Gaybutton

In the Jomtien Complex there is a new restaurant called Café Ritz. It's only been open about 6 weeks. This evening a friend and I tried it, and this restaurant is now on my list of "don't miss" restaurants. To find it, if you are standing in front of the Bondi, facing the street, just walk forward to the next soi, turn right, and you'll spot it. The restaurant opens at 6:30pm. The owner and chef is John Rumbelow, from the UK. He's definitely a character and he'll personally see to your satisfaction. The restaurant is quite tastefully decorated. It's a small restaurant, but we both thought it was excellent, with excellent service from his staff. There are only about a half dozen tables in the restaurant and one table outside. Basically, there are two dinner specials. One is 295 baht. The other is 350 baht. The dinner for 350 baht includes soup and your choice of starter. The dinner for 295 baht includes your choice of soup or your choice of starter (try the lasagna starter). There are several delicious starters from which to choose and at least two soups. There are several main course selections, everything from fillet steak to liver and onions, all of which include your choice of potato and a tremendous, and I mean tremendous, bowl of steamed vegetables, served separately. There is also a nice wine list. Wine by the glass is also available. There is a wide selection of dessert choices as well, which is included in the dinner, ranging from a champagne trifle to blueberry cheesecake. Considering the quality, I don't know how he does it at this price, but those are the prices. He also does turkey dinners three times a week, usually Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Of course, he also does a Sunday Roast. There is no Thai menu. Everything is "farang food." I asked about that. The answer was there is no problem if you bring a Thai boy with you and he wants Thai food. There is a Thai restaurant right next door. They'll give you the menu for that restaurant and that's where the Thai food will be prepared and brought over to your table at Café Ritz. If you have any questions or want to check on the availability of the turkey dinner, the contact telephone numbers are: 087-912-9108 and 084-865-0415 We truly enjoyed this restaurant. I certainly will be back a great many times. I highly recommend giving Café Ritz a try.

I think it was a completely different story, regarding Hitler. He made it to the top through violence and his charismatic ability to tell the people what they wanted to hear at a time when they wanted to hear it. By the time he reached the peak of his power he was considered almost a god-like figure among the people, provided they weren't Jewish, gay, Jehovah's Witnesses, gypsies, etc. I don't think the Burmese people see their leaders in that light. I don't recall the Nazis having to put down anti-government riots once they were in power. In Burma, I think the people are simply afraid and would prefer to go on trying to live out their lives as best they can rather than become involved in anything that would cause them to lose their lives or end up among the living dead in Burmese prisons.

Whatever the reason is, why do I have a feeling it has nothing whatever to do with making "everybody feel comfortable"?

According to the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, tourist numbers in Pattaya this year are 50% less than last year, and last year was no great shakes in the first place. Based on personal observation, I believe the numbers are even less than that. Details are in the following article i The PATTAYA MAIL: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd3

Finally, we have something official. The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Entertainment Venues and Tourists Prepare for 3 days of Closures and Limited Service During this time, Pattaya along with the rest of Thailand are in a period of mourning. Although Pattaya is dominated by it’s entertainment industry, local venues are complying with regulations put into place to cover a 3 day period from 14th until 16th of November when Cremation Rituals and the Cremation Ceremony for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Wattana takes place. Entertainment venues recently received a letter from the Chief of Banglamung District, Khun Mongkol which stated that venues may open on 14th and 16th November, however entertainment within the venue must either be stopped or reduced to a minimum. Individual bar owners will interpret these regulations in their own way. The letter states that all venues offering entertainment must close on 15th November which is the day when the Cremation takes place. We toured South Pattaya on Friday Afternoon and found all bars were complying with the regulations. Many bars were open but no music was heard. Alcohol was being served and many tourists appeared oblivious to the temporary changes.

That's the point. Nobody knows. That's what they are researching and experimenting to find out. Even if tomorrow morning they can prove they've really found a cure, it would still be years before such a treatment is generally available if things go they way they usually do.

I'm taking it with the entire salt shaker. According to what I see in the two articles, this is a rare, isolated case and a great deal of further research is required, although I do agree with the opinion that a ray of hope exists, dim as that ray might be at this point. Obviously, even if this is something that eventually can be researched out and a true, genuine, universal, affordable cure can result, it's also obvious that such a cure is still years and years away. It would be fabulous to wake up one morning and find the headlines announcing there is now a cure and all you have to do is go over to the nearest pharmacy and buy some pills, but I wouldn't want to bet the farm that such a thing will be available within out lifetimes. It's a nice dream, though.

Yes. You said that you have not experienced a Thai boy who has a string of farang sending him money. While that idea has become somewhat of a cliché, I'm curious as to how you know you haven't experienced this?

