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From Channel News Asia PHNOM PENH: Cambodia closed all markets in the capital Phnom Penh on Saturday (Apr 24) to contain a spike in coronavirus infections as thousands of families plead for food during a two-week lockdown. The Southeast Asian country has one of the world's smallest coronavirus caseloads, but an outbreak that started in late February has seen overall cases spike to 8,848 and 61 deaths. Phnom Penh went into lockdown on Apr 15 and has declared some districts "red zones", banning people from leaving their homes except for medical reasons. In a new order issued on late Friday, Phnom Penh City Hall said all markets are to be closed from Saturday until May 7, saying that they have seen rising infections in markets and urged vendors and guards to get tested for COVID-19.

From Bangkok Post Red-zone shopping hours cut further Operating hours of shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience stores will be shortened further in 18 high-risk provinces in order to reduce the spread of Covid-19, the Thai Retailers Association (TRA) said on Saturday. In addition, 42 provinces have now made mask-wearing in public mandatory, while officials in Nonthaburi are asking — but not yet ordering — residents to stay home from 9pm to 4am. Starting on Sunday, the TRA said, shopping malls and community malls in 18 provinces will be open from 11am to 8pm; supermarkets and food courts must close at 9pm, and convenience stores must close from 10pm to 5am. The new hours will be in effect until May 2. The changes apply in the following “red zone” provinces: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Phuket, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Rayong, Sa Kaew, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Songkhla, Suphan Buri, Tak and Udon Thani. Eight Covid deaths, record 2,839 new cases Eight Covid-19 deaths and a record 2,839 new cases, 1,582 of them in Bangkok, were reported on Saturday, bringing the totals to 129 deaths and 53,022 cases. The current outbreak since April 1 has now infected 26,998 people and killed 43.

I believe that this occurs more often than we learn about because many victims are frequently reluctant to report them to police for the obvious reasons. Given what we know from what police do say in the article and accompanying graphic, the suspect admits that he "had stolen from at least 10 foreign men, making off with more than one million baht. " We also know that he used multiple apps. If he admits to 10, how many did he not admit to? As to how he managed to trick and manipulate his victims, I think Spoon has suggested the possible ways (i.e.,drugs, blackmail, violence). I'm much more comfortable taking a stranger to my room from one of the bars or massage shops. Taking someone from the apps, or chance met elsewhere, involves certain inherent risks. Granted, the large majority of these affairs do not end up like ones described above. That is, however, of little comfort to victims of those which do go south These events may be infrequent but are not rarities. The article discusses just one person who committed multiple crimes and says nothing about those who have done the same but have not been apprehended. Caveat emptor.

I've been quite satisfied with service and fees from Wise (formerly known as Transfer Wise). Although it's great for USA outgoing transfers, I've never tried to use it to move funds out of Thailand. You can choose a bank transfer or ACH (automated clearing house) methods. You can view all fees before approving transfer. (I've only used this for USA to SE Asia transfers.) https://wise.com

Nakarat's FB page has a notice that the owner has moved the shop to Nakhon Ratchasima Province (aka Isan). I was a regular customer over several years and enjoyed a similar experience that Vinapu describes above. In its heyday, Nakarat was staffed by a friendly group of guys from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. I miss it already.

From Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Laos locked down its capital and closed its international borders to most traffic Thursday after identifying a COVID-19 cluster connected to its bigger neighbor Thailand. Residents of the capital Vientiane are barred from leaving the city and outsiders must get permission to enter. Its international borders were closed except to trucks carrying goods and in cases allowed by the nation’s COVID-19 taskforce, state news agency KPL reported. It said the lockdown order signed by Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh also prohibits all Vientiane residents from leaving their homes except for essential food shopping, hospital visits and other authorized tasks. The restrictions last until May 5. The report said they were ordered after 28 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed Wednesday, bringing the country’s total to 88. The total population of Laos is about 7.5 million, including about 700,000 in Vientiane. The government-owned Vientiane Times reported on its website that 26 of the 28 new cases are residents of the capital who had contact with a student at the National University of Laos who had caught the virus from a Thai man. It said the other two were workers who had returned from Thailand to the southern province of Champassak.

