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Thanks for latest installment. Best explanation as to why SOL bar has since attempted to reinvent itself but have no idea if owner has yet to realize success. BDSM is an acquired taste, one I've never managed to acquire so I share your reaction.

NOTE -- A food reviewer from Singapore cited 10 locations for serving the best street food in Bangkok but only one was in the Silom area. If you're not familiar with Soi Phiphat 2, it's the same soi where you'll find Sauna Mania (5-7 minute walk from Silom and Convent roads) Som Tam Jay So Phiphat 2, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand +66 85999 4225 Mon to Sat: 11am – 5.30pm Closed on Sun While numerous eateries across Bangkok offer Isaan cuisine, Som Tam Jay So stands out as the go-to destination for the most authentic papaya salad experience. Nestled in the bustling downtown Silom business district, this small stall attracts hordes of office workers during lunchtime. The bustling atmosphere is a testament to its popularity. However, be prepared for a menu entirely in Thai, making Google Translate a handy tool when placing your order. Explore a diverse array of som tam options, including Seafood Som Tam (THB200), Blue Crab Som Tam (THB150), Salted Egg Som Tam (THB80), Som Tam with Pork Sausage (THB70), Som Tam with Fresh Shrimp (THB120), and more. Additionally, Som Tam Jay So offers grilled chicken, beef salad, and grilled pork neck for those looking to diversify their palate. https://sg.style.yahoo.com/10-best-street-food-stalls-060033183.html

From Pattaya News British Man Too Drunk to Unlock His Gate Impales Himself on fence An intoxicated British man sustained a serious abdominal injury after impaling himself on a pointed iron fence at his residence in the Bang La Mung district of Chon Buri. The incident occurred on Sunday, April 7th, in the early morning hours. Emergency responders swiftly arrived at the man’s residence, located in the Nongprue area, after receiving a distress call around 12:15 A.M. There, they discovered the foreigner, later identified by police as Michael G., a 65-year-old British national, stuck on the fence. One of the fence posts, shaped as an arrowhead, had pierced his belly, causing a wound approximately five to six inches deep. The rescuers skillfully lifted Mr. Michael off the railing, administered first aid, and promptly transported him to a nearby hospital. His condition was critical due to the severity of the injury. According to local media reports, Mr. Michael initially attempted to open the gate to his house but was too inebriated to do so. Subsequently, he decided to climb over the fence to get inside, slipped, and tragically impaled himself on its top. A concerned neighbor, identified only as Ms. Pat (50), recounted hearing loud moans and cries before discovering Mr. Michael’s precarious situation. She acted swiftly, fetching a ladder to help rescue him and promptly alerting paramedics.

From Thai PBS World Rebel forces have captured seven army camps and a government command centre in Myawaddy province of Myanmar, after about four days of fierce fighting, according to rebel sources. Myanmar jet fighters carried out bombing raids against the rebels of the Karen National Union (KNU) and People’s Defence Force (PDF), but failed to stop their advance, said the sources, adding that the rebels had seized large cache of weapons, including howitzers, mortars, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, hundreds of assault rifles and ammunition left behind by the retreating government troops. Rebel sources claim hundreds of Myanmar troops of the 275th battalion, from the main barracks in Myawaddy province, surrendered to the rebel forces yesterday, giving rebel forces full control of Myawaddy township, an important border town across the border from Mae Sot district of Thailand’s Tak province. Leaders of the rebel forces will meet to discuss the administration of the township and the possibility of replacing the Myanmar flag with that of the KNU, which has been fighting the government for several decades. Thai security forces along the border have been put on alert as a precaution against a possible influx of civilians from Myanmar. Gunfire and the sound of shells exploding fell silent today, said the sources. The PDF is the armed wing of the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar. It was formed by the NUG from youths and pro-democracy activists in May 2021, in response to the coup d’état by the military junta and their armed wing, the Tatmadaw.

As time passes "why" the bar closed becomes less of an issue, replaced by "where the boys are" now. It appears that their admirers are best advised to visit the area of the 7-Eleven. I'd be surprised if any of the guys are shy about chatting with strangers and more than they were when the bar was open.

Always admire a guy who comes loaded for bear.

Home Spa has posted bit of eye candy in observance of Songkran. Like the smile, tats, shirt and, of course, big gun.

From CNN Trump Media stock sinks to post-merger low Shares of Truth Social owner Trump Media & Technology Group tumbled 12% on Friday, sinking to their lowest level since the company went public last week. The selloff has erased nearly $2 billion from the value of former President Donald Trump’s stake in the company this week. Trump Media shared surged to as high as $79.38 on March 26, the day trading began on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “DJT.” Since then, the Truth Social owner’s share price has plunged by 49% to the closing price of $40.49 on Friday.