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Sex Slaves Abroad Police in England have smashed a large sex slavery network which forced dozens of Thai women to work in at least 16 brothels across London. Local media in London said that the raids freed more than 30 women who were kept in bondage until they paid an alleged debt of 28,000 British pounds - almost 1.5 million baht. Two brothers arrested in the case allegedly directed a strong-arm racket which kept the women prisoner, including holding their passports. Nine Thai gang members were sent to prison for up to two and a half years in the first court intervention in the slavery case. About half of the 30 women rescued in the police raids have already returned home after intervention by the Thai Embassy and Thai Airways International. London media did not identify the two brothers alleged to be the head of the gang, which apparently smuggled the women into Britain as well as running the brothels. They used the Internet heavily in their operation, posing the prostitution racket as an escort service, at OrientalGems.com, which has since been closed down. The brothel sites were in generally up-scale sections of London, including Kensington, Bayswater and Paddington. Officers believe the network made about 1.5 million pounds a year from the slave racket, using the trafficked Thai women - almost 78.4 million baht.

To me, the next logical question is why are the people so kind and gentle? Is it because that's generally their nature? Is it because in effect a gun is being held to their heads and they're afraid to be anything other than kind and gentle? Is it something else? Is it a combination of several factors? While the people might be wonderful, the government seems to be a different story. You so much as look at the government cross-eyed and bam! Now they put you away, under God knows what kind of conditions, for the rest of your life. Under the conditions I'm imagining, I don't think that life would last very long and I doubt you would want it to last very long. The following editorial appears in THE NATION: _____ The Burmese Junta's True Color By The Nation Published on November 14, 2008 When the Burmese junta decided to jail the 14 pro-democracy leaders of the 1988 generation to 65 years old each, or in other words a life sentence, it was clear that the junta leaders want to challenge the whole world community to respond. The junta leaders know full well for now on it could do anything to any person who is considered a threat. Indeed, the Rangoon leaders are getting stronger by the day and become even more dictatorial in its approach and suppression. It is amazing as well that the harsh jail sentences came at the time there are debates on whether the UN, international relief agencies should continue to engage Burma and continue to provide humanitarian aid in the post-Nargis. After the disaster in May, Burma has received overwhelming sympathy from around the world, foreign assistance have poured in to help the suffering Burmese villagers in the Irrawaddy Delta. Medical supplies and others items such as small tractors and other necessities also come to Burma. The point here is the Burmese junta could not care less about the international community. Its leaders happen to know the limits of international cooperation. Once it involves their own national interests, they would be discreet, for fear of further exposure. Like it or not, the Burmese decision would pose a challenge to the incoming US president- elect Barack Obama. His vice president-elect, Joseph Biden, has a long history of support tough legislatures in the Congress in the past several years. The latest JADE ACT, which banned the import of Burmese jewelry, was also the product of collaboration of him and among key law makers. Throughout the Bush administration, the Burma situation has been a non-partisan issue in the Congress. President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have been rather passionate about the plight of Burma. On their latest visit to Thailand in Augusty, they met with the Burmese dissidents and visit camps along Thai-Burmese border. They have done a great job in keeping the Burmese junta on the radar screen in Washington and the rest of the world. Now with Obama, it would be interesting to watch if the US can cooperate with China and India as well as Asean to improve the situation in Burma. Obama has said that he would use dialogue and negotiation to end deadlocks on issues the US encounters. Intuitively, Burma is playing with the international shifting sentiment, which is very temperamental at best. In the time of global economic crisis, it would be difficult to discuss the Burmese suffering. After the Saffron Revolution last September, the sympathy from around the world increased towards the democratic groups operating inside Burma. Everybody thought that they would be able to embed further democratic values. Then, the May devastation caused by the Cyclone Nargis turned schemes of things inside Burma upside down. At first the catastrophe was a curse but later on it turned out to be a blessing because now the junta with a bigger coffer, thanked to influx of foreign currencies and aid; and it is stronger and is more determined to stay the course and annihilated all, both young and old, elements that challenge the regime. The junta is proceeding with its seven-point roadmap with a planned election in 2010. Of course, the outcome is predictable at the moment. But it wants to be sure that in the next polls in 2010 there would be no surprise liked the one in 1990 when the opposition won a landslide votes. Sad to say, the junta leaders are not yielding because they realize that there is a high level of hypocrisy out there in the world. If they stick together and their leadership left unchallenged and do not crack on pressure, nobody can do anything about it. Changes will come only when the opposition groups or the rest of the world accept the junta's terms and conditions. Even at that kind of dire state, many observers continue to back the arguments that the Burmese regime should be engaged, no matter what because there is no other option. Finally, it is obvious after the planned election in 2010, Burma plans to resume its Asean chairmanship, which it skipped in 2005, succeeding Vietnam. That would be the best of time because by that time there would be a surrogate government in place.