From The Thaiger The Thai Immigration’s online system for 90 day checks for foreigners living in Thailand is back up and running. So we’re told anyway. Expats should now be able to report their address every 3 months online rather than in person or by mail. The announcement was made on the immigration bureau’s Facebook page and was written in Thai. Just yesterday, a spokesperson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said they recommend that foreigners mail in their 90 day reports while the system is down. Some of our readers say the website has been down for months. “The recommendation is that foreign nationals who have to report their residence every 3 months to immigration should do this by post… by writing a letter to confirm and report their residence every 3 months.” Foreigners who have received a temporary stay permit must notify the immigration bureau of their residence every 90 days. https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/visa/thai-immigration-says-online-system-for-90-day-reports-is-back-up-and-running

From Bangkok Post A 29-year-old man who picked up gay foreigners on dating apps and slept with them in hotel rooms has been charged with stealing from his "lovers". Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang on Friday announced the arrest of Sirawit on a warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. He did not give a surname for the suspect. He said police had received complaints from several foreigners that a Thai man using a pseudonym had approached them via dating chat apps for gays, such as Grindr, Blued, Romeo, Aloha and Homet. The man slept with them in hotel rooms, then stole from them. Investigators learned that the suspect stayed at a condominium room in Chong Nonsi area. He was arrested, and about 10 bank account books and cash cards were seized from his room. During questioning, Sirawit admitted preying on wealthy foreign men. He approached them using a pseudonym. After persuading them to sleep with him in hotel rooms, he tricked them into revealing the passwords for the internet banking apps they used. He then used them to transfer money into his own bank accounts. He also drugged some of his victims and stole their cash and other valuables. He admitted to police he had been doing it for more than a year. Pol Lt Gen Sompong said the man had stolen from at least 10 foreign men, making off with more than one million baht. The suspect was held in police custody for legal action. Continues with photos https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2104487/man-used-gay-dating-app-to-steal-from-foreigners

DISCLAIMER -- The following should be considered the requirements that are current as of this moment only and always subject to change at any succeeding moment. From The Nation The Immigration Bureau has urged people to make an online queue for visa extension due to the virus and apply before January 29. Applicants who require visa service, such as foreigners who have stayed in the Kingdom for over 90 days and tourists who needs short-term visa extension service for Tourist visa (TR 60) and Special Tourist Visa (STV) are urged to join the online queue before the service date. The move is aimed at conforming with the government's policy on precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, by reducing overcrowding, maintaining social distancing and facilitating customer service. An applicant can make an online queue reservation for a pre-service appointment at www.bangkokimmigration.com and follow these steps: ▪︎Fill in all required information. ▪︎Wait for an email reply. ▪︎Print out a confirmation document from email. ▪︎Submit the documents for visa extension on the appointment date and time. However, services for a walk-in queue are still available at Muang Thong Thani Temporary Service Centre on the official working date and time. ▪︎Fill in all required information ▪︎Wait for an email reply ▪︎Print out a confirmation document from email and ▪︎Prepare all required documents ▪︎Submit an application for visa extension 1-2 weeks before the visa expiry date. In the case of visa extension due to Covid-19, the application must be submitted before January 29. Short-term visa extension service at counter K will provide service only to online queue applicants. In order to reduce overcrowding amid the pandemic, an applicant can make an online queue reservation for pre-service appointment and follow the steps below:

Perot's campaign as an independent steadily gained traction because of his no nonsense approach to the issues of the day. He was actually ahead in several polls when he temporarily withdrew from the race, leaving some supporters disenchanted. But he rejoined the fray and the chase was on again. He drew many voters away from the the incumbent Bush (who pushed his foreign policy credentials), while Clinton (whose campaign mantra was "it's the economy, stupid") swept to victory, winning 32 states and 370 electoral votes. Although he didn't win any states, Perot managed to garner 18.9% of voters. Clinton's victory marked the first time in US electoral history that a candidate won without taking Florida until 2020.

