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So you lapped up union benefits for thee plus decades but now choose to bad mouth vehicle that made it possible?

Never been to Jomtien, or Pattaya for that matter, but your description reminds me of what I love about walking Lumpinee Park at Twilight. You can see those women dancing and the occasional young Thai guy practicing his moves on the periphery. You can feed the cats, turtles and fish. You can walk, jog or just grab a seat on a bench and watch the world of Bangkok pass by. The city's free--for an an hour or so--of any traces of hi-so and low.

From The Nation Bangkok Pride, an annual event for gender diversity groups, this year will feature grand parades, concerts and academic forums to promote the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, the organiser Naruemit Pride Ltd announced on Facebook on Monday. Bangkok Pride 2024 is scheduled to take place for five days from May 31 to June 4 across several venues in the capital. The theme of this year is “Celebration of Love” to mark Thailand’s recognition of same-sex marriage with the passing of the equal-marriage bill, the company said. The main event will be the Bangkok Pride Parade on June 1, to be participated in by members of LGBTQIA+ groups, who will express the concept of love in five topics: Love Wins, Love for Identity, Love for Dignity, Love for Peace and Earth, and Love for Freedom. Participants will march from the National Stadium to Ratchaprasong Intersection on Rama I Road in Bangkok’s Pathum Wan district. The general public can join for free with no registration required. From May 31 to June 2 at Lido Connect, people can take part in Bangkok Pride Forum, a series of seminars on topics related to same-sex marriage, human rights and education. A sister forum will also be held at SCBX Next Tech, Siam Paragon shopping mall, from May 31 to June 4 covering such topics as economic, health-care, technological and environmental impacts of the equal marriage bill. Last, the Drag Bangkok concert, from May 31 to June 3, will mark the biggest gathering of drag artists of the year across various nationalities, cultures and generations. The stage will be packed with showgirls and dancers who will create the greatest and most spectacular entertainment experience at Parc Paragon, Siam Paragon. For more details, visit www.bangkokpride.org or Facebook @bangkokpride.official.

From Thai PBS World The Air Force is demanding 3 billion baht in compensation from Airports of Thailand (AOT) for the proposed use of the Kantarat Golf Course, which is located between the airport’s two main runways, for the expansion of Don Mueang international airport, said Jirayu Huangsap, spokesman for the Defence Ministry today. The House committee on the transfer of military business today invited representatives of the AOT, the Air Force, the Airports Authority of Thailand and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand for a discussion today about AOT taking over the golf course land in Don Mueang for expansion of the airport, said Jirayu, who is also chairman of the House committee. Kirati Kitmanawat, AOT president, told the meeting that, for the sake of aviation safety, the takeover of the golf course is necessary. Even though the International Civil Aviation Organisation had declared that the risk posed to aviation operations at the airport by the golf course was acceptable, Kirati noted that, on several occasions, golfers have breached restrictions by driving golf carts across the taxi ways, despite the warning signals. ================= From Thai PBS World Cutting through the tangled web of Thai military’s business interests While it has been widely known for a long time that the Thai military is heavily involved in business and commercial interests, the anatomy of businesses under the control of the armed forces is hardly known, as most of them have been concealed. The House of Representatives set up an ad hoc committee in late January to explore the possibilities of freeing the military from involvement in businesses in a bid to rid the armed forces of corruption and conflict of interest, so they could stay focused on their primary responsibility: national defense. The public in Thailand got a glimpse of the dark side of the military’s business activities in early 2020 when a junior army officer went on a shooting rampage, killing 30 people including himself, in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province in a rage over a business deal involving a housing welfare scheme. In a move to regulate business-related welfare schemes within the barracks, then Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Finance Ministry’s Treasury Department in February 2020 to classify the types of business from which the Army needed to share revenue with the department. The Navy and the Air Force also have numerous business interests in various sectors, but they did not toe the Army line. They argued that they were involved in many businesses for the internal welfare of troops and their families, rather than making profit for commercial purposes. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cutting-through-the-tangled-web-of-thai-militarys-business-interests/

