today, so someone else will have to let us know the story. Also, city services seem to be operating normally. Mail was delivered today and there was trash pickup today. I have not heard any reports of violence or any other safety problems in Pattaya today. If you missed the post, the Sunee Plaza bars will be open from 6:00pm to 9:00pm during the curfew days. I have not heard anything about the Pattayaland bars. However, if you are in Pattaya, you should be perfectly safe going to the bars during those hours.

I received the following in an Email from SUNEE PLAZA: _____ UPDATE ON THAILAND 20/05/10 Up until a few days ago, we were carrying a “travel advisory” that said it was “business as usual” in Pattaya. I am sure you heard yesterday the troops stormed the red shirt encampment in Bangkok and ended the siege. Yesterday evening at 21.00 the police came round and closed all the bars. There was a curfew imposed and we had not heard about it. Today we heard the curfew has been extended for a further 3 days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) from 9 pm to 5 am. We have no knowledge of any possible extension to this, or what will happen after these three days. However, that apart, the bars are all open from 6 pm to 9 pm. DON’T LET THIS PUT YOU OFF! The boys are still here. They still want to meet you and entertain you. In fact with the bars closing at 9 pm they are more keen than ever! They still need money and it's not long until the end of the month when rents are due. There has been no trouble in Pattaya that we have heard of. Reports of explosions at Big C, or the Town Hall appear to be false rumours. Paradise is here, it just closes at 9 pm for the time being. As soon as there are any real problems here we will let you know.

BOT: Banks Can Open This Weekend Published: 20/05/2010 All banks nationwide can be open from Friday to Sunday, Bank of Thailand (BOT) assistant governor Sorasit Soontornkes said on Thursday. Mr Sorasit said the central bank had received many complaints from the public after it previously announced that all commercial banks and financial institutions will remain closed this weekend due to the escalating political unrest in Bangkok and other provinces. Debt payments had become a problem following the announcement, he said. "To ease people's financial difficulties, all banks, especially the ones in department stores, can open from Friday to Sunday without asking for the BOT's permission," the assistant governor said. Banks can open this weekend

Can you be specific? I don't see any posts that I would think would bother the powers-that-be. Which posts do you have in mind?

I have just received word that the curfew hours will be from 9:00pm to 5:00am. That's a new time. Last night it began at 8:00pm. Now it will begin at 9:00pm and end at 5:00am.

I have just received word that the curfew hours will be from 9:00pm to 5:00am. That's a new time. Last night it began at 8:00pm. Now it will begin at 9:00pm and end at 5:00am.

Have you ever been to Central World in Bangkok? Here is what they did to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG16dQZ1r68

The curfew has been extended for three more nights. The only time I've even seen police in Pattaya lately has been when they're clearing the streets when the curfew begins.

I have just received word that the curfew will continue in Pattaya for at least over the next three nights. Again, the curfew is from 8:00pm to 6:00am.

That's yet another concern. The number of people, through no fault of their own, who are now out of a job throughout Thailand must be staggering. Even when things open again, by the time people who had been working in the areas where buildings were burnt down are going to have to wait months, perhaps years, before their jobs are available to them again. The tourist industry must be a complete shambles by now. It will be a long time before the tourist industry can recover and so many businesses dependent on tourism had already been teetering on the brink even before this happened. I believe we're going to see a high number of businesses, including businesses most of us have come to know and take for granted, go under because of this. Once again, I hope I'm totally wrong about that, but I don't see how they're going to survive this. The one factor that might save many of them is the fact that this is low season anyway. But I think much of Thailand is going to go through some awfully hard times before things get much better. As far as what gay life used to be in Thailand about ten years ago, I don't think we'll see anything like the "golden years" again for quite some time, if ever. Before all this got started, I predicted that nothing was going to happen at all. I don't think I've ever been more wrong about anything in my life. But you know something? Even with all of this going on, I'd still rather be right here in Thailand than anywhere else on earth.

I just received word that the curfew will be in effect again tonight.

Now that there are reports of Red-Shirt activity in Pattaya, I thought I would start up a thread devoted to the goings-on in Pattaya. First, the good news: Despite all the publicity to the contrary, all the ATMs are open, working, and dispensing cash. I don't know what changed between last night and this morning, but I'm sure not going to argue about it. Those of you in Pattaya might want to get a few days worth of cash while the getting's good. You never know what may change. As for the banks themselves, I think they will remain closed today as publicized. The mini-branches may be an exception, but it's too early in the day to know for sure. It's about 8:55am as I write this. The banks don't open until 10:00am. As many of you know, I live on "The Dark Side," the east side of Sukhumvit. This morning I went to Makro to stock up on 'just-in-case' items. Absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. People were going to work as usual. Children were on their way to school. Shops were opening. Gas stations were open. Street vendors were working. Traffic was flowing normally. I saw no evidence of Red-Shirt or any other kind of activity. There was no military or police presence. Makro was open and fully stocked. All the convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven, were open. It is too early in the day to know whether the curfew will remain in effect again tonight or whether it will be rescinded. Obviously, if the curfew remains in effect, then the bars will be closed. It would be very helpful if those of you present in Pattaya keep us informed about what you see and experience. Even if you see nothing at all going on, it will be helpful to know that. Also, if the shopping malls remain closed or they open today, please let us know. Of course, if you spot anything going on or if you hear reports about violence, please let us know and let us know where it is.

I agree that Pattaya is still safe to visit. But the next question is whether it would be fun for the average holiday maker to visit right now under these circumstances. Today is probably going to be a very difficult day in Pattaya for many. The uncertainty about where the Red-Shirts are going and what they're going to do next. The uncertainty as to whether things are going to get violent in Pattaya. The uncertainty about access to money. The uncertainty about how long the curfew will remain in effect. The uncertainty as to whether there is going to be a serious increase in crime. The idea that if you find a boy, he'll either have to spend the night with you whether you want him or not, or you'll have to have your "liaison" early enough so that he'll have time to return to his room before the 8:00pm curfew starts. Then there are little things such as being forced to have dinner and be back in your room by 8:00pm. Bars that won't be able to open. Having to be at the airport by 8:00pm even though your flight might not be leaving until 5:00 am. If it were me, I would postpone my holiday until I knew whether my holiday would be a fun, relaxing holiday or whether I'm going to end up having my holiday right in the middle of what amounts to a war. In my opinion, no matter what happens now, even if all the hostilities were to cease this very day, it will still take a very long time for Thailand to heal its wounds and for this whole affair to pass into forgotten history.

Nice of them to let people know in a timely manner. By the time I, or anyone I know in Pattaya heard about it, the curfew was already in effect and the ATMs were already closed. I wonder what they expect people to do who didn't hear about it in time and were low on, or even out of cash. I don't suppose anything was said about why they're closing the ATMs, was there? What is the reason? If it is for security purposes, I'm interested to know just how much cash it takes to be able to burn tires, commit arson, and blow things up. Well, for those who can't access cash, you can still use your ATM card to buy groceries, if you can find a grocery store open, and eat in restaurants where you can pay with an ATM or credit card. If you are in Thailand on traveler's checks, there are outlets that will cash them for you besides banks - if you can find them. Of course they have to get their own cash from banks, but maybe they already have a good supply on hand. Maybe the BoT will rescind that order. I would think there will be a hell of a lot of complaints pouring in from people who are running out of cash and need to be able to get some. We'll just have to wait and see how this one plays out.