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Although I can't date it exactly (probably circa 2003 or thereabouts), Thaksin's so-called "social order" campaign conducted a well orchestrated raid on Babylon with the media in tow. I was in town at the time and missed it by hours. This was at at period when the sauna was enjoying the height of its popularity with a cross section of locals and visitors. This extravaganza bears all the same trappings.

When reading about raids like this, I'm inclined to ask: who benefits?

From Los Angeles Times Cheap health care and decent living standards cited HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — When John Rockhold drew a low number, No. 12, in the 1971 draft lottery, his adolescence in the San Fernando Valley forever changed. Seeking to avoid the Army, he signed up for the Navy just after graduating from Granada Hills High School. As an enlisted petty officer, he spent months operating boats that dropped off SEALs at night along long and humid Vietnamese shorelines where American troops were trying to stop the communist north from taking over the south. More than 58,000 U.S. service members died in the war, and since it ended in 1975, innumerable American veterans have returned to Vietnam, seeking understanding, forgiveness or reconciliation. Now some are coming for more mundane reasons: inexpensive housing, cheap healthcare and a rising standard of living. After his military career, Rockhold worked as a defense contractor, operating mostly in Africa. He first returned to Vietnam in 1992 to work on a program to help economic refugees. He settled in Vietnam in 1995, the same year the United States and Vietnam normalized relations. He married a Vietnamese woman in 2009. In fact, he liked it so much that he persuaded his mother to move to Vietnam from Santa Maria, Calif., also in 2009. “She came for the wedding, and decided to stay,” he said with a laugh. She lived in Vietnam until her death in 2015 at 94. Rockhold, now 66, sits on several boards and is raising two children, 10 and 9, with his wife, Tu Viet Nga. The children were born via caesarean section; the procedure, including a four-day hospital stay, cost about $1,200, far less than it would have in the United States. The family lives in a 20th-floor condominium overlooking the Saigon River and the sprawling city beyond. They bought the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom unit, measuring about 1,840 square feet along with a separate veranda, for about $250,000 in 2011. Rapid growth in Vietnam and its Southeast Asian neighbors has created a situation that would have been unthinkable in the past: Aging American boomers are living a lifestyle reminiscent of Florida, Nevada and Arizona, but in Vietnam. Monthly expenses here rarely exceed $2,000, even to live in a large unit like Rockhold’s, including the help of a cook and a cleaner. The neighbors are friendly: A majority of Vietnamese were born well after the war ended in 1975, and Rockhold says he has rarely encountered resentment, even when he talks about his service as a combat veteran. The vast majority of the owners in his apartment building are members of Vietnam’s burgeoning urban middle class; many work in government or in education, and can afford to take vacations abroad. He estimated that no more than 1 in 5 residents in the 25-floor complex are foreigners. “The Vietnamese were extremely nice to me, especially compared to my own country after I came back from the war,” Rockhold said at a coffee shop recently inside a polished, air-conditioned office tower that also houses a restaurant and cinema. In semi-retirement, Rockhold keeps busy: He helps Vietnam import liquefied natural gas, and is involved with a charity that provides solar energy to low-income households. His wife’s family farm is about a 45-minute drive from where he once saw combat. “It didn’t ever pass my mind that 30 years later I was going to own some of Vietnam,” Rockhold said with a chuckle. Vietnam has relaxed visa rules to lure American retirees like Rockhold, along with their savings. Geopolitics are a factor; Vietnam has seen spillover benefits from the economic boom in China but also has an ambivalent relationship with its far larger and more powerful neighbor, with which it fought a brief war in 1979. Expatriates tend to consider Vietnam more hospitable than China; Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, retains a cosmopolitan character. Vietnam has joined other Southeast Asian countries to lure retirees from wealthier parts of the world. Cambodia, another nation that struggles with the legacy of United States military intervention, is also attempting to attract American retirees. The country’s per capita GDP is about $1,400, and for that sum, an expatriate can easily pay a month’s rent, energy costs and a housekeeper’s wages. Sri Lanka, where a brutal civil war ended in 2009, is issuing renewable two-year visas to retirees 55 and older if they can support themselves and have at least $15,000 in a local bank account. A typical expatriate cost of living is $1,000 to $2,000 per month. Historically, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia were more common destinations for American retirees. But a higher cost of living, especially in coastal areas like California and New York, has pushed many farther afield. Rockhold, the Navy veteran, said that healthcare has vastly improved in Vietnam. Also, he said, “This is one of the safest cities in the world; petty pickpocketing is almost unheard of.” Remarkably, he said, some of his friends are Americans who never served in Vietnam. “The cost of living is so low,” he said. “It’s a communist country, but if I blindfolded you and put you in downtown Saigon, you wouldn’t know it.” https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-12-25/americans-are-retiring-to-vietnam-for-cheap-health-care-and-a-decent-living-standard

