Gaybutton

Where is it written that you are under any obligation to start buying drinks for the DJ, the waiters, the wish-notes collectors, the doorman, the cashier? Please tell me which karaoke you go to and when you will next be there. That way I can show up and let you buy drinks for me too . . .

The room I have been using is called Gay_Chonburi_Club_Za. By the way, I've spent a year trying to figure out what "Za" is supposed to mean and where it comes from. Does anyone know?

I agree. If you want reliable, accurate information around here, the media is the last place to look for it. And follow-up is rare. This incident alone is a perfect example. The media did a good job reporting the arrest, but there has been nothing since. My questions certainly have not been addressed. It seems like the only way to get truly reliable information around here is to go out and get it yourself.

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: for photos, see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/01/30/child-abuser-apprehended-on-pattaya-beach-road/ _____ Child Abuser Apprehended on Pattaya Beach Road Pattaya, the 29th of January 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 1:00pm, a police task force from the Prevention of Trafficking of Woman and Children Office along with Mr. Supakorn Noja (Child Protection & Development Center Director) went to investigate a reported child sex abuse case at the Central Festival Building on South Pattaya

Maybe I've just been lucky, but for me so far it has been the rule rather than the exception. I'm getting to really like Camfrog! I can't believe what's been going on. The other day I did meet the boy I referred to in my post above. He was wonderful. I'll definitely be seeing him again. Then I tried it again today. Lo and behold, once again I wasn't on there for more than five minutes when another boy, extremely attractive to me, chimed in. He wanted to meet me too. His English was very good and so, by the way, was his spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I know a few posters around here who could benefit from that lesson. Then, in the middle of making arrangements to meet he asked me if I would like two boys, for a three-some. That sounded good to me, and the second boy was just as attractive to me as the first. The first boy has his own motorbike. We met halfway between their place and mine and he followed me back to my place, with the second boy riding as a passenger. Both of these boys were awesome! It was one of the best experiences I've ever had! They couldn't have been any nicer. They even had great personalities and were a lot of fun to be with. Between Gay Romeo, Camfrog, the beach, the bar scene, and just chance encounters, I think I'll stay put in Pattaya. I have so many boys constantly trying to come over to my place that I can't keep track of them all. I can remember the days back in the good ol' USA when I would have murdered my mother to have this kind of a problem. The rest of you are welcome to the freezing temperatures and shoveling snow. I'll let you guess for yourselves whether I'll be taking a look at Camfrog again tomorrow . . .

Excellent question. I don't think anyone has ever asked before. As far as I recall, there has never been a massage parlor raid. If there have been any, they are quite rare. If all you want is a massage, then the age of the boy doesn't matter. If you want a "happy ending" massage, despite the fact that the massage parlors don't seem to get raided, I would still want to make sure the boy is at least 18. The odds are greatly against it happening, but in my case I'm living proof that Murphy's Law is a reality. I'm picturing the police barging in just as the masseur is administering the "happy ending" and he turns out to be younger than 18. I can't speak for others, but I'm going to make sure. I much prefer being safe to being sorry.

There is a time limit for editing after submitting a post. If you don't edit within that length of time the board software disables your ability to edit that post. I'm not sure what the time limit is that GT set.

It doesn't matter to me who is a spokesman for what organization. To me, the whole point is finally doing something to get rid of the under-age boy problems in Sunee Plaza. Is there anyone who can tell us whether any bars have been closed down as a result of this arrest? Is there anyone who can tell us if you are still seeing under-age boys working in various Sunee Plaza bars following this incident? I haven't had a chance yet to get to Sunee Plaza to see for myself and it will probably be a few days before I get there.

Maybe he left a suicide note, if indeed it was suicide, the contents of which have not yet been made public or will be kept private. I wonder what will happen to the hotel now.

Hopefully that's the sort of thing they will be able to do. Once people become aware of their reduced prices, what I'm hoping is that their customer numbers will dramatically increase. If that happens, then other bars are much more likely to do as Dynamite is doing in order to remain attractive and competitive. I know I would be in Pattayaland much more often if the bars would bring down their prices.

No. We call it "The 543 Rule." 2010 + 543 = 2553. 2553 is the current Thai year. So, for you to be safe, the boy has to have been born in the year 2535 or before that year.

I was having a look at Gay Romeo today. The Dynamite go-go bar (Pattayaland, Soi 1) placed an ad stating that they are starting a promotion. From 8:30pm to 10:30pm all drinks are 100 baht. Compared to other bars in Pattayaland, that's a good offer. Nothing was said about their price for drinks after 10:30pm, but it would be nice if some of these bars finally figure out that it they want to attract farang customers, then they need to offer more attractive prices and incentives. The ad also says they are offering other promotions, but nothing was said about what those promotions are.

I haven't been to a karaoke bar in ten years. I don't enjoy them. But based on the two posts above I have a question: Do you have to buy an entire bottle of whiskey in the karaoke bars? Can't you just order individual drinks?

While I am in no way suggesting that anyone on this board is a pedophile or in any way supports pedophiles, I think some people are confusing the way they want things to be or the way they believe things are in Thailand with the actual and practical realities that exist. I won't call it age of consent, but I will call it the 'age of safety.' I would have no objection if the age was changed from 18 to 16. I believe, considering the world as it is today, that age would be appropriate. But until that happens, people better stick to 18+.

