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Sol off fee 500 (I know because I paid it last night).

This is simply an observation resulting from a few pleasant hours spent with two fellow board members—and some hot waiters and boys from Sol—last night from a table at HM. Observed many visiting young and attractive Asian men alone or in small groups walking along Patpong 2. They were clearly enjoying the experience. Last Saturday while in the lobby of a favorite Saphan Kwai massage shop, two young Asians (not any older than the boys they were about to engage) entered and began scanning the tablet for candidates. I see them on the BTS all the time. Young Asian men doing some of the same stuff us older farangs are doing. They’re going to bars, getting massages and exploring the city. None of this is theoretically based; it’s simply anecdotal observations.

From Pattaya News European travelers could potentially soon enjoy 60 days of exploration in Thailand without visa requirements, as reported by the Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry. Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol stated on Monday, November 13th, that the tourism ministry is contemplating proposing to the Thai Cabinet to extend the visa exemption period for visitors from 50 European countries from 30 days to 60 days.

From Thai PBS World The concept of having Chinese police patrol with Thai counterparts in Thailand has met with a mixed reaction with those in Pattaya expressing support. Rumpueng ‘Lisa’ Hamilton, president of the Pattaya Night Business Association, said that she agrees with the idea, as she believes that it would build up confidence for Chinese tourists in terms of safety. “When I talk to my Chinese friends, they express concern about their safety and possible conflicts with Thai police while visiting Thailand. Thai police might group them together with other Chinese who are involved in illegal activities in Thailand,” Rumpueng said. She believes that the presence of Chinese police would help clear up possible misunderstandings and suppress the illegal activities by the Chinese. Meanwhile Jitsupa Prajongbua, a Thai tour guide, said that it would give the Chinese tourists more confidence in their safety, adding “I am confident that more Chinese tourists will visit Thailand if the concept is implemented.” In the Huay Kwang area of Bangkok, which is crowded with Chinese tourists, one said that the Chinese community seems to welcome the concept. “My opinion is that Thai police have not yet provided enough safety for us. If Chinese police can join the team, I feel that it would certainly increase our confidence in living our lives. In case of emergency, the communication will be easy. The Chinese police will certainly provide immediate assistance.” Sakkasit Mungkarn, advisor to the Tourism Council in Trat province, disagrees, saying “Trat, a border province, already has tourist, local and border police to help provide security and safety. We are confident that they have the capabilities to handle the matters.” =========== From The Nation Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Monday denied media reports that the government will allow Chinese police to patrol tourist cities in the kingdom to boost confidence among Chinese visitors. “Please be fair to me. I never said I would bring Chinese police to Thailand,” Srettha told reporters after landing in San Fransico for the APEC Summit on Monday. “Who would give such an order?” Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool proposed the move in a press interview on Sunday. Thai police representatives doubled down by saying Chinese police could work alongside Thai police to combat Chinese criminals preying on visitors from China. However, Srettha insisted that Thai streets would only be patrolled by Thai police. He added that Thai authorities will instead share information with Chinese police to prevent crimes and strengthen visitors’ confidence. ======= From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The informal suggestion of premier Srettha Thavisin that joint patrols of Chinese and Thai police might appear in tourist areas has gone down like a lead balloon. Although the Tourist Authority of Thailand voiced support on the grounds that Chinese tourists would feel safer, the national police chief, police general Torsak Sukwimol, has now publicly condemned the notion arguing that there may be some confusion. That is certainly true. The joint patrol idea is not entirely new and was adopted by a handful of countries, including Italy and Croatia, before the pandemic. It appears to have been welcomed by Chinese tourists as a safety measure for their benefit, but the Italian government cancelled the contract in 2019. The apparent fear was that cooperation was a cover for secret Chinese police stations, said to operate covertly in 54 countries, keeping watch on Chinese mafias and monitoring regime dissidents. Thai social media, including sites favoured by foreigners, appear to be 99 percent against the idea. One British contributor pointed out that whilst there was a shortage of Chinese speakers in Italy, this was not so in Thailand. For example, the Thai tourist police volunteers have many Chinese language users who already act as translators. Other criticisms centered around Thailand loss of independence or even sovereignty, arguing that the proposal made Thailand look unable to direct its own affairs. Facebook users seemed unanimous that “you couldn’t make this stuff up”. Although many countries have plain clothes police operating in Thailand, usually via embassies or Interpol or by invitation, joint patrols in uniform appear to be a step too far for public consumption. Some estimates even predict that Indian arrivals could outpace Chinese by 2025, with Russians not far behind, which raise the issue where the scheme might stop. But in view of the hostile reaction, you have likely heard the last of this particular marketing plan. The boys in brown won’t be accompanied by the men in black.