From Bangkok Post Operators of homestay and home-sharing premises will soon face much higher commercial property tax than buy-to-let homeowners who pay residential rates, the Finance Ministry says. However, the new rules have sent many confused land and property owners into a panic, particularly in Bangkok. They received a letter from local administrative organisations and district offices informing them of their property type ahead of the enforcement of the new tax legislation. To quell homeowners' unease, the Finance Ministry and related agencies have agreed to group buy-to-let homes and condominiums under residential use, which is charged below the rate for commercial use under the new land and building tax to be implemented in August next year, according to Lavaron Sangsnit, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office. This is because the authorities believe these properties are rented for long-term residential purposes. But homestay operators and home-sharing hosts like Airbnb will reap no windfall from the Finance Ministry's decision to apply the land and building tax rate for residential purposes to buy-to-let homes. Homestay and home-sharing activities are considered short-term rentals for commercial use, so these operators will be subjected to the commercial rate, Mr Lavaron said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1824284#cxrecs_s

Excerpted from the Bangkok Post Thai economy's rocky road in 2020 The Thai economy will continue to grow slowly in 2020, albeit slightly faster than this year. It is projected to expand at 2.5-3.0%, compared with 2.5% in 2019, in line with faster growth in the global economy next year. The Thai economy's main drivers in 2020 will be recoveries in export volumes and tourism, and greater government spending. Moreover, relocation of investment from China to Thailand as a result of the US-Sino trade war will be more evident in 2020. However the trade war will continue to pose serious downside risks as its affects on trade, the Chinese economy, and investor confidence persist. Thai exports in 2020 will continue to be affected by the global trade slowdown, but volumes will be slightly higher than in 2019. The ongoing US-China tariff war has resulted in slower trade growth and deceleration of the Chinese economy, impacting Thai exports which were expected to contract by 2% in 2019. With trade hostilities expected to ease in 2020, Thai exports should grow modestly. Moreover, Thai exports to the US, which expanded by almost 15% in 2019, will continue to grow as the US diverts imports away from China, to Thailand and other countries. Exports of hard-disk drives and compressors to the US, for example, have expanded rapidly in 2019. The baht will maintain its strength in 2020. Capital inflows from the recovery in exports, tourism and foreign direct investments in 2020 will keep the currency strong. The baht hit an average of 31.05 per US dollar in 2019 and is forecast to average 30.30 in 2020, similar to its end-2019 level. It will continue to be stronger than the currencies of Asean's top five economies in 2020. https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1823679/thai-economys-rocky-road-in-2020#cxrecs_s

All the guys seem to use the same van service for their VISA run, regardless of their home country. Myanmar is the closest in travel time but the roads in Myanmar are not so great so many prefer to go to Cambodia. Cambodians have to do it every 15 days while the others have 30 day intervals. Occasionally a van originally booked for visa run to Cambodia will, at last minute, be diverted to Myanmar for logistical reasons. I understand the cost is the same for both destinations.

NOTE -- A tip of the cap to Divine Madman who brought this interview with Ocean Vuong from the Paris Review to my in box. I've singled out some quotes from Vuong but you can read the interview in its entirety at the link below. Survival as a Creative Force: An Interview with Ocean Vuong Maybe all of life is an experiment, in some sense. Just because we use words like son and mother does not mean that love and forgiveness are a given. They must be tested, and they must be tested with tools. Language is one of those tools. One question this novel hovers over is how do people who hurt each other find ways to protect themselves while attempting to love and, ultimately, to heal? I think Little Dog learns that to experiment is to innovate—and to innovate is to live in hope. Innovation is the first casualty of cynicism. The characters in this novel test each other because they possess an optimism that outlasts their hurt. And I adore them for that. ----------------------------------------- I’m lucky to have met some truly kind and generous elders and teachers along the way, many of whom opened doors for me by saying incredible things, often just on the fly. ----------------------------------------- Continues at https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/06/05/survival-as-a-creative-force-an-interview-with-ocean-vuong/

