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The impetus for the raid may have little to do with they type of venue but rather reflects the priorities of the new commissioner general who spent 17 years of his career in the Crime Suppression Division. His selection caught some of the old guard in the usual line of succession to the top. This profile article from Thai PBS World brings his career into focus. Torsak Sukvimol: The controversial rise of Thailand’s new police chief Thailand’s new police chief, Pol General Torsak Sukvimol, is a non-cadet who joined the force at the age of 33, but then quickly rose through the ranks. Torsak, 59, is the 14th commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police since the force was upgraded from the Police Department in 1998. Continues at https://www.thaipbsworld.com/torsak-sukvimol-the-controversial-rise-of-thailands-new-police-chief/

Normally they’d be fined and required to leave because they’re not here legally. Unless they had prior history of violations they would not usually be banned from returning at later date. Prostitution is difficult to prove and that’s not the objective police commonly have in these types of raids. Evidence of gambling, illegal workers and licensing issues is easily obtained. Here’s excerpt from Pattaya News article: According to reports, the gambling suspects were charged with gambling. The ten migrant workers faced charges for working illegally. The bar operator, on the other hand, was charged for hiring illegal migrant workers and also operating an entertainment venue without the necessary license but was not immediately identified. https://thepattayanews.com/2023/11/01/pattaya-gogo-bar-raid-finds-suspected-gamblers-and-alleged-illegal-migrant-workers-say-police/

from Tourism Authority of Thailand Thailand welcomed SAS Airlines’ maiden Flight SK973 from Copenhagen to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, marking the start of the three-weekly Copenhagen-Bangkok winter seasonal service scheduled from 30 October 2023 to 2 April 2024. The departure flight leaves Copenhagen at 23.30 Hrs. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and arrives in Bangkok on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 17.05 Hrs, respectively. The flight then departs Bangkok on the same day at 23.45 Hrs. and arrives at Copenhagen on the next day at 06.35 Hrs.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Speaking to a packed meeting of Pattaya City Expat Club, Thomas Carden advised worried expats living here on cash already taxed in the home country not to panic. The managing director of the Bangkok-based AITaxAdvisers said the Thai authorities had no intention to punish typical retirees or foreigners married to Thais or bringing up families. Moreover, the double-taxation agreements between Thailand and 61 countries – which included all those represented at the club meeting including the US and the UK – were an added safeguard. However, Mr Carden did stress that the Thai revenue authority would need to ascertain who had taxable income in Thailand and who didn’t. Therefore, it was likely at some future date that all foreign tax residents – those living in Thailand for more than 180 days in any one year – would need a Thai revenue TIN (tax identification number) and be required to fill in an annual tax return. He speculated that the tax number might become part of the immigration application process for one-year extensions of stay. This was the obvious way to separate the foreign sheep (who had no taxable income here) from the foreign goats (who did). The managing director explained that the idea of taxing foreign income in Thailand was nothing new. The only difference with the latest Thai revenue rule was that income transferred in any future tax year from January 1 2024 would be liable for tax, whereas the old clause restricted any due tax to cash brought in specifically during the same tax year it was earned. Thus the main idea will be to capture untaxed cash in future which might have been lying for ages in banks abroad or in offshore havens. Mr Carden pointed out that the scheme could even be delayed until January 2025 because no new law had been passed. Rather, the revenue authority had updated its own regulation. Mr Carden doubted that anything significant would happen before or during January 2024. He suggested that the new Thai government loved the idea of raising mega-cash by proactive taxation, but had significantly underestimated the problems inherent in complex financial data. Thus clarification about details would likely be delayed several months, of course assuming there is a revenue intention to issue any sort of fact sheet. His advice to worried expats is to do absolutely nothing until told clearly to take some action. “Even if tax is due on some income in 2024, the tax form to collect it won’t be due for completion until 2025.” Following the presentation, Robert Chadwick from Business Class Asia gave a secondary talk about buying property abroad, mainly mortgages for American purchases.

