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From The Nation Three new cases of monkeypox have been detected in Thailand, raising the number to 18 since the first was detected in July of last year, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said on Friday. The three patients hospitalized with the infectious disease are all men, and their ages range from 21 to 40 years, DDC director-general Dr Tharet Krutnairawiwong told a press conference. Two of the men were close friends, Tharet said. He said one of the three patients is a foreigner. All three patients had mild cases and are recovering at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute. After three weeks – when they are no longer contagious – they will be discharged from the hospital, Tharet said. Since Thailand classified monkey pox as a serious communicable disease requiring close surveillance on May 25 last year, a total of 18 cases have been detected in Thailand, including the three new cases. The first case was detected on July 21 last year. Investigations of the three new cases convinced health officials that the men were admitted to hospital before they were able to spread the virus, Tharet said. The virus is spread through contact with an infectious blister or through sex with infected people.

Nice facilities. Good to hear it's near Blue Line stop. Looking over photo array, Pae (aka, Pea) was working at 365 The River shop during my last visit. 👍

News article out of Phuket reports that the crackdown was fallout from human trafficking arrests in a Patong bar that had ripple effects, triggering spot checks in Pattaya and Bangkok.

From The Thaiger Airports of Thailand (AOT) is ready to invest US$1 billion (36.8 billion baht) to improve and expand the capacity of the low-cost terminal of Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, AOT announced yesterday. AOT plans to increase capacity from 30 million to 40 million passengers per year by 2029, with construction beginning this year, according to a statement from AOT. The project will “increase national income as a whole such as income from tourism, income from service sector related to tourism,” AOT said. AOT plans to add 12 aircraft parking stands and 11 jet bridges to Don Mueang, according to the statement. Once complete, the airport’s capacity will almost rival that of Suvarnabhumi Airport which can handle 45 million passengers per year.

The lie-flat economy concept is a spinoff on the existing crew sleeping pods that long-haul aircraft are equipped with for the attendants and relief pilots on break. The problem I see with them is what do you do with passengers when it's time for landing, take-off and meal service when they need to be seated upright. At the moment premium economy is probably the better option for those wanting greater recline and seat pitch. A typical 787 arrangement:

From Pattaya News UPDATE: Pattaya Police Holds Press Briefing into Massive Indian Scam By Tanakorn Panyadee Five Indian phone scammers and 15 Thai accomplices were arrested following a major scam bust yesterday across Thailand. The suspects swindled 365 American retirees out of over three billion baht, according to police. The raids carried out by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), police commandos, and officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Office struck 36 premises in Chonburi, Rayong, Roi Et, and Surat Thani, and resulted in the arrest of over 20 phone scam suspects. Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukwimol, deputy national police chief, told a press briefing today, March 22nd, that the suspects mainly targeted elderly American citizens and had tricked 365 people into transferring them three billion baht. The Royal Thai Police are joining forces with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Secret Service to hunt for 16 remaining fugitives. On Tuesday, March 21st, Pattaya Police arrested one Indian alleged scammer and seized from him 162 bank account books, 61 smartphones, two cars, and one firearm. According to Gen. Torsak, a group of Indian and Thai nationals formed a call center gang to scam retirees in the United States. The group swindled money from the victims by saying the victims were involved in legal cases, posing themselves as FBI officers, or hacking the victims’ computers. Between 2020-2021, there were 72,000 reported cases with damages totaling more than 3 billion baht. The victims varied in occupations, such as doctors, university professors, dentists, military personnel, and business owners, Gen. Torsak said. Most of them were swindled out of their hard-earned life savings. The syndicate operated as a network with different roles to move and hide the assets obtained from their criminal activities. They used Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, and Poland as sources for stashing the scammed money. After investigating and collecting digital evidence, police discovered that there was more than 1 billion baht circulating within the scam gang’s network. Bank accounts belonging to legal entities within the network, as well as gold shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues in Chonburi were also found to have been used to launder money. ========================== From The Thaiger Police nab Chinese kidnapper at airport Police arrested a Chinese man before he boarded a flight out of Thailand last night. He is one of three men who abducted a Chinese woman and her brother-in-law in Pattaya on Monday for a ransom of 4.7 million baht. The two hostages were saved by police and returned home at 2am today. On Monday, 33 year old Ma Mingshan from China reported to the police that his 33 year old wife San Qi Qiang and his 50 year old brother were abducted from their Nissan car on Pornpranimit 21 Road, on their way back from dropping his three year old son at school.