Unfortunately I think you are right. I really had thought that since even the FBI was involved this would be one case that is going somewhere. While I still don't understand why the FBI was involved, if indeed it really was, I would have thought they wouldn't bother if there was any reason to believe that nothing substantial would result. Now I'm not so sure. If nothing comes of this case, I believe it will only backfire and actually encourage some bar owners to keep hiring under-age boys and make the Sunee Plaza problems even worse.

Oh well, I thought we did. Actually I made no dispute about the technical legal age of consent at all. I don't know where you're getting that from. What I have been "blithely" trying to say is that no matter what the age of consent is on paper, in reality it doesn't work that way. I can't believe you don't know that. If you are trying to convince people that they are in safe legal territory if they have sex with boys between the ages of 15 and 17, then you are misleading naive people, especially people who are about to make a first trip to Thailand. People need to understand that age of consent or no age of consent, money changing hands or no money changing hands, in Thailand farang are safe only if the boy is 18+ years old. Do you disagree? Does anyone out there disagree? Is there anyone who takes a position that you are not at risk if you engage in sex with boys under 18 years old in Thailand? I will, however, concede one thing: To my knowledge there has only been one arrest ever made of a farang who took an under-age boy off from a bar. I also take a position that in today's world, there is no reason that I would consider valid for the age of consent, both legally and practically, to be 18. In my opinion it ought to be 16.

Free as in the charges have been dropped or free as in he's out on bail? Has anyone who has been to the bars since this incident noticed any changes in regards to under-age boys? Does this arrest mean something for once, or is it just another farce?

Must have evidence? In Thailand???? With a farang bar owner accused of selling under-age sex? Maybe he'll somehow get out of it, but I doubt it even if he has the big bucks. There's already been too much publicity. But let's say he can get out of it. He might have a shot at it if they grant him bail. If they don't then even if proven innocent, by the time the case makes it to court he already will have spent a great deal of time in a Thai prison. It usually takes months, often more than a year, before cases here ever see the first light of day in Thai courts. I think the best he can hope for is getting a reduced sentence if he confesses. No matter what, by now I think, without mentioning the name, you already know at which bar the arrest took place. I also think you are probably also well aware that particular bar does employ under-age boys. No matter what the outcome, I don't think I would want to be in his shoes. There's one way to find out if this incident has frightened the bar owners. Within the next several days I'm going to take a look at some of these bars myself and see if there are obviously under-age boys still working. While I would love not to see under-age boys anymore, my guess is that nothing has really changed at all. We'll soon see.

That's exactly the point. I think you and I agree. What are we arguing about? I know the question asked what the age of consent is. Just last year I learned to read.

Details are on the Gay Ting & Tong Board: http://www.gaytingtong.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6480

True. I know only the unreal facts. And believe me, the facts I know are unreal! I think you know as well as anyone that a number of bars in Sunee Plaza have under-age boys. What other facts do you need? If the Frenchman who was arrested after having been the target of these investigations turns out to be not guilty, I'll be happy for him, but still there is no denying about the under-age boys working in the bars. I'll take a witch hunt for the people responsible for it, and burning the witches at the stake would probably be more merciful than what they'll face if and when they're finally caught.

With only 3 or 4 people sitting outside watching the screen and so few farang going to the Day-Night area? I hardly think so.

Click the link to read the PATTAYA MAIL article: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd17

Maybe someone who thinks the Red-Shirts get hungry . . .

Good! This is the kind of witch hunt I'm in favor of. My only objection is that they seem to be singling out foreign bar owners. I don't see that as discriminatory. I see that as a step in the right direction. I believe they will go after Thai scofflaw bar owners too. If they can rid Sunee Plaza of the under-age boys, they will also be ridding Sunee Plaza of the plague of pedophiles that come to Thailand and ruin things for everyone else. I think Sunee Plaza has been dying a slow death because of the under-age boys and pedophiles. Many farang are reluctant to even go to Sunee Plaza for fear of being caught up in this, stigmatized, and fear of taking a boy off who claims he is 18 and can even show ID that he is 18, but it turns out he was under-age anyway. I think most farang customers, the ones who have no intention of taking an under-age boy off for sex, are sick and tired of having to play "Guess His Age" instead of being able to rest assured that the boy of interest is at least 18 years old. The bars that do make sure their boys are 18+ and are not drug users suffer too. Less customers come to Sunee Plaza in the first place and the same fears affect them in the "legitimate" bars. I don't see any reason why people have to be afraid to go to Sunee Plaza and I agree that it's high time something substantial is done so that people can have a good time instead of having to wonder who's watching and if he is falling victim to a boy trying to dupe him about his age. Also, I have yet to meet anyone whose idea of a pleasant evening includes being inside a bar when the police stage a raid. I hope that this kind of move will clean out Sunee Plaza. I also hope the move to legalize prostitution succeeds. And I hope this kind of crackdown affects any bar at which under-age boys are employed regardless of the nationality of the owner. But I still don't understand why the FBI is involved. The fact that the FBI, an American police agency, apparently was involved in the investigation and arrest of a French national operating an illegal bar in Thailand is still on my "I Don't Get It" list.