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The following appears in THE NATION: ____ More Protection for Buyers of Condos By Somluck Srimalee The Nation Published on May 17, 2008 Condominium buyers are to get better legal protection thanks to the amended Condominium Act, under which developers who do not deliver facilities as advertised will be penalised. The amendment will become effective on July 4. Surasith Sahasthamrangsi of the real estate business promotion bureau of the Land Department said at a seminar yesterday that the new Act would punish de velopers who used misleading advertising to boost sales. "If they can't deliver what they advertise, the Land Department is empowered to charge them with giving false information," Surasith said. The amendment followed complaints by buyers whose purchases did not include what was advertised. Most of the angry buyers were people who bought units before they were completed. From July 4, developers will have to submit advertising plans with their construction proposals. On completion, the Land Department will check if all is as advertised. Property Perfect's chief operations officer, Teerachon Manomaiphibul, said this law would hurt only developers who are inclined to cheat buyers. Meanwhile, experts said the amended law might hurt the resale market, as the provisional clause that allows foreigners or foreign entities to hold more than 49 per cent of condominium units in Bangkok, municipal areas and other specified areas will be scrapped. The limit will now be 49 per cent, without exception. ____________________ And this, from the BANGKOK POST: _____ Condo Act to Protect Consumers Aims to weed out shady developers KANANA KATHARANGSIPORN The amended Condominium Act will improve the overall condo market and screen out non-professional developers that take advantage of buyers, says Opas Sripayak, managing director of the condo developer L.P.N. Development Plc. ''The amendments will benefit condominium buyers as most of them will focus on consumer protection. Condominium developers should pay more attention to what the sellers promise,'' he said yesterday. He said a regulation in the amendment requiring developers to pay common area expenses for unsold units after unit transfers would put a greater burden on irresponsible developers who earlier tried to avoid this payment. ''L.P.N. will have no impact from the amendments as what we've done already will comply with them,'' said Mr Opas. ''This is the same for many listed and professional developers in the industry.''The Land Department will hold a public hearing about the amended Condominium Act next Friday before it becomes effective on July 4. ''After we talked with some developers about the amendments, what most of them were concerned about were odds and ends, not big issues,'' said Surasith Sahasthamrangsee, director of the department's Real Estate Promotion Office. The department was waiting for consideration from the Consumer Protection Board on condominium pre-purchase and purchase and sales contracts before submitting details to the Interior Ministry next week. The department hopes the board will help tighten loopholes in the agreements as it earlier received thousands of complaints related to unfair agreements. ''It [the contract] will be a standard for all condominium projects to use,'' said Mr Surasith. The amended Condo Act would require developers to keep all copies and versions of sale brochures or pictures advertised or sales letters publicised in any way at the juristic person office of the condominium for future reference, he added. ''Advertisements are part of a purchasing and selling contract. If there are many versions, all must be kept,'' he said. This requirement aims to focus on the common area that developers promise to customers, not on selling prices or promotions. In the past, some developers changed the common area for other uses, taking advantage of unit owners. ''The amendments, responding to many problems, aim to protect consumers. Formerly, the act had no provisions for punishment as it left the private sector to manage and solve the problems by itself.'' Mr Opas said L.P.N. planned to launch three low-priced CondoTown projects in the Rama II, Rangsit and Pak Nam in Samrong areas with at least 2,000 units each. Spending for these three plots would be around 200-300 million baht each. ''CondoTown will focus on a large community where a discount store is situated,'' he said. The location has more than 100 apartment buildings where tenants pay rent of 3,000 to 4,000 baht a month. During the first four months of this year, L.P.N. had pre-sales of 2.8 billion baht and it aims to achieve 11 billion baht by the end of the year. In the first quarter, it realised 1.2 billion baht and missed a target of two billion baht as government tax incentives took effect in late March and many buyers delayed purchases. However, the firm would realise tax benefits representing 4% of total revenue. It expected to realise 7.8 billion baht of revenue in 2008, said Mr Opas. Next month the company will launch the first phase of Lumpini Place Ratchada-Rama IX on a 15-rai site near the MCOT Junction with unit prices of 1.3 million baht. It will have a total of 2,000 units. ''A rise in steel prices caused higher unit prices of 2-5% so [prices of] units in the existing projects will be revised up,'' Mr Opas said. LPN shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 7.30 baht, up 10 satang, in trade worth 209.9 million baht.

