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From MSN A few months ago, Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) received tentative approval to dramatically expand its flight schedule at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport next year. As expected, the airline is taking this opportunity to consolidate all of its Tokyo flights at Haneda, the airport closest to the city center. Last week, Delta confirmed that it plans to shut down its hub at Narita International Airport after more than four decades of service. As part of this restructuring, Delta will stop flying to Singapore as of Sept. 22. From then on, it will rely on joint venture partner Korean Air for getting customers to Singapore. These moves should drive strong unit revenue growth for Delta Air Lines in Asia next year. However, beginning in late March of 2020, U.S. airlines will be permitted to operate up to 18 daily round trips at Haneda Airport, three times the number of flights allowed today. Delta Air Lines received 5 of the 12 extra available route authorities, largely because its lack of a joint venture partner in Japan has put it at a disadvantage there. This will allow it to shift all of its flights between Tokyo and the U.S. to Haneda Airport. Delta's flights from Narita Airport to Singapore and Manila have become collateral damage from its move to consolidate Tokyo operations at Haneda Airport. The carrier doesn't have the slots it would need to fly to those destinations from Haneda. Somewhat surprisingly, Delta plans to keep flying to Manila, with new one-stop service from the U.S. via Seoul's Incheon Airport. It will end service to Singapore, though. That will be the second major Asian business destination to lose Delta service in the span of a year. The airline stopped flying to Hong Kong last fall. However, Delta Air Lines will likely resume service on its own aircraft to Singapore and Hong Kong before too long. A new international arrivals facility in Seattle is set to open next fall, with room to process 2,600 passengers per hour, up from the current facility's design capacity of 1,200 passengers per hour. That will enable Delta to resume its international growth in Seattle. Skeptics might point out that Delta dropped its Seattle-Hong Kong flights last year due to underperformance. However, as the carrier expands its domestic capacity in Seattle over time, its international routes will be able to draw on more connecting traffic. Moreover, Delta's new, state-of-the-art wide-bodies have lower unit costs than the planes it used to operate on routes to Asia. They are also equipped with premium economy sections and have personal suites in the business-class cabin, supporting higher unit-revenue production. https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/delta-is-dropping-singapore-flights-as-it-pursues-a-new-asia-strategy/ar-AAFr4Kv

From Reuters LOPBURI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thousands are flocking to see a Buddhist temple in central Thailand exposed after drought drove water levels to record lows in a dam reservoir where it had been submerged. As the reservoir reaches less than 3% of capacity, the remains of Wat Nong Bua Yai, a modern temple submerged during construction of the dam 20 years ago, have became visible in the middle of dry ground. Some Buddhist monks were among the hundreds of people who walked through broken temple structures on cracked earth littered with dead fish last week to pay respects to a headless 4-metre (13-feet) -tall Buddha statue, adorning it with flowers. "The temple is normally covered by water. In the rainy season you don't see anything," said one of the visitors, Somchai Ornchawiang, a 67-year-old retired teacher. He regretted the temple flooding but is now worried about the damage the drought is causing to farmland, he added. The dam, with capacity of 960 million cubic meters, normally irrigates more than 1.3 million acres (526,000 hectares)of farmland in four provinces, but drought has cut that to just 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) in the single province of Lopburi. The meteorological department says Thailand is facing its worst drought in a decade, with water levels in dams nationwide having fallen far short of the monthly average. Continues at https://news.yahoo.com/drought-reveals-lost-temple-thailand-003158324.html

From the Bangkok Post Known for decades among tourists worldwide as "fun, wild and rowdy", Khao San Road, which is set to have a major makeover, has never enjoyed the status of being a "real" walking street. This, however, is about to change. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will spend 48.8 million baht to give a 400 metre stretch of the road a major facelift with the intention of lifting transforming this popular backpacking hub into an international walking street. The revamp is expected to start this October and finish in February. The project has been welcomed by all stakeholders. Of course, Khao San is known as a tourism magnet, but its unique vibe is also an attraction for local residents. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1724247/cleaning-up-khao-san#cxrecs_s

