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Outstanding summary. You learn quickly! Thamks for takin time to report. 🙏

Nobody knows how many killed in Russia because free press to report it doesn’t exist. But I’m preaching to choir on that count.

Wrong as usual. Ruble is on the rocks as many other news sources have noted.

Didn’t know Tiger but remember Art and many of the other Nakarat crew.

From Pattaya News

From CNN “The last time I hugged him was June 20, the day the verdict was pronounced,” she recounted in a phone interview with CNN. “He hugged me, cried, and then the guards immediately came up and took him away.” In August, a year after he was first questioned, Arseny marked his 16th birthday behind bars. “Please, I’m asking you to do everything you can to make sure I get released,” Arseny begged his mom in a letter written ahead of an appeal hearing last month and shared with CNN. He had lost 15 kilograms (33 pounds) due to a stress-induced lack of appetite and had been moved to a different cell after episodes of violence from fellow inmates, he said, describing the situation to his mother as “very difficult, critical.” When Irina got this letter, she couldn’t hold back her tears. “I cried because I understand that I am already doing the best I can,” she told CNN. “But I know it’s not enough, and that I can’t change the system.” His appeal to overturn his five-year sentence was denied. The next day, Irina came again for a visit, prepared to demonstrate her strength and resilience to help Arseny cope with the devastating ruling. “I said, ‘Arseny, I’m so proud of you,’” she recalled. “‘You are actually stronger than the people who convicted you,’” she told him, “‘because you have the right to express your opinion and position, while these people only do what they have to do.’” Her only child faces being moved to a correctional facility for teenagers but for the moment remains in Detention Center No. 5. Turbina still struggles to comprehend how this happened. “He is just a kid, he has been different since early childhood,” she said. She describes Arseny as someone with “a love for books and studying,” who showed an interest in politics as early as 14, liked to “delve into everything,” and was not afraid to speak his mind and tell the wrong from the right at school or online. In April 2023, Arseny called a morning live show on TV Rain, an independent network based outside of Russia, to vent about his disappointment in President Vladimir Putin and call out state propaganda at his school. “Human rights are being violated,” he said. Then on June 12, Russia Day, Irina says he staged a solo protest in their hometown and printed out leaflets that read “I am against Putin” and “freedom for political prisoners,” among other anti-government slogans. She tried her best to discourage him, fearing what might happen. still struggles to comprehend how this happened. “He is just a kid, he has been different since early childhood,” she said. She describes Arseny as someone with “a love for books and studying,” who showed an interest in politics as early as 14, liked to “delve into everything,” and was not afraid to speak his mind and tell the wrong from the right at school or online. In April 2023, Arseny called a morning live show on TV Rain, an independent network based outside of Russia, to vent about his disappointment in President Vladimir Putin and call out state propaganda at his school. “Human rights are being violated,” he said. Then on June 12, Russia Day, Irina says he staged a solo protest in their hometown and printed out leaflets that read “I am against Putin” and “freedom for political prisoners,” among other anti-government slogans. She tried her best to discourage him, fearing what might happen. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/05/europe/russia-teenagers-imprisoned-for-dissent-intl-cmd/index.html

When I was coming for shorter stays prior to retiring, this was my go to hotel. It does a lot of the important things right and your dates treated with discretion and courtesy. Good buffet breakfast, compact but very comfortable rooms (your LT may be in no hurry to leave) and terrific rooftop infinity pool.

Why is it unfortunate for me? I wasn’t an investor. Then again, I don’t believe neither you or me qualify as oligarchs. 🙂

The boys don’t live by universal principles. Like us, each one is unique and has his own way of proceeding. They way they make their living is fraught with potential problems most of us will never confront. Some of us appreciate this while others remain forever oblivious.