NOTE -- For those of us who've been visiting the Kingdom for a few decades or so, we've seen this movie before. Before long we'll be bemoaning a stronger baht and recalling the salad days of the dollar and pound. From Thai PBS World The sharp depreciation of the baht in recent weeks has revived the debate on the short-term prospects for the Thai currency. The baht fell below the threshold of 37 to the dollar, hitting a six-month low. Among underperforming Asian currencies, the Japanese yen saw the sharpest fall of 155 to the dollar, a 10.5 per cent plunge in the current year, followed by the baht, which has depreciated 7-8 per cent. The Indonesian rupiah is also on a slide, prompting the country’s central bank to raise the policy rate by 0.25 percentage point to 6.25 per cent on April 24 in order to stabilize the currency. When asked whether the Bank of Thailand would take some actions to shore up the baht, Piti Disyatat, deputy governor of the central bank, said it was closely watching the movement of the Thai currency. “The central bank does not want to see market dysfunction, such as market disruption or a liquidity crunch. So far, we have not seen such market behavior,” Piti said. The baht’s slide against the strong dollar follows a trend across the region because the market is worried that the US Federal Reserve may keep the interest rate high for longer than earlier speculated. Piti referred to the latest US economic data, which showed slower growth and persisting high inflation rates in the first quarter. Wall Street too has adjusted its expectations of the Fed cutting the rate twice during the year to just once, probably in September. The high US interest rate has contributed to the stronger dollar. The US Fed fund rate is at a 23-year high in a range of 5.25- 5.5 per cent compared with the 2.5 per cent rate in Thailand. With an interest that is half of what’s on offer in the US, capital has flown out of Thailand’s stock and bond markets. For instance, since early this year foreign investors have sold Thai shares worth over 66 billion baht as of April 26. They have also dumped Thai government bonds resulting in capital outflows of a trillion baht. Piti also feared that the ongoing hot weather might result in fewer visitors until May, which would affect current account flows. It was a seasonal factor, he said, assuring that foreign tourists would come back later this year. Another seasonal factor leading to exchange outflows is payment of dividends to overseas shareholders in listed companies. The total amount of dividends is estimated at US$2 billion in the second quarter. Piti was confident that rising exports, spurred by cheaper goods because of the baht’s decline, would bring in foreign exchange and shore up the value of the baht. Piyasak Manason, a senior economist at InnovestX Securities Co, shared Piti’s view, arguing that the weaker baht would help boost Thailand’s exports. The baht should weaken now as over the past 12 years it had appreciated about 17-18 per cent against the currencies of other countries in the region that are Thailand’ s export competitors, he said. Generally, a stronger baht hurts Thailand’s export competitiveness as it makes Thai products more expensive. Piyasak projects the baht to rebound to 34.5 to the dollar in the fourth quarter based on assumptions that the US Federal Reserve would lower its policy rate in November. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/the-declining-value-of-the-baht-what-does-it-mean-for-thailand/

+1 Sure. Those who see division of labor as '"union bullshit" are invariably among those who've never been a union member. Full disclosure statement: I've never attended an opera.

True, but they get to experience us as our clients never do us. 🙂

Can you imagine what they say about us. 🙂

Thanks for map, Mac. If you extended it a bit further past KK Massage you find Home Spa just before expressway overpass. Readers interested in this shop may find following thread helpful.

Hmm, I believe you're mistaken, Mac. Here's photo array from Oct., 2022, featuring 16 therapists. If you scroll down through the complete current gallery you'll find 21 therapists: https://river365th.wixsite.com/365river/our-team

Thai customs authorities are preparing to strengthen the application of the value added tax (VAT) on the content of all packages arriving in the Kingdom from abroad. From The Thaiger The Customs Department of Thailand next month is set to begin levying value-added tax (VAT) on all imported goods sent through postal services, regardless of the items’ value. This move comes in response to low-priced imports from China that have been flooding the market, providing an unfair edge as domestic producers are taxed. Currently, imported goods sent via postal services are not subjected to import duties and VAT if the cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value of each item is declared to be less than 1,500 baht. However, the Finance Ministry plans to enforce the collection of VAT on all imported goods, irrespective of their value, while still maintaining the exemption from import duties. The finance permanent secretary, Lavaron Sangsnit, disclosed that the Customs Department will swiftly proclaim this new tax collection policy, which is a faster solution than revising the Revenue Code. However, he also mentioned that the threshold for exempted goods should not encompass prohibited items. https://thethaiger.com/news/business/thai-customs-to-impose-vat-on-all-postal-imports-regardless-of-value