Monday, May 19 is Visakha Bucha Day, one of the most important Buddhist holidays of the year. Tradition has it that on this date Buddha was born, reached enlightenment, and died. All banks and government offices will be closed, however it remains at the discretion of each bar (at least so far) to close or remain open and the bars get to decide for themselves, assuming they open, whether to serve alcohol. My guess is the bars will be open, considering the number of days they have already been forced to close this year. Be advised, though, all it takes is one highly placed government official to decide the bars should close. At the time of this posting, the bars are still allowed to decide for themselves.

Thanks, fedssocr. I did not see that version of the story. I think I will cry, HeartOfGold, because you're right. It does give Pattaya a bad name and it stigmatizes every gay who comes here right along with it. Obviously the vast majority of gays who come here are not pedophiles in any sense of the word, but in this kind of situation the facts don't matter. Only the perceptions matter and it affects everyone. I like the story about the person who tried to convince the court he was some other kind of "phile." That's right up there with the guys in the USA who try to get out of paying income tax by claiming it is unconstitutional. Works great, doesn't it?

The PATTAYA DAILY NEWS is also running an article about this. ( http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000005989 ). Unless you are reading an article I haven't seen, neither article says anything about where the apartment is or where he got the boys from.

Here are some excerpts from another old article of mine. As far as I know, the information is still the same: _____ Gay marriages are not legally recognized in Thailand, but many of the Buddhist wats will agree to perform the ceremony, and that ceremony is regarded as religiously valid. The decision as to whether to perform the religious ceremony is up to the Loong Paw. The Loong Paw is the head monk at the wat. Often, the Loong Paw is the oldest monk at the wat, but not necessarily so. The marriage is taken quite seriously by all concerned. This is a lifelong commitment made by the couple and, in the eyes of the Buddhist religion, the marriage is recognized and sacred. For the ceremony itself, a traditional costume is worn by both the 'bride' and the 'groom,' and there are plenty of places where the costumes can be rented. Your 'bride' will know where. If you want to have other guests in costume, that is up to you, but it is your financial responsibility. The rituals include preparing food for the monks who will be involved in the ceremony, giving ceremonial flowers to them, a few ritual items, such as candles and incense sticks, and putting money in an envelope to give to them. The local markets sell the traditional pots into which the food is placed. They also carry the flowers, food and other ritual items. The ceremony itself takes about twenty minutes. Nine monks perform the ceremony, including the Loong Paw. They will enter the wat and place themselves on the floor in front of the couple and invited participants. First the food, ceremonial items, and the money is given to each of the monks. Every participant is included in this ritual giving. The items are placed in front of each monk and the money is given, in a sealed envelope, and it is given with two hands. There will be bowing and ritual prayer chants. The Loong Paw will sprinkle the participants with water during the ceremony. The Loong Paw will tie white strings to the right wrists of the couple, to symbolize the binding together of the couple. During the ceremony the Loong Paw will give the couple a ceremonial bowl of water. The couple will exit the wat, pour the water over the roots of a tree, and say a prayer together. Then the couple will return to the wat and the ceremony continues. Final prayers are said, and the ceremony is finished. That also ends the involvement of the monks. At that point the participants simply leave the wat and nothing more is said to the monks. Now comes the wedding party, which can be held wherever you like. Everyone eats, liquor is served, and the participants will also tie white strings to the right wrist of the couple. A good time is had by all. Then everyone will leave, allowing the couple privacy following the ceremonies.

Friday, May 16: Opening rates: US Dollar: 32.16 Euro: 49.625 British Pound: 62.535 Australian Dollar: 30.14 Canadian Dollar: 32.00 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.17 Euro: 49.695 British Pound: 62.565 Australian Dollar: 30.2125 Canadian Dollar: 31.995

The following appears in the Pattaya City News: _____ Crazed Man Seeking TV Stardom Steals Fire Truck in Naklua Police units were called into action in the early hours of Thursday Morning following reports of a young man who had attempted to steal a fire rescue truck from a station in Naklua. The attempt was successful and the crazed man, Khun Sitipon aged 36 drove away and eventually crashed the vehicle and was caught by Police. He explained that he was desperate to get himself on TV and decided to steal the truck so he would be on the news here in Pattaya. He is now behind bars awaiting a court appearance but is apparently happy that his dream of being on the news has been fulfilled. (See http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_15_05_51_4.html for photos)

