Gaybutton

I don't see how. The article states, "The receptionist told him that he cannot access the safe which requires two keys, one from the Hotel guest and the other from the Manager . . ." If the safe, at least at that hotel, requires a guest key to open it, then how will staff members open the safe to steal anything? The guest would have to be present, wouldn't he? So, what's not to trust with the night staff? They can't open the guy's box unless he's personally present. I think whatever the reason is, that isn't it. To me, it sounds more like an uncaring hotel manager who considered his own sleep more important than providing good customer service. Ok, the guest made a mistake. Big deal. It wouldn't have killed the manager to help him out. If you want to run a quality hotel, you help guests whenever the need arises. If you're going to mistreat a guest or refuse to help him through an obviously serious situation, then I'd say you're in the wrong business. The manager should have given up a half hour of sleep to help the guy no matter whose fault it was. If he had done so, then the guest would probably be a repeat customer and recommend the hotel. Since he didn't, and this incident was the result, then I don't know about others, but I wouldn't stay in a hotel like that even if the room was free. I doubt that same guest will ever set foot in that hotel again.

Just for the record, this morning was the "tomorrow morning" referred to above. Khun Doon and his son actually showed up half an hour early. It took them two hours to install the new heater. It required some new plumbing, parts, and drilling through tile and solid concrete, plus electrical work. The parts cost a grand total of 150 baht. They asked 400 baht for the labor. Total cost - 550 baht. They would not accept one baht more than that. The heater works perfectly and there are no leaks. They also do something I rarely see other workers do. They clean up thoroughly. They even took the box the new heater came in and the old heater outside and put it in the trash. All I needed to do after they left was take a shower with the new heater. Rest assured, as soon as I need more work done, Khun Doon is the man I'm going to call.

BANGKOK, Sept 26 (TNA) A draft temporary constitution for Thailand's interim government to serve the country has been completed and is expected to be submitted for royal endorsement this weekend, Thailand's Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) head Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin said Tuesday. A draft containing 39 articles was to be viewed at its final stage Tuesday (September 26) by a group of academics and other civilians specially invited for this matter before being forwarded to His Majesty the King either on Saturday (September 30) or Sunday(October 1), he said. Gen. Sonthi did not elaborate on details of the temporary charter. Overthrowing the former government by a bloodless coup last Tuesday, the military leaders pledged to hand over power within two weeks to an interim civilian government which is expected to govern the country for about one year under the temporary constitution. During the one-year rule, a new constitution will be drafted and a general election will be held after that to return sovereignty to the Thai people. Gen. Sonthi said the council has not made a decision regarding the prime ministership of the interim government, but affirmed that the council would make its choice based on the democratic principle of a majority vote. The coup leader said also that the council is keeping the public need in mind, so that past mistakes are not repeated. As the interim government will run the country for a comparatively short period, the prime minister should be someone who can respond well to the problems the nation is currently facing. The new premier must have outstanding qualifications including known honesty, a readiness to rebuild a deeply divided society in a spirit of reconciliation and unity, and most importantly, being acceptable to all sides. Asked whether the council still believes that the prime minister must be a civilian, the coup leader said the word "civilian" has varied definitions, and that it can refer to a military officer who has retired from military service. The CDRM chief neither admitted nor denied a speculation that privy councillor Gen. Surayud Chulanond, former army commander, is one among strong candidates for the post of prime minister. Asked whether in the meeting with Privy Council president Gen. Prem Tinsulanonda on Monday the chief privy counsellor had contributed to selecting the prime minister, Gen. Sonthi said his meeting with the nation's leading senior statesman had nothing to do with this matter. Gen. Sonthi said the interim government will comprise 36 cabinet members including the prime minister. The prime minister will have full authority in choosing the cabinet members, with no involvement or interference from the CDRM. He affirmed that the interim government will be free from military Council influence, and that the Council has no intention to dominate or control the new government. None of the CDRM leaders has such an intent, Gen. Sonthi said. (TNA)-E009

I should also have mentioned that the elephant trek I recommend so highly is an outfit called "Ban Chang Thai." Their telephone numbers are: 039-551 474 081-761-1554 089-849-4902 They do have a one-hour trek that does not include swimming with elephants at 500 baht per person.

That is a lie! It took me 15 minutes . . . . Smiles, my old friend, anyone who wishes to do so can post just as much as I do, or even more (if that's possible to do).

That depends on whose neck . . .

Most of these incidents seem to occur between 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM, although the article doesn't say what time these two latest incidents occurred. But the gold chain snatchings seem to occur at just about anytime, including broad daylight.