From The Thaiger In the face of escalating civil conflict in Myanmar, the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has stationed four vessels in the Andaman Sea, ready to facilitate the evacuation of Thai citizens from Myanmar. The directive came from RTN Chief Admiral Adung Pan-Iam, who has instructed the Region 3 commander to prepare two frigates, HTMS Saiburi and HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan, and two landing ships, HTMS Saiburi and HTMS Mattaphon, for potential evacuation operations. The ships are primed for immediate action if the confrontation between Myanmar’s government army and resistance forces intensifies, endangering the lives of Thai citizens residing in Myanmar. According to a Thai security source, approximately 120 resistance fighters seized a government military base after two days of combat, reducing it to ashes. The base was reportedly crewed by a contingent of 20 soldiers. The flames and smoke from the burning base were visible from Thai territory. The conflict was located in the Dawei area, roughly 10 kilometres away from Ban Thai Muang in the Sai Yok district of Thailand. As of the time of the report, there have been no confirmed reports of casualties or injuries. This situation remains fluid and updates will follow as new information becomes available, reported Bangkok Post.

From Pattaya News New Thai Prime Minister Appointed On April 28th, 2024, the Royal Thai Government Gazette Website published a royal command relieving ministers from their positions and appointing new ones. His Royal Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun graciously decreed to appoint Mr. Srettha Thavisin as the Thai Prime Minister, according to the announcement dated August 22nd, 2023, which gave Srettha the right to appoint a cabinet or make changes to suggest to the King. Furthermore, ministers were appointed for the administration of the country, according to the announcement dated September 1st, 2023. New appointments were made as follows: 1. Mr. Suriya Juangroongruangkit as Deputy Prime Minister. 2. Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. 3. Mr. Jakkapong Sangmanee as Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. 4. Mr. Pichit Chuenban as Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. 5. Ms. Jiraporn Sindhuprai as Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. 6. Mr. Paopoom Rojanasakul as Deputy Minister of Finance. 7. Mr. Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara as Minister of Foreign Affairs. (Who as stated later resigned, apparently upset over losing his Deputy Prime Minister position, leaving the position open) 8. Mr. Sermsak Pongpanich as Minister of Tourism and Sports. 9. Mr. Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives. 10. Mr. Suchart Chomklin as Deputy Minister of Commerce. 11. Ms. Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol as Minister of Culture. 12. Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin as Minister of Public Health. These appointments were effective immediately.

This shop has just posted its latest list of therapists: https://river365th.wixsite.com/365river/our-team 365 moved to a new location last year. It's a 35-minute ride on Blue Line from Silom.

Never heard of it but don' think I'd be complaining if any LT offs had this condition. 🙂 From CNN A 38-year-old man repeatedly tries to force his wife to have sex in the middle of the night but has no memory of his actions when he wakes up. A married woman in her mid-20s often tears off her clothing and masturbates but remembers nothing when her partner rouses her. For a dozen years, a 31-year-old man masturbates while asleep, at times injuring his groin. Embarrassed due to his unconscious behavior, he avoids relationships for eight years. These are all clinically documented cases of sleep sex, or sexsomnia, part of a family of sleep disorders called parasomnias that include sleepwalking, sleep talking, sleep eating and sleep terrors. While it may seem as if people are acting out dreams, many parasomnias occur when the brain is not in a dream state, said Dr. Carlos Schenck, a professor and senior staff psychiatrist at the Hennepin County Medical Center at the University of Minnesota. “These are disorders of arousal,” said Schenck, who has studied parasomnias for decades. “They most often occur during the slowest, deepest stage of sleep, called delta sleep. It’s like an alarm or trigger goes off in the central nervous system, and you go from your basement to your roof in no time flat. Continues at https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/28/health/sexsomnia-sleep-sex-explainer-wellness/index.html

I'm not Asian but I ask visitors to remove shoes because I have very light colored carpet. No complaints so far.

LEGEND: No. 1 in upper left is BTS Saphan Kwai station Locate Sutthisan Winitchai Rd. First blue dot about Inthamara 3 is One Spa Second blue dot about Inthamara 21 is BT House Massage Third blue dot about Inthamara 23 is KK Massage Fourth blue dot about Inthamara 29 is Home Spa (These are approximate locations on map. The only shop on left (top) side of road is One Spa) Those interested in shops on Sutthisan Winitchai Rd. may find this thread helpful:

Friend sent me video of new dance club just opened opposite Foodland. new club.mp4

From Thai PBS World oreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara says that he has resigned from his ministerial position, stating that he wishes to “uphold his principles”, without offering any further explanation. His resignation comes as the cabinet reshuffle is announced in the Royal Gazette, which sees him removed from the deputy premiership but retaining the foreign minister portfolio. “I am confident that my past works, as the deputy premier and foreign minister, have brought benefits to the country. I did my job to the best of my ability and my work was effectively implemented,” said Parnpree. He added that he has not yet informed PM Srettha Thavisin of his decision, and his resignation will come into effect today. He said he believes that a suitable person will be found to fill the roles of deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Asked if he will continue working with the Pheu Thai party, Parnpree, a long-time senior member of the party, said he still loves the party but does not know yet and needs more time to think about it. His resignation letter went viral on social media. When reporters asked him whether the two-page letter, addressed to the prime minister, was real, he replied “yes, it’s more than real.”