Thursday, May 15: Opening rates: US Dollar: 32.18 Euro: 49.665 British Pound: 62.515 Australian Dollar: 29.8275 Canadian Dollar: 31.8875 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.19 Euro: 49.95 British Pound: 62.57 Australian Dollar: 30.01 Canadian Dollar: 32.025

New storm head toward cyclone-devastated Myanmar AP Another powerful storm headed toward Myanmar's cyclone-devastated delta on Wednesday and the U.N. warned that inadequate relief efforts could lead to a second wave of deaths among the estimated 2 million survivors. The country's junta told visiting Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, however, that it is in control of the relief operations and doesn't need foreign experts. Samak visited a government relief center in Yangon and told reporters after returning to Bangkok that the junta has given him the "guarantee" that there are no disease outbreaks and no starvation among the cyclone survivors. "They have their own team to cope with the situation," Samak said, citing Myanmar Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Thein Sein. "From what I have seen I am impressed with their management." International agencies say bottlenecks, poor logistics, limited infrastructure and the military government's refusal to allow foreign aid workers have left most of the delta's survivors living in miserable conditions without food or clean water. The government's efforts have been criticized as woefully slow. The U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said there is a good chance that "a significant tropical cyclone" will form within the next 24 hours and head across the Irrawaddy delta area. The area was pulverized by Cyclone Nargis on May 3, leaving at least 34,273 dead and 27,838 missing, according to the government. The U.N. says the death toll could exceed 100,000. An estimated 2 million survivors of the storm are still in need of emergency aid. But U.N. agencies and other groups have been able to reach only 270,000 people so far. Dr. Thawat Sutharacha of Thailand's Public Health Ministry said Wednesday the junta has given permission to a Thai medical team to go to the cyclone-hit delta. If the team is able to go as scheduled on Friday, it would be the first foreign aid group to work in the ravaged Irrawaddy delta. The junta has said that it will allow 160 relief workers from neighboring countries to come to Myanmar, but it is not clear if they include the Thai medics or whether they will be allowed to travel to the delta. "The government has a responsibility to assist their people in the event of a natural disaster," said Amanda Pitt, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs. "We are here to do what we can and facilitate their efforts and scale up their response. It is clearly inadequate and we do not want to see a second wave of death as a result of that not being scaled up," she said. The news of a second cyclone was not broadcast by Myanmar's state-controlled media. But Yangon residents picked up the news on foreign broadcasts and on the Internet. "I prayed to the Lord Buddha, 'please save us from another cyclone. Not just me but all of Myanmar,'" said Min Min, a rickshaw driver, whose house was destroyed in Cyclone Nargis. Min Min, his wife and three children now live on their wrecked premises under plastic sheets. "Another cyclone will be a disaster because our relief center is already overcrowded. I am very worried," said Tun Zaw, 68, another Yangon resident who is living in a government relief center. Prof. Johnny Chan, a tropical cyclone expert with City University of Hong Kong, said the new cyclone would likely not be as severe as Nargis because it is already close to land, and cyclones need to be over sea to gain full strength. "There will be a lot of rain but the winds will not be as strong," he told The Associated Press. Getting to the worst-affected areas was getting more and more difficult, and the impending storm was expected to compound the misery of the survivors. "They are already weak," said Pitt, the U.N. spokeswoman. A new storm will impact "people's ability to survive and cope with what happened to them ... this is terrible." Soldiers have barred foreign aid workers from reaching cyclone survivors in the hardest-hit areas, but gave access to an International Red Cross representative who returned to Yangon on Tuesday. Bridget Gardner, the agency's country head, described tremendous devastation but also selflessness, as survivors joined in the rescue efforts. "People who have come here having lost their homes in rural areas have volunteered to work as first aiders. They are humanitarian heroes," said Gardner. Gardner's team visited five locations in the Irrawaddy delta. In one of them, they saw 10,000 people living without shelter as rain tumbled from the sky. "The town of Labutta is unrecognizable. I have been here before and now with the extent of the damage and the crowds of displaced people, it's a different place," Gardner was quoted as saying in a statement by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In Labutta and elsewhere she said volunteers were giving medical aid to hundreds of people a day even though "they have no homes to go back to when they finish." Some survivors of Cyclone Nargis were reportedly getting spoiled or poor-quality food, rather than nutrition-rich biscuits sent by international donors, adding to suspicions that the junta may be misappropriating foreign aid. The military, which has ruled since 1962, has taken control of most supplies sent by other countries, including the United States, which began its third day of aid delivery Wednesday as five more giant C-130 transport planes loaded with emergency supplies headed to Myanmar. Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, a spokesman for what has been dubbed operation Caring Relief, said a total of 197,080 pounds of provisions have been sent into Myanmar on the eight U.S. military flights that have been cleared to go. Most of the provisions have been blankets, mosquito nets, plastic sheets and water. As the U.S. military's effort to expand its relief effort appeared to make major headway, Myanmar also agreed to attend an emergency meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers next week to discuss problems in getting foreign aid the country, Asian diplomats said Wednesday. Diplomats from the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Myanmar, were crafting the agenda for the meeting to be held Monday in Singapore, said two Manila-based Southeast Asian diplomats knowledgeable about preparations for the gathering. Singapore, which currently heads the ASEAN bloc, organized the meeting after getting a nod from Myanmar, which has committed to sending its foreign minister, according to one of the diplomats. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media. The European Union's top aid official said Wednesday he is not opposed to the idea of air-dropping aid in Myanmar but does not think it will work. "I am not against solutions which can help the people but ... I think it will not be the best solution," EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel told reporters in Bangkok when asked to comment on suggestions about unilateral air drops to circumvent the junta's restrictions on international aid. ____ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines contributed to this report.

