Londoner

Vinapu provides sound advice. I've talked with guys who have been taken on trips like this by falangs and while they can be much enjoyed, free-time is important to them. It may be good for you, too! I don't know where you are going but it's possible your friend may have people whom he knows nearby. It would be a real treat for him to meet up.

Seems possible...the Generals get bored when they haven't a coup to organise. Nevertheless, some sort of Martial Law is more likely than a coup so that the old men (with their Rolexes) can imprison or massacre as many students as possible. They got away with it with the Red Shirts; why not repeat the process again?

Were SARS and MERS eradicated? or chicken 'flu? Asian 'flu?

Quarantine- holiday- more quarantine on return home. Doesn't appeal.

I have just been talking with my boyfriend in Kamphaeng Phaet....it seems that coverage of the demonstrations on Thai media is very limited. A government that could ban DMC TV as subversive (if only!) will certainly not flinch from eliminating the students from the national consciousness. Or even eliminating the students.

It's about time that Prayut and his cronies faced their comeuppance. Food queues in Pattaya and middle-class (I assume) protesters in Yellow-Shirt country.....the times they are a-changing. I hope.

The fact that there have been many falang deaths (eight?)on the island over a period of years and only two Burmese boys accused suggests that the the authorities know more than they are prepared to divulge. It's a small island. There were also reports of a suspicious boat journey made by members of a wealthy family in the island immediately after the murder.

I suppose it can't be the case that the Government's ulterior motive is to disembowel the tourist industry to such an extent that Thailand is a destination reserved exclusively for the very wealthy? I remember warning that military juntas are not usually fearless defenders of sexual freedoms, apart from their own mia nois of course, and the commercial sex scene may be under increased scrutiny. Perhaps the virus has achieved what was wanted .

It's difficult to rejoice when two young men face a lifetime in prison for a crime committed, in all probability, by a hi-so criminal, no doubt with friends in the government. Which, by the way, is now going after the students. The only positive is that, as in the Central Park Five case, the truth may yet be revealed unexpectedly and justice done. I love Thailand's people , but by God, they are cursed by a thoroughly evil ruling elite which for years has been above the law. Even when it comes to road accidents (sic).

The two English language Bangkok papers share a smug acceptance of the status quo with all its indignities and cruelties. Of course it is alarmed by any signs that Thais who aren't part of the elite may rise-up again and claim their country back. I lost all respect- not that I had much before- for their response to the massacre of the Red Shirts. Some dead bodies just don't count. Thai Lives Matter. Even those of working class Thais and the young.

....as long as there is no quarantine. A two week trip to Thailand would last six (or is it seven?) weeks under present circumstances. Having saved some money due to two cancellations (I'm assuming October is "off"), I'd willingly pay extra but not if I were to be imprisoned at home or even in a posh hotel .Another issue, relevant to this....well, sort-of..... was well- expressed by an aids charity here , which recommended masks during sanuk (good for the guys perhaps) and no face -to face-sex, even if masks are worn. Older readers may recall Captain Drebbin of the "Police Squad" film series enjoying sex with his floozie, entirely encased in a huge condom because it represented safe sex. I laughed when I saw this, little realising that it may one day become a possibility!

Western Union is particularly expensive, not just because of the fees but because the exchange rate offered is so low. The recipient doesn't have to pay anything; the cost is born by the sender. An arrangement through the bank is cheaper but -in my case- takes four days to arrive. W.U is good for an emergency because it is instantaneous. Has anyone tried Paypal?

There were rumours about Babylon closing- pre-Covid rumours, I should add. Whats' the latest news?

That is correct. I suspect that gay expats may be fewer in number now than when Sunee was at its zenith. I recall seeing groups of them regularly in the host-bars. However, it may be that they are not being replaced by younger ones when they age and pass away. This is just an imp[ression. I should re-emphasise that it's not all expats who care only about their own status and happiness....some have been active in the production of food parcels for the poor. And others, it has to be said, have themselves been recipients of such assistance. Or so it has been reported.