To put it extremely mildly, I am skeptical. If a cure has been found, don't you think that would be the major headline news throughout the entire world? I just looked at the CNN web site, and I can't find anything where this is even mentioned. Somehow, that doesn't strike me as a reason to think a cure for the world's most dreaded disease has been found. Even if this man really was cured, that doesn't mean the same treatment is going to work universally on everybody. Also, how much would such a treatment cost? What would be the availability of it? If you undergo the treatment, how much of a chance is there that it will really work? I don't think we're quite ready to hold a victory parade over HIV just yet.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ North Korea Threatens to Close Border with South SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea said Wednesday it would close its border with South Korea from next month in protest at what it called Seoul's confrontational stance, a move that could cripple a joint industrial estate. The communist state announced that a measure "to strictly restrict and cut off all the overland passages" would take effect from December 1, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. A total closure of the heavily fortified border would effectively shut down the Seoul-funded Kaesong industrial complex built just north of the frontier as a symbol of reconciliation. It would also halt a popular tourist trip to Kaesong city. South Korea's unification ministry expressed regret and urged the North to restart stalled dialogue. Spokesman Kim Ho-Nyoun said he did not believe the North intends a complete closure. Wednesday's announcement follows months of icy relations, including threats by the North to expel South Koreans from Kaesong in protest at the spreading of cross-border propaganda leaflets by Seoul activists. KCNA said the move was in response to Seoul's failure to honour agreements reached at summits between the North and the South in 2000 and 2007. It said the border restrictions were the "first step" in response. Seoul's confrontational moves were "going beyond the danger level," it added. "The South Korean puppet authorities should never forget that the present inter-Korean relations are at the crucial crossroads of existence and total severance." The head of the North's delegation to military talks with the South sent a notice of the ban to Seoul's armed forces on Wednesday. Cross-border relations soured after conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak took office in February. He promised to take a firmer line with the North after a decade-long "sunshine" engagement policy. Lee said he would review summit agreements between the North and his liberal predecessors, which envisage joint economic projects costing tens of billions of dollars. The North is also angry with South Korean activists who launch balloons carrying hundreds of thousands of leaflets across the heavily fortified border. These criticise leader Kim Jong-Il as a dictator and repeat suggestions that he is in poor health -- an especially sensitive topic. South Korean officials have said he suffered a stroke in August but is recovering. Ministry spokesman Kim called the move "regrettable." He said Seoul "respects the spirit" of all agreements including the summit declarations and was ready to hold detailed talks on implementing them. A senior presidential aide said North Korea may have been infuriated by the leaflets but the Seoul government could not legally ban them. The aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is not yet clear whether the North means to close the industrial complex and the day tours. More than 32,000 North Koreans earning around 60 dollars a month work for 83 South Korean-owned factories at Kaesong, along with about 1,500 South Koreans. It opened in 2005 and earns the impoverished North tens of millions of dollars a year. A second major joint project, the Mount Kumgang resort on the east coast, has already been shut down. Seoul suspended tours after North Korean soldiers in July shot dead a woman tourist who strayed into a restricted zone. Kaesong and Kumgang are operated by South Korean company Hyundai Asan, which also operates the day trips to Kaesong city near the industrial park. "We don't expect tours to Kaesong to be affected by this announcement," a spokesman told AFP Wednesday, adding that about 5,000 people have booked to take the trip next month.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ UK Speaks on Visa Post reporters and Agencies Britain said Tuesday Thaksin Shinawatra's entry visa to the United Kingdom was revoked because of his Supreme Court conviction for corruption. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed at a news conference on his arrival at Sarajevo International Airport that Thaksin's visa would not be renewed. He said the decision to withdraw the visa was made by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith after he was convicted in absentia of corruption charges. Meanwhile, Malaysia yesterday refused to rule out granting political asylum to Thaksin, and said he is free to transit through the country. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said Thaksin had not approached Malaysian authorities for permission to enter Malaysia. But the government would have no problem if he wanted to transit through Malaysia, Mr Rais told reporters. "We have got nothing against Thaksin. If Thaksin wants to pass through Kuala Lumpur I think it shouldn't damage anybody. "But if he wants to stay here, that's a different thing. We will have to see the merits of his case," he said. Beijing yesterday confirmed Thaksin had been in China recently following Britain's decision to revoke his visa. "Mr Thaksin was in China on vacation. I don't have any further information on that," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said when asked about reports that Thaksin was in China. In a telephone interview from China on Monday Thaksin said he was preparing to leave China, but did not reveal where he was going. He is believed to be planning to travel to the United Arab Emirates. Thai consul-general Pasan Teparak told the Bangkok Post from Dubai that he did not know of the former prime minister's whereabouts. Nattawut Saikua, the government spokesman, denied a rumour that Thaksin had been detained at Dubai International Airport. Mr Nattawut said it was not possible as his security team would not advise him to fly to a place where he could be arrested. A PPP source said last night that he was in Hong Kong. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the opposition and Democrat party leader, said yesterday that Thaksin's interview on Monday, in which he said he would fight back against his political enemies and "start naming names", showed Thaksin had been doing everything for himself and paying no heed to the ongoing divisions in the country. Mr Abhisit said in Thaksin's case, the People Power party-led government also needs to explain if it really has the public interest at heart and whether it really wants to see peace restored. Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, former army chief and former chairman of the defunct Council for National Security (CNS), said he was not afraid of Thaksin's vow to fight back against his enemies. Gen Sonthi, who led the 2006 coup that ousted the Thaksin government from power, said he did not see himself as a Thaksin enemy, but did not know who would be named by Thaksin as having caused him hardship.Vice-Admiral Phajun Tamprateep, personal secretary to Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, said his boss was not intimidated by Thaksin's threat to name his enemies. "It's because [people in] Si Sao Thewes have nothing to do with him and never pay attention to Thaksin's words," said Vice-Admiral Phajun.