From the Bangkok Post More acceptable in Thai society Transsexual people have become more acceptable in Thai society, according to an opinion survey released on Sunday by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. The poll was conducted on July 30-31 on 1,259 people aged 15 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country to gauge their attitudes to transgender people on various issues including their demand to change their title and for an additional box to tick their alternative genders in officials documents. Asked whether it would be acceptable to them if their friends or colleagues at workplaces are transsexuals, a huge majority - or 90.15% - said "yes", reasoning that people should be judged by their ability and conduct, not their sexual preference; 7.78% said "no", saying they are not acceptable to them; and 2.07% were uncertain or had no comment. In a 2015 survey, the percentage of acceptance was 88.72. Asked how they would react if a member of their family is transgender, 86.81% said he or she would be acceptable to them; 11.44% said he or she would not be acceptable to them; and 1.75% were uncertain or had no comment. In the 2015 survey, the percentage of acceptance was 79.92. On a proposal for transgender people to be allowed to change their name title, 54.49% said they agreed with it; 36.53% disagreed, saying that confusion could reign in the process of identifying people when they contact government offices; and 8.98% were uncertain or had no comment. In the 2015 survey, only 39.44% agreed that they should be allowed to change their title. Lastly, when asked if a box for transgender people to tick should be added into all kinds of government documents to be filled in, 65.69% said they agreed; 26.92% disagreed, saying that they should identify their original sex at birth; and 7.39% were uncertain or had no comment. The percentage of agreement was 59.36 in the 2015 survey. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1724423/transsexuals-more-acceptable-in-thai-society-nida-poll

I recently posted an article about the declining birth rate in Thailand and some other Asian countries. In Japan, however, there's a movement afoot that goes a step beyond, leaving me wondering where the next generation of Japanese young men are going to come from. From the NY Times TOKYO — The bride wore a birthday cake of a dress, with a scalloped-edge bodice and a large hoop skirt. A veil sprouted from her black bob. Moments before the wedding began, she stood quietly on a staircase, waiting to descend to the ceremony. “Wow,” she thought. “I’m really doing this.” This was no conventional wedding to join two people in matrimony. Instead, a group of nearly 30 friends gathered in a banquet room in one of Tokyo’s most fashionable districts last year to witness Sanae Hanaoka, 31, as she performed a public declaration of her love — for her single self. “I wanted to figure out how to live on my own,” Ms. Hanaoka told the group, standing alone on a stage as she thanked them for attending her solo wedding. “I want to rely on my own strength.” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/world/asia/japan-single-women-marriage.html

Japan-based chat app operator Line has announced it is set to launch an online grocery service in Thailand by the end of 2019. The service – Line Man Grocery – will allow customers to have food and other items delivered home. In addition, the company is launching Line Shopping, a platform that connects buyers and sellers via chat. The move comes as the company is aiming to expand its on-demand services in the country, taking on ride-hailing leaders Grab and Go-Jek. Line already has an app that delivers goods from convenience stores and other vendors, and this new offering will allow it to compete against supermarkets and other brick-and-mortar retailers. Line has recently introduced a taxi hailing and meal delivery service in Bangkok and three surrounding provinces, with plans to expand into other major cities such as Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai by 2020. https://www.thepaypers.com/ecommerce/line-to-bring-online-grocery-service-to-thailand/779959-25#

From the Bangkok Post Dean & DeLuca, the debt-ridden Thai-owned chain of luxury food shops, has defaulted on government-mandated payments to former employees and stalled payments to current employees in the United States, according to accounts from employees and documents received by The New York Times. The parent company, Pace Development in Bangkok, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1723915/dean-deluca-wont-pay-laid-off-us-staff