South Korea and Taiwan targets of the new service Excerpted from the Bangkok Post Thailand's aviation industry is set to welcome two new low-cost carriers next year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Monday. Thai Eastar Jet and Thai Summer Airways have obtained the required Air Operating Licences (AOL) and are currently in the process of obtaining their Air Operator Certificate (AOC), said CAAT director-general Chula Sukmanop. The budget airlines will be the first two Thai-registered airliners to launch commercial services since Thailand was red-flagged by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) in June 2015 for failing to adequately deal with 33 "significant safety concerns" within a specified time frame. On Oct 6, 2017, the ICAO lifted the red flag, indicating that Thailand's aviation safety standards now meet international benchmarks. Mr Chula said Thai Eastar Jet's first commercial service will be between Bangkok and Taiwan's southern port city of Kaohsiung. The airlines is also planning to link Bangkok and South Korea, but plans for services have to be shelved for the time being as new flights to South Korea are affected by Thailand's Category 2 status imposed by the United States' Federal Aviation Administration since December 2015. The FAA said Thailand fell short across several categories, such as pilot qualifications and training. The government has set about trying to fix the flaws, but Thailand's status remains unchanged. Both airlines will be allowed to hire just Thai pilots, as the requirement to employ a certain number of foreign pilots has been removed, he said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1822724/2-new-carriers-set-for-takeoff#cxrecs_s ================================================================================ From the Bangkok Post Thai Air Asia to add new routes A strong currency, higher operation costs from an excise tax and a slowdown in tourism are among the challenges confronting local airlines next year. Santisuk Klongchaiya, chief executive of Thai AirAsia, said the airline business is hoping the volume of tourists rebounds if the government imposes effective measures to deal with the strident baht. He said controlling costs, finding supplementary income and managing efficient routes are tasks for airlines to keep afloat amid tough times. Next year, Thai AirAsia, the low-cost carrier owned by SET-listed Asia Aviation Plc (AAV), plans to add more routes to popular destinations in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. It will operate with 62 jets, including the 230-seat Airbus A321neo, a more energy-efficient aircraft to replace the 180-seat Airbus A320, which will be phased out from the fleet in the near future. The use of the bigger capacity Airbus A321neo will help with limited slot times at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, Mr Santisuk said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1823044#cxrecs_s

NOTE -- Read this and every time I thought I understood it the following paragraph--or sentence--negated it. Fortunately I doubt that it applies to many readers. But if you're one of them, good luck. From the Bangkok Post Work Permit and Business Visa Issues: finding one’s way through the Thailand Maze Work permits and business visas are integral components of an expatriate’s ability to maintain lawful immigration status as well as work authorisation in Thailand. The process of obtaining a visa and a work permit has evolved substantially in the past five years. In fact, the past twenty four months has seen substantial changes to the overall process. n the past, the process of obtaining a Thai business visa from overseas was relatively straightforward. Today, there are some jurisdictions where processing of such applications is not overly difficult. However, in a broad sense, the process of obtaining a Thai business visa outside of Thailand has become increasingly complicated. One apparent reason for this increasing complexity seems to stem from the fact that Thai Honorary Consulates have seen their jurisdiction to issue Thai business visas strictly curtailed. For example, where it was once possible to obtain a one year business visa from a Thai Honorary Consulate in many cities in the United Kingdom, such Posts’ jurisdiction to issue one year visas was circumscribed by the Embassy in that jurisdiction and, as of the time of this writing, such Posts are only allowed to issue 90 day business visas and even then such application must be directly adjudicated by the Thai Embassy in London. Meanwhile, in the United States it was once possible to mail in a petition for a one year business visa to the various Thai Honorary Consulates throughout the country. In recent years, such Posts have been precluded from issuing one year business visas and now those seeking even a 90 day business visa must do so in-person as mail-in applications are no longer accepted by honorary posts. The Thai Embassy in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles will still process applications by mail, but issuance of one year business visas at such posts is not as frequent compared to times past. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1823279/work-permit-and-business-visa-issues-finding-ones-way-through-the-thailand-maze#cxrecs_s

And for those of us who find them sexy in street clothes, a great opportunity. .