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Burmese Fight Democracy UPDATE By Larry Jagan Burma's military rulers have revealed their intention to eliminate anyone who opposes their authority in the lead-up to the planned elections in two years' time. Anyone who poses a challenge to the Burmese regime is being targetted in what may be the biggest crackdown on dissent in the country since the massive pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, which brought the country to a standstill for months before the army seized power in a military coup. The courts in Burma have been very busy in the last few weeks as hundreds of dissidents have been put away for decades. In the latest case earlier this week, 14 leading Burmese political activists from the 88 Generation Students group, including five women, were each sentenced to 65 years in jail for their involvement in the monk-led uprising in Burma last year. These jail terms are only the latest in a series of harsh sentences the Burmese authorities have doled out to many artists, activists, bloggers, journalists and lawyers in the past few weeks. "The Burmese junta is clearly conducting a major crackdown on all dissent in the country," said Zin Linn, a leading Burmese dissident and former political prisoner, now based in Thailand. "They want to silence all opposition before the planned elections in 2010," he said. A military-controlled court inside the notorious Insein prison compound sentenced the 14 student leaders to long prison sentences for their support of last year's mass protests, dubbed the Saffron Revolt, against increased fuel prices and rising food costs. Most of them had been detained before the brutal crackdown on the demonstrators in September 2007. The United Nations says at least 31 people were killed when Burma's military rulers sent in troops to end the mass demonstrations led by columns of saffron-robed, shaven-headed Buddhist monks - the biggest challenge to military since it seized power 20 years ago. The 14 included Ko Jimmy and his wife, Nilar Thein, who had to abandon her four-month-old daughter when she went into hiding during the September 2007 military crackdown on the protesters. Nilar Thein was eventually arrested two months ago after being on the run for more than a year. The sentences were handed down behind closed doors - members of their families and the groups' defence lawyers were barred from the court. "Is this [65 years] all you can do?" one activist, Min Zeya, reportedly shouted at the judge. Nine other leaders of the group, including the top three - Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kyew - were recently sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court. They continuously interrupted court proceedings, shouting down the judge. They refused to accept the court's authority and insisted they would continue to oppose the judicial system using Gandhian tactics of non-violent civil disobedience. Since the contempt of court conviction, the nine have been moved to Maubin prison in the Irrawaddy delta west of Rangoon, an area devasted by the cyclone in May. "We fear they will now face harsh treatment at the hands of the authorities there, because it is more isolated and family visits are much more difficult," said Burmese actvist Khin Omar, based in Chiang Mai. "The conditions in the prison for political prisoners are getting worse and worse," she warned. The group faces more charges in the coming days, with another 20 members likely to be also given heavy sentences for their activities during the protests. "These convictions are only the tip of the iceberg," said Benjamin Zawacki, the Burma officer for UK-based human rights organisation Amnesty International. Most of them have been held for more than 12 months without trial, and in some cases without being charged, he added. "This probably is only the start of a season of trials and convictions." Many of the group's members were at the forefront of the mass pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988 and were tortured and given lengthy prison terms after the military coup 20 years ago. The activists resumed political activity after they were freed in November 2004, and have spearheaded the protests against the junta, usually focusing on the country's deteriorating economy. Many analysts believe that the junta fears the students even more than it does the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by detained oppositon leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which convincingly won the 1990 elections but was never allowed to form a civilian government. Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 20 years under house arrest. "They think they can handle the NLD, but they know they cannot control the students," said a Western diplomat in Bangkok who deals with Burma. "These sentences will leave them in prison well past the election." Burmese courts have also been handing out harsh sentences on other dissidents this week. The prominent labour rights activist Su Su Nway was sentenced to more than 12 years in jail for her political activities. She served nine months in prison more than two years ago for agitating against forced labour. And 10 members of the NLD from Bogalay in the Irrawaddy delta were also sentenced to between eight and 24 years, said NLD spokesman Nyan Win. "These sentences are a clear signal to everyone that the regime will not tolerate any opposition in the lead-up to the elections in 2010," said Mr Zawacki. The sentences for members of the 88 Generation came one day after the jailing of Burma's best-known blogger, Nay Phone Latt, for more than 20 years for publishing a cartoon of the country's top military leader, General Than Shwe, on his website. His trial was held behind closed doors in Insein prison special court, which also sentenced the well-known poet Saw Wai to two years' jail for publishing a poem mocking Than Shwe entitled February 14, which was published in the journal Ah Chit (Love). The first letter of each line in the poem together spelled out "Power Crazy Senior General Than Shwe". In recent weeks there has also been a spate of lawyers being convicted for contempt of court. At least 10 lawyers who have tried to defend the dissidents have ended up in prison, either for challenging the court on their clients' behalf or because their clients had dismissed them since they were clearly unable to do the job. "It is complete intimidation," said Amnesty's Mr Zawacki. "Lawyers are being punished for being the messenger. The lawyers are clearly being warned, 'You must play by our rules and not by any accepted rules of procedure'," he said. There are more than 15 journalists, reporters and photographers still in detention awaiting trial, according to the Burma Media Association. Most of them are accused of publishing material on the conditions in the cyclone-devasted area, and pointing out inadequacies of the relief effort. "The sentencing of the 88 activists and the further arrests in recent days of journalists, bloggers and forced labour complainants, is further evidence of the extent to which conditions in this country are deteriorating in terms of basic political freedoms," said a Western diplomat in Rangoon. "It clearly shows what we can expect in 2010."