From Yahoo News 84 arrested in UK-led crypto laundering investigation involving Russian oligarchs, spies The United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) announced on Dec. 4 that it had dismantled a multibillion-dollar money laundering scheme that has enabled criminal networks, including Russian spies and oligarchs, to evade sanctions using cryptocurrency. The criminal operations, described by investigators as a "complex scheme," spanned over 30 countries. Criminal networks laundered proceeds from illegal activities to "collect funds in one country and make the equivalent value available in another, often by swapping cryptocurrency for cash," according to the NCA. Investigators allege that two companies, Smart Group and TGR Group, served as a financial laundering hubs to various transnational criminal organizations, including the Irish Kinahan cartel, and Russian ransomware groups. In turn, funds were further laundered to allow Russian espionage networks and oligarchs "to illegally bypass financial restrictions to invest money in the UK," according to a statement released by the NCA. The laundered funds also allowed oligarchs to purchase property in the United Kingdom. https://www.yahoo.com/news/84-arrested-uk-led-crypto-021848182.

From The Nation From being a minor exporter before 2013, Vietnam rose to number eleven in the global rankings of top exporters by 2023, emerging as a surprise player in global trade. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Vietnam has advanced significantly in import-export rankings, now standing second in ASEAN, trailing only Singapore. Phung Thi Lan Phuong, an expert from KTP FTA Consulting, highlighted how Vietnam became one of the four fastest-growing exporters globally between 2019 and 2023, alongside India, Canada, and China. This achievement is credited to the Government's robust economic integration strategy, signing 16 FTAs and opening markets with nearly 60 partners. Phuong emphasised that these FTAs have attracted foreign direct investment (FDI), created jobs and spurred internal reforms. However, FDI enterprises account for 70 % of export turnover, while the domestic value-added (DVA) rate is only 52 %, below the global average. Notably, in the first ten months of 2024, the domestic economic sector saw robust growth, achieving a rate four times that of the FDI sector. The export-import turnover share of the domestic sector rose to 32 % of the country's total. The increasing share of the domestic sector marks a turnaround after a long period of decline and dependence on FDI. In 2015, the domestic sector contributed 35.4 % to the nation's total turnover, by 2024, it had risen to 32 %, with further growth expected. According to the WTO, Vietnam ranked 50th in exports and 44th in imports in 2006. By 2021, it had climbed to 23rd in exports and 20th in imports worldwide. Within ASEAN, Vietnam is second in goods exports and imports, following Singapore. Despite maintaining a trade surplus since 2012 (except in 2015), Phương noted that value-added in trade remains modest. To enhance this, Vietnamese businesses must improve capabilities, reduce reliance on imported materials, deepen their participation in global value chains and take on higher-value roles.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Legendary Dave Collier, owner of Pattaya’s sole surviving bookshop and chattery, has just published his latest paperback. Speaking to 100 members of Pattaya City Expat Club, he presented a slide show of some of the crank-expat characters he has met in “20 Years of Canterbury Tales in Pattaya Thailand”. Their antics, mostly from the early years, are indeed a collector’s item The majority (not all) of the accused are Brits or Irish with colorful titles such as Crazy Dave, Boring Des, Tits Sandy and Mumbling Daithi. The mischief that they, and many others, got up to in Pattaya was often fueled by too much alcohol and too little sexual restraint. For example Campari Clive enquires of a landlord how much to rent the gorgeous flat he has just visited, only to be told he’s wasting his time: it’s an off-licence unit. Another Pattaya regular can’t remember the four-digit number of his wall safe and foolishly asks his drinking companions if anyone is a historian or knows about the battle of Hastings. More seriously, all the common Pattaya mistakes are here: falling in love, starting a fight with Thais, signing documents in Thai you cannot understand, spiked drinks, talking non-stop about underwear and naked thighs. The author doesn’t seem to have come across many gays, though there are a couple of transvestites included. One asks Dave to take a photo of him in panty drag, only to scream in annoyance, “But you make me look like a guy”. Another doomed category concerns “businessmen” on holiday who naively believe they can sell for a huge profit in the UK assorted cheap stuff bought in Thailand: Tiger balm ointment and colored aspirin masquerading as methamphetamines are cases in point. Tragedy is never far from the expat antics. The book typifies those lonely Brits who want to tell anyone who will listen – ”I used to run a bar” – another way of saying they have lost their life savings. The unfortunate Sean is beaten to death in a Thai prison after an argument, another guy unwisely smokes in bed whilst a goodly number of others die of liver disease. Most of the characters in the book, supplemented by photos, are now dead which may be a blessing in disguise from the legal point of view. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/two-decades-of-pattaya-expat-nutters-weirdos-and-crackpots-482474