From The Nation His Majesty the King’s second eldest son, Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse, was appointed by Wichien Chubthaisong, president of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, to be his honorary adviser until 2025. The appointment was announced in a meeting at the council’s headquarters in Bangkok on Friday. The session was also attended by the council’s board of directors and councillors. Vacharaesorn, who works as a lawyer in New York, expressed his gratitude to the council president in entrusting him with this esteemed position. “I promise to dedicate my physical and mental efforts as well as my knowledge to the people’s benefit,” said Vacharaesorn, who is fondly called “Than On” by Thais. “I pledge to perform my duties to the best of my ability to ensure equality and fairness in the justice system.”

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The Philippines is in danger of being left behind in the rush to attract the world’s biggest potential tourist market, namely China. Rene Reyes, tourism officer at Manila’s office in Shanghai, says that the in-advance visa rules are restricting Chinese arrivals who prefer the visa-free or visa-on-arrival policies of Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. In 2019 the Philippines receive 1.7 million Chinese tourists, but only 267,000 in 2023, way behind the vacation entrants from South Korea, the lead country. There is now a common assumption throughout the south east Asia region that abolishing pre-entry approval policies is the best way to ensure tourist growth in a competitive environment. Thailand has led the way with a permanent agreement which allows the Chinese to enter Thailand visa-exempt for 30 days with the option to extend for a further month at local immigration. In return, Thais do not any longer require visas to enter China as shortstay visitors. However, Chinese tourists to Thailand are restricted to a 90 days maximum stay in any 180 days period unless they are business people, students or have families resident here with purpose visas in their passports. Two other hold-out countries in the region are Indonesia, which is still considering extending visa free travel to more countries, and also Cambodia which charges most foreign tourists (including Chinese) US$30 for a month’s stay on an e-visa or visa on arrival basis. Meanwhile, Srettha Thavisin, the Thai premier, is actively campaigning for Asean nations to adopt common tourist immigration policies and “seamless travel” opportunities throughout the region.

The crimes for which he was arrested occurred while he was in England. The crimes described in the lead article were perpetrated by people from Russia in Thailand. Word play doesn't alter that. BTW, the plural of Russian is Russians. Again, word play doesn't change that, either. No one is claiming that all Russians in Thailand are criminals. But Russians are arrested at a rate out of the ordinary. I don't like that and I fully understand why you don't. But it's happening and we regularly read about it the news. Earlier this week, the Pattaya News carried a report of a Russian fraudster (their description) who conned investors into a forex trading scheme in which they lost over 20 million baht. One of those investors took her own life. None of this reflects poorly on you who runs a legitimate business in Russia. I'm sure you're eager to see the end to such activities.

Be that as it may, Moses, I don't believe that you can deny that people from Russia are committing an inordinate amount of crime in the Kingdom.

From MSN Russians Arrested For Illegal Crypto Trading In Thailand Cannabis Dispensary The serene beaches of Koh Phangan, Thailand, recently became the center of an unexpected clash between cryptocurrency trading and cannabis retail. Owned by Russian citizens Maksim Variukhin and Ibragim Gaitukiev, the Plantasia Cannabis Collective was investigated by Thailand's Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) for operating as an unlicensed digital asset business, reported Khaosod English.

Author of topic is The Thaiger news service out of Phuket. I reckon they're more familiar with who's responsible for crime in their province than either of us.

There were earlier reports that some of the Tawan guys were hanging out outside the 7-Elven at corner of Surawong and Soi Tarntawan. You may try to find some on the apps. I don't believe anyone has reported spotting them in any of the go-go's but maybe worth doing a bit of leg work. Good luck and keep us posted.

From The Nation For the first time, Bangkok’s Samyan neighbourhood will be transformed into a new Songkran hotspot, with lots of water splashing and free concerts on three days of the year’s hottest month. From April 13 to 15, the entire Chulalongkorn Soi 5 will be closed to traffic to make way for the “Samyan Water Street 2024” event organised by local entrepreneurs and businesses to mark Thailand’s traditional new year. Water towers will be set up along the walking street for people to fill up their buckets and water guns to ensure everybody is thoroughly soaked. Visitors can also enjoy the beautiful Songkran parades and free concerts on two stages from 3pm to 11pm over the three days. On April 13, bands taking the stage include YOURMOOD, XI, and CDGUNTEE, while CHILAX, NICECNX, PIXXIE and WIZZLE will perform the following day. The festivities will wrap up on April 15 with performances by MIRRR, PROJECT M.O.N., FLI:P, and MAYARAP.

