Gaybutton

Based on the following article, I'm thinking that Don Muang Airport will be somewhat similar to the famous Chatuchak market. I hope it is. It will be a lot more pleasant shopping at wholesale prices in air conditioned comfort than at Chatuchak. At Chatuchak, unless you are there early in the day it can get mighty hot, especially when browsing through the indoor areas. Here is the article: _______ Commerce Ministry to Develop Don Muang Airport into Wholesale Market BANGKOK, Aug 8 (TNA) The Commerce Ministry is set to come up with a plan to develop a certain section of the outbound passenger building of the Don Muang International Airport into the international wholesale market. Siripol Yodmuangcharoen, Director-General of the Internal Trade Department, said he and Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana would propose the plan with Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak when he returned from a trip to the United States next week. Initially, he expected, the wholesale market would require a total area of at least 40,000 square meters. Products placed for sale in the market are various ranging from consumer goods to farm products and must be made in Thailand. He said the market would be established and operated by a joint venture set up under the state and private cooperation. The government would jointly set up the venture through the Public Warehouse Organisation. Mr. Siripol said the implementation of the plan was pending a clear policy of Dr. Somkid, who would have to propose it to the cabinet for consideration and raise it for discussion with Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited if he supported it. He said he was confident Thailand

That's a very good point, Bob, and the airport's own web site has an article published saying that just such confusion is likely. I have not been able to find anything published that provides any information at all about how transfers and luggage between the two airports is going to be handled during the transition. According to the article, it seems that chaos will reign. So, what else is new? Here is the article: http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/node/46 Suvarnabhumi International Airport could be opened for commercial service two weeks prior to the Sept 28 launch day but only for certain domestic flights with no connections required. Caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has approved the proposal, floated by the Transport Ministry, as a way to enable the airport operator and some carriers to prepare for the official opening date. However, some airlines are questioning the merits and practicality of such a move. Executives of airlines with domestic operations say they are already struggling to relocate from Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) to Suvarnabhumi by Sept 28. The proposal for limited flights also reflected a lack of understanding about how the aviation business worked, the airline chiefs added. ''How could you define whether all passengers on flight X bound for Bangkok are not going on to other destinations with other flights?'' asked one airline executive, who asked not to be named. Arranging aircraft to arrive and depart from the new Suvarnabhumi airport while maintaining flights in and out of the existing Don Muang airport, along with support at two locations would pose major technical problems. But perhaps more problematic is how to avoid confusion among passengers and how to facilitate their flight connections if needed on the two sites that are 27 km apart, given Bangkok's notorious traffic jams in between. Most carriers, Thai and foreign, have had difficulties establishing themselves at the new airport due to the limited time given by the Airports of Thailand (AoT) to set up offices and systems there. The major airlines with domestic networks including Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, One-Two-Go, Nok Air and PB Air, have not been consulted about starting flights on Sept 15 at Suvarnabhumi. ''They (authorities) never asked us whether the idea of early opening is sound or whether we were ready for that.'' one executive said. Caretaker transport minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal told reporters yesterday that the new airport was ready to operate ahead of schedule, after 20 commercial flights on July 29 showed successful results. Somchai Sawasdeepon, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi airport, echoed the airport's readiness for Sept 15 flights but acknowledged airlines' concern about imminent confusion among passengers on issues such as flight connections and land transport. ''There are a lot of questions with no easy answers that need to be tackled,'' he said, noting that AoT had held a meeting on the issue yesterday afternoon. Low-cost carriers such as One-Two-Go and Nok Air may have fewer problems shifting to the new airport ahead of time than Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways, which carry a lot of passengers with connecting flight needs. The international airline industry has repeatedly warned about the potential for severe negative consequences of opening Suvarnabhumi airport prematurely. They also suggested moving the opening date to the end of the year on signs that the airport is far from ready. Mr. Thaksin has been eager to launch the massive infrastructure project under his premiership ahead of the new election scheduled for Oct 15. The schedule for all international flights and the rest of the country's domestic services to shift to the new site on Sept 28 remains unchanged. Don Muang airport, which handles about 38 million passengers a year, will be officially closed on Sept 28 to all commercial flights and thereafter used for VIP journeys, chartered flights and small private aircraft. Thai Airways will conduct two international test flights to and from the new airport on Sept 1. Those flights are open only to airline employees, who were offered one-night air-hotel packages to Singapore and Hong Kong for about 5,000 baht.