From Thailand News Agwenxcy Thailand Records 5 Million Foreign Arrivals BANGKOK, March 22 (TNA) – Thailand welcomed more than 5.5 million foreign tourists in the first three months of this year, generating an income of 200 billion baht, said Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul. The country’s overall tourism situations have improved continuously. However, the increase in tourist numbers has caused airport congestion at check-in counters, immigration checkpoints. The airfares are soaring. She said the Transport Ministry convened a meeting today with agencies concerned such as the Airports of Thailand to discuss how to solve the problem. According to the Tourism and Sports Ministry, 5.5 million foreign tourists travelled to Thailand from Jan 1- March 18 with tourism revenue reaching more than 215 billion baht. (TNA)

From Thai PBS World Malaysian opposition cries foul over planned “Thai Hot Guy” performance According to local media reports, a scheduled performance by Thai men wearing lingerie at a bar in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur next week has triggered controversy, with a senior opposition politician describing it as “immoral and disgusting.” In response to the questions being raised by the opposition MP, a senior Malaysian official has also objected to the event, dubbed “Thai Hot Guy” [sic]. According to a Facebook post by Malaysia’s “Privacy Club Tun Razak”, the performance is scheduled to have its grand opening night next Thursday “where you can meet and probably dance along with the Thai Hot Guys.” Yesterday (Wednesday), the opposition PAS party urged the authorities to reconsider the permission granted for the event, which it called “insensitive”, “immoral” and “disgusting”. PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the event “clearly goes against local values and is insensitive towards Islam as the official religion”. “What’s more, it’s going to be held during Ramadan,” he said in a statement. He described the event as “hedonistic” and promoting obscenity and promiscuous sex, based on promotional material translated into English from the original Chinese text. The opposition raised the issue in the Lower House of the Malaysian parliament, prompting Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, to state that the scheduled performance has nothing to with the government’s development plan, known as “Malaysian Madani”. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar’s political secretary, Azman Abidin, confirmed that the bar in question does not have an entertainment licence. He said authorities are considering whether to take action, if it is found that the organisers have violated any rules and regulations.”

Usually no more than a day. Please let us know if closings continue longer.

I doubt you'd get the opportunity to pay because he'd beat the shit out of you first. Or maybe that's just what you're hoping will happen.

From Pattaya News By Tanakorn Panyadee An Indian man and his Thai wife have been taken into custody by Pattaya Police today for allegedly scamming multiple American victims of over three billion baht. Deputy National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukwimol, accompanied by a commando unit and officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), conducted a raid on a house in Pattaya’s Banglamung district today, March 21st, at 10 AM. The raid was prompted by a notification from the United States Embassy, which stated that the dwelling was being used as a hideout by scammers. After searching the house, Gen. Torsak told The Pattaya News that he has arrested an unidentified Indian national aged between 50-60 years old and his Thai wife aged around 40-50 years old. The two have been accused of duping numerous American citizens of over three billion baht in total damages and had fled to Pattaya, according to the United States Embassy. Gen. Torsak said police seized several car keys, bank account books, smartphones, and weapons from the two suspects. A press briefing will be hosted at 10 AM tomorrow, March 22nd, to provide further details about the case. =========================== Chinese Woman Abducted for 4.7 Million Baht Ransom in Pattaya A Chinese woman has been abducted while getting her kid at a school in Pattaya. Her husband filed a complaint with the police, saying the suspects wanted 4.7 million baht in exchange for his wife’s freedom. Mr. Ma Mingshan, 33, visited the Pattaya Police Station to file a report yesterday, March 20th. He said his wife, Ms. Shan Qi Qiang, 33, has been taken away by anonymous abductors while she was going to get her 3-year-old son at an international school in Pattaya. Mingshan said the suspects forced their way into his wife’s SUV Nissan Terra and abducted her along with the vehicle. They then contacted him via WeChat and ordered him to transfer 1 million yuan, equivalent to 4.7 million baht, to them. The incident happened in Soi Chaiyaporn Pranimit 21 in Pattaya. Police are working with Mingshan to try to liberate the hostage. The Chinese husband revealed the abductors frequently called him yesterday to demand money, asking him to pay in stable cryptocurrency. The man already transferred about 500 USDT stable coins (about 17,140 baht), while the suspects wanted about 150,000 USDT. The wife, according to police, is safe as the suspects let her talk with her husband via WeChat. However, her location is still unknown. The motive behind the kidnapping is believed to be related to a conflict of interest between Mingshan and the suspects involved in the healthcare business in Myanmar. Pattaya Police said all involved parties probably know each other. The victim’s car was ditched in the middle of a deserted field, police said.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Imminent strike action by passport staff in UK could affect the waiting time for new passports in Thailand or elsewhere. The current process here requires Brits, in person or by authorized proxy, to show documentation at Trendy House in Bangkok for onward dispatch to UK for processing and completion. However, the British embassy website has not changed its advice that passport renewals take around 11 weeks “but could be longer”. The UK employs 4,000 passport staff, although the industrial action for better pay involves only about a quarter of them. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, said she did not expect undue delays as most routine applications were completed ahead of time. Jessataporn Bunnag, who owns a Pattaya law firm which handles many passport applications on behalf of customers, said waiting times for renewals were currently about eight weeks. But he added that first time applications and passports for children took longer because of documentary checks by the Home Office. The problem for overseas renewals is that the spring months, April and May in particular, are the busiest time as many Brits prepare for summer vacations abroad. During the Covid crisis, waiting times almost doubled as working hours in UK were drastically curtailed. A spokeswoman for Thai immigration advised Brits to apply for replacement visas early, pointing out that visas cannot be extended beyond the passport validity and entry to Thailand requires a minimum of six months still remaining before expiry. Some countries now allow expats to renew passports by mail without an embassy visit. The US embassy promises only a two weeks processing period for most applications. British embassies worldwide ceased issuing ordinary passports over 15 years ago as a cost-saving exercise by London. However, they still issue “emergency” passports to enable stranded Brits to return home in a crisis. They can also certify a British passport, a process sometimes required by foreign banks and immigration authorities.