Perhaps not, but I don't think this man was with street kids. I think he was with kids from his own neighborhood. That's just a guess on my part, but that's the impression I get.

I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or just give up. I can't even remember now how many years I, and others, have been trying to convince people not to come to Thailand and start engaging in sex with under-age boys. I can't imagine that any of the people who have been arrested over the years were ignorant of the consequences, and yet they continue to think with their crotches instead of their brains. The part that angers me more than any of it is not the fact that they do this and get caught. If they are stupid enough to take the risk and lose, then my position is 'tough shit.' It angers me because the sheer number of arrests places a terrible stigma on those who come to Thailand and don't do this kind of thing. I can't help but wonder how many Thais, indeed how many people throughout the world, assume single gay farang in Thailand, especially in Pattaya, are probably pedophiles. How many totally innocent among you get hassled and harassed by customs officials when you reenter your home country? How many are questioned and are forced to undergo inspections of your notebook computers, cd's, or anything else on which pornographic images can be stored? I also get annoyed when I see people post that farang in Sunee Plaza must be pedophiles. Horse hockey! When was the last time you heard of anyone being arrested when they took a boy off from a Sunee Plaza bar? In nearly every one of these cases, it's a farang who was messing around with neighborhood boys or street urchins. That could just as easily be interpreted that farang who do not frequent Sunee Plaza are the pedophiles. Here's the latest: The following appears in THE NATION: _____ German Lecturer Arrested in Pattaya for Buying Sex from Two Boys Pattaya, Chon Buri - A German university lecturer was arrested here early Wednesday for allegedly having sex with two underage boys. Wolf Rudiger Engelke, 67, was arrested in the act with a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy inside an apartment at 1 am. Alerted by informant, police raided the room and found the three inside the bed. The two boys said Engelke promised to give each of them Bt500 in exchange for sex. Police said the German is a lecturer of a university in Phitsanulok. The Nation

According to an article in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS, the Thai Prime Minister is saying the reason why the Burmese junta is intentionally keeping out and slowing down foreign assistance for the cyclone victims is because they went ahead with the national voting despite the cyclone and they don't want the world to see the vote rigging that is occurring. Also, according to the article, those who wish to make donations can do so at the Sattahip Temple, where they are asking for light bulbs, galvanized iron sheets, canvas, dried foodstuffs, rice, and drinking water. The items will be delivered to Burma via the Thai Navy. The Thai Navy assures the public that the items will reach the people in need. The full article can be seen at: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000005975