I'm not exactly planning to go tomorrow morning. I doubt it will be any time soon, but I'll get there.

What is their price. Also, please fill us in on the details of the gay bar. Is there only one gay bar? What kind of bar is it? Go-go bar? Host bar? Beer bar? Is off allowed? How much for off and how much does a boy expect to be paid? What's the name of the bar? Where is it? The more you can tell us, the better.

Actually Jim is one of the few who has every right to do that. You see, that is not a public street. That street is privately owned.

Part of the problem is likely because a great many people from Bangkok come to Pattaya for the Loy Kratong holiday and I expect because the rains seem to finally have stopped, there will be even more. It's to be expected during major holidays. If you're not already at the beach by 11:30am, you might as well expect major traffic delays during the holiday. I also wouldn't want to try to find a place to park anywhere near the beach after that hour.

He could end up losing more than just his choice of where he wishes to live. According to the latest news reports Thailand is taking steps to seize a major portion of that wealth. One article says Thailand is considering paying to keep track of his whereabouts and even the possibility of offering a bounty for bringing him back by force. The Philippines has announced they will "politely" reject a plea for political asylum should Thaksin ask for it. Despite all his wealth, I don't think I would want to trade places with him just now.

Here's a suggestion, under the circumstances: Many homeless shelters, church groups, and other community organizations put on Thanksgiving dinners. Why not consider volunteering your services that day rather than sitting home alone and feeling depressed? That way you not only get a Thanksgiving dinner, but you also get the satisfaction of knowing you were able to help those less fortunate. Something to think about, anyway.

I don't know of any places on earth that can compare. My only regret is that I didn't discover Thailand many years sooner than I did.

Yes, but I don't agree that the above cliché applies. The problems I wrote about do exist and I see no reason not to discuss them. To me, not discussing them at all would be much the same as burying one's head in the sand. I also said, and meant, that despite those problems I'd rather be here in Pattaya than anywhere else on earth.

Seems simple enough to me . . . ask a skydiver or bungee jumper.

I'm sorry to hear that, Laurence. While the holidays bring great joy to many, they also bring terrible depression to many. I hope you're joking, but in case you're not you at least have returning to Thailand to look forward to.

Would you prefer that I lie to them?