reader

From Time Out magazine / CNN Time Out’s Best Cities for Food 2024 1. Naples, Italy 2. Johannesburg, South Africa 3. Lima, Peru 4. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 5. Beijing, China 6. Bangkok, Thailand 7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 8. Mumbai, India 9. Dubai, UAE 10. Portland, USA 11. Liverpool, UK 12. Medellín, Colombia 13. Seville, Spain 14. Porto, Portugal 15. Marrakech, Morocco 16. Lyon, France 17. Sydney, Australia 18. Montreal, Canada 19. Osaka, Japan 20. Copenhagen, Denmark https://edition.cnn.com/travel/time-out-best-food-cities-2024/index.html

Much more compelling question for Trump yet unanswered: Will orange make up artist be permitted to visit felon behind bars?

Deleted

Take the Saphan Kwai BTS EXIT 1 stairs and make a U-turn at bottom. walk until you come to first sub soi on right and enter soi.. A short distance past large cinema on your left, look for the shop on your right. The big building on your left is the infamous suck cinema (Phahon Yothin Rama) and at the very end of soi is the 39 Underground Sauna. I recognize some of the boys from photo arrays of other Saphan Kwai shops.

LINE me when you get settled.

I wouldn’t be eager to get discovered by Thai immigration to be using fake ticket. Especially if I was a frequent visitor. Going to Fake Bar ok. 😉

NOTE — I know VN national who worked several years in construction in Taiwan. He was treated well by employor but when eventually detained by police, treated very bad. Was not allowed to shower for ten days pending return home. Spent three days in Hanoi hospital, recuperating. . From Thai PBS World A Taiwanese employer is being held in police custody in Yilan County, in northeast Taiwan, on suspicion that he may have been involved in the death of a Thai illegal migrant worker, reported Taiwan’s Liberty Times. The Thai man went to Taiwan on a tourist visa, but worked illegally in Yilan until Tuesday. The Thai consular office in Taiwan sought local police help after the Thai man’s relatives in Thailand filed complaint with Thai police, reporting that they had been unable to contact him for quite some time. Yilan County police subsequently found the body of the Thai man near a cemetery and summoned the decedent’s Taiwanese employer for questioning. According to the English-language Taiwanese newspaper, the employer, identified only as “Mr. Lin”, initially denied knowing anything about the man’s death, but eventually admitted that he knew that he had died. He claimed that the Thai man was a heavy drinker and fell ill last week, adding that he did not see a doctor, but took over-the-counter medications. On Monday morning, the man’s Thai girlfriend found him lifeless in his room and alerted Lin. Lin claimed that he was afraid of legal action, for employing an undocumented worker, and convinced the girlfriend and two other Thai employees to dispose of the body near a cemetery. Police are attempting to determine the actual cause of death, according to Taiwanese media.

New hotels, the Croom and the Dusit Thani, will soon be entering the Silom market. Visitors have an abundance of offerings in every price range. Thailand remains a bargain compared to northeast Asia and the west.

From Pattaya News In a viral incident that has made international headlines and drove significant speculation and discussion online, a group of independent contracted guards brutally assaulted British tourists after a furious dispute over a bill on the bustling Soi 6 Pattaya over the past weekend. The attack raised serious concerns about safety and tarnished the family friendly image of the popular tourist destination, according to Pattaya Police. The altercation, which began as a dispute over a bill in a bar in which the victims appear to become aggressive and confrontational with bar staff and security, even with one foreign man shoving another customer out of the bar at one point who appeared to be trying to calm the situation down, escalated into physical violence, leaving the victims battered and bruised. The incident was captured on video, sparking outrage and condemnation. In particular, footage of one guard violently kicking a tourist in the head while already lying on the ground having been beaten, caused outrage and made headlines across the globe. The guard claimed the victim attacked him first, breaking his nose on the street, which started the fight. Some speculated that the man was seriously injured, in a coma, or deceased, but none of that was correct as the victim told Pattaya Police today he had managed to walk away mostly uninjured from the incident and return to his hotel. In fact, the man involved said he even went back out drinking the same night on Walking Street. Pol. Col. Navin Teerawit, Chief of the Pattaya City Police Station, has personally spearheaded the investigation. The police quickly detained the perpetrators who subsequently apologized for their actions but Pattaya police had needed testimony from the victims to move forward with legal action and have spent the past several days looking for them and encouraging them online through PR statements to come and meet with police to make formal legal complaints.

From The Thaiger A 58 year old British man was found dead in his condo bathroom in Sattahip, Chon Buri on May 27. Sattahip police responded to a report of a suspected suicide at a luxury condominium behind Bang Saray Market. Upon entering the third-floor room, police discovered the man, identified by police as Michael Devalle, dead in the bathroom. He appeared to have hanged himself using a belt. Police estimated that he might have passed away around 10 hours earlier, with no signs of physical violence observed on his body. The body was transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital in Bangkok for a full autopsy. Police Lieutenant Colonel Pattanann Somnuan, the investigating officer at the Sattahip Police Station, reported that Devalle had been involved in an argument with his Thai girlfriend earlier that day. The girlfriend reportedly left the condominium around 3am.

