Gaybutton

I went with "Currently Unattached but looking." Actually I'm somewhere between that and butterfly. I like being a butterfly and I'm not really looking, but if the right guy comes along, I can see myself establishing a relationship again. It would be difficult, though. Most people say a relationship takes a lot of work. I'm really not interested in that kind of work any more. Not at my stage of the game. It's just not something I am really seeking.

Now you're talking my language . . .

They require you telling them or showing an address. They don't ask for proof. They also don't send out written monthly statement unless you request it.

Certainly that would work if you have a Thai bank account. Not everybody does. I have been trying to convince people to open a Thai bank account during their next visit if they don't already have one. The banking regulations change rather consistently and it is becoming more and more difficult for farang to open a Thai bank account without a non-immigrant visa. Not long ago all you had to do to open a Thai bank account was to walk through the door with a valid passport and 500 baht. Times have changed. Even if you are able to open a Thai bank account, without a long-term visa several banks will not permit you to get online banking. It can't hurt you to have a Thai bank account, folks, and having one can save you from an awful lot of headaches. I don't know why, but I often have quite a difficult time convincing farang friends who repeatedly come to Thailand to take the time to open an account, but some keep putting it off. "I'll do it next trip." By that time you may not be able to. If you are going to listen and open an account, don't wait. Do it as soon as possible, if it is even still possible. If you need to transfer money into your own Thai account or into a boyfriend's account (if you don't have a Thai bank account or online banking) while in your home country, now you can do that with PayPal.

They might as well be. I have to deal with this mess now. The part I like best is that this project was implemented to relieve the traffic problems on Sukhumvit. I haven't noticed any less traffic on Sukhumvit and I didn't think Sukhumvit traffic was much of a problem in the first place. But as a result of this fiasco, instead of using this bypass, now people are heading to Sukhumvit to avoid the bypass! Just getting to the bypass is a major problem. By the time you can get there from any Sukhumvit intersections that lead to it, you could easily have traversed the entire length of Pattaya on Sukhumvit. Great! In their eagerness to relieve traffic problems, now they have created two traffic problems and relieved nothing. I can't even imagine what the traffic nightmare will be like if there is an accident. It used to take me less than 5 minutes to get from my home to Sukhumvit. Now it often takes 20 minutes, or sometimes even longer. All of this was unnecessary. There were no particular traffic problems that even needed relief. I suppose the next step will be to build a bypass for the bypass.

Thank God.

Battered Tourism Sector Seeks Urgent Government Help BANGKOK, June 17 (TNA)- Amid a sharp drop in tourist arrivals to Thailand, the country’s tourism agencies were alarmed and strongly urging the government to provide urgent measures to rescue the beleaguered industry. Tosaporn Thepbutr, deputy-chairman of Committee on Tourism and Sports, said the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT), the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA) and Thailand-Japan Tourism Promotion Association on Tuesday submitted a complaint letter to the committee. They charged that although the government had announced tourism as a national priority, to date no concrete measures have been implemented by concerned-agencies to boost the country’s tourism industry. So the premier himself should intervene to resolve the problems. Thailand’s tourist arrivals sharply drop to a critical level, Mr. Tosaporn said, in June alone, the number of tourist arrivals has dropped from 165,000 in the same period of 2008, to 27,000 in 2009 due to the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak, or 33.45 per cent year-on-year. Mr. Tosaporn said that with the falling number of tourist arrivals from almost every nation, except from Iran and Hong Kong, the earlier estimated arrival levels of 11 million tourists projected by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will be unlikely to achieve the target. "The causes of the sharp drop in tourist arrivals are attributed to the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in November and December, and recent domestic political turmoil, combined with the current outbreak of the H1N1 flu,” Mr. Tosaporn said. (TNA)