No one should be surprised that those of us separated from people (or places) we love should clutch at straws. It is entirely natural, even for pessimists like myself. Nor am I surprised that some expats on different forums have been regaling us with stories about how wonderful it is for them in our absence...empty roads, numerous guys desperately seeking falang assignations, no Chinese tour buses clogging-up the roads, no motor-bike racing up Soi Yensabai. Heaven! But let's face it, some expats have never liked us much. After all, we drive up prices by over-paying at go-go bars; as one expat said many years ago, if it wasn't for tourists , an off would still be 500 bht. "Two-week Charlies" was his description. Fair enough; some of us had jobs to go to back home. However, I could do with just a tad less smugness. There aren't enough expats to keep the scene alive; not just bars and massage joints but even the availability of mbs on hornet and Planet Romeo. Accordingly, I'd welcome a little more sympathy or at least an understanding that separation is painful; that some of us haven't seen our partners for many months and have little chance of doing so for the foreseeable future. One further observation; expats may be enjoying life at the moment but there are locals dependant on charitable food donations- many not only miss tourists but need us to feed their families. Perhaps a realisation that Pattaya expats themselves feed off tourism, directly or indirectly- indeed, if it were not so, why would expats have chosen Pattaya to live in the first place? And furthermore that, however happy they are in their virus and tourist -free environment today, others people, both falang and Thai, are hurting?

Possibly because particular places have standing water- a pond for example- that encourages the dengue-infested mozzies to multiply and spread. For example, an area near Jomtien's market was identified when there was an outbreak last year. Once a particular breeding-ground is identified it can be sprayed.

I was teasing! Which is not to say that I'm unsympathetic.

The Military's tight control of the media probably ensures that a lot of the protests remain unreported. I've seen them in Chiang Mai on a number of occasions, most recently the last time I was there in January. Seemed to be mainly young people, perhaps students, just as we were having breakfast. You wouldn't find British students protesting so early in the morning! They were marching around the road next to the moat next to the Old city. A couple of hundred, I'd guess. I wanted to join them but P persuaded me otherwise.... probably correctly!

The Government has got off very lightly following its rigged elections after staging yet another coup against a democratically elected government. This is a conversation I often have with my boyfriend; why the passivity? is it just fear of the consequences of dissent? or are there other forces and influences at work? I can relate to fear- the massacre of Red Shirts without any consequences was, and was meant to be, a warning. But other populations face equally severe consequences and take the risk. Is it religious? is it to do with the monarchy? Or are there other reasons? I wonder. But I agree that the financial crisis will soon bite, even if it hasn't done so already. And it's not just the likes of Pattaya that will be hit but Isaan et al whose citizens receive much of the money that is made from tourism through its exported workers.

I'd add to that the high percentage of non-city dwellers. Many Provinces have no large towns and have hardly been touched.

I've been thinking....are the guys keeping their masks on in flagrante delicto?

My guess is that the no-quarantine arrangements will be reciprocal; both governments will have to agree to lift restrictions at the same time. By the way, my boyfriend has an extension to his house in Kamphaeng Phaet, thanks to the virus. If the October trip meets the same fate as the June one, as seems likely, I'm bloody well spending that money on myself!

I suspect that this a revised list of those countries which the FCO deems safe for us to travel and not the "no quarantine list". Not quite the same. However, this government is often confused, so who knows? At least it makes insurance easier to find.

No infections in Thailand for more than four weeks. I'm expecting further countries to be added to the list. Originally, it was reported that there would be seventy-five. Of course, its posssible that the Thais don't want us and asked to be taken of the list to avoid problems later. Still clutching at straws.

It is claimed that the UK Government -when or if it is eventually able to get its act together- is planning to lift quarantine requirements for visitors from a large number of countries. The Bangkok Post thinks that Thailand will be on the list, as it should be in view of its success in fighting the virus. If this is true it's good news for those of us straining at the leash to return to our boyfriends . It may encourage the Thais to consider adding the UK and its vast tourist potential to favoured countries in a couple of months and, of course, any proposed trip to Thailand for me depended on being allowed back to my home without some form of imprisonment. The full list was due to be released today; now it's intimated that it'll be tomorrow. Fingers crossed.