Gaybutton

BANGKOK, Oct 15 (TNA) Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra can 'come home', but it would be better for him to wait until martial law is lifted. Defense Minister Boonrawd Somtat said Sunday that ousted ex-premier Thaksin is welcome to return home 'as a Thai citizen' but it is better that he should wait until martial law, imposed following the September 19 coup, is lifted. It is up to Mr. Thaksin himself to consider whether it is appropriate for him to return to Thailand now and whether his return could severely stir the waters, Gen. Boonrawd said. However, he said both Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS), will also have to consider whether national security could be threatened if Mr. Thaksin returns now. The deposed premier is now staying with his family in an apartment in London. Prime Minister Surayud told journalists Saturday that Mr. Thaksin had telephoned him and asked to return to Thailand. Gen. Surayud said he had told Mr. Thaksin it was the right of all Thais to return to their homeland but the timing must be right and details must be discussed among the concerned parties. "It's better to wait for the martial law to be lifted," said Gen. Boonrawd, adding that Mr. Thaksin will have to wait until that day, and that concerned officials will have to discuss the issue first to determine whether it is appropriate for him to return home. Meanwhile, Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Chalit Phukbhasuk, also deputy chairman of CNS, said he personally believed that martial law could be lifted within the next one or two months if everybody fully cooperates in solving the problems facing the country. ACM Chalit told journalists after holding talks with the prime minister and Gen. Sonthi on the possibility of lifting martial law that several factors, including internal peace, would have to be taken into consideration before Mr. Thaksin is allowed to return home. (TNA)-E111

It might be telling us that the person who started it ought to have started it on Sawatdee instead of this board and that Sawatdee would probably be a much higher quality board if moderators there also refused to allow that sort of garbage in the first place. Does it tell you something different?

In Phuket you'll probably find what you're looking for at a bar called Tangmo. In Pattaya there are so many bars to choose from that you really need to try them all. You'll also find plenty of the types you seek at the gay beach area. I'll let someone else handle Chiang Mai recommendations for you. I always thought the best bar there was Adam's Apple, but from what I understand it has closed. I'm not familiar enough with Chiang Mai to make any further recommendations. You might also want to check the following two links: Chiang Mai: http://www.dreadedned.com/directory/bytype/2/12/ Phuket: http://www.dreadedned.com/directory/bytype/4/12/

What is most interesting to me is that one could still be 18 years old to work in a bar, but would have to be seven years older to patronize the same bar.

No, it isn't. On that same thread you wrote, "Good god . . . this thread sounds like some of the cess-pool bickering much more common on Sawatdee Forum!! The Mod is going to have to step in I'm afraid." Now you want to criticize him for doing precisely what you suggested. He had to remove the thread entirely, whether you approve of it or not. If he had removed only the posts that caused the problems, then the rest of the thread would have made no sense at all, not that it made all that much sense in the first place. It's one thing for a little cat fighting to occur within threads on which the topic is something else, such as threads about Niddy's Nook always seems to generate, but that thread's very topic and initial post was an attack post. If he had let that stand, it would create a precedent that we don't want on this web site. You're right. That kind of garbage belongs on the Sawatdee Forum, if there is actually some sort of need for attacks at all. If people want to wage a war of words and attack each other, then they'll have to find somewhere else to do it. You don't have to worry about GayThailand becoming the "Ayatollah." Now that he has made his policy clear regarding such posts, I'll be glad to take on that task. I'm always being accused of needless deletions and censorship anyway. So, as long as people have already decided I'm guilty of doing that, I might as well at least commit the crime, and that's just what I'm going to do if another thread like that ever appears on this web site.

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) Former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress, died early Saturday at Boston Medical Center, several days after he collapsed while walking his dog, his husband said. Studds fell unconscious October 3 because of what doctors later determined was a blood clot in his lung, Dean Hara said. Studds regained consciousness, remained in the hospital, and seemed to be improving. He was scheduled to be transferred to a rehabilitation center, but his condition deteriorated Friday and he died at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Hara said. Hara, who married Studds shortly after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004, said Studds was a pioneer who gave courage to gay people everywhere by winning re-election after publicly acknowledging his homosexuality. "He gave people of his generation, or my generation, of future generations, the courage to do whatever they wanted to do," he said. Studds was first elected in 1972 and represented Cape Cod and the Islands, New Bedford, and the South Shore for 12 Congressional terms. He retired from Congress in 1997. In 1983, Studds acknowledged his homosexuality after a former Congressional page revealed he'd had a relationship with Studds a decade earlier. Studds was censured by the House for having sexual relations with the page. He acknowledged having sex with a 17-year-old male page in 1973 and making sexual advances to two others and admitted an error in judgment, but did not apologize.