If you have been following the "Exchange Rate on the Move . . ." thread, you've been witnessing the strength of the baht weakening over the past several days. The Bank of Thailand is saying this weakening is only temporary. I will try to keep tabs on the daily opening and closing rates in the "Exchange Rate on the Move . . ." thread for you. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Baht Softens Temporarily An ongoing softening of the Thai currency, the baht, against the US dollar is expected for a short-term basis while inflationary rate in Thailand is projected to continue rising on the back of increasing in oil and commodity prices, Bank of Thailand (BoT) governor Tarisa Watanagase said Tuesday. Mrs Tarisa told participants attending a Euromoney fair that the baht which had fallen to about Bt32.20 against the dollar on the onshore market now was considered lowest in the past two-and-a-half-month but the impact was still not too serious. There are still both buying and selling of the dollars by importers and exporters and the weakening of the baht would be temporary, said Mrs. Tarisa. The central bank will monitor the movements of the baht to ensure that it is not soften or strengthen too fast and the currency must move within the market demand and supply. On Thailand's economy, she said it grew more than 6 per cent during the first quarter this year with investment expanded 7.2 per cent during the period, exports up 21 per cent and the current account enjoyed a surplus of about US$3 billion. This year, the country's current account is expected to enjoy a surplus of around US$4-7 billion due to disbursement by the government, said Mrs Tarisa. The government-sponsored mega-projects will also help stimulate private investment in future. Inflation last month rose to 6.2 per cent as global oil prices continued increasing, she said, adding that the BoT would follow movements of goods prices closely. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Suwit Khunkitti said he was confident economic growth during the second half this year would surpass the first half on the back of solid economic fundamentals and fine investment atmosphere. The World Bank has now ranked Thailand 15th out of 178 countries among the most attractive countries for investment and the government will adjust investment regulations to facilitate foreign investors, said Mr. Suwit. He said the government has projected to invest on improving infrastructure at US$66 billion between 2008-2011. (TNA)

Wednesday, May 14: Opening rates: US Dollar: 32.19 Euro: 49.67 British Pound: 62.505 Australian Dollar: 30.1225 Canadian Dollar: 31.8925 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.28 Euro: 49.685 British Pound: 62.53 Australian Dollar: 30.005 Canadian Dollar: 31.9425

