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From Coconuts Bangkok The majority of PayPal users in Thailand will no longer be able to use the service next month unless they jump through a series of byzantine and bureaucratic steps that are only available to citizens. A year after it first warned of the change and several subsequent delays, PayPal notified customers this morning that they will not be able to use the service after Dec. 15 unless they take “certain actions” that, while mystifying and poorly explained, will likely be out of reach to most. To comply with a change in regulations meant to combat money laundering by reining in electronic transfers, the global finance giant will shut off private account holders who are not registered under a government digital identity program. To proceed, users must first enter their Thai national ID numbers – sorry, foreign friends, noncitizens seem out of luck here. PayPal said no other forms of identification will be accepted. “For the time being, a Thai national ID is required to enroll … other forms of identification which do not have a 13-digit Thai national ID number, such as a non-Thai passport, work permit, non-Thai Identification card (pink ID), or Thai Permanent Resident Permit cannot be accepted,” it said.

With the exception of Montien, it’s probably safe to say you won’t experience any problem with joiners in Bangkok. I’d include Airbnb properties as also not having any issues. The Tawana (once Ramada branded about 20 years ago) has been closed since Covid and remains so.

File under TIT. From Thai PBS World Seek to withdraw foreign land ownership The government appears ready to do a U-turn on its plan to allow foreign land ownership in Thailand for residential purposes, following widespread opposition to the policy, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said today (Monday). Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda is expected to ask the cabinet to withdraw the ministerial edict, approved by the cabinet on October 25th, allowing qualified foreigners to buy 0.16 hectares of land, on the condition that they must invest at least 40 million baht for at least three years. To qualify to own land in Bangkok, Pattaya, other municipalities and other areas specified by law, the foreigners must also be wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners, those who want to work from Thailand or highly-skilled. Supattanapong said that the edict is currently pending with the Council of State, to “fine-tune” wording, adding that the foreign landownership plan is just an “option”. If there are still people who feel uncomfortable with this plan, he said that the government, for the time being, will have to withdraw the edict for reconsideration and take time to clarify the matter to the people. He also said that the government will have to explain to foreigners why the plan has to be withdrawn.

K-Man and KK also share with each other.

I’ve found that worrying about how you’re relationship is perceived by others Is wasted time and energy. It’s the relationship that you have with the guy in question is what matters. If both of you are comfortable being seen in each other’s company, what others think shouldn’t be an issue. But if either of you are apprehensive, you’re allowing others to dictate how you feel. I go to any place, eat in any place with the most important person in my life and neither of us gives a thought to what others are thinking. This didn’t happen overnight. But once mutual trust is established, other considerations fade away. The happiness I experience far exceeds anything I’ve known in the past. I’m well into my 70’s. If I don’t experience freedom now, when will I feel entitled.

From Coconuts Bangkok People will witness not just krathongs floating in the water tomorrow, but a blood-red moon in the night sky. A total lunar eclipse is expected to be visible around the world Tuesday, the last such celestial occurrence in which the earth, sun, and moon align until 2025 The eclipse is expected to start around 3pm and be visible in Thailand from 5:44pm to around 9pm, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. Budding astronomers and casual observers can make a trip to any of the public observatories in Chachoengsao, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Songkhla provinces for a closer look. ===================

