Gaybutton

I still don't think it's much of an ordeal, although my post had nothing to do with converting foreign currencies. When you receive money by direct deposit into one of Bangkok Bank's foreign branches, when it reaches your account the conversion has already been done unless you have opened a foreign currency account. I really don't see the point in keeping your funds in foreign currency unless its value is rising against the exchange rate. It seems pointless to me to keep money in foreign currency if the exchange rate is holding steady or especially if your currency exchange value is dropping against the baht.

Actually they have had a joiner fee for years, but as far as I know they have never enforced it. They never asked me to pay a joiner fee. When booking a room through Jimmy. his recommendation is to book a room for two. That way they can't charge a joiner fee.

If the 90-day closures take place, that will also create a serious hardship for the staff. When they close down 1 bar, the boys don't have too much of a problem finding work in another bar. But if they're going to shut down 5 bars, that's going to mean somewhere around 100 boys and bar staff out of work for 90 days. It could create a windfall for the bars that remain open. It could also force bars that are already in financial trouble to go out of business. On the other hand, it could make some of the scofflaw bar owners realize that the authorities are not playing games anymore about bars that continue to employ under-age boys. If this does occur, then part of the 90 days will be during the beginning of high season, not a good time for the bars to have to be closed.

Who said anything about a contradiction? I'm curious whether, based on what he writes, he goes to the bars or not. I agree with much of what he said about the way the bar owners treat the staff, but that doesn't stop me from going to the bars. I'm just wondering whether it stops him.

You better check his ID to make sure before taking him to your room . . .

That depends on your point of view. If you're looking at it strictly from a cost point of view, then the post is serious. If you're looking at it from the point of view that's below one's personal equator, then well . . . . . I may be totally naive about certain things, but I'm sure everyone comes here for the waters.

In my case, I haven't tried it yet, but I am planning to at some point within the next several days.

I don't view that aspect of it as something negative. I see it as positive. I don't see anything wrong with it as long as they're providing their 'services' within the bounds of the law. And by law, I mean what is actually enforced, not something that's been on the books for lord-knows-how-many years and has yet to ever be enforced. Yes, on a technical level prostitution is illegal in Thailand. On a practical level, it's perfectly legal. That satisfies me and I don't regard myself as less of a person for partaking and I don't see bar owners such as Mark as less of a person for providing. My question to you, Hedda, is do you support your position by refusing to patronize the bars?

Sounds almost as if that couple is grooming their kids for a future job doing the same thing.

I'm sure everyone is correct about how it would be less expensive to take rent boys in your home country rather than traveling to Thailand, but we all have our different points of view. To my mind, if your only reason for traveling to Thailand is sex, then that's not exactly the best reason to travel here. I would think the best reasons to travel to Thailand would include enjoying and experiencing as much as you can of what Thailand has to offer and also be able to take boys. But if you're coming to Thailand only for the boys, then I would agree that you're better off staying home and spending your money on rent boys.

They can think about it, but I doubt they would ever be allowed to close a public thoroughfare. Don't forget the tenement apartments in Sunee Plaza. It would be a little difficult to tell a kid he can't go home. Issuing special IDs to kids living in Sunee would be of no help. You can't deny access to friends and relatives coming over and you can't deny kids access to the street if they're on one side of Sunee Plaza and want to go to the other side. In other words, closing off the streets would not be a viable solution and would be illegal in any case. It's a truly difficult situation for the bar owners. There is already such a lack of customers and stepping up the raids is certainly no help. I'm almost convinced that someone in authority is trying to harass the bars out of business. Find one under-age boy, even if he managed to sneak in as a customer, or find one boy on ya ba, and close the bar. They'll also lose even more customers if people start avoiding Sunee Plaza for fear of being caught up in a raid. While nothing happens to the farang during these raids, it certainly is not a pleasant experience. The bar owners are caught between a rock and a hard place. The current system places the responsibility squarely on their shoulders. It doesn't seem fair to me that the bar owners have to also be de-facto police officers and also have to become responsible for their employees' use of drugs. Meanwhile, bar owners throughout Pattaya are protesting the restricted bar opening hours. I'm surprised they're not including police harassment as part of their protest. These raids are not limited to only Sunee Plaza. I can understand bar owners being held responsible if they have employees under-age, but I have never understood holding them responsible for their employees using drugs on their own time.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if their answer would be "Don't go at peak time."