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: for photos, see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000009495 _____ PATTAYA RAILWAY ROAD PROJECT DECLARED OFFICIALLY OPEN The new Railway Road Project was officially declared open by Pattaya City Mayor, on 15 June, 2009. The road is designed to ease congestion in the city. However, residents have expressed concern at potential confusion and delays due to the fact that the road will be one-way. On 15 June, in Soi Siam Country Club, in the vicinity of Pattaya Railway Station, Mr. Ittipol Kunpluem, Pattaya City Mayor, held the official opening ceremony of the new Railway Road, which will run alongside the railway for 16.5 km, starting in the east, next to the Nongprue Municipality, and ending in the west by the Pattaya City border. Initially, the road will be one-way. Mr. Ronnakit Eakasing, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya City, said, to start with, drivers may become confused as to which was the correct direction; however, the city has provided police officers and volunteers at 15 spots along the way to help give guidance and point road users in the right direction. Clear road signs have also been erected along the road and its intersections. Mr. Ittipol Kunpluem said the Railway Road Project had been supported by a budget of Bt313 million, with the purpose of reducing traffic problems in Pattaya. He asked for co-operation from road users to respect the rules of the road by only using it as a one-way road, even though it might cause problems, initially, during the morning and evening rush hours. Police Colonel Somnuek Junket, Banglamung Police Superintendent, assured road users that, initially, the traffic police will be lenient with errant road users who make mistakes due to the confusion of the road system. However, the Colonel stressed that this period of leniency will only be temporary and from July, road traffic regulations concerning one-way driving will be enforced. The residents of both Soi Nernplubwan and those along the railway road, however, are none too pleased with the arrangements, complaining that the one-way system makes the traffic worse. In addition, they complain, the traffic lights are not working properly and sometimes cars have to wait for a great deal of time for the lights to change, even when the road is empty. They are particularly incensed if this hold up should happen during peak times of 7.00 am, and 5.00 pm. Officials, however, were quick to reassure the concerned residents that, before too long, everything will flow smoothly and what they were experiencing were only teething pains.

It all depends on your point of view. I could never be happy living in Bangkok, but I love living in Pattaya. To me, one of the best things about Thailand is the diversity of available living choices. There is something for every taste. Many love Chiang Mai. Many love living out in the countryside boondocks. Many love Pattaya. Many love Bangkok. Many love smaller cities. And there are still plenty of places besides just those. It all depends on what you are looking for . . . and what you are trying to avoid.

That is a very good point. I certainly wouldn't consider stricter enforcement of existing laws as harassment of foreigners. Regarding immigration, Thailand has cracked down on use of visa runs to circumvent immigration laws. For those living in Thailand legitimately, some of the rules seem a little bizarre, but there is nothing new in the actual laws concerning the rules. There have been all kinds of brouhahas over the years that came to nothing. My favorite was a couple years ago when everyone thought they were going to have to produce a map showing how to get from the Immigration office to their place of residence. As for the retirement visa, I have not been asked to produce anything any different from what I have always been asked to produce. As a matter of fact, there is even less to produce than there used to be. Only a few years ago you had to produce a medical certificate in order to get the retirement visa. That is no longer required. However, the requirement to produce a new proof-of-income statement every year is relatively new.

Thank you for that post, Bob. You just saved a lot of people from anxiety over the age determination problems. I'll bet a lot of people are going to print out a copy of that ID card and chart and carry it with them when they come to Thailand.

If you do as I do and form an "I Don't Get It" list for Thailand, it won't take long for you to need an additional high capacity hard drive just to store the list. I have no idea how to answer your questions about other countries, but I do know that part of Thailand's rationale is they don't want foreigners buying out their country. The part I don't get is they will allow foreigners to buy 49% of the condo units, but a foreigner cannot buy a house. I would think if a foreigner lives in Thailand and can prove he lives here, then allowing him to buy a house for his own residential purposes wouldn't be such a terrible idea, but that's the way things are. Now that PayPal services Thailand, maybe it would be to your benefit to consider having your boyfriends open a Thai bank account and transfer whatever amounts you give them via PayPal.

I'm a Firefox user. I prefer it to all the other browsers. The only time I ever use another browser, namely Internet Explorer, is to access Bangkok Bank's online banking. For some reason their system does not support any other browser.