I’m the first to admit that I have only the most vague understanding of cryptocurrencies, and no desire whatsoever to own any, but I was reminded of what Carlie Munger (Warren Buffett’s business partner) opined last year: “Sometimes I call it crypto ‘crappo,’ sometimes I call it ‘crypto s---.’ It’s just ridiculous that anybody would buy this stuff,” Munger, 99, told CNBC’s Becky Quick during a livestream of the event, adding: “It’s totally absolutely crazy, stupid gambling.” From Cryptonews.com Thailand’s second-largest bank, Kasikorn Bank, widely known as K-Bank, has acquired a 97% stake in the parent company of the established Satang crypto exchange. This strategic acquisition comes as K-Bank intensifies its efforts in the cryptocurrency sector, aiming to offer a comprehensive range of crypto services that comply with Thailand’s regulatory framework. The deal, valued at 3.705 billion Thai baht (approximately $102.8 million), was executed through a newly established K-Bank subsidiary known as Unita Capital, Thailand Posts reported. Unita Capital holds a specific mandate to invest in digital assets companies, aligning with K-Bank’s commitment to expanding its presence in the digital asset and cryptocurrency market. Once the transaction concludes, Satang will undergo a rebranding process, emerging as Orbix. This transformation signifies a broader shift in K-Bank’s digital strategy, as Orbix will encompass three additional subsidiaries: Orbix Custodian, Orbix Invest (a digital asset fund manager), and Orbix Technology, a blockchain technology developer. Notably, K-Bank’s rival, Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), has also been actively pursuing opportunities in the web3 and cryptocurrency domains, indicating the growing importance of these areas in the Thai financial landscape.

From VN Express Thailand's Ministry of Labor has issued a ministerial order setting new fees for inspections and work permits for foreign workers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Accordingly, the visa fee was reduced from 2,000 baht (US$55.56) to 500 baht and the fee for applying for a temporary stay, from 1,900 baht to 500 baht. The order will take effect for four years starting from Nov. 10, 2023. It is applied to foreign workers from the four countries who enter Thailand to work based on an employment contract or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in connection with the recruitment of workers.

From the Thaiger Outraged Thai netizens called for a ban on travel to South Korea, accusing authorities of discriminating against Thai nationals, pushing the hashtag #BanTravelToSouthKorea (#แบนเที่ยวเกาหลี) to the top of Twitter (X). The Southeast Asian nation is a popular destination for Thais due to the influence of K-pop artists, fashion and South Korean drama. Thais do not need a visa to enter the country but they must register on the website K-eta. The process takes a few days or more to evaluate each traveller but for Thais, it does not mean that they will be able to enter the country even if their application has been approved. At the immigration checkpoint, many Thais are detained and forced to return due to the number of illegal Thai workers, known as “little ghosts” in South Korea. The measures seemed to be getting stricter and stricter. Even Thai celebrities and social media influencers who can prove their identity, profession and financial security were denied entry. Furthermore, many deported Thai people said that the reasons behind their deportation didn’t make sense. Deportation experiences A Thai woman on Twitter recently revealed that a South Korean immigration officer asked her to name every train station in the country. She was able to name only a few of them, so officers concluded that she did not understand the South Korean language and disapproved of her. Another woman said that she was detained because her surname was different from her friend’s family members who were travelling with her. The others said they were questioned about the colour of their hotels and the number of trees in front of their accommodation. Another woman said that she worked as a professor at a university in Thailand and had travelled to more than 20 countries but was refused entry to South Korea. ============= Thailand is set to lift visa requirements for tourists from India and Taiwanstarting next month, lasting until May 2024. This move aims to attract more tourist influx as the peak season is on the horizon. This move follows in the footsteps of the decision made in September to abolish visa requirements for Chinese tourists, Thailand’s leading tourism market before the pandemic, accounting for 11 million of the 39 million arrivals in 2019. India, being the fourth largest source of tourism for Thailand this year, has contributed about 1.2 million arrivals, following Malaysia, China, and South Korea. The tourism sector of India exhibited growth potential, as an increasing number of airlines and hospitality chains started to target this market.

