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+1 We forgot about our offs and petty concerns. We were all Thais for those fateful days.

From Bangkok Post CHON BURI: The Pattaya City Administration plans to introduce four monorail lines to ease traffic congestion. It will begin with a 9.9-kilometre "Green Line" route which will connect the future high-speed... https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2596913/pattaya-to-construct-4-monorail-lines

From Thai PBS world The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Myanmar’s defense ministry and two banks used by the ruling military junta to buy arms and other goods from foreign sources. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement the military has relied on foreign sources, including Russian entities under sanctions, to purchase and import arms, equipment and raw materials to manufacture weapons to support its “brutal repression”. Washington accused the defense ministry of importing goods and materiel worth at least $1 billion since the 2021 coup in which the military leaders seized power. State-owned Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB), were also hit with sanctions. The Treasury said they allowed revenue-generating state-owned enterprises, including Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), access to international markets. The banks receive and transmit foreign currencies for Myanmar’s government. “ Burma’s military regime has leveraged state-run access to international markets to import weapons and materiel, including from sanctioned Russian entities, to continue its violence and oppression,” the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement. The United States and other Western nations have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders since they seized power in a coup in 2021, overthrowing the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and killing thousands of opponents in a crackdown.

1. The “afters” don’t always come in a specific order. 2. I evaluate a massage on the experience as a whole, not solely on the end. 3. Some guys (a minority in my experience) understand this. 4. I very seldom extend a massage.

I was walking on Silom past Soi 4 and a guy wearing yellow shirt smiled and asked “massage?” as he offered a menu from Adam. He held the smile and I said “sure.” On the short walk back he inquired “body to body?” My reply was the same. Adam is probably the best located shop in Silom (opposite Pride), yet many folks walk by without even seeing it en route to Circus, Balcony or Jupiter. Even though I was once a regular customer, in recent years I’ve given it a pass in as I discovered the opportunities in Saphan Kwai and other destinations. Today’s massage renewed my connection with the shop where I first met some memorable guys. Originally agreeing to one hour (450), midway through the session I told him I wanted to extend it an additional half hour (200), my first 90-minute one of the trip. It was time and money well spent. The room was on the third floor with massage table and shower down the hall. Water provided on arrival and tea after.

Agree. and just having wealth doesn’t seem to make victims any wiser because they’re the ones getting burned. Greed—like lust—can make fools of us.

Making a sexual supposition about another person you specifically identity by given name could easily be taken in intended or unintended ways. Remember this is a public forum.

Leroy82, in view of a post you made last Friday at 5:07, you may want to bear in mind that two of the HM’s most popular bartenders speak and read English and are avid social media readers.

From The Thaiger The Royal Thai Police (RTP) issued a warning to pornography lovers to be vigilant after a victim was fleeced of 3 million baht after he browsed an illegal porn website. The RTP yesterday told a gathering press pack that the top five scams in Thailand included counterfeit products and services, fraudulent part-time or freelance jobs, loan scams, call centre scams, and investment scams. The RTP added that a popular new scam is pushing to get into the top five – porn site extortion. The RTP made known that the victim was contacted by the administrator of a porn site he browsed and invited him to add the website as a friend on the LINE application. The admin informed the victim that there was more free adult content available on the LINE account, so the victim agreed to add it. The victim was then invited to perform a series of tasks to access more free explicit content and then lured into applying as a member of a website called the v-verve club. During the tasks, the victim was lured into transferring money to the website. The web admin encouraged the victim to transfer larger amounts assuring him that he would get all of the money back at the end of the game. Eventually, the victim lost 3 million baht to the scam. The RTP added that people should be aware of these scamming websites. The RTP also added that a number of people had fallen victim to a TikTok scam. The scammers contact the victims via phone and invite them to complete a task on the TikTok application to gain rewards. At the start, the scam gang would transfer a reward to the victims after they completed their tasks. Then, they would send access to a fake TikTok application and lure victims into transferring money to them.

From The Thaiger Today, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand announced that the Summer Solstice or ‘Srisamayan’ will result in the longest day and shortest night of the year. The sun will pause at the highest point in the north today. The term ‘Solstice’ comes from the Indo-European word stice, meaning steady or pause. The Summer Solstice signifies the day when the sun’s path reaches its northernmost point and remains stationary. The sun’s position changes about one degree per day, and from March, it gradually moves northwards until it reaches its highest point today. After this, it will slowly move southwards. This phenomenon results in the sun rising from the eastern horizon and leaning towards the north, and setting at the western horizon, leaning towards the north. The southern hemisphere subsequently enters the winter season, while the northern hemisphere enters summer. The Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees, perpendicular to its orbital plane around the sun, makes various areas around the globe receive different amounts of sunlight, resulting in varying temperatures and day and night durations. This creates distinct seasons on our planet. As we can observe during summer, the days are longer than nights, indicating the sun rises early and sets later. On the contrary, during winter, the nights are longer than days, the sun rises late and sets early.