Most of the guys I dated more than once were good or better the second time and beyond but three exceptions stand out. All were in their early to mid 20's and all came from Twilight or Patpong 2. Took all to eat before and/or after. If they stayed overnight, gave them cab fare. 1. First time great, second and subsequent times OK but not quite as good. He is gay. I might see him again if I ran into him 2. First time good, second time great but subsequent times progressively less satisfying despite increasing bonus. I believe he was bi. Would not see him again. 3. First two times very good but subsequent four times not quite as satisfying. But I got along with him better than either of the two above. He is married. Because the chemistry between us is good I'd see him again. +1

It's a regrettable situation for sure. However, when you view the numbers of how two other industrialized western nations are currently faring on the standardized per capita basis, you see things from another view. Death per million United Kingdom 1,422 Italy 1,393 United States 1,285 Does this mean the citizens of any of these countries are better or worse than those of the others. Of course not. What it does mean is that this virus doesn't care where you're from, or whether you're gay or straight. It kills indiscriminately. Dividing one against the other was the tactic Trump used. We're all citizens of the same world. We're far better off reminding each other of what we share in common: our humanity, not our differences. If any group of individuals has learned that over the past half century, it's our LGBT community.

From Bangkok Post Tour firm exits peak last month The pandemic continues to ravage tourism operators as the number of tour companies withdrawing their licences reached its peak in December, while 65-70% of outbound agents closed indefinitely amid the tight border restrictions. Around 10% of outbound operators gave up their licences with the Tourism Department, particularly after the resurgent virus hit local communities on Dec 15, said Suthiphong Pheunphiphop, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA). According to the Tourism Department, 2,598 tour operators quit the market permanently last year by returning their licences in order to get their guarantee deposits back. According to the TTAA, there were around 1 million outbound Thai tourists who spent around 50 billion baht abroad in 2020, a nosedive compared to 11 million tourists with a total spending of 430 billion baht in 2019. ============================================== Money changers explore related services Money changer companies are exploring new foreign exchange-related businesses to seek new income sources after their businesses have been drastically affected by the pandemic. SuperRich Currency Exchange (1965), a leading local money changer, has submitted an application for a money transfer and e-money licence with the Bank of Thailand and is awaiting regulatory approval. The company is also in talks with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about the possibility of operating foreign exchange services for digital asset exchanges in Thailand, said Piya Tantivachayanon, SuperRich's president. The company's foreign exchange volume has plunged to around 800 million baht per month compared with 9 billion baht registered before the crisis emerged. In 2018, Mr Piya commented on the company's business opportunity in the digital asset realm, saying the company would "offer digital asset exchange [services] for travellers" and had plans to offer an e-wallet service, with a potential business partner helping to develop the technology.

I can't see the basis for testing tourists before extending their visa. In this case, the tourist has already been in the country for nearly two months and was tested multiple times before being release from quarantine. He has remained in Thailand and not traveled abroad. If they are going to test tourists at the 60-day mark, then why not test all citizens every two months if the goal is to register more "positives'? It must be clear by now that all available assets should be directed at inoculating the maximum number of people. Do that and the rationale for testing greatly diminishes. Officials advocating for ideas like 60-day testing all have one thing in common: they all have good jobs. They haven't been made redundant by the decimation of the hospitality industry.