From Channel News Asia Two suspects arrested after bomb blasts BANGKOK: Two men from Thailand's insurgency-hit "Deep South" have been arrested in connection to the bomb attacks in Bangkok on Friday (Aug 2), which left four people injured. The attacks happened as Bangkok hosted a regional security meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from world powers including the United States, China and Russia. None of the blasts on Friday were in the immediate area of the meeting venue. Thailand - which has a grim history of political violence and is fighting a long-running rebellion in the Muslim-majority south - remains deeply divided after a controversial March election returned military chief Prayut Chan-o-cha to power as the kingdom's first civilian prime minister since the 2014 coup he led. Mr Prayut told reporters: "there were nine successful or attempted explosions... we haven't ruled out any motives." Two men from the far south were arrested after wires and ball bearings were found in an inactive device outside Thai police headquarters late Thursday, in what police said was a linked incident. Police chief Jakthip Chaijinda confirmed the men came the Muslim-majority area bordering Malaysia, which is in the grip of a 15-year insurgency. But he said it was "too early" to clearly tie them with the rebellion. Any connection to the insurgency will cause deep alarm in Bangkok, which has failed to win peace in a conflict which has left more than 7,000 dead. Continues at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/two-suspects-arrested-bomb-attacks-bangkok-asean-summit-11776778

Second-hand 380's are widely available at deep discounts because the only alternative is the tear-down value. The biggest thing used 380's have going for them is that they're immediately available while Boeing and Airbus are well backlogged with firm orders for new models of the 330, 777, 787 and 350. Although not often discussed is the huge investment airports world wide made in installing special gates especially for the 380. Many airports had to widen taxiways and reinforce taxiways and aprons to accommodate the aircraft. Air France may well be reconsidering the refurbishing in light of what Paulsf just posted. I find this Wikipedia commentary on the super heavy (the descriptor pilots must use when talking with controllers) of interest: In February 2019, Airbus announced it will end the A380 production by 2021, after its main customer, Emirates, agreed to drop an order for 39 of the aircraft, replacing it with 40 A330-900s and 30 A350-900s......Airbus would have needed more than $90 million from the price of each aircraft to cover the estimated ~$25 billion development cost of the programme. However, the $445 million price tag of each aircraft was not sufficient to even cover the production cost, so with Airbus losing money on each A380, and orders evaporating, it makes economic sense to shut down production. One reason that the A380 did not achieve commercial viability for Airbus has been attributed to its extremely large capacity being optimised for a hub-and-spoke system, which was projected by Airbus to be thriving when the programme was conceived. However, airlines underwent a fundamental transition to a point-to-point system, which gets customers to their destination in one flight instead of two or three. The massive scale of the A380 design was able to achieve a very low cost for passenger seat-distance, but efficiency here within the hub-and-spoke paradigm was not able to overcome the efficiency of fewer flights required in the point-to-point system. Consequently, the orders for VLAs (very large aircraft with more than 400 seats) slowed in the mid-2010s, as widebody twin jets now offer similar range and greater fuel efficiency, giving airlines more flexibility at a lower upfront cost

I don't think the new A321XLR will be spotted all that often at BKK. It's much more likely to be seen as niche type more suitable for trans-Atlantic use. Because of its range, it could open up new routes between secondary American cities and the Euro zone. It may also be well suited for Euro-mideast traffic. When it comes to aircraft types, I give preference to the A350 and 787 if for no other reason that the improved cabin pressure and comfortable size. Having flown the 380 a few times, I've learned to avoid it because it's simply too many souls in a single tube. And it's already obsolete. The 777 remains the primary long-haul workhorse of the majority of carriers. I'd never hesitate to fly it. It's the ideal size for those 10+ hour flights.

Echoes of the bombing of the Erawan Shrine four year ago this month.

The topic comes up from time to time and usually generates comments from both ends of the spectrum from committed butterflies to those in LTR's. Dodger, well known to members of all boards, has posted an impressive account of his first LTR on Gaybutton's site. What distinguishes it IMO is his honesty and openness. Regardless of where individual members fall on the spectrum, I believe that you'll be glad you read it. "I just returned from my first visit to my deceased boyfriend’s village since his death 7 years ago. I had been prolonging this visit for all these years for no other reason than to avoid sorrow, which, admittedly, is selfish on my behalf. Thep and I had spent two years building a house with the intentions that the lower level would be for his mother, sister, and two younger brothers to live, and upper level for us. The house is located in a small village 7 klms from the town of Kantharalak which sits on the Thai/Cambodian border. Just days after the house was completed, the monks were summoned to perform the house blessing ceremony, followed, almost immediately, by my departure to the U.S. to continue working. Unfortunately, Thep and I never had the chance to spend a night together in the house." Continues at https://gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9887&start=70