From The Nation The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is urging tourists to opt for a 15-minute train ride across the Laos border instead of wasting time stuck in traffic on the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. SRT said on Tuesday that four trains have been plying between Nong Khai and Thanaleng stations since September 16 last year. The train trip costs just 20 baht per person. Tourists are advised to carry their passport or border pass to cross over to Laos and back. The four border trains are: • No 481: Departs Nong Khai at 7.30am and arrives in Thanaleng at 7.45am • No 482: Departs Thanaleng at 10am and arrives in Nong Khai at 10.15am • No 482: Departs Nong Khai at 2.45pm and arrives in Thanaleng at 3pm • No 484: Departs Thanaleng at 5.30pm and arrives in Nong Khai at 5.45pm Thanaleng Railway Station is in Dongphosy Village, some 17 kilometres from Vientiane. SRT said it will later seek cooperation with its Laos counterpart to extend the rail line to Khamsavath Railway Station in Vientiane.

At the Saphan Kwai shops I'm familiar with, guys are all free agents and set their own minimum tip. It seems to be currently in the 800-1,000. T&B's were originally on the higher end but that's that's not always the case now.

From The Nation A spectacular light show is transforming Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong Station to celebrate the 126th birthday of the railway in Thailand. The week-long light show kicked off on Saturday as part of an event called "Unfolding Bangkok", initiated by the Creative Economy Agency to promote tourism at attractions across the capital until September. Hua Lamphong Station is being splashed with colour to celebrate its 106-year history as the national rail hub, which ended in January when 52 long-distance trains were moved to the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bang Sue district. The State Railway of Thailand marks its 126th anniversary on March 26 – the date when King Rama V opened Thailand's first railway from Bangkok to Ayutthaya in 1896. The country’s first line stretched 71 kilometres. The national network now boasts almost 4,500km of track, not including mass transit routes in Bangkok.

From Thai News Agency BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) – His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has endorsed a decree to dissolve parliament, paving the way for elections. The royal decree on House dissolution has been published in the Royal Gazette and takes effect immediately. An election must be held in 45-60 days after the house resolution. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said he expected the Election Commission to announce the election date this Friday and it would likely be held on May 14. (TNA)

I had two long (eight week) visits last year) and generally found Soi 4 busy almost every evening with a mixture of locals and tourists. The show bars there and elsewhere were doing a respectable business. Since I spent much more time in the massage shops, I have more confidence in my comments about those. More than half the time I chose shops in the Saphan Kwai area where I had--with few exceptions--consistently good luck. In the Silom-Surawong rectangle, I found it's hard to miss among the all-male shops on Silom Soi Six. I can't comment on the new 9-Teen shop because it hadn't yet opened before I left. From what I've heard from members since it did open its doors is that the facilities are good but it won't take on non-Thai masseurs. I keep in touch with some of the massage boys I've known for several years and they tell me that business continues to be fairly brisk with international visitors steadily increasing. But even these guys echo what fedssocr says about the midday heat. On sunny days, customers don't tend to arrive in numbers until after 1600 but continue late into the evening. There are many other shops to explore in the area along Surawong, Silom, Silom Plaza, Saladeang and--for those who like to walk--Soi Suan Plu.