From Bangkok Post Private hospitals reserve Covid-19 vaccines ahead of approval wo private hospitals have ordered millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines ahead of regulatory approval, adding to government orders of vaccines as Thailand tackles a second wave of the virus. "We ordered one million doses of the Sinovac vaccine with an option to buy nine million more," Boon Vanasin, the chairman of Thonburi Healthcare Group Plc, told Reuters. From the initial one million doses, he plans to use about half to inoculate staff in its network of 40 hospitals and workers in his other businesses, once receiving approval from Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The government has separately ordered two million doses from China's Sinovac Biotech and expects delivery of 200,000 doses with plans to inoculate frontline workers and medical professionals in high-risk areas next month. The government has also ordered 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be produced by local firm Siam Bioscience for domestic use and export. "We can’t just wait for the government," Boon said, adding that it was not clear how many doses from the government’s vaccine stockpile would reach private hospital workers. For patients, Thonburi's medical centres plan to offer two vaccine injections for 3,200 baht. Another private hospital, Vibhavadi Medical Centre Plc, has ordered 10,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, managing director Chaisit Kupwiwat, told Reuters. So far, the FDA has received registration requests for the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. Thailand is expected to approve one of the vaccines this week for emergency use, Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told a briefing without elaborating.

From Pattaya Mail The Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Abuse Center is running short of food and supplies even as it has taken in 60 percent more abused and homeless children during the latest coronavirus outbreak. ATCC Director Palisorn Noja said the foster home has been unable to organize fundraisers or food drives under the current lockdown regulations, leaving it desperately low on basic foodstuffs like rice and basic supplies like soap and toothpaste. Normally, he said, the shelter cares for about 30 children, usually victims of physical or mental abuse or those found rescued from the streets. But amid Thailand’s new Covid-19 outbreak and the continuing economic downturn, the number of children under the ATTC’s care has swelled to 50. Palisorn urged people to bring rice, dried food, fresh vegetables and fruit, consumer products, shoes and clothing – new or second-hand – to the center kitty-corner from Saen Suk Town Village in the Mabyailia area of Nongprue Subdistrict. Or people can donate cash to the ATCC’s account at Kasikorn Bank, account number 006-1-23489-6.

From Bangkok Post The National Tourism Policy Committee has approved the proposed guidelines for the collection of a 300-baht tourism fee from each international visitor for the management of local tourist destinations. The money will also be used to provide insurance benefits to international tourists visiting the country. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said each foreign visitor will be charged US$10 (300 baht) per visit. The details of the fee collection will be announced in the Royal Gazette once the policy has taken effect. According to Mr Phiphat, Thailand expects to receive some 10 million visitors this year. He said the merit of the 300-baht tourism fee is that foreign tourists who fall sick or are injured will be taken care of and given adequate medical care. The ministry will have to discuss the details with the Finance Ministry and the Office of Insurance Commission. Of the 300-baht fee, 34 baht is expected to be used for the insurance coverage, Mr Phiphat said. The fee collection is in line with the revised National Tourism Policy Act, which authorises the ministry to impose a tourism fee for use in developing local destinations and providing insurance coverage to foreign tourists. Tourism permanent secretary Chote Trachu on Thursday said the fee collection was initially due to begin last year, but it was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the National Tourism Policy Committee has assessed the situation and agreed the tourism fee collection should go ahead this year. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the country had been forecast to close last year with merely 6.7 million international tourists -- not much more than the number prior to last year's outbreak of Covid-19 -- despite government attempts to activate entry schemes for foreigners via Special Tourist Visas (STVs). With a second wave of outbreaks gripping many countries around the world, particularly during the winter months, triggering new rounds of lockdowns, Thailand is expected to wait longer -- until the second half of this year -- to see more visitors file back into the kingdom and revive the ailing industry.