From The Thaiger Maybe Thailand should rebrand its Land of Smiles moniker to the Land of Russian Crime after yet another Russian man was nabbed for criminal activity. Yesterday, a 36 year old Russian national added his name to a catalogue of former Soviet block criminals arrested for reportedly operating illegal activities. Russian Ibragim Gaitukiev was arrested for allegedly running an unauthorised cryptocurrency exchange service on the popular tourist destination, Koh Pha Ngan, in Surat Thani, Thailand. The location of his arrest was a property on Sri Thanu Beach in the Koh Pha Ngan district, as disclosed by Police Major General Sermphan Sirikhong, the head of the Surat Thani province. This arrest resulted from an investigation focused on the en-samui.bitmonyekb.com website, which had been promoting the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies in Surat Thani’s Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan districts. The contact phone and WhatsApp numbers listed on the website were traced back to the bank accounts of Gaitukiev and another foreign individual, Maksim Variukhin, according to the province’s head of police. The investigating officers discovered that the two foreign individuals served as executives for OM 118 Co, a company located on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani. The company operated from a house on Sri Thanu beach, a well-known tourist hotspot. This building also housed a cannabis shop known as Plantasia cannabis collective, with a noticeable Bitcoin sign placed at the front, as per police reports. Investigators hypothesised that this shop was the advertised location for the cryptocurrency exchange. Following this lead, they obtained a court-approved warrant from the Samui Provincial Court on a Wednesday to search the premises. The search was conducted the next day. Gaitukiev was present during the search and identified himself as the owner of the shop. While the search of the cannabis shop revealed no illegal items, there were advertisements for cryptocurrency exchange within the premises. Gaitukiev was consequently arrested for operating an illegal cryptocurrency exchange. Upon questioning, he reportedly confessed that he and Variukhin had been offering digital currency services to tourists. ==================== Russian man arrested in Pattaya for illegal trade linked to a suicide Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) officers arrested a Russian man at a luxury penthouse in Pattaya yesterday for allegedly running an illegal trade, which led to the suicide of a Thai woman. ECD officers arrested the 40 year old Russian man, Alexey Vegman, at his penthouse yesterday, April 4 on an accusation of illegally trading. Vegman reportedly denied all allegations and is now being questioned at the ECD office. Officers conducted raids at his penthouse and two other houses in the area and seized several items of evidence related to the crime including, seven laptops, three mobile phones, six electronic cards, 14 bank accounts, four cheque books, and nine secure pass devices. These secure pass devices are used to generate one-time passwords (OTPs) to access online financial transaction systems.

From Thai PBS World Former Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat bade farewell to parliament last night, saying that this debate may be the last of his political career, before the party is dissolved by the Constitutional Court. Making his closing speech at the end of the two-day general debate against the government, Pita, currently advisory chairman to the Move Forward party leader, talked about the party’s victory in the May 14 general election while missing out on the formation of the government. He gave his assessment of the poor performance of the Pheu Thai-led administration over the past seven months, ranging from its failure to carry out the reforms it promised to the lack of leadership by the prime minister, lack of vision, national agenda and any credible achievements. Pita said that he does not regret the fact that his party won the election and managed to cobble together 312 votes in parliament, against the Pheu Thai party’s 314, but ended up being pushed into opposition which, he added, is an important role in a democratic system. “I will never regret that this debate may be the last of my political career. There is no secret about it, everybody knows that my political career is hanging by a thread, but I am ready to walk away as a victor,” said Pita, adding that the likelihood of the dissolution of the Move Forward party will not prevent Thailand from moving towards change and will hasten the pace of the party’s advance toward victory. Given the responses of ministers against opposition MPs’ criticisms during the two-day debate, Pita said he regrets the loss of opportunities for the country, for the confidence placed in the government by the people and the support that his party gave to the government. Instead of the government’s “Ignite Thailand” slogan, the former Move Forward party leader said he would prefer the slogan “Darkness of Thailand”, as he pointed out the government’s “darkness” or failures in eight areas, among them being constitutional amendments, bureaucratic reform, economic stimulation, justice process reform and improved quality of life for the people.

Massage shops in Silom Soi 6 and Saphan Kwai. "Must go's" to the fifth power.

But they make up for it in the room. 🙂

Unfortunately, you're right. In the video below, what's so troubling is that passengers are still on board the vessel as the fire continues to burn unchecked. That they had to jump to save themselves suggests that the ferry had no evacuation plan and possibly no rafts. Fortunately, most seem to be wearing flotation vests. That no fatalities were reported can be credited to the response of other ferries and privater boaters who came to their assistance. Relatively warm and calm seas were another factor. Meanwhile, Thailand continues to pursue plans to acquire two new destroyers for its navy after legislators decided against a submarine purchase from China. In reality, what Thailand needs is a more robust coast guard to police ferry operations. It was just last December that a ferry to Koh Tao sank Seventy passengers and crew were rescued.