I guess you just can't win. Last year we went through a terrible drought. This year there is so much rain that homes and businesses are being destroyed. Last night a torrential rain hit Pattaya yet again. It must be terrible for the people who live in flood areas. No sooner do they begin to get cleaned up from the last major rainfall, a new one strikes. Last week my BF and I went to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo. On the way you pass by a major reservoir. We went about this time last year too. Last year, because of the drought, the water level was so low you could just about walk across the reservoir. Now the same reservoir is full. Actually, when it isn't raining, the weather has been quite pleasant. It has cooled off the heat and the humidity hasn't been uncomfortably high. One serious problem, whether one lives in a flood area or not, is the streets. The rains have left potholes everywhere. If you drive a car or motorcycle you have to drive cautiously to avoid serious damage. Pattaya is not known for repairing these streets quickly, so the pothole problem is something that's going to be here for a while.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Supachai 'to discuss terms' for PM's post Former WTO chief has tentatively accepted invitation to lead an interim government Supachai Panitchpakdi has tentatively accepted the ruling military council's invitation to become Thailand's interim prime minister, high-placed sources said yesterday. Dr Supachai's agreement came after Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda and former National Security Council secretary-general Prasong Soonsiri helped persuade him to accept the post, a council source said. The news was confirmed last night by a person close to Supachai, who is secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and former director-general of the World Trade Organisation. He was reportedly due to return to Bangkok last night to hold talks with CDRM leaders. "The Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy has picked Supachai for his capability to salvage the country's sagging economy and remedy its image, tarnished by the coup," the source said. "There is nothing for Supachai to lose working as caretaker prime minister for one year," the source said. "This can even be another top honour for him after his record as WTO chief." Supachai has three years remaining in his term as UNCTAD secretary-general. Another source said that Prem approached Supachai himself, seeing him as the most suitable choice to be interim premier. The two had good relations since Supachai served as president of the Thai Military Bank, the source noted. "Supachai was well accepted and respected among the armed forces, partly thanks to his service at the military bank," the source said. Meanwhile, the junta secretary said yesterday the ruling military council would become the protector of the interim government once the new prime minister is announced next week. The CDRM will be renamed the Council of National Security (CNS), General Winai Phattiyakul said. "We will not be the prime minister's boss and the prime minister will not be our boss, either," Winai said. General Winai briefed the Bangkok-based diplomats yesterday on the timeline towards democracy, together with Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn. The CNS, expected to be officially announced at the end of this week, would assist the new government in overseeing the country, to sustain economic and social stability in order to accomplish the junta's mission, Winai said. The CNS would not be directly related to the current National Security Council, which oversees routine security matters. Winai is its secretary general. The military leaders have finished drafting an interim charter, which will come into force by the end of this week as the legal platform for running the Kingdom during the transition period. The entire process of democratisation following last week's coup d'etat would take a total of eight months and 15 days, Winai said. The interim prime minister, whom the junta judges capable of maintaining economic development and international recognition, as well as helping to process the drafting of a new constitution for political reform, would be named by early next week, he said. Winai said he had no idea who was on the short-list to become the next prime minister but said the person would be honest, courageous and well respected. After the interim charter comes into force next week, the junta will select about 250 people to be members of the legislature, he said. Later, the junta will open a people's assembly with 2,000 representatives from various sectors, professions and regions who will be asked to elect 200 constitution drafters from their number. The drafters will have six months to write the text and two-and-a-half months more for screening, reading by the CNS, and a public referendum to endorse the new constitution. A total of 87 diplomats attended yesterday's briefing. They represented 65 countries and 14 international organisations. Their questions mainly concerned the well-being of detained former ministers from the Thaksin administration and details of the timeline. Krit said the junta begged the diplomats for a better understanding of its need to seize power. "For those who see [only the] dark side of the coup, we beg them to have an open mind to see the situation and to revise their opinion, if many things improve," Krit said the diplomats were told. Meanwhile, a source said the next task for the military chiefs would be to look for evidence linking Thaksin to alleged tainting of the monarchy. Junta leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, called on Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda yesterday, and they discussed candidates to be interim premier, and the annual military transfers. Sonthi said in a telephone interview afterwards that Prem advised the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) to select the interim PM carefully and to ensure fairness in the military transfers. "He said the next prime minister should be a good and honest person who will truly serve the country. And the transfers of military officials and civil servants must be fair," Sonthi said. "I told him that we [the CDRM] will ensure peace for the country and fairness to all." Sonthi's heavily-guarded motorcade arrived at Prem's Si Sao Thewet residence at about 3pm. Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Thanong Khanthong The Nation