Go There

Little has been heard from the protests leaders since mid-December. The Covid-19 restrictions on large gatherings, together with some internal disputes, have kept them out of the headlines for the past month. From Khaosod English Arnon: Street Protests Deferred To Mid Year Due to COVID-19 BANGKOK — Large protests seeking the government’s ousting and monarchy reforms will likely be put on hold until the middle of 2021 due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, pro-democracy movement leader Arnon Nampa said Tuesday. Arnon’s statement drew mixed responses from his supporters after he posted it on his Facebook, though the activist maintained that it was his personal view. He suggested that certain political activities will continue without having to mobilize people onto the streets. “We are caught by COVID-19,” Arnon, a lawyer by trade, said in an interview. “So we will carry out other activities without rally first.” Asked if he is concerned that the movement may lose its relevance, Arnon said no. “It’s not going to peter out. It has become an issue already,” he said of the movement, which demands PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s resignation, a more democratic charter, and reforms of the monarchy. Arnon is one of the activists behind street protests that rocked Bangkok in the latter half of 2020. Many rallies drew at least 10,000 participants, many of them students and young people. His fellow activist Ekachai Hongkanwan said he was surprised by the announcement, and expressed his worries that suspending the protests could risk losing the momentum. “It’s strange. He probably thought it’s due to COVID-19 but I kind of disagree,” said Ekachai, who believes protests should be called whenever there are serious issues. Ekachai also said many large protests held last year did not lead to any known infections. “I will continue to carry out a one-man protest when an issue arises. I don’t care whether there’s COVID-19 or not,” he said. Somyot Prueksakasemsum, another protest leader, said Arnon was merely giving an estimate of when a large protest can take place again, and the timing is not set in stone. “I think once COVID-19 subsides, we should be able to protest right away,” Somyot said on the phone Tuesday. Citing the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak, the government on Thursday banned all public assemblies that may “lead to congestion that pose a risk of spreading the disease.” Violators face up to two years in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht.

Members of the National Guard are given weapons before Democrats begin debating one article of impeachment against President Trump, outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, January 13. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

This appears to open the door for expats and others to obtain a vaccine if they are able to pony up the price private hospitals decide to charge. From The Nation Private hospitals can import Covid vaccine: Thai FDA The government will not block private hospitals from importing Covid-19 vaccines, said the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday. However, the vaccines must be approved and registered with the FDA, said its secretary-general Dr Paisan Dankhum. The FDA chief confirmed that AstraZeneca (Thailand) and Sinovac Biotech have submitted approval applications with the FDA for their vaccines, which are being purchased by the government. Manufacturers or importers of other vaccines that have already been registered by foreign food and drug agencies could also apply for approval, said Paisan. The state does not have a monopoly on Covid-19 vaccines and would not block their import, he added. Private hospitals could purchase a vaccine that is registered with the FDA or, as licensees, register the vaccine themselves.

The sprawling Capitol Hill campus that will need to be defended in the days leading up to the inauguration.

Those following the Capitol Hill riot have become familiar with the positions of the Chief of Capitol Police and the sergeants-at-arms of the Senate and the House of Representatives, all of whom have since resigned their posts. But you’ve probably heard little about their boss, the “Architect of the Capitol”. For someone who flies so low below the radar, his authority is so broad that he is the most powerful non-elected official on the Hill. A CEO of sorts. How could an architect hold sway over the those whose titles suggest overt responsibility for security and law enforcement? Well, to begin with, he doesn’t necessarily have to be an actual architect. Second, he doesn’t have to pass an exam. And third, and most important, he does have to have political connections. Unlike the sergeants-at-arms who are appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, the Architect serves at the pleasure of the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The current Architect is J. Brett Blanton, nominated by Trump and confirmed by voice vote of the senate to a 10-year-term in 2019. To learn more about him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Blanton Blanton hasn’t totally escaped attention. Some have also been calling for his resignation: https://www.archpaper.com/2021/01/after-capitol-is-breached-calls-for-the-architect-of-the-capitol-removal/ It was 28 years ago that the Architect’s role was popularized in Murder in the Senate, a novel co-authored by then Senator William S. Cohen, who later served as Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton. I pulled the book off the shelf last week and find it even more timely now than when I first read it. I recommend it highly if you want to learn more about the all the places the rioters did—and did not—manage to invade and the role of politics in every phase of events on Capitol Hill. Btw, it’s about the murder of a senator. Although now out of print, used copies can be found on Amazon, EBay and other sites.