From Patttaya Mail Thai lawyer argues most expats won’t be impacted by personal income tax Bemjamin Hart, naturalized Thai citizen and managing director of Integrity Legal, claims in a new video that typical expats will not be impacted by the Thai Revenue Department’s recent announcements. His video,“Should I Get a Thai Tax ID Number (TIN)?”, states that the whole subject has been hyped unnecessarily on mainstream and social media. Mr Hart stresses that Thai financial laws have not changed and states that “most” foreigners who are tax residents are ill-advised to request a TIN number from their local TRD. Although the video does not elaborate on “most”, it appears to include those resident in Thailand for at least 180 days in 2024 who are dependent on pensions pre-taxed in their first country. It is this large, mainly retiree group which has attracted the greatest attention. The video attacks foreigners, claiming to be tax experts, who give advice when they are not qualified to do so. Mr Hart emphasizes that financial advice is an occupation generally reserved for Thais. He criticizes unnamed individuals attempting to persuade foreigners to register with TRD in order to boost their own client base and fee income. He recommends that those foreigners with personal concerns should contact a Thai professional company for consultation. Pattaya Mail notes that controlling, auditing and performing or providing accounting services is a profession reserved for Thais except for occasional internal audits or work under international agreements to which Thailand is bound. A further section restricts legal services to Thais except in some aspects of arbitration. The information is provided by the Ministry of Labour. Pattaya Mail has no definitive view of the TRD announcements, but reports the views of agencies and spokespersons because the subject is of great importance to many of our readers. Continues with video https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/thai-lawyer-argues-most-expats-wont-be-impacted-by-personal-income-tax-482534

From CNBC Russian authorities are trying to stem panic over the ruble’s sharp fall this week, with the central bank forced to intervene on Wednesday to support the currency. The ruble weakened to 114 against the greenback on Wednesday, hitting its lowest level since March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia’s central bank (CBR) was forced to intervene on the day to prop up the ruble, saying it would halt foreign purchases on the domestic currency market for the rest of the year “in order to reduce the volatility of financial markets.” Following the intervention, the ruble was trading at 110 against the dollar on Thursday morning. Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the situation earlier, saying there was no need to panic about the depreciation of the ruble and that the currency’s fluctuations were affected by budget payments and seasonal shifts. “In my opinion, the situation is under control, and there are absolutely no grounds for panic,” Putin told reporters, news agency RIA Novosti reported. “As for the fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate, this is connected not only with inflation processes, it is also connected with payments to the budget, it is connected with oil prices. There are many factors of a seasonal nature,” he added, in comments translated by Google.

+1 The good news is that there’s no shortage of good looking Lao guys in the shops on Surawong and Soi 6, not to mention Saphan Kwai.

Can’t recommend Madrid more highly. Pizza, appetizers and service worth the short diversion from Silom. 🍴🍴🍴🍴🍴 Many thanks to our host, Jenny!

Only if you promise to keep your word and never return to Colombia.

😔 Waste not, want not.

From Bangkok Post Police have arrested a 33-year-old Chinese man with a sexual fetish for the alleged rape, which he also videoed, of an 18-year-old university student in Bangkok. The young victim told police she met the man, identified as Su Xing Rui, on the 6th floor of the MBK centre in Pathum Wan district on the evening of Nov 19. The man acted like a tourist, talking to her in Chinese, a language she was learning, and invited her back to a hotel on Petchaburi road. The young woman alleged he held her there against her will and forced her to participate in making a sex video with him, police said. She went home devastated. The suspect later texted her, asking her to do it again, she said. She decided to tell her family and filed a complaint at Phaya Thai police station. Police set up a sting, making an appointment for the woman to supposedly see the suspect again. Mr Su asked her to bring another man with her for "fancy sex", IDMB commander Pol Maj Gen Theeradech Thammasuthee said on Tuesday. An officer dressed as a wrestler waited to meet the suspect in a hotel room in Ratchathewi district. Six other officers concealed themselves inside the room, waiting for Mr Su to arrive. The officers emerged from their hiding places and arrested him after the disguised officer gave an agreed signal, the police commander said. The signal was saying “Hehehe”. The commander said Mr Su liked to play out a sexual fetish known as natorare, or NTR, which is a form of cuckoldry. He moved frequently, so investigators had to analyse his behaviour pattern to track him down and plan the arrest. The arresting officers impounded his phone, along with many upskirt photos and sadistic sex videos he took with other victims, and a rope he allegedly used for his sexual activities. The suspect initailly denied all the charges, saying he was just a tourist. He was held in custody at Phaya Thai police station for futher investigation. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2913327/chinese-cuck-arrested-over-rape-sex-video-with-student