Well, GayThailand, if this regulation comes into effect, let's go to a liquor store together and see if either of us get carded

Before everyone gets too excited about it, this visa will not apply to most of us. It is a business visa and it applies only to foreigners who are in Thailand to conduct business. For those of us who are on the one-year retirement visa or the non-immigrant Type "O" visa, this is not a visa for which you will be eligible.

Last year, one of the most severe droughts in Thailand's history. This year, so much rain that the worst flooding in sixty years is occurring in Thailand. So far Pattaya has been spared, with the exception of a few isolated areas; areas at which tourists are rarely present. We keep reading about the severity of the flooding in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, two major gay tourist destinations. I think many of us would appreciate it very much if those of you in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and elsewhere can give us some first-hand information as to the flooding you have seen. How bad is it? Is the flooding occurring in the tourist areas? Which areas are safe and which are areas to avoid? What about transportation? Any information you can provide would be of great help to those planning to be in those areas over the next several weeks.

The following appears in the Pattaya City News: _____ Spectacular Press Conference Announces Pattaya

Ha ha ha . . . . I know just what you mean, Hedda. With some boys, I think it's more appropriate to answer a phone call with "Tao-rai" instead of "Hello." "Tao-rai" means "how much?" I have one "farang" friend who actually carries two mobile phones. One holds the phone number for his friends. The other is for the number he gives to the Thai boys. His reasoning is obvious, although a little extreme. Nevertheless, that's how he deals with it. But even then some of the boys don't take no answer for an answer.

I'm not an economist. I really do not understand the implications of the following article, but here it is. I think many of us would be grateful if someone familiar with economics can explain what, if anything, this is likely to mean for "farang" as well as Thais. __________ BANGKOK, Oct 13 (TNA) Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula on Thursday revealed the ministry would emphasise the implementation of the monetary and fiscal policy by adhering to the sufficiency economy principle. Delivering the performance policy to the ministry

Just so there is no confusion, the price I mentioned above does include the "happy ending." No additional fees or tips are expected.

That's because it is no longer called Adam & Eve. Now it's Madame Ed's. It's the same place. The address is 42/10 Sabaijai Village, a soi just to the south of Central Road (Pattaya Klang) on Sukhumvit Highway. If I remember correctly, the price is about 1400 or 1500 baht, including the "tip for boy." I have attached a copy of their business card for you and taxi instructions are written in Thai. I have never tried it, but people who have always told me they thought it was wonderful and well worth it. If you decide to go, please let the rest of us know how it all works and what you thought of it.

You made the reason clear within your post when you said you relented with one of the boys and gave him some money. They have nothing to lose by trying. Most likely the reason why you are suddenly being inundated is because they have to come up with their rent money or lose their room. Many share a 2500 baht to 3000 baht room with two to four other boys and they still can't come up with the rent. Part of their survival system includes helping each other out when one or two have some money and the others don't. I see nothing wrong with helping boys you know personally when the need arises. Some people think they spend their money on discos and karaokes and send the rest home to their parents, and some do, but for a great many of these boys, their lives consist of nothing more than going to work in the bars, coming home and going to sleep, and then doing nothing much other than sitting around or hitting the beaches trying to find "farang" until it's time to go to work again. That's their life. Some people are also under the impression that these boys are taken "off" every night, so there is no reason why they shouldn't have some money. But that is not usually the case. Most of them average two or three "offs" per month unless they have an unusually lucky month. Even then, there are "farang" out there who try to get away with tipping them as little as possible, so they still often end up with next to nothing even when they do get taken "off" because of people like that. In any case, if a boy asks for money you might ask him what he needs it for. If he says he can't pay his rent (or at least his share of the rent), then if you want to make sure the money is used for the purpose you are being told, you can offer to come over to his apartment and pay them directly. That way, if you are willing to "lend" the money, you'll at least know it was used for a positive purpose. In the instances when I've helped boys that's the sort of thing I'll do. First, I want to know what the money is to be used for. Second, I want to know why they boy doesn't have enough money on his own. Third, I won't "lend" it unless I can personally verify that the money is going to be used for a legitimate purpose. I do not give in to the sick grandmother or dead water buffalo routines even if I know they are telling the truth. I won't help them take care of family problems, but if it involves a boy I know and like, and I also believe his story, then I don't mind helping once in a while if I can. I also make it clear that I'll help only the one time. After that, he's on his own.