From The Nation The Election Commission has certified all 500 elected MPs and as per the Constitution, the first House of Representatives meeting will have to be held within 15 days of the announcement. The Election Commission (EC) on Monday endorsed all 400 constituency MPs and 100 party-list MPs for the House of Representatives. EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said the 500 MPs can report to the EC office from Tuesday until June 24 to receive their election victory certificate. Although their victories were endorsed, the EC said it reserved the right to investigate any allegations of election fraud against the MPs in the future if strong evidence were to be found Sawaeng said that the EC retained the authority to withdraw the right to vote or to stand for election of those MPs who were found guilty, citing Section 138 of the organic law on the election. When asked about the shareholding case against potential prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat, he said the EC was looking into the matter, adding that only some of the details had been verified.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The British pound has recently been improving against the Thai baht and is now worth over 44.50. The pound is also at its highest level since June 2022 against the US dollar and is the best performing currency of late in the world’s developed economies. Investors say the key reason is that the UK economy has held up better than expected in the post-covid era, boosted by the Bank of England’s high interest rates (to tackle inflation) which attract foreign investors looking for good returns for their cash. Other less significant factors are the troubles in the Scottish National Party which have made another independence referendum less likely. The baht meantime has suffered from war in Ukraine which has pushed up the price of imports, only slightly compensated by a rise in Thai exports. Moreover, Thailand is still battling covid infections and is experiencing delays and controversies in the installation of the new government post-general election. Thailand’s main trading partners China and Japan have also been performing poorly in foreign exchange markets. The pound’s progress is in stark contrast to predictions after the 2016 Brexit referendum when commentators were predicting a pound-dollar parity within five years. Today, the rate is one pound being worth US$1.28. Some predictions are that the pound may rise to 46 or 47 baht before settling in the latter part of the year.

From The Nation The fare structure for the newly completed elevated MRT Yellow Line train service will be considered at the Cabinet meeting today (June 20) and will be announced before the commercial opening date on July 3, the Transport Ministry has announced. “We do not expect any problems in getting the fare rate approved by the (caretaker) cabinet. The line should be able to open commercially next month as scheduled,” Deputy Transport Minister Athirat Rattanaset said on Monday. Yellow Line operator Eastern Bangkok Monorail (EBM) has indicated that the proposed fare will start at 15 baht and be capped at 45 baht. The company expects an average of 200,000 passengers per day after the commercial opening. The MRT Yellow Line monorail has been offering free trial rides since June 3. The trial run first covered the 13 stations from Samrong to Hua Mak stations, with a further nine from Sri Kritha to Phawana stations added last week. The Lat Phrao-Samrong Yellow Line route spans 30.4 kilometres and comprises 23 stations. The route starts at the Ratchada-Lat Phrao intersection near MRT Lat Phrao station and runs along Lat Phrao Road, crosses the Bang Kapi intersection before turning right onto Srinakarin Road. After passing the Soi Onnuch and Theparak intersections at Sri Nuch and Sri Thep stations, the train takes a right turn into Theparak Road before terminating at the Samrong Station at the Sukhumvit intersection. BTSC is also constructing the Khae Rai-Minburi section of the MRT Pink Line and expects the line to start trial runs in November this year, after more than two years of delay due to Covid-19 outbreak, he said.

Try searching for “the Prince Massage”

….and I was in high-rise building (and so did my friend). From Thai PBS World People flee high-rise buildings in Bangkok as Myanmar quake tremors felt Many office workers in high-rise buildings in Bangkok and Nonthaburi province rushed into the streets after they felt their buildings shake this morningi (Monday). One netizen tweeted that he was on the 13th floor of a building in the Lat Phrao area when he saw ceiling lamps swaying and felt dizzy. Another said that she dared not re-enter their building, after she and her colleagues ran out. The Meteorological Department said in a statement this morning that a 6 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 8.40am, with its epicentre located about 10km under the sea near the southern coast of Myanmar, at latitude 15.266 degrees north and longitude 96.488 degrees east and about 289km southwest of Phob Phra district of Tak province. The effects of the quake were felt in Bangkok and Nonthaburi province, said the department, adding that the event was on the Sagaing fault, which stretches from 1,000km offshore in the Andaman Sea and passes through central Myanmar. ============== Bangkok hotels want BMA to postpone plan to charge for waste water treatment Hotels in Bangkok want the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to postpone its plan to charge hotels for waste water treatment, claiming that most of them are not financially ready after having just recovered from three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association. The BMA plans to charge 8 baht per cubic metre of waste water discharged into the drainage system from commercial buildings, including hotels, which use more than 2,000 cubic metres of water per month. The BMA estimates that 80% of the tap water consumed by commercial buildings are discharged as waste into the drainage system. Marisa said that hotels are now shouldering increasing operational costs, such as for electricity, cooking gas, wages, bank interest rates and land taxes. Since many large and medium-sized hotels have their own water treatment plants, she said that they should be exempt from treatment charges, adding that she doubts the BMA’s eight treatment facilities are capable of treating all the waste water released into the drainage system from commercial buildings and households in the capital. Whether the water treatment fees are 4 baht or 8 baht, depending on the category of the commercial building, Marisa said they will not be ready to pay the fees from the end of this year, as planned by the BMA.