From Pattaya News Pattaya law enforcement and immigration have increased patrols on foreigners who may have overstayed in the city and are up to no good, following recent cases of nightclub busts involving foreigners on overstay. Police and immigration officers inspected several nightclubs and gogos on Pattaya Walking Street in South Pattaya at 10 PM on Friday, November 4th, in search of foreign tourists who might have overstayed their visas. The officers randomly asked to look at tourists’IDs and passports to ensure that they were not overstaying. Police also stressed to tourists that it was important to carry an ID with a copy of a passport stamp at all times. Thai nationals were checked to ensure they were over the legal age to go into nightclubs and bars. No tourists had been arrested for overstaying yesterday, according to police.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Chinese charter-group tours to Thailand remain banned for now because of Beijing’s ongoing anti-covid crackdown. But the Civil Aviation Administration of China notes that scheduled flights between Bangkok and principal Chinese cities have now achieved 70 percent of the frequency prior to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Chinese health bureaucrats are working on plans to soften the country’s “dynamic zero” covid policy. They propose cancelling the unpopular policy of fining airlines which bring infected passengers into the country and also replacing compulsory quarantine for arrivals in hotels or state facilities by unsupervised home isolation. More and more well-to-do Chinese are seeking out Thailand’s latest batch of long residence visas. Sales of Thailand’s Elite cards to Chinese nationals have surged 185 percent, according to a report in the Bangkok Post quoting the chairman of Thailand Privilege Card. There are now 7,350 Chinese members of the program out of a total of around 20,000, far and away the largest single nationality segment. The most popular Elite choice (there are several options) is the 5-year Elite Flexible One program which is specifically designed for investors wishing to purchase property units worth at least 10 million baht (US$320,000) by partnering Thai registered property developers. This Elite card can then be upgraded to a 20 years visa. At the moment, the property purchasing is limited to condominium units. But if Thai law is changed to allow wealthy foreigners to purchase landed property – the matter is currently in the public spotlight – the Flexible One program could be a suitable route. Although Elite cards do not include the granting of a work permit, special decree amendments already made to the alien labor act mean that attending business meetings and acting on behalf of a foreign corporation no longer carry threats of fines, jail and deportation. About half of all condominium units registered in foreign names in Bangkok, Pattaya and other Thai resorts are Chinese owned. At the moment, the property purchasing is limited to condominium units. But if Thai law is changed to allow wealthy foreigners to purchase landed property – the matter is currently in the public spotlight – the Flexible One program could be a suitable route. Although Elite cards do not include the granting of a work permit, special decree amendments already made to the alien labor act mean that attending business meetings and acting on behalf of a foreign corporation no longer carry threats of fines, jail and deportation. About half of all condominium units registered in foreign names in Bangkok, Pattaya and other Thai resorts are Chinese owned. Chinese nationals are also the biggest number of applicants for Thailand’s 10 year LTR (long term residence) visa which was launched on September 1. No recent figures have been released by Thailand’s Board of Investment, but Chinese news agencies claim that Chinese nationals cover 60 percent of the modest 2,500 applications to date. This is likely true as Chinese applications for Cambodia’s competing Second Home Program comprise similar numbers. Although the LTR route offers a digital work permit, which Elite does not, there is a lot of overlap between the schemes. The fact that Elite is cheaper and less bureaucratic, does not require mandatory health insurance and excuses holders from tax on overseas earnings may be deciding factors in the eyes of Chinese investors wanting a regular base outside of the mother country. European expats may snap and snarl at these long stay visas as they grapple with the ever-changing immigration rules for one year renewals. But Thailand isn’t looking in their direction right now.

From Bangkok Post Methamphetamine pills, which cost as much as 300 baht apiece in Thailand just a few years ago, can now be had for as little as two baht each, say police who arrested a drug suspect in Lop Buri. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2430624/speed-pill-prices-plunge-to-b2-each

From The Nation Roads, the subway station and the park near Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) will be closed for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, police said on Friday. The roads will be closed from November 16-19. Closed around the clock will be Ratchadapisek Road (from Asoke Montri to Rama IV intersections) and Duang Phitak Road. Closed from 6pm to 6am will be: – Ploenchit Road (inbound, from Ploenchit Expressway to Ratchaprasong intersections) – Wireless Road (inbound from Ploenchit to Sarasin intersections) – Ratchadamri Road (inbound from Ratchaprasong to Ratchadamri intersections) – Soi Tonson – Soi Ruamrudee The following roads will have one-way traffic only from 6pm to 6am: – Ratchadamri Road, outbound between Ratchadamri and Ratchaprasong intersections – Wireless Road, outbound between Sarasin and Ploenchit intersections – Ploenchit Road, from Ploenchit Expressway to Ratchaprasong intersection Six shuttle buses will be provided to transport people who live or work in the affected areas between November 16 and 19. The MRT’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre station will be closed from November 16-19. Benjakitti Park on Ratchadapisek Road will be closed from November 12-19. Bangkok will also be a no-fly zone for drones from November 16-21. Police hotlines at 191 or 1197 are available around the clock.