Just about all of the Thai news media revealed today that Suvarnabhumi International Airport may actually open ahead of schedule and begin domestic operations as early as September 15. Here is one of the reports, from THE NATION: _____ New Airport to Take Local Flights From Sept 15 Caretaker Transport Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal yesterday fixed September 15 as the new date for Suvarnabhumi Airport to start operating. While the new deadline was for domestic flights only, the Transport Ministry was sticking to September 28 as the day for the airport to be inaugurated officially. However Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways would not be among the airlines ready to use the airport from September 15. "We definitely can't move operations there on September 15," a source at Bangkok Airways said. "We have a lot of work to do and we are dealing with a number of foreign travellers

Since this thread seems to be yet another one that ended up as something entirely different from the original subject, RichLB came up with a solution that would instantly end the hydra and cat fight problem. I like his idea, although I doubt that any of the boards will ever do it. Simply eliminate the display of handles on posts. The only thing that would appear in a post would be the actual content of the post, but nothing would show who posted it and nobody would be allowed to include anything in the content that would reveal who posted it. End of problem. Now, I'm going to try to bring this thread back to its original intent. In case the subject has been completely forgotten by now, it was supposed to be about the tribute to Allen and his special night. I tried the drink. I liked it, but it is a sweet drink and I'm more of the Margarita or Gin & Tonic type. It reminded me of something akin to a Rum Punch or Mai Tai. The drink recipe was not revealed, so I don't know what was actually in it, but I assure you it tasted nothing like a cheeseburger.

If there is any kind of a bright side to this, at least the Thai police were able to hunt down and capture those people. It's the ones they haven't found that worry me. I can't help but believe that for all the ones they do find, there are more yet to be found. I hope they find them in time.

I called Babylon for you. They said the next foam party will be on Halloween Night, October 31. Also, if someone has a question for Babylon, they can always be contacted through their 'contact' link on their web site at: http://www.babylonbkk.com

I have not seen any such speculation published just yet, but this only just happened. Even if the bus driver is correct in his belief that it was some teenagers that did it, somebody had to have taught them how to make a time bomb and somebody had to have supplied them with the materials to make it with. Then, whether it was those teens or not, somebody carried through with it, I am guessing that the authorities are going to put their best experts on to trying to track down whoever did this. All Thailand would need would be for people, including tourists, to be afraid to come to Bangkok. Thailand depends a great deal on tourism. Something like this has the potential to spell disaster for tourism, especially if there is a repeat performance. I hope nothing like this occurs in Pattaya, but I can visualize it happening sooner or later. Places like Walking Street, Pattayaland, and Sunee Plaza are vulnerable to attack. But, then again, just about anywhere is vulnerable to attack.

The following appears in THE NATION: ______________________________ Four Injured in Explosion on Bangkok Bus Four passengers were injured when a homemade bomb exploded on a Bangkok bus Saturday night. The time bomb detonated by a clock exploded on Bus No 95 at 10:40 am. The bus was having about 20 passengers and had left Happy Land Market heading to Bang Khen when the explosion occurred when it was in front of Bang Toey Temple near Soi Navamin 101.. Three passengers were slightly injured were discharged from the Lard Prao Hospital after treatments. The other passenger suffered cuts on the left leg and suffered back injury from the blast impact. He was discharged after treatment. The bus driver, Jittakorn Prajonghat, 32, told police that the bomb might be planted by four teenagers who got off the bus just a stop before the bomb exploded. ______________________________ This doesn't sound like some sort of a warped teenage prank to me. It is much too serious an incident for it to be just a prank. I can't even begin to imagine Thai teenagers knowing how to construct a bomb in the first place, let alone actually planting one. I hope it is an isolated incident that will not be repeated, but it certainly smacks of terrorist activity to me. There is plenty of terrorist activity in the extreme south of Thailand, but to my knowledge this is the first incident to occur in Bangkok. I hope it is also the last. At least nobody was seriously injured. They were lucky this time.