That job does (or at lest did) exist in porn industry for years. Here's Wikipedia's description: A fluffer is a person employed to keep a porn performer's penis erect on the set] After setting up the desired angle, the director asks the actors to hold position and calls for the fluffer to "fluff" the actors for the shot. These duties are considered part of the makeup department. While fluffing does not necessarily involve touching the actors, it could entail sexual acts such as fellatio or non-penetrative sex. There was a 2002 movie entitled The Fluffer. Sean McGinnis (Michael Cunio) is fresh from film school and has moved to LA to break into the movie business as a cameraman. But, legit film is a tough nut to crack and Sean takes a job with Hollywood's stepchild - the porno industry. He starts work at the Men of Janus production company, specializing in gay porn, because of his obsession with one of the stars, Johnny Rebel (Scott Gurney), and soon agrees to regularly help "prepare" the actor before the camera rolls in "The Fluffer."

From VN Express The Ministry of Public Security has proposed prolonging the duration of e-visas granted to foreigners entering Vietnam from 30 days to a maximum of three months to help tourism recover. The e-visa will be valid for single-entry or multiple entries, according to a draft amendment to The Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam, for which the ministry is preparing to collect public opinions. Vietnam currently offers a one-month single-entry e-visa to visitors from 80 countries and territories, including the U.S. and Australia. Under the draft, the ministry also suggested extending the duration of stays for tourists from countries enjoying 15-day visa exemptions to 30 days. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a tourism conference that Vietnam will waive visas for more countries and extend the length of stay for foreign tourists to speed up the recovery of tourism. Despite being one of the first Southeast Asian countries to fully reopen to international tourism post Covid, Vietnam received only 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, around 20% of the pre-pandemic figure.

From The Nation The Yellow Line, Thailand’s first monorail mass-transit system, will start its free trial run in mid-May before providing full commercial service in June, according to its operator. Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) plans to carry out a trial run of the Yellow Line free of charge for two weeks starting in the middle of May, said Surapong Laoha-Unya, its CEO. The 30.4-km-long monorail mass-transit system connects Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district with Samut Prakan’s Samrong neighbourhood. “We expect to start opening commercial service of the Yellow Line in June, which is earlier than planned,” Surapong said. He said independent engineering consultants will examine the trains’ safety system so that the Yellow Line can be certified for commercial service. Meanwhile, the Pink Line, another monorail mass-transit system under construction, is expected to have its trial run in July before partial commercial service of certain sections in August, Surapong said. The 34.5 km-long Pink Line connects Bangkok’s Min Buri district and Nonthaburi’s Khae Rai neighbourhood north of the capital city. Construction of some Pink Line stations has been delayed, but it is expected to be completed towards the end of this year. BTSC operates the Yellow Line and the Pink Line through its subsidiaries Eastern Bangkok Monorail and Northern Bangkok Monorail, respectively, which won concessions to build and operate both systems. BTSC, which also operates the Skytrain in Bangkok, expects to earn 2 billion baht a year from both the Yellow Line and Pink Line, Surapong said.

From The Nation Phuket’s property market has returned to pre-pandemic levels and all finished condo units and villas with pools have been sold, most of them to foreign nationals, according to the Phuket Real Estate Association. Phattanan Phisutvimol, its president, said the surge in sales of condominiums and luxury villas started after the Covid-19 pandemic receded last year. Sales have surged to pre-pandemic levels and 823 real-estate projects, including hotels, were approved for construction last year, she said, adding: “This year will be the golden year for Phuket’s property market. The boom will continue.” A total of 4,163 condo units and houses in the island province were transferred to buyers last year, compared to 4,398 units in 2019, according to the association. The annual number fell to 2,767 and 3,143 units in 2020 and 2021, it said. Phattanan attributed rebounding sales to Europeans, especially Russian and German tourists and investors. Many bought condos or houses in the name of a Thai spouse, she said, adding that demand for condos started to rise in May of last year. About 28,000 condo units are registered in the island province and the number of transfers to buyers matches that number. Members of the association say villas with pools are also sold out, Phattanan said without providing a number. She expects demand for real estate on the island to rise further as more Chinese buyers return. Chinese nationals had booked then cancelled about 5,000 units during the pandemic, and they will likely return, she explained.