From the Thaiger A maid discovered the dead body of a foreign man with stab wounds to the neck in a hotel room in Phuket. There were no signs of theft or struggle. A substance similar to crystal meth was found in the bathroom. The hotel maid reported her shocking discovery to officers at Cheng Talay Police Station at around 9.30am yesterday, October 30. She revealed that she had walked past the hotel room and was hit by a foul odour coming from inside. The maid said Jarez never locked his room and only allowed the maid to clean when he wanted. She knocked on the door but received no response, so she decided to enter the room and found the body. Police searched the room and found two passports, one US and one Costa Rican, which identified the deceased as 35 year old Daniel James Artus Jarez. It was anticipated that Jarez died several days before his discovery as his body was in a state of decomposition. Jarez had four stab wounds to the left side of his neck, and a 25-centimetre combat knife with a needlepoint was found near his body. There were no signs of theft at the scene and Jarez’s belongings left in the room included a laptop, a tablet, two mobile phones, passports, four backpacks, four pieces of luggage, diving equipment, Muay Thai sportswear and 6,000 baht in cash. Officers also found a substance similar to crystal meth in a plastic zip-lock bag, cannabis and drug paraphernalia. However, police refrained from confirming whether the substance was indeed an illicit drug.

Thanks for your report. Thirty minutes I would think is the minimum time to expect from a ST bar off. An hour would be more the average. If you’re not happy with time, settle the issue before agreeing to off guy. If language an issue, ask mamasan to explain it to boy. You’re in the massage capital of world and encourage you to take advantage of it. On any given afternoon or evening there are easily a few hundred guys available in the Silom/Soi 6/Surawong rectangle. Most are outside their shops so you can survey many by just slowly walking past shops and see who returns smile. For me, this is far more efficient way of locating mutually acceptable mate for an hour or so than constantly scanning apps. I dumped Grindr from phone earlier this trip because I found myself spending excessive, unproductive time on it. My rationale was that I didn’t travel 24 hours to look at a screen when there are plenty of the real thing at every turn. Enjoy remainder of trip.

From a reliable source: a customer last week offed boy from Dreamboy and had phone and 18,000 baht taken from his hotel room. Boy never returned to bar.

Good thing it’s Halloween because this thread getting really scary.

Given China’s location, I find it difficult to believe that he travelled all the way to the US to have sex. I can think of someplace a lot closer—and a lot more accommodating.🙂

The Bangkok Post is reporting that bars in the nation’s busiest tourist centers will receive permission to remain open until 4a.m., beginning with the New Year period.

A Vietnam friend who works in Bangkok has been receiving texts from his family and friends back home since yesterday. The corn crop planted recently has been lost and homes swept away. Ha Tinh province is the hom3 of just about all of the VN guys who work in Bkk. From VN Express Two women and a child in Ha Tinh Province in central Vietnam were swept away by flood on Monday, two of their bodies have been found drowned and one is still missing. Around 10 a.m. on Monday, Tong Thi Trang, 33 and Nguyen Thi Hoa, 31, in Ha Linh Commune were on their way home through a rainstorm after work in Ha Linh Commune, Huong Khe District when they got swept away by the flood. At 3 p.m., the women’s relatives called the police when the two did not return home. Due to heavy rain, the search was difficult. Trang’s body was found at the communal house of Village 12 in Ha Linh Commune. Trang and Hoa are sisters-in-law. Both have small children and their families are in difficult economic circumstances. At about the same time as the sisters went missing, so did Nguyen Van Dung, 13, in Huong Khe’s Huong Thuy Commune. In Can Loc District, at 3 p.m., authorities received a report from nine workers who were isolated by the flood at a shack near the Gia River in Son Loc Commune. The rain was initially not heavy before so the workers had paid no mind. After a few hours of heavy rain, the water level rose quickly and they couldn’t leave the shack. Authorities sent officers on motorboats to approach the shack and after two passes, nine workers were rescued safely by around 5 p.m. Under the influence of cold air and high-altitude eastern winds, it has been raining heavily in central Vietnam for the past two days, with Ha Tinh recording the highest levels of rainfall. In addition to flooded houses and highways, the North-South railway was interrupted by landslides and more than 4,500 students in Ha Tinh had to stay home from school. It is forecast that the rain in Ha Tinh will last until Thursday. It was around 3:30 p.m. when the boy was walking on a flooded road in Village 6. He accidentally fell into deep water and drowned. His body was discovered at 8:30 p.m.