From The Nation The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday released a list of 93 nations whose citizens can enter Thailand without a visa or obtain a visa on arrival and can stay for up to 60 days. In a move to boost tourism and bring tourist dollars into the country, the Cabinet agreed on Tuesday to waive visa measures for a total of 93 countries. This list includes the 57 nations whose citizens were allowed to stay in Thailand for 30 days without a visa, 13 nations for whom the visa requirement was recently waived and an additional six nations whose citizens will be allowed to stay here without a visa for 60 days. The 57 nations who were already enjoying a visa waiver and can now get a 60-day stamp on arrival are: 1. Canada 2. Czech Republic 3. Denmark 4. Estonia 5. Finland 6. France 7. Germany 8. Greece 9. Hungary 10. Iceland 11. Indonesia 12. Republic of Ireland 13. Israel 14. Italy 15. Japan 16. Kuwait 17. Latvia 18. Lichtenstein 19. Lithuania 20. Luxembourg 21. Malaysia 22. Maldives 23. Mauritius 24. Monaco 25. The Netherlands 26. New Zealand 27. Norway 28. Oman 29. The Philippines 30. Poland 31. Portugal 32. Qatar 33. San Marino 34. Singapore 35. Slovakia 36. Slovenia 37. Spain 38. South Africa 39. South Korea 40. Sweden 41. Switzerland 42. Turkey 43. Ukraine 44. United Arab Emirates 45. United Kingdom 46. United States 47. Peru 48. Hong Kong 49. Vietnam 50. Saudi Arabia 51. Andorra 52. Australia 53. Austria 54. Belgium 55. Bahrain 56. Brazil 57. BruneI The 13 nations whose citizens were already getting a 30-day stamp upon arrival and will now be getting a 60-day stamp: 1. India 2. Kazakhstan 3. Malta 4. Mexico 5. Papua New Guinea 6. Romania 7. Uzbekistan 8. Taiwan 9. Bhutan 10. Bulgaria 11. Cyprus 12. Fiji 13. Georgia The six new nations whose citizens now enjoy a visa waiver and a 60-day stay are: 1. China 2. Laos 3. Macau 4. Mongolia 5. Russia 6. Cambodia The 17 new nations that are now eligible for visa on arrival and will get a 60-day stamp are: 1. Guatemala 2. Jamaica 3. Jordan 4. Kosovo 5. Morocco 6. Panama 7. Sri Lanka 8. Trinidad and Tobago 9. Tonga 10. Uruguay 11. Albania 12. Colombia 13. Croatia 14. Cuba 15. Dominica 16. Dominican Republic 17. Ecuador

Talked with manager who was standing across from bar. Says he hopes to get OK to open soon. Also talked with few guys outside 7-Eleven who said maybe few days.

In what city was the Airbnb?

In a manner of speaking 😀 Avarin was the shop. Regrettably, the others hardly noticed.

The mainstream Thai media appears to have been caught completely off guard by the announcement and is beginning to play catch up. This was just posted on Thai PBS World. The Cabinet has decided to exempt pre-travel visa requirements for tourists from 36 more countries, in addition to the current 57, in an effort to attract more tourist arrivals to boost the Thai economy. Government Spokesman Chai Wacharonke said that tourists from the 93 countries can stay in Thailand for up to 60 days instead of 30 days as before. Moreover there would now be 31 countries which can now apply for Visa on Arrival, at the immigration counter at their point of entry. He said the government has also granted the “Destination Thailand Visa” to skilled foreigners and freelancers who want to work from Thailand, allowing them to stay for up to 180 days, with an extension of 180 days. Under-graduate students at Thai universities can stay in the country for one year following their graduation, so they can find jobs, travel or undertake other activities.

From The Nation Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted on charges of lese majeste (royal defamation) and computer crime, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said on Wednesday. Attorney General Amnart Jetcharoenrak issued an order to indict Thaksin on both charges on Monday, OAG spokesman Prayut Phetkhun said. The charges stem from an interview Thaksin gave in South Korea in November 2009. However, the filing of charges in court was today postponed after Thaksin’s lawyer submitted a medical certificate showing his client had contracted COVID-19 and had been advised by a doctor to rest for seven days. The lawyer asked for the indictment hearing to be postponed to June 25. After considering the request, the prosecutor granted the postponement and ordered Thaksin to appear at an indictment hearing on June 18. “Currently, Thaksin is a suspect, which will change to a defendant once the court accepts the case,” the spokesman said. Police allege Thaksin committed lese majeste in an interview with Time magazine on November 9, 2009. In 2015, the Army filed a police complaint over the interview. In 2016, the AOG decided there was enough evidence to prosecute Thaksin and issued an arrest warrant. The statute of limitations for the offence is 15 years, starting from 2015. Thaksin had requested fair treatment in the case after returning from self-exile in August last year, prompting the Office of the Attorney General to investigate again. Thaksin is currently on parole after serving six months of a one-year jail sentence, commuted from eight years, for abuse of power during his tenure as prime minister from 2001 to 2006.