This next article is the latest information: ________________________________ 200 More Chickens Die after Uthai Thani Bird Flu Death BANGKOK, Aug 6 (TNA) Some 200 chickens at an Uthai Thani farm died Sunday, only three days after Thailand's second H5N1 victim in 10 days died from exposure to the deadly virus in the same province, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said Sunday. Mrs. Sudarat said Livestock Development Department officials on Thursday night had culled 116 chickens raised at 12 family farms in Sawang Arom district near the victim's home. Small-scale farmers in the neighbourhood of the latest avian influenza victim--who died Thursday after having contact with sick chickens--had their flocks culled. The agriculture minister said some 200 chickens out of 20,000 raised on farms in Uthai Thani's provincial capital district died Sunday and that government workers will cull the rest of the poultry without waiting for laboratory tests as the situation could worsen. Officials will launch a week-long campaign Monday, to eradicate the virus in 29 provinces thought to be more at risk from bird flu. The activities will include registration of all poultry, she said. The ministry has asked each district to establish a team of 20 officials to be responsible for destroying sick chickens. Thailand is among the countries hardest hit by the deadly H5N1 virus, having recorded 24 human cases (including 16 fatalities) since the outbreak in 2004. (TNA)-E111

I have a feeling that Tamiflu is not all it's cracked up to be. According to what I read, they did not actually use Tamiflu on this man. They used a generic. Lord only knows what was actually in it. From what I have read about Tamiflu, it's not a universal cure. It doesn't work for everybody and it's not going to work very well at all unless treatment begins very early. Apparently more than a week went by before this man even sought treatment, and then several more days went by before it occurred to anybody to test him for Bird Flu. By then, sadly, it was already too late.

Note from GB: The victim contracted the disease in Uthai Thani, which is located about halfway between Bangkok and Phichit, right in the heart of the area in which the present outbreak has occurred. BANGKOK, Aug 5 (TNA) Thailand has registered its second avian influenza fatality within 10 days, health authorities announced Saturday. A 27-year-old man died Thursday of bird flu, becoming the second victim claimed by the disease in Thailand this year, Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat said. The victim, a farmer, was a native of Sawang Arom District in the northern province of Uthai Thani, Mr. Pinij said. He became sick on July 24 and died on August 3 at a hospital in the province. The victim tested positive for the H5N1 virus following laboratory tests by the Public Health Ministry's Medical Sciences Department and Siriraj Hospital, he said. Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health, added that the victim raised 16 chickens at his village house. One of the chickens died on July 17 and the victim buried it, without protection, and began to suffer severe headaches a week later on July 24. Returning to see doctors at the hospital three days later, he received medical tests before going home. He returned again and was admitted to the hospital on Monday (July 31). Health officials from Uthai Thani and the nearby province of Nakhon Sawan were sent to the victim's village to contain and control the deadly disease, Dr. Prat said. Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said officials administered the generic version of Tamiflu, believed to be the most effective protection from avian influenza, to the man's wife who lives in the same house with him and would closely monitor her for the next two weeks. The victim was Thailand's second bird flu fatality this year, following the death of a 17-year-old boy in the northern province of Phichit on July 26. At least 134 people have died worldwide since the disease began spreading in Asia in late 2003, including Thailand, according to the UN-related World Health Organization (WHO). WHO has not yet confirmed the two latest deaths in the Thai kingdom. (TNA)--E111