NOTE -- Emergency medical personnel who rushed to the aid of a 65-year-old Bangkok man whose engorged penis was stuck inside the mouth of a plastic bottle had a cautionary warning for those who take Viagra like meds. It's not unusual for them to receive calls from men who run into problems when using cock rings to maintain erections. From The Thaiger https://thethaiger.com/news/national/phallic-faux-pas-thai-man-gets-penis-stuck-in-plastic-bottle

Haven't had a feel good story for awhile until this account of a whale rescue made the news today. From The Thaiger Patong Beach in Phuket yesterday was the scene of a thrilling rescue operation as lifeguards hastened to save a melon-headed whale, a protected marine species in Thailand, that had been cast ashore. The event drew the attention of numerous tourists, who flocked around the site, cheering on the lifeguards during their daring rescue mission. The marine mammal, also known less frequently as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a member of the oceanic dolphin family characterised by its unique head shape. Measuring no more than 2 metres in length, the small whale was safely carried up the beach using an expansive beach towel. The lifeguards then used a jet-ski to transport the marine creature to the deeper waters of Patong Bay, where they are now maintaining a vigil in case it makes a return. It’s worth noting that the melon-headed whale is seldom seen in Phuket, with the last reported sighting in local waters dating back to June 10, 2021. These marine mammals are more commonly spotted in Chon Buri and Songkhla provinces, where reports of them stranding on beaches are occasionally made, reported The Phuket News. Continues with photos and video https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/lifeguards-rescue-stranded-melon-headed-whale-at-phukets-patong-beach

From Pattaya News A British businessman and ex-pat died after falling on a glass door at his home near Pattaya on Wednesday morning. The door broke and impaled him in the chest area, relevant rescue teams told The Pattaya News. The tragic accident took place at a luxury one-story house located in a village in Moo 2, Huai Yai sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi province. Sawang Boriboon rescue workers and Huay Yai police rushed to the scene at 7:10 AM yesterday, April 3rd, 2024, to find the victim, Mr. Gareth John Wilson, deceased in his bedroom. Mr. Gareth, 54, had suffered a large laceration to his chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was discovered face-up in only black underwear. Police found at the scene a broken sliding glass door to the bathroom with bloodstains nearby. No signs of a struggle were found. Police believed that Mr. Gareth may have fallen on the glass door by accident, which subsequently broke and impaled him in the chest. Mr. Gareth’s wife, whose name has been withheld by police in light of the ongoing investigation, told police that the deceased had been out drinking with friends last night. He returned home in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The wife said her husband was about to enter the bathroom when he appeared to have experienced dizziness and fell on the glass door. The door the broke and impaled Mr. Gareth. However, Gareth was still alive and managed to walk to the bed only to pass away shortly later. Mr. Gareth’s body has been taken to the Police General Hospital for an autopsy. Police are awaiting the results of the autopsy before they can determine the exact cause of death.

From Pattaya Mail Cambodia and Thailand offer very different marketing strategies By Barry Kenyon Whilst the Thai premier Srettha Thavisin is pushing for international tourist growth by traditional means, Cambodian authorities are adopting a “dark” visitor scenario which urges visitors to delve into the country’s tragic past. The Cambodian tourist authority has upgraded facilities at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, both based in or near Phnom Penh and the scene of atrocities associated with the Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s. Cambodia also hopes to have a bumper Khmer New Year festival (April 13-16) by promoting the eating of fried insects which are said to be full of protein and taste just fine. Hotels and businesses have been told to display the national flag outside their premises and images of the Royal family inside. They are also instructed to provide parking lots with clear signage to avoid vehicles blocking roads and highways. Meanwhile, Thailand has adopted a five point marketing plan according to the prime minister. These include providing a positive experience (24 hour helplines for example), encouraging Thai food and culture, exploring secondary provinces rather than the usual tourist centers and hosting world class events in sport and music. The fifth strand is to push for seamless travel in the Asean region by a “mini Schengen”, the idea that a visa for one country would remove the need to apply for a separate one to visit neighboring ones. Brian Williams, whose UK agency specializes in holidays to south east Asia, said both Thailand and Cambodia were seeking new strategies to promote a further growth in international arrivals. “Cambodia is trying to diversify its attractions beyond the archaeological ruins of Angkor Wat, whilst Thailand is adopting user-friendly strategies in its appeal.” He added that Thailand was also looking at extending its government-funded insurance schemes to cover foreigners hurt or killed in road and water accidents.