To many, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Personally, I wouldn't make a special trip to India, but this is good information to have if I ever do find myself in India. I would be interested to know about other countries as well.

Do you realize that at 9:09 and 9 seconds this morning, the date and time will be: 090909090909 That won't happen again for a few years . . .

"You're eyes are full of hate, 41. That's good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength. Now listen to me, all of you. You are all condemned men. We keep you alive to serve this ship. So row well and live." - Quintus Arrius, 'Ben Hur'

What on earth makes you sure of that? Nothing personal here, but your post is very naive. You're talking about streetwise boys who know all the ropes and all the tricks of the trade. You can be certain the the boys had food and a place to stay. Both. Sent to rehab? Thailand does have some programs for that. Many of these boys come out of those programs in worse shape than they were in when they got there. Apparently that was the case with these two. If HeyGay's information is correct, they were released, and in the same day where did they go? Sunee Plaza. And what did they do once they got there? Tried to rob somebody. Apparently whatever the rehab program was supposed to accomplish didn't exactly overwhelmingly succeed. Released to the parents? It's more likely the parents are the ones who sent them out into the streets in the first place. Unfortunately, with all the great things about Thailand, there is also a brutal reality that the poor and uneducated are mainly on their own and very little is done or even available to help them. Thailand is modernizing, but when it comes to those kinds of things, Thailand is still very much in the Dark Ages.

It seems to me that it stands to reason if there were 50% more boys last week, then the time to go is the same time you went last week . . .

Unless he gets outbid or gunks me by proxy, I think his anonymity will go bye-bye when he comes to give me the ol' gunkeroo. You don't really need me to tell you there are plenty of people on these boards who not only would love to gunk me, but would also love to add the tar and feathers, along with the rack, the Iron Maiden, and burning at the stake . . . slowly. I wonder how many other people, ever in history, found themselves "hated for charity."

Whaddya mean, old? What about them? I have no sympathy for them. How can you possibly know they needed the money to eat? I'm sorry for them if they were really hungry, but it's rare for any of these boys to go hungry, even when they're flat broke. It's much more likely they simply saw what they thought to be an easy target and went for it. I believe if anything, they weren't going to buy food. They were going to buy ya ba. But even if they were hungry and wanted to buy food with the money, what gives them the right to just help themselves and steal someone else's money? I'd bet that if a boy or two came up to a farang, said they have no money for food, and would the farang please buy something for them to eat, few people would say no. I wouldn't hand over money, but I would certainly at least take them to one of the food carts and pay for whatever they wanted to eat. To my mind, there is only one "real victim" here . . . the man whose money was stolen.

Well, I can't afford it and I also feel that I'm being ripped off. I have better things to do with my money than spend it on overpriced bars, excessively aggressive street touts, excessively aggressive mama-sans, excessively high music volume, boys who aren't my type in the first place, and boys who demand 1000 to 1500 baht, or more, for short time. I can do without all that and I don't think I would enjoy it even if money was no object.

Thai time is one thing, but this is ridiculous . . .

You spoke with him? I had no idea this is the same man who owns Little Planet. I would be very interested if you can post what he had to say about the incident. I would think he would have a much more detailed version of what took place than the article has.

The way things seem to happen around here, if customers keep coming they'll stick with these prices. If customers stop coming, they'll raise them.

I don't do very well on these kinds of puzzles.

This is probably an isolated incident, but it does show that you have to be vigilant at all times when your money is exposed. The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Two Young Boys Arrested Following Street Theft in Soi Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya Pattaya, September 7 [PATTAYA ONE NEWS] In the early hours of Saturday Morning, Police were made aware of a robbery involving a Belgium Tourist; Mr. Albert Vanhove aged 56 in Soi Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya. The victim was preparing to pay a Bar Bill and had the money in his hand when two young boys approached him and snatched the money from Mr. Vanhove. Descriptions of the two boys were circulated amongst Patrolling Police Officers and thanks to the Pattaya SWAT Team who were close-by the two boys aged only 14 and 15 were arrested in a disused building near Soi Sunee Plaza. 1,260 Baht in cash was recovered and the two boys were taken to Pattaya Police Station for processing.