Dear Pattaya Area American Citizens, The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok is pleased to inform you of an upcoming Embassy consular visit in Pattaya. Consular staff will be available to provide consular services on Friday, October 27, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Dusit Resort on Pattaya Beach Road near the dolphin circle. The outreach will be held in Dusit Rooms 5 and 6 in the upstairs lobby. The following consular services will be available during the visit: *Passport renewal applications (US $67.00 or baht 2,680 for adult passports

What makes it even worse is the infants and babies almost never have helmets. Meanwhile, despite the fact they are carrying small children, so many of the motorcycle drivers still drive as if they've lost their minds, taking incredibly dangerous and unnecessary chances with the lives of their own children. It amazes me to see it and to see so much of it.

BANGKOK, Oct 11 (TNA) The water level in Thailand's Chao Phraya River as it is flowing through the upper central province of Nakhon Sawan has hit its highest level in the 60 years such data has been recorded, posing a flood threat to the kingdom's lower provinces, including Bangkok, the capital. Waters being collected from the Chao Phraya watershed are converging on Bangkok, even as the capital is experiencing additional torrential rainfall and localised flooding. Royal Irrigation Department director-general Samart Chokanapitak said the river's level in Bangkok is now at 2.02 metres now and won't cause flooding in the capital at present. However, he said, he is concerned that the waterflow at Nakhon Sawan has increased to 5,145 cubic metres per second, surpassing the highest measured speed and volume of 4,800 cubic metres recorded when the worst flood occurred in 1995. The increased water level in the Chao Phraya at Nakhon Sawan was caused by waters pouring in from from the flood-soaked Yom River carrying runoff from the North, he said. According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 17 provinces nationwide are now fully engaged in combating floods. The meteorological department forecast that rainfall will decrease in the North, the Northeast, the East, and the Central regions, but more heavy rain is expected in the South particularly, in the upper south. Local residents in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Chumphon should brace for heavy rains, flash flooding, and forest run-off. (TNA)-E004

It's been so long since I cashed travel checks that I don't recall the exact figure, but it is very nominal. It is a per-check fee, depending on the demonination. Perhaps someone else knows the fees. If you are going to use travel checks you will probably get a better rate by doing a bit of shopping around and checking the private exchange houses. They usually give a better rate than most banks. TeePee, if you happen to read this thread I think I recall that you have an exchange house that you recommend. Is that right?

I had a look at the Elite Card web site. There was nothing there about a price reduction. I've never really understood the point of owning the Elite Card. I don't see how the privileges are worth the price of the card. I remember when the card first came out there was some talk that the card would allow foreigners to own property in their own name in Thailand, including houses, and that might have been a consideration, but I have never seen anything on their web site that indicates any validity to the idea of property ownership. If you want to check the web site, the URL is: http://www.thailandelite.com/index.php

I don't know what we can do about it. This web site program does not have a spell checker, so unless some sort of modification can be made to the basic program I don't see how one can be added. Until and unless the programmers can come up with something, then the solutions I outlined are the alternatives. I'm sorry, but for the moment that's the best we can do.

Certainly if you want to tip more that's fine and I'm sure they would be delighted to accept, but the 500 baht figure is what the managers and the boys themselves tell me that they want. That is what I was told in several massage parlors I've personally checked in Pattaya, and I've checked as recently as this very week. I too was somewhat surprised, but that's what they all are telling me. Apparently that is the going rate. Go ahead and check for yourself. I'd be very interested to know if they are telling other people anything different from what they are telling me. Besides, you are putting words in my mouth that I never said. I never said anything about having one's way with a boy for as long as you want. You get your hour and that's it. If you want more time then you have to pay for more time. I don't make these things up out of thin air, TR. I published the price because I checked it out and that is what I was told by four different gay massage parlors.

Note from GB: This appears to be a preliminary news report. Quite likely a much more detailed report will be available within the next 24 hours. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thailand Deplores North Korea's Nuclear Test Thailand deplored Monday the North Korea's underground nuclear test saying such provocative act posed a serious threat to the regional nuclear nonproliferation as well as international peace and stability. The foreign ministry issued a statement after Pyongyang launched the nuke test on October 9 that the kingdom regretted that secretive state ignored the spirit of the six party talk to end the problem peacefully. The government called North Korea to abide by the principles of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. "Thailand, at this time, urges all the parties concerned to exercise restraint and expresses its hope that the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula will be resolves peacfully, through diplomatic negotiation by the earliest resumption of the six party talks," the statement said.

Well, maybe I'm wrong about that one. I forgot. Thaksin got rid of all the corruption in Thailand. He did that the day after he ended all the poverty in Thailand.