This is one of the most disheartening reports of bullying I’ve read about in Thailand. A 15-year-old is suffering from a severe infection after a senior student forcibly injected a chemical into his penis at their school in Nakhon Si Thammarat. His penis is said to be permanently disfigured. From the Bangkok Post https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2685109/boy-suffers-nerve-damage-in-school-penis-assault

From CNN The Chinese government has built up the world’s largest known online disinformation operation and is using it to harass US residents, politicians, and businesses—at times threatening its targets with violence, a CNN review of court documents and public disclosures by social media companies has found. The onslaught of attacks – often of a vile and deeply personal nature – is part of a well-organized, increasingly brazen Chinese government intimidation campaign targeting people in the United States, documents show. The US State Department says the tactics are part of a broader multi-billion-dollar effort to shape the world’s information environment and silence critics of Beijing that has expanded under President Xi Jinping. On Wednesday, President Biden is due to meet Xi at a summit in San Francisco. Victims face a barrage of tens of thousands of social media posts that call them traitors, dogs, and racist and homophobic slurs. They say it’s all part of an effort to drive them into a state of constant fear and paranoia. Often, these victims don’t know where to turn. Some have spoken to law enforcement, including the FBI – but little has been done. While tech and social media companies have shut down thousands of accounts targeting these victims, they’re outpaced by a slew of new accounts emerging virtually every day. Known as “Spamouflage” or “Dragonbridge,” the network’s hundreds of thousands of accounts spread across every major social media platform have not only harassed Americans who have criticized the Chinese Communist Party, but have also sought to discredit US politicians, disparage American companies at odds with China’s interests and hijack online conversations around the globe that could portray the CCP in a negative light. Private researchers have tracked the network since its discovery more than four years ago, but only in recent months have federal prosecutors and Facebook’s parent company Meta publicly concluded that the operation has ties to Chinese police. Meta announced in August it had taken down a cluster of nearly 8,000 accounts attributed to this group in the second quarter of 2023 alone. Google, which owns YouTube, told CNN it had shut down more than 100,000 associated accounts in recent years, while X, formerly known as Twitter, has blocked hundreds of thousands of China “state-backed” or “state-linked” accounts, according to company blogs. Continues at https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/13/us/china-online-disinformation-invs/index.html

I would have been disappointed if antisemitism was given a pass and there was no “bust-up.” Or if discrimination based on nationality was ignored. What the numbers actually demonstrate is that some controversial topics draw a strong following, resulting in viewing numbers rivaling the traditional leaders: trip and venue reports.

I spend more than my share of time in these shops. Most have an on-line presence and all but one that I’m aware of place their guys into two categories: “top” or “top & bottom” (commonly referred to as “T” and “T&B”). In one popular shop, I’ve seen “straight” heading up the category of tops on the shop’s. Tablet. Although I’ve never seen “man”, I have frequently had boy say “I am man.”

Oh, you mean folks are lining up to purchase Russian-made cargo planes? Do tell, Moses.

“Airliners” are by definition aircraft designed and built to transport passengers. Sorry about that, Moses. 🙂 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airliner

Has everything to do with it. No one lining up to purchase Russian airliners. 🙂

From CNBC Emirates announces $52 billion order for 95 Boeing aircraft DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Emirates Airline on Monday announced an order for 95 Boeing aircraft at a value of $52 billion, kicking off the first major deal of the 2023 Dubai Airshow. The state-owned flagship Dubai carrier, a subsidiary of Emirates Group, is ordering 55 additional Boeing 777-9s and 35 of its 777-8s, bringing the airline’s total orders for the 777X widebody jets to 205 units. It is also updating its order of Boeing 787 Dreamliners from 30 to 35, comprised of 15 787-10s and 20 787-8s. Emirates also confirmed its order of a further 202 engines from General Electric: the GE9X engines, which will power the new 777X aircraft. The announcement brings Emirates’ total GE9X engine order to 460. The 777 aircraft can fly for up to 18 hours. Emirates already operates the largest number of Boeing 777 aircraft of any airline in the world. The continued appetite for widebody jets highlights the importance of the Middle East market to the aircraft model’s demand. Middle East customers now account “for the largest portion of combined Airbus and Boeing widebody passenger backlog at 30% of the global total,” according to analysts at wealth management firm AllianceBernstein.