Most hotels have a safe available for guests. I did not know, until reading this article, that some hotels have restrictions as to the times you can access your belongings if they are kept in the safe. Apparently some hotels do not exactly place customer care and service in their top ten priority list. My question is why have such a rule in the first place? Why can't a staff member access the safe when a customer needs his personal belongings at any hour, especially in a case like the one illustrated in this story? The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Tourist Police

The beach area along Pattaya's Beach Road has long been notorious as the wrong place to be late at night. Recently, the Pattaya Police have publicized that they are working hard to clean up the rampant crime that goes on there. Apparently, there is still a little work to do. The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Late Night Pattaya Beach Crime Continues Despite Regular Police Patrols Two cases of violence now against foreigners from Pattaya Beach on the same night which demonstrates that efforts to improve the security for tourists on Pattaya Beach must be reviewed. The first case involves Mr. Abraham Amsee aged 70 from Israel. He sustained serious facial injuries after a late night attack by three Thai men who robbed him of his possessions which included 2,500 Euro

I'm not surprised. He really is as good as I said he is. As a matter of fact he'll be at my house tomorrow morning. The on-demand water heater for my shower blew out and he's coming over to install the new one. Whenever I need something done, Doon is the man I always call. Someone who is responsible and knows what he is doing is worth his weight in gold in Pattaya. He also guarantees his work. If something goes wrong with any work he's done, he'll be right there to take care of the problem.

It probably is the same lady. I don't remember if she teaches English or not, but she's certainly great at teaching Thai. Give her a call anyway. If she doesn't teach English herself, she probably knows someone good who does.

I never saw those stalls, thank goodness, but I wouldn't be surprised if my BF would eat it. He eats things sometimes that I can't even look at. I hope he never does eat them. I'd hate for him to start looking like Bela Lugosi.

Call Khun Choo. She's the best there is and she is native Thai. She charges 250 baht per hour for one-on-one lessons. I don't know if she does group classes or teaches ESL, but if she doesn't, she would know the right person for those lessons. Her number is 081-753-3612.

I believe the Mermaid's Beach Resort in Jomtien has what you're looking for.

I suppose that beats "Let them eat cake."

I'm sure it has a very good chance. Punya is no dummy. I doubt he would have invested a major amount of momey into a project like this without knowing what he is doing. We'll know soon enough.

BANGKOK, Sept 25 (TNA) The Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) will inspect Suvarnabhumi Airport before it opens on September 28.

That is a very good point. You're right. The average bar boy can't afford 250 baht for admission and it would be a good idea for Punya to take that into consideration. Another point is that the average person who goes to a gay sauna isn't going there to pay for sex if it occurs in the sauna. So, money boys aren't going to do very well for their 250 baht investment unless they are there trying to hook up with a "farang" for another time and place. Of course, let's not assume that the only gay Thais who would frequent the sauna would necessarily be bar boys. Those of you familiar with Babylon already know that your usual encounter there won't be with a bar boy. I see no reason to assume it will be any different in Pattaya. The question is whether there are enough local gays in Pattaya to make it worthwhile for "farang" to go there. Me? Well, all I want is to sit in the steam . . . . . . . (yeah, right!)

Red, of course. Didn't you know that? How gauche! If you didn't know that you probably are uncouth enough not to insist they also chill the salad forks. Years ago I visited a Thai friend's fruit farm near Chiang Mai. My friend is quite well to do and speaks English fluently. His farm workers are Burmese immigrants with no education whatsoever. One of them had been ill and was taking medicine. When my friend asked him what kind of medicine he was taking, he didn't know. He didn't realize that there is such a thing as more than one kind of medicine. He thought you simply swallow a pill and you get better. Lord only knows what he was taking. When we arrived, they had captured fruit-eating bats and were grilling them, head and all. They hadn't even gutted them, but at least they had been skinned. Of course they offered us some and it would be a major insult if we refused. My friend didn't want to eat it any more than I did. I said, "How are we going to get out of this?" He said, "I don't know." Oh, great! I'm going to end up having to eat bats! Then he got an idea. He said, "I'm so sorry. If we had known you were going to have food we wouldn't have had such a big lunch on the way out here. We couldn't possibly eat another bite." That's how we got out of it. Whew! Well, unfortunately you won't find grilled bats on the menu at Manhattans.