Excerpted from Wikipedia Booking Holdings Inc. is a company organized in Delaware and based in Norwalk, Connecticut, that owns and operates several travel fare aggregators and travel fare metasearch engines including namesake and flagship Booking.com, Priceline.com, Agoda.com, Kayak.com, Cheapflights, Rentalcars.com, Momondo, and OpenTable. It operates websites in about 40 languages and 200 countries. In 2017, 89% of its gross profit was made outside the United States – most of which used Booking.com. Acquisitions 1 2004 Major stakes in Travelweb and Active Hotels 2 2005 Booking.com 3 2007 Agoda.com 4 2010 TravelJigsaw / Rentalcars.com 5 2013 Kayak.com 6 2014 OpenTable 7 2014 Buuteeq and Hotel Ninjas 8 2015 Rocketmiles 9 2017 Momondo and Cheapflights 10 2017 Mundi 11 2018 FareHarbor 12 2018 Minority stake in DiDi 13 2018 HotelsCombined 14 2019 Venga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booking_Holdings#Acquisitions ============================================================= Expedia Group is an American global travel technology company.[3] Its websites, which are primarily travel fare aggregators and travel metasearch engines, include CarRentals.com, CheapTickets, Expedia.com, HomeAway, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, trivago, and Venere.com. Acquisitions March 17, 2000 Travelscape March 17, 2001 Vacationspot March 11, 2002 Classic Custom Vacations July 11, 2002 Metropolitan Travel October 28, 2002 Newtrade Technologies April 5, 2004 Activity World April 12, 2004 Egencia July 15, 2008 Venere.com October 18, 2010 Mobiata April 27, 2012 VIA Travel March 12, 2013 trivago GmbH July 6, 2014 Wotif January 23, 2015 Travelocity September 17, 2015 Orbitz November 4, 2015 HomeAway October 25, 2018 Pillow October 25, 2018 ApartmentJet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedia_Group