+1

GP, you should not drink under following conditions: 1. On empty stomach 2, when you’re alone 3. when you’re with others

The impossible dream. 🙂

Haven’t posted a feel good animal story in a while but I think this fits the bill. ========== From The Thaiger / Khaosod English The tale of Kanya, the lost wild elephant calf, has come to a joyful conclusion.Found wandering in a rice field in the Bueng Kan province, she has now joined a new family in Chiang Mai. The journey of Kanya, from Bueng Kan to Chiang Mai, is one worth revisiting. Kanya’s story began on the morning of September 12, when villagers found her alone in a rice field near the Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary in Bueng Kan province. Local officials, alongside the central inspection officers of the Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary, located a two-month-old female elephant calf, with no signs of her mother nearby. They set up a temporary enclosure for Kanya, named after the month she was found, and monitored her in hopes her mother would return. However, by the morning of September 13, her mother had not returned. Officials coordinated with veterinarians from the 10th Animal Hospital to examine Kanya and decide on a course of action. Health checks revealed that Kanya was relatively weak, suffering from diarrhoea, battlewounds, and inflammation of the eye tissue. Despite her condition, she was observed calling out for her mother periodically. Around-the-clock care was provided by the team of veterinarians, with her health gradually improving. In early November, Teerapat Trangprakarn, owner of the Patara Elephant Conservation in Chiang Mai, offered to let Kanya live with a mother elephant who had recently given birth. This was coordinated through Kanjana Silpa-archa, allowing Kanya to drink the mother elephant’s milk and consume her dung, crucial for a calf’s immune system development and learning to live independently. Before her relocation, Kanya was closely monitored by a team of veterinarians to ensure she was healthy and ready for the journey. The transfer from Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary in Bueng Kan to the Patara Elephant Conservation in Chiang Mai was meticulously planned, with a vet accompanying her throughout the journey and regular stops every three hours to check her condition. Kanya was prepared for her journey to the elephant farm in Chiang Mai yesterday at 3pm. She swiftly entered the transport vehicle within a minute, accompanied by a convoy of five vehicles, including the Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary head, the Phu Luang Wildlife Research Station, the vehicle carrying Kanya, a team of vets, and the director of the Wildlife Conservation Division. Today, Kanya arrived at the Patara Elephant Conservation farm. She was greeted with milk and six caregivers to prevent attachment to any particular individual. Once she’s familiar with her new surroundings, she will be introduced to her adoptive mother, reported KhaoSod.

As PeterRS mentioned above, many non-registered readers are checking the three Thai gay websites. Their numbers propel the actual readership well beyond the “signed in”. These visitors are primarily interested in scanning for information and have no desire to contribute. Consequently, the sites are more influential than the sum of their members represent.

From AFP A French court on Friday handed down jail sentences of up to 10 years in a people smuggling trial over the death of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a refrigerated container on the way to Britain. The bodies of the migrants who suffocated to death -- two of whom were just 15 years old -- were discovered inside the sealed unit at a port near London in October 2019. They had travelled in the truck from northern France to Belgium before crossing the Channel to Britain. Two ringleaders of the operation -- one Romanian and one British -- were convicted at a trial in 2021 in Britain and sentenced to 27 and 20 years in prison respectively. Other suspects, notably the drivers, received 12 to 20 years, while a Belgian court handed a 15-year term to a Vietnamese man for heading the local cell of the network. Of the 19 defendants in the French trial -- who include Vietnamese, French, Chinese, Algerian and Moroccan nationals -- 18 were found guilty. Four of them, all Vietnamese, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to nine or 10 years in prison. Four other Vietnamese nationals, two of whom were absent and considered fugitive, were sentenced to between one and 10 years for their role in transporting and housing the migrants.