Latbear4blk said You do not see the irony of a Militaristic Empire with military bases all over the world, accusing regional powers of promoting war? =========== Who do you thinks keeps the East China Sea, the South China Sea and other contested international sea lanes open to navigation? It’s not the UN. It’s the US sailing and flying from strategically located bases along with coalition partners.

From CNN Traumatized Thai farmers recount horror of Hamas massacre Udon Thani, ThailandCNN — Touching the side of his neck gingerly, 30-year-old Withawat Kunwong reveals a jagged network of scars he received after being attacked at a poultry farm where he had been working in southern Israel. The wound, Kunwong says, is a painful reminder of the fear and trauma he endured on October 7 when thousands of Hamas fighters broke through Israel’s border defenses in an unprecedented surprise attack. The farm he had been working on was located in the Holit kibbutz, an agrarian community near the Gaza Strip. He was livestreaming from the farm when loud explosions were heard and thick black plumes of smoke rose into the air as rockets flew overheard. He recalled hiding for hours that day but was discovered by a man he recalled as being a Palestinian dressed in civilian clothes who tried to cut his throat with a kitchen knife, after he “refused to surrender”. A savage fight ensued. After the violent struggle with his attacker, Kunwong was left for dead, heavily bleeding from the wound in his throat. He was eventually found and cared for by other migrant workers. He managed to survive, he believes, because the knife had been blunt and broken. Continues at https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/30/asia/thailand-hamas-survivors-intl-hnk/index.html

When I was passing by last week I noticed a sign at entrance to Soi leading to Moonlight. Don’t remember it from earlier trips.

Have no problem with posting in language other than English so long as they have courtesy of also providing English translation. Otherwise their potential wisdom (or absence of it) is lost to vast majority of readers.

Feb. 31st. 🙂

The longest wait I’ve experienced was appointment with a dermatologist (about five months) because it deemed routine visit. Proved to be very productive appointment. She diagnosed and removed (by freezing with nitrogen) four pre-cancerous growths from scalp and arms. I know schedule complete body exam annually.

From CBS New Hundreds of people stormed into the main airport in Russia's Dagestan region and onto the landing field Sunday, chanting antisemitic slogans and seeking passengers arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, Russian news agencies and social media reported. Russian news reports said the crowd surrounded the airliner, which belonged to Russian carrier Red Wings. Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility. Dagestan's Ministry of Health said more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. It said the injured included police officers and civilians. Video on social media showed some in the crowd waving Palestinian flags and others trying to overturn a police car. Antisemitic slogans can be heard being shouted and some in the crowd examined the passports of arriving passengers, apparently in an attempt to identify those who were Israeli.