Excerpted from CNN Travel (CNN) — Boarding a long-distance flight today, travelers are accustomed to big jets with roomy cabins, two aisles and space to walk around. But the future of flying is going to look a lot more like the dawn of the Jet Age 60 years ago, when aircraft were considerably smaller. Airbus is betting that this is how we'll travel in the future. Its A320 family has evolved over the last 30 years, adding bigger and smaller models capable of crossing continents. Airbus has incrementally improved the A321 -- the largest of its one-aisle aircraft -- since it first flew in 1993. In 2013 it added "Sharklets" (what Airbus calls its winglets), new engines in 2016 and extra fuel tanks in 2018. Extra Long Range This summer's Paris Air Show saw the launch of the Airbus A321XLR, the latest in the line. The "XLR" stands for "Extra Long Range." In a 175 to 200 passenger, three-class layout with business-class lie-flat seats, premium economy and economy cabins, the XLR will be able to range out as far as 4,700 nautical miles, or 8,700 kilometers. At the plane's maximum 244-seat passenger capacity, the range drops to 4,000 nautical miles, or 7,400 kilometers. The XLR will be able to link cities like Rome and New York, London and Delhi, and Tokyo and Sydney. These extended international journeys are reminiscent of the start of global jet travel. "I think we are really in a 'Back to the Future' moment here," says Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst and founder of Atmosphere Research Group. In the late 1950s, travelers marveled at the speed and comfort of the early Douglas DC-8s and Boeing 707s. Those pioneering jetliners ushered in a new era in international travel, although sometimes the planes couldn't quite reach their destinations without a mid-route refueling stop. Douglas and Boeing quickly began improving the planes' range, and it wasn't long before passengers had non-stop service between distant cities, including ocean-spanning hops. American Airlines has chosen the A321XLR to replace its aging 757s, with 50 of the new Airbus jetliners on order. "The A321XLR is exceptionally versatile, and I think that's the key piece for the airlines," says Jeff Knittel, chairman and CEO, Airbus Americas, in an interview with CNN Travel. "What the XLR does is it gives [airlines] a broader set of alternatives to use the airplane. This is more of an expansion of the single-aisle capabilities than anything else. It's not a replacement of wide-body aircraft." Thanks to the efficiency and flexibility of the XLR, Knittel explained that airlines will be able to schedule the plane on a short connecting flight, say Miami to New York, and then fly to Paris on its next flight. To reach distant destinations, the A321XLR will be equipped with a newly designed rear center fuel tank, located in the fuselage behind the wing. The plane's landing gear has been beefed up to handle the extra weight of the fuel, with the plane's overall takeoff weight increased compared to other A321 models. Airbus has experience making the longest trips on Earth with its bigger A350ULR ultra-long-range jetliner, which is now flying for Singapore Airlines on routes such as Singapore to New York, a 19-hour plus airborne marathon. According to Knittel, that experience has been applied to the A321XLR. "We've used all of the talents of Airbus to come together on the XLR and really optimize the airplane from a passenger experience perspective. The airplane in terms of systems has been optimized for longer-range flights for up to 10-hour flights, whether it's [lavatory] holding tanks, water storage or trash," he says. The XLR will be equipped with the latest Airspace by Airbus interior fittings, including re-contoured sidewalls, programmable LED-lighting and larger overhead luggage bins, that Knittel said are "about 40% bigger in volume" than previous designs. But no matter what airlines do to optimize the in-cabin passenger experience, they can't speed up the plane -- the A321XLR cruises at a lower airspeed than its wide-body cousins. For example, a westbound flight from Paris to Boston could take up to 50 minutes longer in an XLR than an A350. "I think passengers will look more at departure time, price and on-board amenities. And to be very honest, there's so many other factors that go into a flight's total travel time," says Harteveldt. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/airbus-a321xlr-extra-long-range/index.html

A friend tells me that Bangkok Massage in now open for business and that there were about 10 guys outside the shop Wednesday night.

If you're paying with baht on the BTS or MRT, and will be returning from the same station as your destination, purchase your return tickets before you leave your destination station. Queues at the ticket machines tend to clog up at rush hour and on weekend afternoons.

Asiatique (best early evening) Terminal 21 Top of the MahaNakhon Building (best as dusk)

From the Los Angeles Times BANGKOK, Thailand — In a boxing ring under a highway bridge, 14-year-old Pheeranut Saleephol bounced between the ropes, his lean frame glazed with sweat. The sound of punches and kicks slamming into sinewy flesh mingled with the noises of the Bangkok street. Thwap. A car honked. Thwap. A bus belched. Thwap. Pheeranut absorbed the blows of a sparring partner who had two years and about 10 pounds on him. “Keep your left hand up,” Tapanat Thaisamran, the man who raised him, shouted from outside the ring. “Protect your chin.” “Face him squarely.” Three weeks ahead of his next bout, on a prime stage that could propel him further into the ranks of Thailand’s top young fighters, Pheeranut was even more focused than usual. Suddenly, he whipped his right leg forward and delivered a kick to the bigger boy’s jaw, sending him tumbling to the mat. Tapanat smiled. A trim 65-year-old with a gray buzzcut, he had been a teenage boxer himself, back in the 1960s, with a brawler’s style that suited his compact physique. “I won more than I lost,” is how he summed up his career in Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, known as the “art of eight limbs” because fighters strike with their fists, elbows, knees and feet. It has become a global fitness craze and a lucrative TV sport, but Muay Thai remains steeped in tradition, a font of dreams for hundreds of thousands of child fighters — many of whom enter professional rings well before they reach puberty. Pheeranut was 11 when he first arrived at the Pathum Wan Sports Club on the back of Tapanat’s motorcycle, wearing a too-big helmet that made him look a bit like a lollipop. The coaches looked askance at the skinny, asthmatic boy who spoke little and smiled less. “He’s small,” Tapanat told them, “but he has a big heart.” Continues at https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-thailand-muay-thai-child-boxer-2019-story.html