Ended up giving him 1200 in keeping with my belief very good service should be rewarded with a few extra red notes. Yes, Surawong shop.

I was asked (via Google translate) for 2K during a massage at a Surawong shop last week. My reaction was to get up from the table and begin reaching for clothes. Guy quickly punched in 1k on screen. They’re playing the odds. They figure a certain few with agree. Five years ago their predecessors would have asked, “you come to Bangkok before? (Or something like that) before going for the big money. In this case, the guy went on to put in a good, cheerful performance. I actually might take him again. I’m a big believer in staying with the winners. I agree, however, a purely greedy one is off putting.

Two things come to mind. first, I think we want to pay them in line with service rendered. And in Soi 6, where the guys are in the shops for 10+ hours a day, it’s their full-time job. In S K, it’s on call. We get to know the guys on 6 on a more personal basis and more likely to tip well. Second, guys on 6 can’t count on any minimum and their tips vary widely. I was getting leg massage one night last week. There were two customers from China in the chairs on either side of me. I tipped 1000 while the two other customers tipped 100 and zero. Go figure.

Although I’ve never availed myself of the shop’s offerings, have to admit three guys in today’s LINE feed caught my eye: Mike, Golf and Karun.

I always look upon ATM with apprehension. Banks impose unreasonable additional fees and there’s always the tricky question to navigate about “dynamic” conversion method (actually a scam to give you least favorable exchange rate).

In shops with minimum tips (800-1,000 range), I rarely get asked how much for climax. It’s generally understood by all that the tip is inclusive. I typically give an extra few hundred baht for exceptional performance, especially if I intend to repeat with same guy. in shops with no minimum, I tip in the same range.

From Pattaya Mail Following a survey which specified the legal concerns of many longstay foreigners, Pattaya Mail invited experienced attorney at law Peerasan Wongsri (Victor) with offices on Thepprasit Road to comment on some of the issues. Personal income tax. Peerasan pointed out that no new law had been introduced last January. Income brought into Thailand from abroad by Thai nationals or by foreign tax residents had always been subject to tax, but only if it arrived here in the year it was earned or received. The clarification now is that the cash is subject to Thai income tax, no matter if brought here in a different year. The Revenue Department is looking for untaxed income on businesses abroad, offshore accounts, property profits and the like. As regards retirees who live here on already-taxed income, such as pensions, Peerasan believed they had nothing to fear. He stressed that even those who had untaxed foreign income to declare should pay it retrospectively in the first three months of 2025. TIN, or a tax identification number, as well as forms are available from the Revenue, but he advised foreign tax residents (residing here more than 180 days in a full calendar year) who live on already-taxed income to await further clarification. He also noted that it was very difficult for the Revenue to know which foreigners are in residence here more than 180 days unless they voluntarily declare. Divorce proceedings. The lawyer said that Thai law was very fair to both parties when a contested divorce is before the youth and family courts. The judges will ask if there was a pre-nuptial agreement and Peerasan recommended that route prior to the marriage. Any property bought during the marriage had to be divided equally, but prior assets are a different matter. For example, a Thai wife could ask the court to give her compensation or a living fund. But the foreign husband can contest this if he has evidence of abusive behaviour or if he feels that the wife has taken unfair advantage. He quoted a recent case in which the foreign husband did not have to provide any supplementary financial support because of feckless behaviour by the wife during the period of the marriage. Peerasan pointed out that it is expected that a new law will allow same sex marriage – the precise term in Thai is lifelong relationship – but the settlement rules in law for a divorce will be discharged as in a heterosexual marriage. Same sex couples are expected to have the same rights and responsibilities as in a traditional marriage, for example adoption and pensions. But he advised foreigners intending to marry a Thai partner, of either sex, to take legal advice prior to making the formal bond – just in case it doesn’t work out. Thailand will be the third country in Asia, after Nepal and Taiwan, to recognize single sex unions in the legislative process. Peerasan Wongsri (Victor) – Victor Law Pattaya – Tel: 062 879 5414 Email: victorlawpattaya@gmail.com

While I believe most New Yorkers favored Fire Island, more than a few found their way to P-town for vacations. For years there was a meat rack of sorts under the deck of a popular Commercial st. club (the Bostslip, famous for its late afternoon tea dance) that drew a lot of horny guys on evenings at low tide. The dunes were known for public displays of affection and performance.