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Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the Bagnkok Post that he "plans to propose ending the Thailand Pass system initially for returning Thais, and later also for foreigners."

From The Thaiger The Thai government has signed a loan contract to borrow 50 billion yen or about 13 billion baht (US$385 million) from Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA to cope with costs of handling the Covid pandemic in Thailand. Thai PM and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Thais not to criticise the government borrowing money again because the amount was included in the existing quota planned with the Japanese government a long time ago. On May 1 to 2, Thai PM Prayut welcomed the Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to discuss cooperation on different topics like infrastructure, investment, startups and SMEs, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighbours, and security cooperation against China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Aside from the topics on the table, Thai netizens focused on the new loan amount that the Thai government agreed with Japan. On May 3, the Thai Finance Minister, Akom Termpittayapaisit, explained to Thai media that he signed the agreement on Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan with a representative from JICA Morota Takahiro. The loan amount was 50 trillion yen or about 13 trillion baht. The authority said the loan was offered with low interest at 0.01% and a 4 year grace period. ======================= Bangkok to impose tobacco tax for the first time Bangkok is planning to introduce a tobacco tax of up to 10 satang per cigarette, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (there are 100 satang in a Thai baht). The BMA announced this week that this will be the first time Bangkok will impose a tax on tobacco, which will push the price of cigarettes up by 1.86 baht per pack. The tax, known as “Tobacco Tax for Local Maintenance” is intended to help limit consumption of tobacco, according to permanent secretary of the BMA Suthathip Son-iam. The tax money will be used “for maintenance of Bangkok city”.

That's fine as long as you don't take the guy with blue and white stripes.

From Bangkok Post Asia falls in love with Thai Boys Love Buoyed by the openness of the LGBT community, Thailand's "Boys Love" (BL) movies and series have been well received in the local market and are considered promising export products that can draw lucrative revenue streams and foster business opportunities in other areas, including tourism. BL dramas are known in Thailand as Y Series, derived from the Japanese term "yaoi", which refers to a genre of fictional media that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. The government last year said that Thailand's Y content market was worth more than 1 billion baht, with the key export markets including China, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Latin America. One of the most popular Thai Y Series in overseas markets is "2gether", which was produced by Thai television production studio GMMTV and launched in 2020. According to Japanese publication Nikkei, the "2gether" show began on Japan's Rakuten TV streaming platform in July 2020, and eventually became No.1 on the platform's annual movie and drama rankings. A Japanese tour operator, H.I.S. Tours, has organised a virtual tour to locations where some scenes in 2gether were shot, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo News. The Feb 11 online tour drew more than 250 people, with nearly 99% of them women. The TAT continues to spur the popularity of Thai BL in Japan by partnering with local TV channels to introduce new tourism sites, and creating joint promotions with tour operators for virtual tours to film locations. The agency has promoted tourism directly through the Aloha application, China's social networking app for the gay community, by inviting Chinese gay couples and key opinion formers to test luxury tourism products in Thailand, such as yachting. Mrs Kanokkittika said the LGBT segment could be categorised as luxury travellers as they are high-income earners, live in key cities, and want to spend more for travel experiences.

New

There's only one way to satisfy your curiosity. It's just a matter of going.

New Twilight Man Bar promotional photo https://www.facebook.com/New-Twilight-Man-Club-108571958451941/

Given your age, and desire to meet young locals, you might try the 39 Underground Sauna (BTS Saphan Kwai). Many massage shops are also in the general vicinity.

The Pattaya Mail today reports that the on-again, off-again, on-again Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF) is yet again off-again. "Thailand’s prime minister has pushed into the unknown a date for the introduction of a new 300 baht (US$9) tax on most foreign visitors. Prayut Chan-o-cha told a press briefing that the scheme needed more discussion, even though a start date of August or September had been indicated by the tourist ministry. The premier stressed that the surge in international arrivals meant that national income would steadily increase throughout the year without the surcharge."