The oddity can be explained by the use of "yield management" (aka: yield control), a practice that has been in universal use in the hotel and airline industries for decades. The objective is to fill all seats on an a flight and all rooms in a hotel by attracting buyers at different price points.The discretionary buyer (most of us) can purchase tickets or reserve rooms well in advance so we get a good price. It solves the seller's need for cash flow and our need for a what we perceive as a bargain. But hotels in particular need to reach the widest audience and they are willing to pay third-party brokers (i.e., Agoda, Expedia) to list their availability. The brokers realize a commission (up to 20%) for finding buyers and handling the transaction. The price for the room or the airline ticket will fluctuate daily, even hourly as the management software attempts to keep attracting buyers. In addition, hotels grant certain categories of buyers (i.e., seniors, auto club members, locals) discounts off the rack rate. In addition to these practices, both hotels and airlines use consolidators who sell more deeply discounted rooms and seats without disclosing the name of the hotel or airline until the purchase is made. This article from Wikipedia sums it up fairly well: Yield management is a variable pricing strategy, based on understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue or profits from a fixed, time-limited resource (such as airline seats or hotel room reservations or advertising inventory). As a specific, inventory-focused branch of revenue management, yield management involves strategic control of inventory to sell the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price. This process can result in price discrimination, in which customers consuming identical goods or services are charged different prices. Yield management is a large revenue generator for several major industries; Robert Crandall, former Chairman and CEO of American Airlines, gave yield management its name and has called it "the single most important technical development in transportation management since we entered deregulation.

Many--if not most--Bangkok hotels will offer discounts to locals although not many publicize it. Thais know it can be commonly obtained by simply asking. I don't think it has anything to do with worthiness and I don't begrudge those who receive it.

It's one thing to be engaged by a tout outside the venue he represents. Some are informative, entertaining and they'll never forget your face. But letting a tout take you off the soi is not a journey that will end well. Count yourself lucky that you lost no more than you did. But it's a lesson that will serve you well in the future.

They may not represent the reason why most members travel to Bangkok but they're an intricate part of the local gay scene. They delight the largely Asian audiences from every show bar from Soi 4 to Patpong and even in Moonlight. This article explores their achievements in finding their place in LGBT communities and the discrimination that complicates their lives. From the Bangkok Post What is it like to be a transgender person in Thailand, a nation that seems to be friendly to the LGBTI population? Each person would probably reply differently depending on personal experiences they've had navigating their daily lives. But there remains a common theme of discrimination and prejudice -- found both at a personal and legal level -- that all of them face regardless of where or who they are in this society. This month, the movement for transgender legal recognition took a leap forward when a group of transgender women led by Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, CEO of JKN Global Media, introduced their newly-founded Life Inspired For Transsexuals (Lift) Foundation to advocate for an inclusive society free of gender-based barriers and to support legal gender recognition of transgender people. Representatives of the group visited parliament last Thursday to push for a bill that would allow transgender people to change their title after they undergo sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Society is somewhat against the idea, with illogical reasoning to back their argument. Some fear criminals would take advantage of the law to change themselves and avoid paying for their crimes. They somehow fail to acknowledge that, if this were the case, it's way easier and more sensible to change one's name and get the surgery done to their face, not genitals. Others fear transgender women will take this opportunity to fool men into marrying them. A lot of the ideas are born from stigma, as well as the lack of understanding on the lengthy process of SRS, which takes both counselling with psychologists and medical professionals for hormone replacement therapy and surgery. It is certainly not something that can be achieved overnight, and unfortunately not by everyone due to financial and health limitations. These limitations also raised concerns that pushing for title change only after undergoing SRS can be problematic for many who can't afford it for various reasons. Does physical appearance trump how a person identifies themselves? Also, with no legal recognition or title change allowed, Thai transgender people continue to face problems in different areas from receiving healthcare to travelling abroad. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1720675/the-right-to-title-change