From Thai PBS World Hundreds of GrabFood and GrabMart riders staged a mass protest today (Thursday), against changes to delivery service rules, issued by their company which, they claim, have resulted in a reduction in their earnings. The riders gathered in front of the Central World shopping mall in Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong area this morning, before proceeding to their company offices on Phetchaburi Road. The riders say that the company has imposed a zoning system, which has forced them to operate within each zone instead of throughout Bangkok. They also complain that they are ordered to take two delivery orders at the same time, instead of one, which has reduced their orders and the fees they can charge. The new rules, say the riders, have restricted their rights and affected their earnings. )

From Richardbarrow.com Fake news saying that long distance trains are now leaving from the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Terminal Station (Bang Sue Grand) is continuing to spread.

Visited this shop today. It’s in Saphan Kwai area on Sutthisan Winichai Rd., a few shop houses beyond the Intramara 27 intersection. There seems to be some association with another shop (15M). It’s similar in layout to nearby KK Spa with rooms on second floor and shower down the hall. Although they have a large photo array the manager will show you on his phone, it was about 7:30p.m. and there were three guys in the shop, of whom I chose a 25-year-old Lao guy (400 one hour oil). Upon leaving I asked manager if he had Line and he sent me a pics of his stable which is considerable. I would not be surprised is a large percentage were also Lao. Here’s a sampling:

About three weeks ago I reported above on conversation I had with three massage workers I’ve known for 5+ years. Last night I again had opportunity to talk with them along with a fourth guy who’s a newcomer to the Bangkok scene. When the topic got around to tipping, I was taken aback by just how poorly some customers who come from non-tipping (north Asia) cultures compensate them. I heard accounts of receiving paltry tips as low as 20 baht for an hour’s work. One lad told me did a two-hour oil and was rewarded with 100 baht that same night. When I asked why doesn’t the boss of their shops have a minimum tip policy (like I’ve encountered outside of the downtown area) they say no shop wants to go first because bosses feel it would put their shop at competitive disadvantage. The other point that was quashed is that the the boys would prefer young, good looking guys to massage. All four said they’re not in it for the sex and see their work as a job that pays their bills. Although they expect their clients to be clean and “not smelly”, age or physical condition don’t influence them as much as the likelihood of being fairly rewarded. Based on my experience with shops that have a minimum tip policy, I’ve yet to encounter a sub-standard massage. When both they masseur and customer have same expectations, the results have all been positive in my experience.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon With the British Treasury looking to fill a financial black hole of up to 50 billion pounds, the UK general public has been warned to expect tax increases as part of an unwelcome pack of measures to be announced on November 17. But premier Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt have not exempted expats from a bitter pill to swallow, whilst the Treasury has emphasized that absolutely everyone rich and poor will be expected to chip in. Brits with a status of “non-ordinarily resident” already are penalized because in most countries of residence, including Thailand, their so-called old age state pensions are frozen unless they go back to the UK for several months to unfreeze them. Campaigns over the years to abolish the cash discrimination have got nowhere with officials usually hinting that restitution would cost the British tax payer around 2 billion pounds annually to an unpopular group: those who choose sunshine over patriotism. In 2014 the then chancellor George Osborne set up a review further to penalize expats by abolishing their right to a tax-free personal allowance which is now 12,570 pounds a year (2021-22 Inland Revenue figures) per individual. Osborne at the time said, “The personal tax allowance is essentially for people living in the UK using British public services and not to subsidize living abroad.” His policy was aborted when the government collapsed following the 2016 European Union referendum fiasco. If the tax allowance is now removed, each UK expat who fills in an annual tax return will be around 2,500 pounds a year actually worse off, assuming the basic rate of tax remains at 20 percent. In practice, they might well be additionally worse off as the abolition of the personal allowance would lower the threshold for them paying the higher rate of tax at 40 percent. Not to mention the whole issue of expats owning property in UK and renting it out to improve their overseas income. Forth Capital, a Scots-based finance house, has already predicted a move along these lines and suggested that some expats may have to return to UK and live in their property to safeguard their standard of living. Otherwise, their loss of annual income could reach 5,500 pounds. Other financial planners have made similar predictions if the worst comes to the worst. Of course, the argument to the contrary is that expats in most countries have already been penalized by the frozen state pension and the insistence of many UK banks that expats must close their mainland accounts and re-apply in the Isle of Man or the Channel Isles, crown dependencies which are not part of UK and where monthly bank charges are higher. There is also the point that ageing expats living abroad are not a drain on scarce national health resources at home and should be rewarded rather than punished. But whether Messrs Sunak and Hunt will be impressed by such special pleading is another matter altogether.