From Pattaya Mail PATTAYA, Thailand – A topic that should be high on everyone’s need to know list, When Stroke Strikes, was the subject the presentation given by Dr. Nattakarn Buranakul, MD, to the Pattaya City Expats Club on Wednesday, October 25. Dr. Nattakarn is a Neurologist from the Neuroscience Center of Bangkok Hospital Pattaya (BHP) who specializes in the treatment of strokes. The one clear message from his talk was that “Time is Brain” noting that from the time a stroke strikes, brain cells begin to be lost. If a stroke is suspected, you should go immediately to the hospital where if it is confirmed, can be treated effectively. But time is of the essence, the sooner treatment begins the sooner one stops losing brain cells which if continued can lead to long term disability or even death. He noted that stroke is the 2nd leading cause worldwide of death and disability, but in Thailand, it is 1st. Using various visual aids, he described the two types of stroke, Ischemic (blood clot stops the flow of blood to an area of the brain) and Hemorrhagic (weakened/diseased blood vessels rupture and blood leaks into brain tissue). Both of which can be treated within 24 hours of their occurrence but to be effective, intervention should be as soon as possible. Dr. Nattakarn displayed the “BEFAST” chart which should be remembered as it provides a ready means of remembering the symptoms of a stroke which will appear suddenly and without any warning: B – Balance (dizzy, loss of balance); E – Eyes (blurry, double vision, can’t see); F – Face (crooked mouth and/or droopy face on one side), A – Arm (arm or leg weakness on one side), S – Speech (stuttering, slurred speech, unable to speak), and T – Time (time is of the essence, go to the hospital immediately!) He mentioned the risk factors for a stroke are: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, smoking and/or drug use, obesity, lack of exercise, sleep apnea, and heavy alcohol use. Dr. Nattakarn emphasized that atrial fibrillation (an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm) and untreated sleep apnea (sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts) are very high-risk factors. Another risk factor is the narrowing of the Carotid artery which can cut of the blood supply to the brain or some of the plaque can break lose resulting in a blood clot; both of which can cause a stroke. Continues at https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/pattaya-city-expats-club-when-stroke-strikes-444120

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Premier Srettha Thavisin has promised to push for parliamentary approval next year of three separate bills to legislate for gay marriage, lawful prostitution and gender choice. All subjects were approved in principle by the previous military-backed administration of General Prayut, but they then became stuck in committee and the thorny run-up to the 2023 general election. The gay reform will change section 1448 of the civil and criminal code so that marriage is no longer restricted to Thai men and women but will be available regardless of gender. The implication is that gay couples will have exactly the same rights in law as heterosexuals, including pensions and adoption issues. Same sex marriage between a Thai national and a foreigner has yet to be clarified. For the first time since the 1960s, adult prostitution will become legitimate as sex workers (female or male) will be legal professionals who will have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Thais in lawful employment. The implications of the legislation for Thailand’s nitery entertainment businesses, including go go bars and their working practices, have still to be demystified. The third bill will concern gender identity and will oblige official certificates (for example ID cards and passports) to accept the gender that a Thai individual identifies as, whether male or female or other. Srettha said that he intends to push for all three major reforms to be passed simultaneously under one heading. Parliamentary approval for the trio of issues is certain as the largest parties, including Pheu Thai and Move Forward, are already committed to support the reforms. Once the laws are changed, Thailand will have the most liberal legal environment in Asia for the subjects identified.

From The Star PHNOM PENH (China Daily/ANN): Cambodia’s economy is forecast to be the fastest-growing in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), according to the latest outlook by the International Monetary Fund backed by analysts reports. In the World Economic Outlook published earlier this week, the IMF projected that Cambodia’s real GDP will grow 5.6 per cent this year and 6.1 per cent next year, up from the 5.2 per cent growth recorded last year. This means the kingdom is likely to become the fastest-growing economy in the 10-nation bloc for two consecutive years. Cambodia’s growth was closely followed by the Philippines, whose economy is expected to grow 5.3 per cent this year and 5.9 per cent next year. Indonesia’s economy is estimated to grow 5 per cent in both 2023 and 2024, while the Lao economy is projected at 4 per cent for both years. Growth in Myanmar is expected to be stable for 2023 and 2024 at 2.6 per cent. Vietnam is expected to grow by 4.7 per cent this year and 5.8 per cent next year, while the predicted growth for Malaysia is 4 and 4.3 per cent, respectively. Thailand’s economy is expected to grow 2.7 per cent this year and 3.2 per cent next year.