From Thai Enquirer hai officials alerted the public on Tuesday to be cautious of counterfeit 1,000-baht banknotes after several complaints from vendors in a market in Nonthaburi. Officials said that they are rushing the investigation to identify the perpetrators. As Thailand’s inflation soared to a record high in 13 years largely due to a hike in energy and food prices, counterfeit money appears to be on the rise. Over the past weekend, local media reported a case of 30 fake 1,000-baht banknotes in a day discovered in the north of Bangkok. Yingyot Thepjamnong, the Royal Thai Police spokesman, said police across the country are prepared to take action against the counterfeiters. According to the Bank of Thailand, Thai banknotes are produced with particularly anti-counterfeit features, such as distinctive paper, raised prints, and watermarks. Yingyot advised the public to notice the banknote’s security thread, the embedded color-shifting thread, when held up against the light to prove the authenticity of a particular note. “When flipped, the metallic color will change from gold to green,” he said, adding that the thread on the bills may be damaged from use, but this still furthers authenticity as older bills are generally damaged.

From Pattaya Mail The first major event to come to Pattaya this year was the “Summer City Pop Bikini Fashion Show” held Central Festival Pattaya on Beach Road.

They've already found a way, I'm sure. They much more adept at improvisation than we are.

It's a tactile experience that separates illusion from reality. It's all a matter of how you wish to spend a 100 baht.

From Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — April international arrivals in Việt Nam soared to 2.4 times that of March and 5.2 per cent higher than the same period last year thanks to the country’s tourism reopening, according to the General Statistics Office of Việt Nam (GSO). In the first four months of the year, the number of foreigners arriving in Việt Nam neared 192,400, an annual rise of 184.7 per cent. Of the total, 88.6 per cent came by air, increasing close to four times from 2021, while arrivals by road and sea were down by 10.5 and 58.7 per cent, respectively. Tourism revenue from lodging-food and transport services grew by 5.2 per cent and 10.5 per cent on-year, respectively. In May, Việt Nam will host the 31st Southeast Asian Games with the participation of all the 11 regional countries that are sending large delegations of athletes, officials and reporters.

This will hopefully see the flow of SE Asians from other ASEAN countries increase. From Pattaya Mail Thailand standardizes entry rules by air and land By Barry Kenyon rom May 1 Thailand has opened a total of 31 land checkpoints at its borders with neighboring countries. This means that entry rules for walk-in tourists and visitors are now in line with arrivals by air. Some immigration checkpoints at the Laos and Malaysian borders have been operating for several weeks, but they have now been joined by those in Chanthaburi and Sa Kaeo provinces which include the immigration checkpoints at Aranyaprathet/Poipet and Pong Nam Ron near the Cambodian border. Fully vaccinated visitors can now enter Thailand by air or land without any pre or post entry compulsory health test. However, they must register in advance on the Thailand Pass portal to receive their all-important QR code by submitting their vaccination record and proof of Covid insurance worth a minimum of US$10,000 for 30 days. Unvaccinated persons must present additional proof of a very recent RT-PCR test or undergo quarantine for at least 5 days. Those arriving in Thailand by sea require a certificate of entry issued by the port authorities on arrival. Thai land borders have been closed to tourists for two years, although goods traffic and guest workers from neighboring countries have been allowed through on a discretionary basis. The reopening of land borders means that foreign tourists and expats will be able to visit neighboring countries without purchasing an air ticket. This could make easier obtaining visas abroad or making use of re-entry permits, although it will take several weeks before the immigration entry implications are transparent.

From Bangkok Post Labour unions and the government remain locked in negotiations over the new minimum wage as workers parade on Labour Day to press their demand for a higher flat rate across the country. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin on Sunday reiterated the government's rejection of a call for all workers nationwide to receive a minimum daily wage of 492 baht. "The minimum wage will no doubt be increased. But the new rate has to support employers' businesses as well as keep employees happy," he said after a forum at the Labour Ministry chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Current minimum wages vary depending on the provinces where labourers work. The highest is 336 baht per day in Chon Buri and Phuket provinces, while the lowest is 313 per day in the three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The issue will be settled in a tripartite meeting consisting of representatives from the goverment, employers and workers. They are expected to reach a decision in August or September. On Sunday, workers paraded from Democracy Monument to Government House to urge the government to meet their wage demand and improve working conditions.