From the Thaiger THAILAND Foreign tourists swarm into Thailand Immigration officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok are struggling to cope with the crescendo of foreign tourists flooding into Thailand. Pictures of the jampacked airport taken on Sunday, October 20, reveal a promising outlook for Thailand’s tourist High Season, which runs from November to April. Between 1pm-5pm on Sunday, 76 flights landed on the airport’s runway, an average of 20 flights per hour. An average of 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per hour passed through immigration that day, according to the Spokesperson for the Immigration Bureau Mj Gen Choengron Rimphadee. It is by the far the busiest the airport has been since before the pandemic. To ensure that arrivals didn’t have to wait longer than one hour at immigration, all immigration booths were staffed and officers spent no longer than 45 seconds checking the passport data, visa status, personal biometric data, and blacklist status of each arrival. Commander of Immigration Division 2 Pol Maj Gen Montree Pancharoen said that although immigration officers are quick, they still do a thorough job to ensure that foreign criminals posing as tourists do not slip through the net and into the kingdom ahead of the APEC summit in Bangkok later this month, which will be attended by several world leaders. In preparation for High Season, the airport increased the number of immigration booths from 92 to 112. During busy hours, every booth will be staffed, said the officer. The airport is capable of checking in around 6,500 passengers per hour without compromising security, said Maj Gen Choengron Rimphadee. Currently, Suvarnabhumi Airport is welcoming an average of 45,000 to 50,000 people every day and the airport only expects figures to increase.

From Channel News Asia TOKYO: Tokyo began issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples who live and work in the capital on Tuesday (Nov 1), a long-awaited move in a country without marriage equality. The certificates allow LGBTQ partners to be treated as married couples for some public services in areas such as housing, medicine and welfare. More than 200 smaller local authorities in Japan have already made moves to recognise same-sex partnerships since Tokyo's Shibuya district pioneered the system in 2015. The status does not carry the same rights as marriage under the law but represents a welcome change for couples like Miki and Katie, who have long had no official proof of their relationship. "My biggest fear has been that we would be treated as strangers in an emergency," Miki told AFP at home in Tokyo, where photos of the Japanese 36-year-old with her American girlfriend Katie, 31, adorn the fridge. As of Friday morning, 137 couples had applied for a certificate, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said last week. Hopes are high that the introduction of the same-sex partnership certificates, which cover both Tokyo residents and commuters, will help fight anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Japan. "The more people make use of these partnership systems, the more our community will feel encouraged to tell family and friends about their relationships," without "hiding their true selves", Miki said. Contunies at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/tokyo-same-sex-relationships-approve-3035656