Aside from the geopolitical issues, the move would be a morale killer for Thai cops who—in my personal experience—do an effective job of patrolling the tourist hotspots. From Thai Enquirer The recent announcement by the government of new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin that it is considering inviting Chinese police officers to help patrol tourist hotspots in Thailand has sparked a wave of concern and debate. The plan, ostensibly aimed at bolstering security and fostering a sense of safety among the large number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand, raises significant questions about sovereignty, the effectiveness of such measures, and the broader implications for Thailand’s foreign policy, particularly its long-standing ‘bamboo diplomacy’. At the heart of this issue lies the question of sovereignty. Sovereignty, in its most basic sense, is the absolute right of a country to govern itself, free from external interference or control. By inviting foreign law enforcement officers to operate on Thai soil, Thailand risks eroding this fundamental principle. The presence of Chinese police in tourist areas, even if well-intentioned, symbolizes a troubling concession of Thailand’s authority to a foreign power. This move could set a dangerous precedent, where the line between assistance and interference becomes blurred, potentially inviting future compromises on national sovereignty. Moreover, the presence of Chinese police raises practical concerns about the dynamics of law enforcement in Thailand. Policing is not just a matter of maintaining order; it is deeply intertwined with cultural understanding, language, and legal frameworks. Thai police officers are trained to operate within the specific context of Thai society and law. Introducing foreign officers, who may not have the same level of cultural and linguistic proficiency, or understanding of Thai law and norms, could lead to misunderstandings, ineffective policing, and even conflicts with local communities. This scenario is particularly worrying in tourist hotspots, where the interaction between locals, international visitors, and law enforcement is already complex. The plan also stands in stark contrast to Thailand’s traditional approach to foreign policy, often likened to ‘bamboo diplomacy’. This approach, much like the bamboo plant, emphasizes flexibility and resilience, bending with the winds of global change without breaking. It involves skillfully navigating the complex terrain of international relations, maintaining balanced relationships with major powers while fiercely guarding national independence and interests. Inviting Chinese police to operate in Thailand, however, leans too heavily towards one side, potentially compromising the delicate balance Thailand has maintained in its foreign relations. This shift could be perceived as a tilt towards China, potentially alienating other international partners and affecting Thailand’s reputation as an independent and neutral actor on the world stage. Furthermore, this move raises concerns about Thailand’s commitment to human rights and democratic principles. China’s policing methods and its approach to civil liberties are markedly different from those in Thailand. Allowing Chinese police to operate in Thailand could inadvertently endorse these methods, which often involve stringent controls and limited freedoms. This is especially concerning given Thailand’s own journey towards greater democracy and respect for human rights. The presence of Chinese police could undermine these efforts, sending a conflicting message to both the Thai people and the international community. The argument that the presence of Chinese police will make Chinese tourists feel safer is also questionable. Tourist safety is undoubtedly crucial, but it should not come at the cost of national sovereignty or the principles of effective and culturally sensitive policing. There are alternative methods to ensure the safety of tourists, such as increasing the presence of Thai police in these areas, providing them with additional language training, or establishing special tourist police units with expertise in dealing with international visitors. The plan risks exacerbating existing tensions within Thai society. Thailand is a diverse country, with a rich tapestry of cultures and opinions. The presence of foreign police, especially from a country with which Thailand has complex historical and cultural relationships, could be seen as favoritism or external influence, potentially leading to social unrest or a backlash against both the government and Chinese tourists. This initiative could have broader geopolitical implications. In an era where global politics is increasingly characterized by competition and rivalry, particularly between the United States and China, Thailand’s move could be interpreted as taking sides. This perception could affect Thailand’s relations with other countries and its role in regional and global affairs. As a country that has historically prided itself on its diplomatic agility, Thailand risks losing this edge by aligning too closely with one global power. While the intention behind the Thai government’s plan to bring in Chinese police to patrol tourist hotspots may be to enhance security and reassure visitors, the potential costs are too high. This move risks infringing on Thai sovereignty, compromising the effectiveness of law enforcement, contradicting the principles of bamboo diplomacy, and sending mixed messages about Thailand’s commitment to human rights and democratic values. Thailand must find alternative ways to ensure the safety of its visitors while maintaining its sovereignty, respecting its cultural and legal norms, and upholding its proud tradition of balanced and independent foreign policy. The integrity and independence of a nation are its most valuable assets; they must be protected at all costs.

You’re just chock full of bigoted nonsense, DOA.

Take an educated guess and I’m sure you’ll arrive at right answer.

It may have become more legally friendly and accepting, but as far as bars and other gay venues it has faded significantly. Those experiences can still be had in Thailand.

Agree that it’s become more expensive to get here but so has every place else. As for being attractive, I don’t think there’s a place in Europe or North America to equal it in available guys or safety.

There’s frequent turnover at most bars. Hopefully he’ll land somewhere else soon as high season nears.

I’ve come across some Chinese language sites that frequently post about Bangkok. Once translated some of the stuff. Not surprisingly, they seemed to be discussing same stuff we do.