The cyclone in Burma has already killed tens of thousands of people. Most of the emerging stories are about the death toll, the expected dramatic increase in numbers of dead, and the incredibly callous and unfeeling handling of this disaster by the Burmese government. Now another disaster has hit, this time in China. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Beijing - A 7.8-magnitude earthquake felt as far away as Bangkok killed more than 700 people and buried thousands in Sichuan province of southwest China. Authorities said they feared 5,000 or more were dead. and Chinese President Hu Jintao ordered "all-out" efforts to help 900 school children buried in rubble. At least four teenagers were confirmed dead after the earthquake caused school buildings to collapse and bury nearly 900 students at the Juyuan Middle School in Sichuan's Dujiangyan city, about 100 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake, the official Xinhua news agency quoted local officials as saying. Official Xinhua news agency quoted officials from the Sichuan provincial disaster relief headquarters as saying that 80 per cent of buildings in Beichuan had collapsed after the earthquake. It said officials also estimated that about 10,000 people were injured in Beichuan, which is about 100 kilometres from the epicentre of the earthquake. The earthquake also affected Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, and nearby Chongqing. At least 45 people died in Chengdu, where officials suspended rail and air services, the provincial government said. More than 600 people were injured, 58 of them critically, state media quoted the provincial seismological bureau as saying. Government and local officials said the quake struck at 2:28pm local time (1:28pm in Thailand) in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province. It was felt in cities hundreds of kilometres away, including Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, in addition to Bangkok. "Major tremors" were felt by residents of cities closer to the epicentre, including Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, and nearby Chongqing, the official news agency Xinhua said. The first reports of casualties came from Chongqing's Liangping county, where four children died and more than 100 were injured at two primary schools which collapsed during the earthquake, the official Xinhua news agency said. The epicentre was about 95 kilometres west-northwest of Chengdu in Wenchuan county, which has a population of 112,000. Initial reports put the magnitude at 7.6 but the State Seismological Bureau later upgraded it to 7.8, while an official at the Beijing Seisomological Bureau said it was measured at 8.0. Premier Wen Jiabao was travelling to Sichuan to supervise relief work, while President Hu Jintao issued a statement urging "all-out efforts to help those affected" by the quake. The People's Liberation Army dispatched troops from Chengdu to help in relief work and damage assessment in Wenchuan county. Xinhua quoted a worker in Chongqing as saying his factory was evacuated after the roof began to crack, and a resident of Sichuan's Leshan city who said a garden wall had collapsed. Mobile telephone services were briefly cut off in Chengdu and Chongqing, while workers were evacuated from some major office towers in Shanghai, the agency said. Flights to and from Chengdu were suspended, and a main road near Chengdu's southern railway station flooded after the quake fractured an underground water pipe, it said. In Hong Kong, people rang emergency services in panic when the earthquake made ground shake and buildings sway in the city of 6.9 million, 1,360 kilometres south-east from Chengdu. There were no reports of injuries of damage in Hong Kong. A tremor measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale was recorded in Beijing's eastern suburb of Tongzhou at 2:35 pm, the seismological bureau said. Earlier Monday, an undersea earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook Taiwan. There were no reports of damage or casualties from the quake that struck at 10:43 am (0243 GMT), 3.4 kilometres under the sea off Taiwan's eastern Orchid Island, the Seismological Observation Centre said. Seismologists in Taiwan said the earthquake was unrelated to the one in Wenchuan. (dpa) ____________________ The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Chinese disaster officials say the death toll from Monday's devastating earthquake in southwestern China has spiked to near 10,000. Meanwhile, seismological experts in Sichuan province said more than 1,180 tremors up to 6.0 magnitude had been recorded as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, state media Xinhua reported. In nearby Beichuan County, 80 percent of the buildings were reported destroyed and an estimated 3,000 were reported dead there alone. In addition to the death toll, state-run media reported 10,000 more people were injured in Sichuan, Gansu, Chongqing and Yunnan provinces, CNN reported Xinhua reported at least 2,300 were trapped in the collapse of two chemical plants. About 80 tons of ammonia leaked out and 6,000 people were evacuated, CNN said. Reports said 50 bodies were pulled from the rubble of a high school in Wenchuan County, where 900 students were feared buried. "Some buried teenagers were struggling to break loose from underneath the ruins while others were crying out for help," the state-run Chinese news agency reported. Xinhua said Premier Wen Jiabao was on hand to direct the rescue efforts. Tremors were felt in other parts of China, as well Hanoi, Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan. Communication with China's Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center has been cut off, State Forestry Administration officials said. About 130 giant pandas are living in the center and another 150 wild pandas roam the Wolong reserve. Venues for the 2008 Summer Olympics weren't damaged, Xinhua reported. A quake that measured 7.5 on the Richter scale killed more than 10,000 people in the same area in 1933. The country's worst earthquake, on July 28, 1976, in Hebei province, killed more than 240,000.

Tuesday, May 13: Opening rates: US Dollar: 31.98 Euro: 49.545 British Pound: 62.385 Australian Dollar: 30.125 Canadian Dollar: 31.655 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.07 Euro: 49.70 British Pound: 62.505 Australian Dollar: 30.2375 Canadian Dollar: 31.745

EarWig posted about this on the Gay Ting&Tong forum. http://www.gaytingtong.com/topic2773.html I have no personal confirmation of this at the time of this posting, but I will say that EarWig's information of this type is usually reliable. Assuming it's true, my condolences to Peter's family and friends.

Thank you very much for the confirmation. I think you just spelled "relief" for many from the UK. You're lucky. You don't have to go through the hassle of a trip to Bangkok along with exhorbitant embassy fees. Was there a fee for Barry's service? You are correct about extensions being at the officer's discretion. That's why I always recommend going in with a smile and pleasant attitude and keeping it that way no matter what happens. You're much more likely to get cooperation from the officer than if you go in as one of these fools I often see who go in and immediately start acting angry and nasty. They can't figure out why they don't get the cooperation they seek. The only immigration office I have dealt with is the Pattaya office. I have always found the officers to be friendly and trying to be as helpful as possible. They're trying to help people get what they need. They're not trying to make things difficult and not trying to prevent people from getting the visas and extensions they seek.