No, you have a sound understanding of how they work. Being a regular user, they're not suited for guests who want regular maid service. They're primarily suited for extended stay guests (month or more) who wish to live as they would at home. The advantages are not being disturbed by housekeeping and a lower per diem cost than hotels with similar amenities (i.e., pool, fitness center). I only use Airbnb's that have washing machines which allow me to travel lighter and, of course, launder the sheets as required. If you're staying longer than a month, the owner should throw in a complete cleaning at some point during your rental. I think for most visitors, hotels or serviced apartments are a far better choice.

In 21 years I can hardly recall more than a handful of disappointing experiences. I'm sure there are at least that many masseurs who were disappointed in me. I've never felt compelled to "warn" others. The guy could have been just having a bad day. I chalked it up to experience and moved on. You seem to think informing members that a masseur may have not given you what you considered proper oral or anal satisfaction is more important than posting an opinion that never goes away. Sorry, that's a "gain" I'm quite content to forego.

This is what Forkey said: "Overall - I'll be generous and call it crap." He was referring to his experience in the shop not an individual. Then you went on to criticize him for not naming names: "But u didnt name the "craps". Vinapu recommend an individual by name but didn't go into specifics of their private encounter. Nothing wrong with "x", "y" and "z" as they don't pertain to identifiable individuals, IMO. Yes, but you want "us" to name the individual. It's difficult to be both curt and non-demeaning in the same breath. It's one thing to share experiences with a member you trust in a PM. It's another thing altogether to publicly post something that follows a guy for the rest of his life. What can possibly be gained by that? Our opinions are all subjective. We both could have a massage with the same guy and come away with vastly differing accounts. IMO, nothing wrong with describing the account so long as we don't ID the individual.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The latest parliamentary bill to legalize some sex work won’t be passed any time soon. A general election is scheduled in May and no one can predict who will be the next crop of lawmaking representatives. Moreover, there is bound to be a rearguard action by conservatives who believe that legalizing paid-for sex is an affront to Buddhist principles. The proposal envisages that female and male sex workers over 20 will no longer be breaking the law provided they enrol with businesses registered with the police or provincial governors and subject themselves to health checks. There will be a range of protections ranging from the right to receive government handouts to rescue centers to prevent violence and trafficking. Sex workers under 20 will be not be prosecuted, but business operators and parents will face “consequences”. Although the reforms have been welcomed by many campaigners, some sex workers say they won’t work out. Former prostitute and drag star Eggs Benedict said, “Many sex workers are part-time and temporary and they won’t fancy being registered on a government data base.” She also argued that prostitution was not limited to brothels or clubs with back rooms. “You can see sex on the beachfront and on certain streets. To deny that is like going to KFC and denying you saw fried chicken.” Arna, who has worked in Pattaya’s Sexy Soi Six for eight years, said, “Most girls I know are not trafficked or forced into sex by bar and club owners. They can leave whenever they like.” She added that prostitution has changed a lot over the years. “Mobile phones and the internet mean that customers can now contact women for hire without ever stepping foot in a bar.” She also suggested that if prostitution became legal, the problem of overseas sex workers from Uzbekistan and other countries would become worse. “The police mostly ignore them as it is, so what would change?” Gay sex workers also expressed some cautiousness. “Many gogo boys don’t identify as gay, but are in the clubs to make money,” said Off who manages a cabaret show in Boyztown. Some have daytime jobs with families to support, so the idea of them signing up with the police or city hall is a non-starter.” He doubted whether trafficking was a significant issue in the gay scene. “Occasionally, you see underage boys being promoted on social media but the technology police are very vigilant these days about pedophile activity.” All prostitution has been illegal in Thailand since the 1960s. The 1996 law on prevention and suppression detailed the penalties, some of which are minimal: for example, loitering in a public place for indecent purposes brings a fine of around US$20. Prostitution campaigners say that it is high time for Thailand for update its legislation. Angela Barthold, of the International Women’s Rights Campaign, said, “The latest bill is a step in the right direction. The fact that it doesn’t solve every single issue isn’t really the point.” Drafters say the parliamentary bill is likely to be amended at committee stage during the summer or even next year.