They had an http site but it’s expired. They have Line address “the Prince Massage “ with Voom pics and posts.

Twink? Construction worker? And you said “no”? What the fuck were you thinking? 😍

I stopped by with friend at 2:10 but there were already 11 customers inside reviewing the seven available guys on stage. Since it was a few hours after opening it’s very likely some masseurs were already engaged with customers (very possibly Oz among them). Did some quick math and opted to return on a weekday when the odds would be on my side. I believe today was a soft opening aimed at old customers because there hasn’t been much in the way of publicity. You can actually get a glimpse of guys on stage through plate glass windows near outside door.

From CNN Tokyo, JapanCNN — When Kaneko Miyuki reported her sexual assault as a seven-year-old in Japan, she remembers the police laughing at her. “I was already confused and scared,” she said. “They wouldn’t take me seriously as a child.” The following investigation made things worse. After being questioned, she was taken back to the scene of her assault without a guardian present, against all modern guidelines. The police never did bring her attacker to justice. The whole experience was so traumatizing for Kaneko that she repressed her memory of it until she began having flashbacks in her twenties, and didn’t come to terms with the fact she had been sexually assaulted until her 40s. Kaneko is among countless Japanese women who say their experiences of sexual assault and abuse were ignored because they “didn’t fit the criteria” of a victim. About 95% of survivors never report their assault to police, and nearly 60% never tell anyone at all, according to a 2020 government survey. But that could be about to change. On Friday, the Japanese parliament passed a raft of bills overhauling the country’s sex crime laws, long criticized as outdated and restrictive, reflecting conservative social attitudes that often stigmatize and cast doubt on victims. The new laws expand the definition of rape to place greater emphasis on the concept of consent; introduce national legislation against taking explicit photos with hidden cameras; and raise the age of consent to 16. The previous age of consent, at 13, had been among the lowest in the developed world. It marks a major victory for sexual assault survivors and activists, some of whom have spent decades lobbying for these changes. The new law replaces “forcible sexual intercourse” with “non-consensual sexual intercourse,” and expands the definition of assault to include victims under the influence of alcohol or drugs, those with mental or physical disorders, and those intimidated through their attacker’s economic or social status. It also includes those unable to voice resistance due to shock or other “psychological reactions. Other major changes include raising the age of consent to 16 years old except for when both parties are underage – on par with many US states and European nations including the United Kingdom, Finland and Norway. The amendments also expand protections for minors, establishing grooming as a crime for the first time. They further criminalize activity like asking those under 16 for sexual images, or asking to visit a minor for sexual purposes. It also makes it easier to prosecute people accused of taking or distributing photos of a sexual nature without the subject’s knowledge or consent – a hot button issue in Japan where upskirting and hidden cameras taking explicit photos of women has long been a problem.

Thanks for your enjoyable trip report. It was a pleasure to meet you for first time. You’re going home with many good memories that you were kind enough to share with us.

Sure. Don’t you remember? We met outside committee chamber and we proceeded to get drunk.

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To put this in perspective, there was a period in US politics during Cold War era of the 50’s known as the Sen.Joe McCarthy hearings when citizens were—under oath—pressured to divulge names of friends and family who attended meetings of the American Communist Party or other organizations deemed as subversive by the madman committee chair who had his sights set on higher office. Eventually McCarthy self destructed but not before many lives were ruined. Thousands lost their jobs, many gay men among them. German citizens during the run up to WWII were subjected to even harsher pressure to identify Jews, homosexuals and others by Nazi interrogators. The objective in both of those cases was to get people “to name names” or be ostracized—or worst—themselves. What may seem an innocent effort to create a list of guys who fall short of a member’s expectations has the possibility to cause unintended consequences in the lives of the young men we travel here to meet. I don’t believe any members wish to be responsible for triggering that harm.

I believe you know damn well I’d never do that. I don’t believe he should be avoided. Simply because I decided he wasn’t a good fit for me doesn’t mean others may be very satisfied with him. Why you seem obsessed with creating a black list baffles me. To be honest, I find it offensive.