It's so sad. These boys have a very difficult life as it is, and they just have no clue what the drugs are doing to them. What's even more sad is the only thing that surprises me about your post is that no more than 7-8 boys got out, considering that the average bar has 20 to 25 boys. I would imagine that the under-age boys got out too.

For months now, the exchange rate for the baht to US dollar has been hovering around 31.2 to 31.3. Last week the baht began to inch its way toward 31.4 to 31.5. This morning the rate opened at 31.92. That's the best its been in months. Here are the opening rates for today, May 12. I will edit this post later and let you know the closing rates. I have no idea why the exchange rate is finally starting to get a little more favorable, but I'm certainly not complaining. I'm praying that the trend continues: Opening rates: US Dollar: 31.92 Euro: 49.29 British Pound: 62.205 Australian Dollar: 29.9025 Canadian Dollar: 31.565 __________ YIPPEE!!!!! Exchange Rate Gets to 32!!! I thought I'd never live to see the day when the dollar actually begins to strengthen again. Keep your fingers crossed folks. Closing Rates: US Dollar: 32.01 Euro: 49.175 British Pound: 62.255 Australian Dollar: 29.89 Canadian Dollar: 31.62

GaySacGuy, I think you can get an International driving permit through Thai travel agencies. If not, they can at least tell you where to get it. Since you do have a Thai driver's license already, make sure you take it with you when you go to the USA. The international driving permit is invalid without it. If it were me, I would also stop by an Immigration office and get a residence certificate to take along too. That way, if you have to deal with the police you'll have proof that you do actually reside in Thailand. Bob, yes you certainly are legal to drive in Thailand with an International driving permit provided that a valid driving license from your home country is also in your possession. Without it, the International driving permit is invalid. Despite the fact that the permit is supposed to be valid for a full year from the date of purchase, it is my understanding that Thailand only honors its validity for 90 days after your arrival in Thailand. I could be wrong about that. I can't remember where I got that from, but that's the way I understand it.

I have received a few inquiries as to what happened in Sunee Plaza a couple of nights ago. A few hours before closing time several bars suddenly started hustling the customers out the door and closed down for the night. That's because the bars received a tip that yet another raid was on for that night and it was imminent. The raid didn't happen. As for why it didn't happen, the only reasons I can come up with are the tip was wrong in the first place, the raid was canceled for some reason, or the police got a tip about the tip and decided to postpone until they can raid with an element of surprise. Your guess is as good as mine.

I received an Email today asking how to get an International Driving Permit. I suppose I should have included that in the article. If I remember, I'll include that in the next revision. Since most readers here come from either the USA, the UK, or Australia here's what to do: 1. If you come from the USA you can obtain one at any AAA office, whether you're a AAA member or not. 2. If you come from the UK, check the following web site: http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/motidp002.html 3. If you come from Australia, check the following web site: http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynr...ers_permits.htm If you are already living in Thailand, you can order an International Driving permit from your home country and have it sent to you by post. You can buy one in Thailand (probably through a Thai travel agent), but it will have no validity in Thailand. I seriously doubt it would be accepted when applying for the Thai driver's license because, according to the international agreement, the permit is valid only in countries other than the country in which it was purchased. But who knows? Things are crazy enough in Thailand that it just might work. It can't hurt anything to try, but I wouldn't go in with much of an expectation that it would be accepted. If anybody actually does try it, please let us know whether or not it was accepted.

That is correct. Most people renew very close to the expiration date of their visa, so the difference in most cases is essentially meaningless. My guess, if you go to renew your visa thirty days before it expires, is you will be told they won't renew it yet and to come back in about three weeks. You're being told this at the Suan Plu immigration office? The solution to that is simple: Don't go the the Suan Plu office. If they really told you that, and if you can be certain that you haven't misunderstood, then that office is making up its own rules. Go somewhere else.

It has come to my attention that some people want the article, but for various reasons (probably because of my reputation for being some sort of control freak son-of-a-bitch) do not wish to register on this message board. In order to download the attachments, you have to be registered. If you do not want to register, but do want the article, just send an Email to me at gaybutton@gmail.com . I'll be glad to send you the article whether you are registered or not.