Attention American Citizens: The Thai Immigration Bureau recently announced a change in Visa Regulations that is scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2006. This change will affect citizens of 39 countries, including American citizens, who are exempt from obtaining a Thai visa prior to entering Thailand. Effective October 1, 2006, American citizens who enter Thailand without a visa will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 30 days per visit as before. However, the total duration of stay in Thailand for American citizens who enter Thailand without a visa cannot exceed 90 days in any six-month period, counting from the date of first entry. American citizens who wish to remain in Thailand for longer than 90 days during any six-month period will be required to obtain a valid Thai visa from a Thai Embassy or Consulate that is authorized to issue visas. The U.S. Embassy advises all American citizens who wish to obtain a Thai visa to contact the Thai Immigration Bureau for exact visa requirements and regulations. Persons who do not comply with the new visa regulations risk being denied reentry to Thailand at the border. The U.S. Embassy has been attempting to seek clarifications and additional information from the Thai Immigration Bureau regarding the change in visa regulations. To date the Embassy has been unable to determine whether American citizens who have been in Thailand for 90 days or longer without a visa before October 1, 2006 will be considered to have reached their 90-day limit on October 1, 2006, or whether the 90 days will start from the first time the American citizen crosses the border into Thailand after the new regulation goes into effect. When/if the Embassy receives a definitive answer to this question we will post that information on the Embassy

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Rodents Remain Tempting Treat Outbreaks of Leptospirosis in Flood Areas is Not Enough to put the Locals off their Dinner Story by SONTANAPORN INCHAN Despite outbreaks of leptospirosis in the wake of major flooding in many areas of the country, the trade in roasted farm rats in Chachoengsao seems to be unaffected. The 30 or 40 makeshift shops selling roasted farm rats along the Chachoengsao-Onnuj Road in the eastern area of the town remain very busy, with vendors struggling to meet demand. The 10-km road stretches between Chaochoengsao and Samut Prakan provinces. Boonta Sumthong, a vendor aged 30 in Bang Bo district of Samut Prakan, said the leptospirosis outbreak, covered by the media for the past several days, had not affected local farm-rat consumption. Many customers continued to visit her shop to buy the meat for consumption. More surprisingly, she said, the daily supply of farm rats was now insufficient as hunters were finding it difficult to find the large rodents due to the flooding. Currently, her shop is only open for half of the day due to limited stock. The roasted rats sell for 120 to 140 baht each depending on size and weight. Kaesorn Sumthong, 49, a resident of Bang Bo, said farm rats remained a popular product despite the leptospirosis risk. The number of customers had never been affected by the almost annual outbreaks triggered by flooding, she said. She said she had never suffered from leptospirosis, even though she regularly peeled the skin from the rodents. In the rainy season, she said, farm rats were so scarce that many shops were forced to close temporarily. But Mrs Kaesorn's shop was still open because she purchased farm rats elsewhere, selling them for 160-200 baht for two. Sanoh Boon-oui, 55, a resident of Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province, said roasted farm rat was one of her favourite foods. She preferred to purchase the rodents from shops in the Bang Bo district because they were reputed to be the most delicious. She said she had eaten roasted farm rat since her childhood and was not afraid of contracting leptospirosis. Properly roasted meat should be free of any disease, she said, adding she always fried them first before eating them, just to be sure.

I understood Bob's point right from the start. We either allow posting of other points of view or we should not permit any posting about it at all. I'm sorry, but I don't agree with that. I wish we could provide equal opportunity, but we can't and that's the way it is. I do not agree that those who wish to post what is allowable under the present rules should be prevented from doing so solely because those who wish to post opposing views cannot. Being unable to post anything at all would be, as George Carlin once said, like ignoring a turd in the punchbowl. In my opinion, as long as posting falls within the rules of this message board and also complies with the restrictions set by the coup, then we should not impose further restrictions ourselves.

PapaDavid, you certainly have an interesting way of making friends . . . I'm sure we would love to provide a forum for those who wish to condemn the coup, but Rainwalker is correct. We cannot. I'm sorry, gents, but I, for one, do not wish to wind up in prison because people out there want to condemn the coup or at best, put this board in jeopardy of being blocked. I am certainly not prepared to move from a prime rib at Manhattans to a cup of cold rice and a sip of water every now and then. Now, people out there can tell us all about how if it were they, they would do it differently, but we're the ones who are at risk if we refuse to comply with the present instructions. Nobody running this board has a desire to inhibit people from being able to post their thoughts, but the fact is that Thailand is currently under martial law and we have no choice but to comply with the publicized orders. Whether we like it or not is irrelevant. Everyone can post whatever they wish provided that they remain within the current Thai rules and the posting policies of this board. Those who wish to go 'outside the envelope' are just going to have to live with the fact that they'll have to go elsewhere to do it, at least for the time being. If, and when, we are able to do otherwise, then that's when we will.