From the Khmer Times Passenger traffic at Cambodian airports grew by 12 percent in the first eleven months of this year because of new air routes and new airlines being put into operation. Figures from Cambodia Airports, which manages the country’s three international airports, show that from January to November, passengers amounted to 10.6 million people. Phnom Penh International Airport and Sihanoukville International Airport saw the biggest traffic growth, while Siem Reap International Airport experienced a decline in traffic. Phnom Penh International Airport handled 5.5 million passengers, a 12 percent increase, and Sihanoukville International Airport hit a record high with a 177 percent increase to 1.5 million passengers. Siem Reap International Airport, on the other hand, saw passenger traffic fall 11 percent, to 3.5 million. “For Phnom Penh international Airport, the growth is driven by new airlines and routes,” said Khek Norinda, communications and public relations director at Cambodia Airports, citing the carrier Citylink’s new route between Jakarta and Phnom Penh and also Chinese carriers. “For Sihanoukville, new airlines and routes are the main engines of growth. In addition, domestic airlines switched their services from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville,” he said. For Siem Reap, some airlines stopped flying there. For example, Malaysia Airlines and domestic carriers switched their flights to Sihanoukville, he said. According to the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia received 5.2 million foreign tourists from January to October this year, up 9.7 percent. Of that number, 3.7 million passed through the airports, up 12 percent during the period, the report read. Currently, Cambodia has five domestic airlines and 44 international airlines. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50671831/kingdoms-air-passenger-traffic-grows-12-percent

From Bangkok Post Trains to start running on 3-station line in 2022, 15 stations to open by 2025 MANILA: Groundwork for the Philippines’ first subway system began on Saturday at a site in Manila that will host its depot and related facilities. “If we have this subway, the movement of people and cargo will speed up and improve,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said at a ceremony marking the start in Quezon City. Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said earthwork activities were able to begin following the acquisition of land and clearing of squatters. The Metro Manila Subway Project is set to begin partial operations with three stations by 2022, with operations of the entire 15-station line slated to start by 2025. Funded by a US$935-million loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan’s aid agency, the first phase includes the three stations in Quezon City and a subway depot and the Philippine Railway Institute, both located in one compound in neighbouring Valenzuela City. https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/1821249/work-begins-on-manila-subway

Some countries give checked baggage less scrutiny than others. I think the idea is to apply a final check that will be less disruptive than doing it after passenger retrieves luggage.

Great line...lol. Their service follows the time-honored recipe for making a roux: it must be continuously stirred while being heated.

You really should consider seeking therapy for your stream of unconsciousness condition

From Bloomberg News Thailand Wants More First-Time Visitors as They Spend More Thailand will try to ease the pressure on tourism from a surging currency by targeting more first-time visitors because they are bigger spenders. “First-timers spend 10% to 20% more than repeat tourists and at the same time, we can build a new customer base,” Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said in an interview in Bangkok on Tuesday. The state agency’s goal is to increase first-time visitors to more than 10 million in 2020, or about a quarter of overall arrivals, from 10% now. It’s focusing marketing efforts on regions such as Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Next year’s targets include a record 41.8 million arrivals generating 2.22 trillion baht ($73 billion) in receipts, both up roughly 5% from 2019. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-18/thailand-seeks-more-first-time-visitors-as-currency-saps-tourism?srnd=well-spent ============================================================= From Bloomberg News Thailand Central Bank Holds Rate as Growth Forecasts Lowered The Bank of Thailand held its benchmark interest rate steady at an all-time low and cut its forecasts for economic growth, saying it was gauging whether further efforts were needed to restrain the local currency. The central bank kept its policy rate at 1.25% on Wednesday in a unanimous decision. All 23 economists in a Bloomberg survey predicted a hold after two rate cuts earlier this year. “A key takeaway from this meeting is that the central bank’s primary reaction function in the near term will be the Thai baht,” HSBC Holdings Plc economist Noelan Arbis said after the decision. Concerns about baht strength “were more prominent at today’s meeting than concerns regarding growth or inflation.” Authorities have been struggling to temper gains in the currency, which has climbed more than 8% against the dollar over the past year, hurting Thailand’s export-oriented economy. Aside from rate cuts, the central bank has imposed measures to counter short-term inflows and relaxed rules to spur outflows. Bank of Thailand Assistant Governor Titanun Mallikamas told reporters the Monetary Policy Committee will monitor how the baht responds to those steps and decide if it needs to do more. The currency fell slightly after the decision, from 30.243 to the dollar to 30.264, while local equities were little changed. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-18/thai-central-bank-holds-rate-steady-as-it-keeps-eye-on-growth?srnd=fixed-income

Correction Above sentence should have read: "... when Cuba nationalized American oil refineries without compensation."