Jeff Bezos is actually 5-7. It's his wallet that makes him appear taller.😉

January and February would likely offer some of the most agreeable weather with April traditionally being the hottest and most humid month. But I've enjoyed Thailand in all seasons so I wouldn't let that factor control my decision. JAL offers some of the best trip duration times and Tokyo airports are very efficient and easy to navigate. Your itinerary seems fine, especially if you want to get in some beach time. If you can stretch you stay into a third--or even fourth--week, you won't be disappointed. You may decide you wish to return to BKK or explore another Thai destination. Good luck with your planning.

From The Thaiger Thailand slid into 8th place in a survey of 1,500 Americans on the world’s safest travel destinations but is still in the world’s top 10. Canada snagged the winning spot during this survey in 1st place, followed by Iceland, Sweden, Japan, Ireland, Switzerland, South Korea, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. The survey was taken by travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, as part of its 2022 State of Travel Insurance Report. As Thailand prepares to ease several entry restrictions on the Thailand Pass from today, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has welcomed the ranking, according to a deputy government spokeswoman. The spokeswoman said the PM sees the ranking as helpful in the wake of the recent changes and easing entry restrictions with the revised Thailand Pass. This news comes as travellers are finally flocking back to parts of Southeast Asia. In Thailand, the number of foreign visitors rose 38% in March from February, of course from a low base. The director of Chiang Mai airport said the airport is ready for an influx of international passengers after the country’s entry requirements are eased from today. Phuket Airport this week also revised all its procedures for the new, simplified Thailand Pass which goes into effect today.

From The Thaiger First flight arrives in Phuket under revised “Thailand Pass” Phuket’s first arrival flight under the Thailand Pass updated ‘eased’ restrictions has arrived! A flight from Qatar carrying with 324 passengers landed at Phuket International Airport this morning, and an airport director said 4,482 travellers in total are expected to arrive today. The director said that throughout May, an average of 27 flights per day were expected to arrive at Phuket as confirmed by 21 airlines. Today’s passengers reportedly took about 17 minutes to go through the required arrival procedures. They were welcomed by a team of staff lead by the director of the Phuket International Airport, and officials from the immigration, customs, and international disease control offices.

You'd prefer untrue believers?

Yes, but I never inferred that Z was a Nazi. My purpose of quoting Niemoller was to illustrate how accepting discrimination any situation can set a precedent for accepting it in all. Z and I both enjoy an argument, particularly with each other. We have a history of pursuing a point to exhaustion. I'm confident this won't be the last time.

Talk about overblown, I never used the words "bigot" or "Nazis". You did. Z's entitled to opinion and so am I. And so are you but don't expect it to silence me from offering mine.

You're attempting to justify discrimination in the bars because you'd be more comfortable if women were not present. Well, that is a slippery slope. What if the women are perfectly comfortable? What if the guys on stage are perfectly comfortable with women in the audience? (I don't ever recall hearing complaints from the performers). Now granted, some individuals may wish to partake in "hands-on" manipulation of performers. But why shouldn't that opportunity be open to both genders if that is the custom in that particular venue? And if I follow your proposal, you seem to be suggesting that staff segregate themselves by declaring that they are gay only, straight only or bisexual, with separate areas for each. That, to me, is a bit too clinical. You worry about lads on stage exposing themselves to ladies. They do that on a regular bases at all the bars in Silom and beyond now. Does anyone recall the guys complaining or refusing to perform? I again call attention to the fact that most of the guys who fill the stages in Bangkok, and at least some of the Pattaya bars, are straight and quite comfortable doing their stuff before both sexes. Let's not discriminate against them or anyone else.

Already have them. You can find women on any given night at Moonlight, Jupiter, Dreamboys and--yes--even Freshboys. In many of the bars, the number of straight guys on stage outnumbers the gay boys. Part of the attraction for many gay men is offing a straight guy. Some straight women have fantasies about offing a gay one. It's a big, complicated world out there and we're all part of it. You never heard of Chippendale? Fair enough but you're limiting yourself to Sunee Plaza and some other Pattaya bars, I'd imagine. Bangkok is a different animal and will increasingly need women patrons to help make rent. The concept of "gay" bars is involving to include anyone who's attracted to the guys on stage, regardless of their orientation or gender. And if that's what it takes to keep them in business, I'm all for it.