BANGKOK, Aug 5 (TNA) Passengers began to pay more Saturday when the new fare hike of Bangkok's underground train system took effect. But the number of passengers using the subway system appeared not to have dropped, according to TNA reporter who cited information from the subway's operator. Bangkok Metro Co., Ltd. (BMCL), the operator of the city's subway system, announced last Monday that the company would raise the underground train fares from Bt14-36 to Bt15-39, taking effect from August 5. The subway fare rise was approved by the cabinet on July 3. However, the company was required to announce the new fare hike to the public one month before the new fare was to be officially imposed. BMCL said the company would, nevertheless, offer a 15-30 per cent discount for students and people using monthly coupons. (TNA)--E002

BANGKOK, Aug 5 (TNA) When flight operations cease at Don Muang Aiprort, Thailand's Ministry of Commerce plans to convert at least a portion of Don Muang International Airport's existing departure areas into a central market after the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport is opened for commercial use on September 28, Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana said Saturday. The Don Muang Airport has two international terminals and one domestic terminal. Departure areas are on the upper levels of the three terminals. Arrivals are on the ground floor of the three terminals, while parking facilities are available for prospective shoppers. A feasibility study has been conducted and will be soon given to Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, also a deputy prime minister, for his consideration before being submitted to the cabinet for a final approval, Mr. Preecha said. The ministry plans to use 5,000 to 10,000 square metres of the airport's departure section for use as central market which will enable people to buy goods at fair prices, Mr. Preecha said. Manufacturers will be allowed to display and sell their merchandises at the area, but their rights will be revoked if their goods are found to be overpriced or the quality is poor, he added. (TNA)--E111

This evening was the event at Niddy's Nook, honoring Gaypattayan for his fantastic work at the Pattayagay.com web site. I realize that many here are convinced that the event was contrived as nothing more than profiteering on the part of Niddy's Nook. What I can tell you is that Niddy's Nook was absolutely packed with Allen's admirers and I don't think anyone who was actually present saw it as profiteering or anything other than a sincere effort of the part of Niddy's Nook to honor him. For Allen, along with everyone who was there, it was a great evening. The buffet was quite good and everyone seemed to enjoy it very much. Following the meal, Chris did a speech and presentation for Allen, which included a marvelous "thank you" not only for the work Allen has done over the years, but also for Allen's help in getting Niddy's Nook established. His presentation included a history of the Pattayagay.com web site and a summary of the work Allen has done the gay community. Another speaker, whose name I won't use here, also pointed out that while several cities in Thailand, such as Phuket and Chiang Mai are also popular among the gay community, Pattaya is the only city that has a web site devoted to a "Weekly Report" of all the goings on in town of interest to gays. In the twelve years Allen has been doing this, he has never missed a single week of bringing all of us the "Weekly Report." Not once. Then it was Allen's turn to speak. It was quite an emotional moment for him, as well as all of us there. Allen made it clear that he does not take sole credit for what he does for the gay community. He acknowledged the help he receives from many people, without whom, he said, his web site would not be possible. Following the speeches, several gifts were presented to Allen. Accuse Niddy's Nook of self-promotion and using Allen as a means of profiteering if you must, but I don't think you will see that accusation coming from anybody who was there.

I called the Le Caf

This is NOT yet confirmed, but my latest information is that the funeral for Ian Read will be on Monday at Wat Chai. Wat Chai is the large Buddhist temple located between Second Road and Center Condo. Again, I cannot yet confirm this, but this is what I have been told so far. As soon as I can confirm that it is going to be Monday and what time the ceremony will begin, I will post it on this thread. If someone else has confirmed information, please post it or contact me at gaybutton@gmail.com and I will post it for you, if you prefer.