From the Thaiger Russian airlines resume direct flights to Phuket Tourism in Phuket got another boost from Russian tourists as the first direct flights from Moscow to Phuket International Airport resumed. The airport expects to see an average of 30,000 arrivals per day in November. Ikar Airlines was the first to arrive from Moscow yesterday afternoon, with a flight from Russian national airline Aeroflot landing later at 9.10pm. Ikar is a charter airline that operates under Pegas Fly. They usually run flights from Moscow to Phuket, Krabi, and U-Tapao Airport serving Pattaya. Their plane landed at 1.23pm yesterday at Phuket Airport and was met with a special reception from airport staff. Some 449 Russian travellers were aboard the flight. They were met by the staff administrative officer for Phuket as well as airport staff who gathered to mark the return of direct flights from Russia to Phuket. Going into the winter High Season, when many Russian tourists flee to warm locations like Phuket, Koh Samui, and other tropical Southeast Asian destinations, three Russian airlines will shuffle passengers from around Russia to Phuket. Ikar Airlines which arrived first will have a regular schedule running flights from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow to Phuket on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday each week. The schedule is confirmed until March 25. Aeroflot will fly between the same two airports, but twice as often as Ikar. It will fly daily from now until the season change on March 25.

This confused me, too, when I first went looking for KK Massages. When I was nearly ready to give up, I showed motorbike driver address on phone and he pointed almost directly across the soi to a shop on Sutthisan Winichai Rd. Since then I’ve located Home Massage by using its Intramara location as a sort of mile marker on Sutthisan Winichai Rd. I have no idea if that’s the way it’s suppose to work but it did for me. TIT.

Thanks for reminding me; forgot all about it. Now on short list.

No lizards observed, but many fish and some turtles. Some of the lizards were removed from Lumpini last year. Late afternoon seems to be good time. Long shadows enhance the landscape and colors.

Made my second visit to this park today. My first was on previous trip about five months ago and I was surprised by how much new growth has occurred since. Originally tobacco fields, the property covers a sprawling mash that not only serves as a huge water retention reserve but as home to many bird species you don’t see in nearby Lumpini Park. We entered about 4p.m. Under partly cloudy skies and a steady breeze. Although there were more visitors than last time, the area is so vast you never feel crowded. Some parts are landscaped but the emphasis is decidedly on a natural setting easily accessible to the general public without admission fees. A large amphitheater has been created to blend in with the park’s sense of wildness. It’s truly an oasis in the heart of the city. Benjakitti Wetland Park is Easily reached by MRT’s Klongtoey station, just two stops from Silom. Take Exit 2.

Olivia Massage has just opened its third shop in Silom-Surawong. Find it just to left of Sunrise Taco near Soi 4..Guys wearing blue polos sitting outside.

From Pattaya Mail Pattaya officials cleaned up the neglected police tourist-service center opposite the Royal Garden Plaza on beach road. City Councilman Nikom Sangkaew, who also heads the Pattaya Police Volunteers Association, joined Pol. Lt. Thongin Panyanam and other officers in changing burned-out lightbulbs around the service center and sprucing up the police box. Nikom said the cleanup came after a rash of crimes perpetrated by transgender thieves just a stone’s throw away from the neglected and disused service center on Soi 13/3. Thongin said officers again will be stationed on the beach to provide immediate response and service to tourists, which has barely been offered since 2019.

Have to join in with those advising to go now, if at all possible. Drink prices in the show bars have always been a topic of discussion here—and always will be. I agree 500 for Dreamboy is a lot but you’re also getting biggest show in town. For most of us, it will probably be a one-time take in. Coming in at 400, Freshboys delivers a solid, twink-dominated show in a more intimate setting. And high electricity costs have caused them to mercifully turn thermostat up to comfort range. But beer prices at the street bars have hardly budged as while restaurant prices have only risen modestly. Hotel prices are no longer the outrageous bargains of six months ago but reflect good value. Surprisingly, most massage fees remain unchanged and, in the more distant shops, competition has seen them actually go down a bit. Massage shops represent IMO the most experience for the money.