From the Bangkok Post Free travel on Blue Line extension The Blue Line train is offering free travel between the five new stations during a two-month trial run that started on Monday. Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob on Monday said commuters can ride free of charge on the section between Wat Mangkorn and Tha Phra until Sept 28. The other three stations on the route are Sam Yod, Sanam Chai and Israphab. Sanam Chai is delicately decorated to be one of the most beautiful subway stations in the country. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1720871/free-travel-on-blue-line-extension

From the Bangkok Post The Transport Ministry is considering piloting a 15 baht flat-rate fare, which is estimated to require at least 700 million baht in subsidies per year, on three electric train routes, according to two service operators. The Tao Pun-Bang Yai section of the Purple Line and the Airport Rail Link are most likely to be picked for the pilot phase of the ministry's policy to cut the cost of travelling by electric train, said Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas. "These two routes are operated by the government and do not have legally binding agreements with any private parties," he said. The government already subsidises the Purple Line at a cost of about 1 billion baht a year, according to Mr Pakapong. Another route that is seen as suitable for piloting a flat rate fare is the Red Line's Bang Sue-Rangsit section which is due to begin operating by 2021, according to Mr Suthep. The Airport Rail Link carries about 90,000 passengers per day while the Purple Line serves about 50,000 per day, according to the ministry, while the Red Line is expected to have between 70,000 and 100,000 passengers per day. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1720575/transport-ministry-mulls-b15-flat-rate-on-three-train-routes

From South China Morning Post Gay Chinese find a place to be themselves on ‘Rainbow Cruise’ to Vietnam Workshops, talks and advice on LGBT issues are on offer during five-day return journey from Shenzhen to Da Nang With more than 1,000 gay Chinese and their families on board the ship, it’s also a place for some to come out On the deck of a cruise ship in southern China, two grey-haired men stood in silence, shoulders touching, looking out to sea, as other passengers bustled on board and settled in for the journey to Vietnam. Among them was Yang Yong, a 35-year-old banker who boarded the Costa Atlantica with his elderly parents. He told them he got a cheap deal – his mother was pleased, but his father was less enthusiastic. For Yang, it was important that they join him, so he did not say much about the trip. They thought it was just a family holiday. Aged in their 70s, Yang’s parents had been worried about their unmarried son, even arranging blind dates for him in the hope he would meet someone and settle down. Sitting with them after breakfast on the second day, Yang dropped the bombshell. “I want you to know, this will have an impact on our lives,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I thought about not telling you, but I want us all to live together in the future, so I have to say it.” His mother asked if he was ill. His father asked if he was attracted to men. They were on the “Rainbow Cruise” from Shenzhen to Da Nang, along with more than 1,000 gay Chinese and their families. During the five-day return voyage, they could attend workshops, talks and activities including speed dating on board the cruise ship, and get support and advice on LGBT issues. It was also a place for some, like Yang, to come out. In its third year, the annual event in June was organised by PFLAG China, an NGO based in Guangzhou that supports the LGBT community, their parents and friends. It is held on a cruise ship because it is difficult to find a venue for a mass LGBT event in mainland China, where homosexuality is not openly discussed. It was illegal until 1997 and was removed from an official list of mental disorders only in 2001. Attitudes towards homosexuality remain generally closed in Chinese society, in part due to a traditional Confucian emphasis on marriage and having children. Although the LGBT community is estimated at 70 million people and vibrant gay scenes do exist in the mainland’s large cities, for many it is a struggle to be accepted by their families and society. Stories are rife of people being forced to have so-called conversion therapy or entering into sham marriages. The theme for this year’s cruise was “Be yourself, discover a brand new world”. For Yang, it was inconceivable that he could “be himself” when he was younger, a time when he felt ashamed of being gay and wanted to keep it a secret. But that all changed after he moved to Guangzhou for work eight years ago and came across PFLAG China. Continues at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3020289/gay-chinese-find-place-be-themselves-rainbow-cruise-vietnam