With cranberry sauce on the side? 🙂

https://onespa.love/ You'll be invited to scan your QR code.

From The Nation Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has inducted six new members in his Cabinet, while four ministers make their exit in a Cabinet reshuffle late on Friday, according to a source. The Secretariat of the Cabinet on Friday approved the updated list of Cabinet members, signed by the prime minister, which will be sent to His Majesty the King for royal endorsement, a news source from Government House said. Proving correct rumours that had been doing the rounds for the past few weeks, Pichai Chunhavajira has been named as deputy prime minister and finance minister, relieving Srettha of that portfolio. The source said the government’s first Cabinet reshuffle after eight months in office will see four Cabinet members being removed from their positions. They are Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew, PM’s Office Minister Puangpetch Chunla-ead, and two deputy agriculture ministers, Chaiya Promma and Anucha Nakasai. Besides Pichai, the other new members of Cabinet are: Pichit Chuenban as PM’s office minister, Paopoom Rojanasakul as deputy finance minister, Suchart Chomklin as deputy commerce minister, while Jiraporn Sindhuprai and Atthakorn Sirilattyakorn have been nominated as deputy agriculture and cooperatives ministers. https://www.nationthailand.com/news/politics/40037580

From Thai PBS World On CEOWORLD magazine’s list of “World’s Best Countries To Visit In Your Lifetime 2024”, Thailand is ranked top, according to Government Spokesman Chai Wacharonke. The ranking is based on feedback from over 295,000 readers, making it the highest level of participation in the magazine’s history. According to CEOWORLD, Thailand offers a diverse range of experiences, such as wild nightlife, delicious food, vibrant art and culture, great shopping options, winding rivers and canals, Buddhist temples and night markets. Visitors can also visit more peaceful locations in Bangkok, such as Bang Krachao Island. The rankings are: 1. Thailand, 72.15% 2. Greece, 67.22% 3. Indonesia, 65.15% 4. Portugal, 64.32% 5. Sri Lanka, 60.54% 6. South Africa, 59.76% 7. Peru, 59.76% 8. Italy, 57.77% 9. India. 57.65% 10. The United Arab Emirates, 57.38%

From Thai PBS World Art enthusiasts in Bangkok rejoice! One of Thailand’s prominent collectors, Sermkhun Kunawong, is set to open the doors to his private collection on May 4, transforming it into a stunning new museum experience. The Kunawong Museum House is not your typical museum. Stepping inside the 5,000-square-meter space in Lat Phrao is like entering a living testament to Thai art of various fields and eras. More than 1,000 pieces – paintings, prints, sculptures, furniture, photographs, headpieces, Khon masks, and decorative arts – by Thai masters as well as rising and popular names weave a visual tapestry, narrating the artistic evolution of Thailand from the past to the present. The display is unique and lively. Each room in the building has its unique character and is decorated with valuable artworks of various kinds. Antique furniture is everywhere and, pleasingly, the artworks are mostly at eye-level, inviting exploration in an open and accessible environment. They are also unconfined by glass or (visible) security measures. Those into Thai culture will not be disappointed as the display includes enamel from the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods, Buddha statues, Buddha cabinets, Chadanangs, flame tiaras, and Buddhist scripture boxes from the reign of King Rama IV, displayed on exquisite Thai stands from the reigns of King Rama IV and V. Puppet cabinets showcase various works. All these works are treasures that should be kept for posterity to admire and be proud of in our civilization. If you go: Baan Kunawong Museum is located on Soi Lat Phrao 54. It’s open for viewing every Saturday-Sunday from 9.30am to 6.00pm Entry is 450 baht, and visitors must be 13 years of age or older. Bookings can be made at https://www.zipeventapp.com/ Continues with photos at https://www.thaipbsworld.com/art-collector-opens-treasure-trove/