Point taken. I should have explained in previous post that the sanctions originally date to 1958, four years before missile crisis. The sale of arms was blocked when Batista was still in power. More sanctions followed in 1960 when Cuba nationalized American oil refineries with compensation. In 1962, following the missile crisis, everything with the exception of food and humanitarian supplies were sanctioned. Obviously Cuba doesn't pose an overt military threat but it does pose a political one. Although travel to Cuba has been liberalized and remittances from families in the US allowed, sanctions remain in place principally because of the overwhelming support they receive from the Cuban-American community in Florida that number 1.53 million. Florida is a crucial state in presidential elections with 29 electoral votes that no candidate is eager to risk losing them. The bottom line is that it's tough to win without taking Florida (just ask Al Gore).

From Bangkok Post Hoteliers in Koh Samui are suffering from lower numbers of tourists. The occupancy rate on the island during the final quarter this year, as of Dec 20, has plunged to 30% from 50% in the same period of 2018, said Vorasit Pongkumpunt, president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui. During the last two weeks of December, the occupancy rate should rise to 90%, putting it at 50% average for the year. He attributed the low figures to the strong baht and trade war, as major markets such as the Chinese flock to cheaper beach destinations in Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The occupancy rate for next year's first quarter in Samui stands at 35%, down from 50-60%, according to bookings. https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1818044/not-enough-tourists-for-koh-samui-hotels

An extraordinary report by any measure. Thank you. You may not think of yourself as a serial reporter but that's what you are. You managed to capture precise moments in time with a practiced eye. You're a natural raconteur. Particularly enjoy your writing style. You candidly describe the scene and your offs while taking care to protect their identity. You appreciate that they're young men and--as Divine Madman said in another thread--we are the adults. Many of the guys we date will go on to lead very different lives and the last thing we should want to do is create problems for them. You didn't date deities. The men you chose (or in some cases chose you) are everyday type guys who populate the Patpong/Surawong entertainment zone. You even manage to present the ML model with down-to-earth personal qualities we often don't hear about. And a particular tip of the cap for pointing out the satisfaction you got from getting to know many of your offs outside of the bedroom. Your curiosity about their lives off the clock is both insightful and rewarding. Sharing a meal is a great ice breaker and in keeping with a treasured Asian custom. Delighted you have BKK back on your itinerary. .

You can be excused for forgetting that both the US and the UK were allies with Russia in WWII. Trump may like to think of the Putin as a present day ally but neither house of Congress does. And Congress has the final say on that. US bases around the world are there at the request of the host nations. Perhaps you'd feel better if they hosted Russian air bases instead? We both know if the UK had nukes when bombs were falling on the island they would have used them.The US was the first to use them because they were the first (barely ahead of the nazis) to develop them. Or perhaps you would have preferred that the nazis got them first? You like to bash anything American when it's convenient. But you forget that it was America that bailed you out of two wars and will be the first nation you go to if shit hits the fan again. They had little choice in the matter. They were surrounded by a fleet of US warships. It was JFK's measured response to the crisis that saved your ass.

Or perhaps he opted to forgo sex and remain in Scotland for the snap election. he he

Since I assume that you've been to Cuba and speak from experience, you must know what you're talking about. But I'm inclined to think that Cuba treats all of its citizens well. Sixty years is a long time, I agree. However, the fact that Cuba allowed Russia to place nuclear-tipped missiles 90 miles off the coast of Key West might have played a role in the sanctions. It was about 78 years ago, with the Nazis amassing forces 26 miles off the UK coast, that the US sent hundreds of thousands of troops to your shores along with thousands of aircraft and ships to help repel them. A small matter I know. Just thought I'd mention it.

They're like the mamasans who know the perfect off before you can get "I'm looking for..." out of your mouth. LOL

I've used a few private hospitals in Bangkok as the need arose over the years and have received what I consider very good service and--in most cases--equal or superior to what I might expect to find at home. And at costs significantly less. I've also taken young men to these hospitals for out-patient care they couldn't otherwise afford. The only area of health care that concerns me is a tendency to over prescribe medications. All of the hospitals I've used have in-house pharmacies that are important profit centers so there is an incentive to to write script for those pharmacies. Thai doctors seem more accustomed to write prescriptions without explaining much about the medications to the patient. But since they all speak English will--if questioned--have a dialogue with you. A law passed last year requires hospitals to provide patients with a script that can be used at the pharmacy of their choice outside of the hospital where more competitive pricing can be found. You just have to ask. I've been very satisfied with the service and pricing at the pharmacies on Rama IV. They're clustered in the block between Silom and Surawong. They're located across the road from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (and medical school), considered one of the best in the Kingdom. The Chula Pharmacy is the only name I can recall at the moment. It's particularly busy around lunch time but handles the crowds efficiently.