I can’t quite envision what the revamped site will look like but I’m confident that Michael’s experience will yield a satisfying outcome. Whatever it's called (guide, advisor, directory), the one feature that attracts the most activity on any gay website is trip and venue reports. Everything else is a distant second. I don’t think there’s any disagreement on that count. Just looking over the past 10 months since the onset of Covid19, Michael’s “walk around” series that encompass news about clubs, bars, massage shops and his personal experiences have been the true lifeblood of the forum. We’ve also been fortunate to have z909’s recent trip reports and the periodic venue reports from members on the ground in Bangkok (Anddy’s posts come to mind). I don’t closely follow what’s happening in Pattaya but expats there have been providing news on the comings and—sadly—mostly goings there. I would hope that the new site will feature these types of postings in a prominent way. Although I agree that it’s difficult for any one site to be always current on openings and closings, I believe that that type of information on individual venues, both in the Silom area and beyond, will always be well sought after. (Just think how well received were the posts about the new massage shops Michael brought to our attention). I'm an occasional reader of Boy Toy's South America threads to learn about the same issues even if I have no plans to visit in the near future. The gay scene in Thailand is and has been constantly evolving. That was to be expected, even before Covid. But that doesn’t’ necessarily mean that it’s changing for the worse. We saw the closing of Soi Twlight only to be heartened by the success of Patpong 2. I remain upbeat that the venues on that popular soi will regain their prominence once Thailand opens up again (without quarantine) to other SE Asian nationals and—of course—tourists from elsewhere in Asia and the west. It’s not going to happen overnight but it is going to happen.

This article is a month old now (Dec. 11) but it sheds more light on this case. From Bangkok Post 'Boss' outrage fires up again The "pass the buck" attitude of the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) in handling the hit-and-run case involving Red Bull scion Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya comes as no surprise at all to anyone. On Dec 9, OAG deputy spokesman Prayuth Petch-khun insisted public prosecutors cannot proceed with the indictment of Mr Vorayuth on drug charges until police actually arrest him and bring him to trial. The prosecutors are "duty-bound" to wait, he said. Technically, the deputy spokesman is not entirely wrong as arrests are the duty of the police. Yet such a passive statement is a disappointment. There are no signs that police can get hold of the runaway brat, who vanished from Bangkok in 2012 but keeps appearing in many places around the world, any time soon. The OAG's lacklustre response is a reminder of how the pursuit of justice -- as instructed earlier this year by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha -- in this crime which claimed the life of police officer Wichian Klanprasert still has a long way to go. The OAG is under criticism for allowing Mr Vora-yuth to exploit a technicality to drag out the probe by submitting a petition seeking fair treatment more than six times. In fact, both the prosecutors and police face "a crisis of faith" over their handling of the case. The last straw came when Nate Naksuk, then deputy attorney-general, decided to drop the reckless driving charge against Mr Vorayuth. The outrageous decision triggered public fury. Gen Prayut finally appointed former member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission Vicha Mahakun to lead an independent panel to look into the irregularities. Gen Prayut vowed that justice would be done in this case. In early September, the panel's report recommended the government revive the case, as it found evidence of intervention by government officials, law enforcement agencies, public prosecutors, lawyers and witnesses. It's a pity the Vicha report has not been made public. Due to the government's intervention, the OAG made a U-turn, deciding to indict Mr Vorayuth on two charges -- reckless driving causing death, and cocaine use -- citing fresh evidence and new witnesses. Only Mr Nate, who has been appointed senior prosecutor at the OAG's Phra Khanong office, faces a disciplinary probe for his shameful decision to allow the wealthy man off the hook. But the investigation is continuing at a snail's pace. Apart from that, it's just business as usual, both at the OAG and the Royal Thai Police as seasonal promotions have been made in the past month and there are no signs that any wrongdoers will be held to account. It seems the two agencies are aware that public attention has faded in the wake of the political strife, so they have gone into inactive mode again.