Perhaps it’s because that those who work in massage shops provide intimate hands-on service to all comers. I don’t think you do that in your workplace. But I stand to be corrected on that point, Olddaddy, as you are currently exploring many new careers simultaneously. 🙂

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon As the Thai government gears up to implement the marriage equality law next month, there is no sign of the green signal elsewhere. The most virulent public opposition to gay rights is in South Korea where “come to your senses” netizens are keen to link same sex activity to aids, monkeypox and any transmitted disease to hand. Some say the advance of evangelical Christianity there is the main reason for the taboo, although the civil penal code is silent on homosexuality. Politicians in Muslim-dominated Malaysia and Indonesia argue that gay marriage is another attempt by western ideologues and their proxies to colonize Asia. Most unsurprisingly, a Malaysian government spokesman said that there are no known cases of registered gay marriages in the country, whilst a state legislature has suggested the building of “rehab” centers for gays. Vietnam formally declassified gay practices as a disease in 2022, but they are neither illegal nor accepted by the state. In the same year, Singapore decriminalized homosexuality but amended the constitution to limit marriage to members of the opposite sex. Myanmar, in the throes of an insurgency, has only stated that “gender issues, unlike in the west, are not important here”. Laos authorities mostly ignore gays although a handful of bars have been warned not to display rainbow flags. As regards Cambodia, former premier Hun Sen has said that there are 100,000 gays in the country and they do not suffer discrimination. They can marry if they wish, but there is no state certificate or civil law recognition. The Philippines has a strong campaigning lobby to extend gay rights beyond notional legality of sexual activity, but the legislature prefers to ignore sexual orientation in Asia’s only notional Roman Catholic country. In spite of widespread indifference or hostility by ruling classes throughout the region, gay activists sense some progress. The Asian Pride Alliance pointed out that Thailand was an unexpected country to find liberalism. “It was the military-backed, rightist government here which first agreed the concept of same sex marriage as well as decriminalizing cannabis,” said the spokeswoman referring to the post-coup administration which lost power last year. “Never give up!” she concluded. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/gay-marriage-unlikely-to-spread-soon-amongst-thailands-neighbors-482316

I wouldn’t consider Arena to have “premium” facilities but certainly has its share of muscular guys. I’d think of it more as offering older, experienced masseurs who are certainly capable of providing a strong massage and happy ending at everyday prices. Others I’m sure can comment on the upscale facilities you have in mind.

Natural Massage on Silom Soi 6 has changed name of shop to “G Zone.” Read into that what you will. G Zone is first shop on right as you enter Soi 6 from Silom rd.

The culture inside a massage shop is a microcosm for a greater Southeast Asian society. It’s especially evident where guys from different ASEAN countries are working together. You may have single and married guys working side by side with gay and straight—and anything in between—servicing the same customers day in a day out. It becomes a workplace where they do their job and manage to get along despite their differences. For us westerners, this may be a difficult concept to accept. We grew up for the most part in homophobic cultures where it was inconceivable that gays could mix easily with straights. But with few exceptions, that’s how these shops function in the tourist areas of Bangkok. (I can’t comment on Pattaya because I have no experience there). I don’t think I would want it any other way.

I know many guys who work massage who are married, especially around Soi 6 and Silom. This is probably the rule rather than the exception among those from Vietnam. Not aware of any who experience problems at home because they are supporting their families.