I don't think many people will dispute the fact that there are a great many lady-boys in Pattaya. The vast majority of them are very nice, kind, honest people. Unfortunately there is also a significant number that prey on tourists along Beach Road. Almost every week we see news items about how a foreign tourist was pickpocketed, robbed, verbally abused, and even physically attacked by these lady-boys. For many years I have read articles all about how the police are cleaning up that particular problem. If the police are really trying to do something about it, then in my opinion they have done a very poor job of it. The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: ________________________________________ Tourist Police Round-Up Ladyboys on Pattaya Beach in Response to Tourist Complaints Responding to complaints from Tourists concerning the increasing levels of beach related crimes involving Ladyboy

The 'hydra' issue has been going on for well over a year now. I think you might be misinterpreting Hedda's intent. I doubt that Hedda wants or expects people to post under their actual names. I believe what he is trying to say is that people ought to choose a handle and stick with that handle whenever they post on the gay Thailand message boards. The hydra issue, as I believe Hedda sees it, occurs when the same person posts using multiple handles and then tries to pass off those posts as if they are coming from several individuals. If people do that, then it simply is not honest. It would be a simple matter, for example, to post something negative about a venue and then come back under different handles and post responses agreeing with the original post, as if it were several people, not just one. People with a grudge are likely to do just that. Whether anybody is truly a hydra poster or not, it would be very difficult, perhaps impossible, to prove. Hedda has been challenged to submit proof. Other than the fact that some people have admitted to doing hydra posting, he might as well be asked to prove that shots really were fired from the Grassy Knoll. I don't see how it is possible to prove it, especially in a manner that would be generally accepted. I believe that there is a set of individuals who indulge in hydra posting. Sometimes it is obvious. However, the best I can do would be to say that I believe it is true. I have no way to prove it. The closest I can come would be to tell you that when I was running a message board, there were several instances in which different handles and names were registered with the same E-mail address and/or the same IP address. I cannot come any closer to proving it than that. Does that constitute proof? I don't think so, but to my mind it makes it far more likely than unlikely. I think I also need to point out that some people are under the impression that as a moderator here I have personal control over what is posted here and have the ability to modify posts, delete posts, and ban users. I have no such personal control. I can edit my own posts and that's all I can do. If I see a need for anything else I have to contact the administrators and present my case. The administrators then make their own decisions as to whether or not to follow my recommendations. They have all of that sort of control. I have none.

Regarding what is on profiles, that is a personal decision made by each individual. The role of a moderator, at least on this forum, is to try to make sure there are no technical problems and to make sure nobody is posting in violation of posting rules or posting anything that could place the board in legal jeopardy or in jeopardy of once again becoming blocked by Thai authorities. The administrators have access to all the board functions. Moderators do not. If I see what is my interpretation of a problem, then I contact the administrators, tell them what the problem is, and then it is solely their decision as to how to deal with it. Yes, you do see a lot of posts by me. Since I no longer run a web site or message board, then I choose to do my posting here.

CORRECTION: I was told I misspelled Ian's last name. It is Read, not Reid. I apologize for that error. Also, I was asked to clarify that Ian McKnight was Ian's business partner, not life partner.

Part of the problem is that threads, this one included, start off as one thing, and then end up as something entirely different. This thread began as a "how to" use smilies. Now it's a debate about hydra posting.

I don't know. I believe he was somewhere between 65 and 70 years old, but that's a guess on my part. Also, I have just been informed that he will be cremated in Thailand. His sister is now on her way over from England. From what I am told, no arrangements will be announced until she is here.

I have just been informed that Ian Reid, owner of the Le Caf

That's a very good point, Hedda. After a closer reading of the article 'bottomdad' posted, I paused at this: "We've spent the last four years chasing after this guy . . ." The article says the warrant was issued in 2002. That means for 32 years there was no warrant. What happened four years ago to cause the Canadian authorities to issue a warrant? Perhaps a segment for "Cold Case Files"? Something about this whole matter seems awfully strange to me.

Thank you for posting this, bottomdad. I had a feeling all along that there was much more to this story than the new item I posted. In light of what your news item post describes, I can now understand why this man was pursued and why he will be prosecuted 42 years later. I want to make it clear that if it had indeed turned out that this man was arrested for paying for sex one time when he was 23, then my opinion would not have changed about the absurdity of a 42 year chase. But now that so much more light has been shed, and it turns out that there really was so much more to the story, I feel that the 42 year pursuit is justified after all.