Billyhouston is correct about the "543 Rule." Add 543 to 2009 and you get 2552, which is the current Thai year. As for the age of consent, technically it is 16 in Thailand if prostitution is not involved. However, you might have a difficult time convincing the police and the Thai courts that money did not exchange hands. We always advise people to make sure your young friend is at least 18 years old. Precautions about that include making sure the boy has an ID card. Don't fall for the "I lose it" or "I leave it in my room" nonsense. If he can't produce his ID card, don't take him. Even the bar boys are required to have their ID cards available on the premises. Also, make sure the ID card actually belongs to the person showing it to you. There have been incidents in which an under-age boy borrows a friend's ID card and sometimes it can be difficult to be able to tell from the photo whether the ID card is his or not. Another thing you can do is plan your stay at an established gay or gay-friendly hotel at which you know the desk staff will check the ID card before allowing the boy to enter. In Pattaya I recommend either The Ambiance or Le Café Royale. Both are in the heart of Boyztown and both will carefully scrutinize the ID card. They deal with these concerns every day. If you want to go a step further, assuming this is your first trip to Thailand, feel free to post a message asking for help from those of us who live here. Several of us would be perfectly happy to send you a PM offering to personally take you around to the bars and/or have you join us at the beach and show you the ropes.

Very simple. I was right there and saw for myself.

This really isn't racism, but from among themselves a great many Thais will do whatever they can to keep their own skin as white as possible. That is simply a cultural thing within their own race. They see light skin as more attractive and as a sign of greater affluence. However, someone of other actual races is not something I've ever seen or heard perceived as anything negative in Thailand. To me, that's one of the great things about Thailand. There is no overt racism of any kind that I've ever seen here.

I'm curious as to where you see them. I guess I must be blind or something, but I've never spotted them.

I went with "I mostly like Asian guys." Asian guys are definitely my preference, but I don't rule out exceptions once in a while.

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: For photos, see: http://www.pattayaone.net/news/2009/june/news_15_06_52.shtml _____ Transsexual Demands that He is Sent Back to Prison to Resume a Relationship with an Inmate A bizarre story now from Chonburi Police Station located 60kms from Pattaya. Police Colonel Nopadon is in charge of the station and was the former chief of Police here in Pattaya. On Monday Afternoon, Khun Anatsanan aged 21, a transsexual residing here in Pattaya presented himself to officers at the station and claimed he was in possession of marijuana and he demanded that he be sent to Prison. Police were obligated to arrest the man and during questioning he explained that he had been arrested in Pattaya last month on a minor drug offence which resulted in a 36 day prison sentence. Although the man was currently in a relationship with a German man who has now returned to his native country, Khun Anatsanan met a Thai Man, Khun Atit, whilst in prison. The pair fell deeply in love and when Khun Anatsanan was released, he promised his new boyfriend that he would return soon so they can resume their relationship. Police charged the suspect with class 5 drug possession and because of previous offences it is likely the judge will grant his wish and he will soon be reunited with his lover. ____________________ And this, from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ KATOEY WORMS HIS WAY BACK TO LOVER IN JAIL A lovelorn ladyboy, and ex-jailbird, distraught about being separated from his lover in prison, decided the only way they could be reunited was for him to hand himself in to the police with some drugs, on 15 June 2009, so as to be put back into jail. He got his wish and was duly returned to custody. At 11.30 am, on 15 June 2009, at Chonburi Police Station, Pol.Col. Noppadol Wongnom, Chonburi Police Superintendent and his officers were somewhat surprised to be presented with a ladyboy, Mr. Anusanon Walaijai, [21] who surrendered himself to them, armed with a bag of marijuana asking that he be arrested. Mr. Anusanon, a go-go dancer in Pattaya had apparently been previously arrested for possessing some Yah Ice and he had been subsequently put in jail in Chonburi. Whilst inside, he met a man, Mr. Artit, [26], who was also in jail for the same offence, and, as chance would have it, fell madly in love with him. Although Mr. Anusanon was due to be released soon, he vowed to his boyfriend that he would try to get arrested again so he could continue their affair in jail. Mr. Anusanon was duly released one week ago, but as he had surmised, he missed his boyfriend insanely and began to plan how best to return to be an inmate. He tried to buy some Yah Ice, but all he could get was some ganja so he bought some and then rolled up at the police station, where he surrendered himself to the police. In passing, he regaled the officers with his life story. He said he had a German boyfriend who kept sending him money and had no problem with his life. His German boyfriend only came to see him once in a while, but he had already had his breast-implants at a cost of Bt40,000 and was looking forward to having the full operation in the future, but as it would cost another Bt100,000, he didn’t quite know what to do. He then told police about his lover in jail and his desire to rejoin him. Pol.Col. Noppadol Wongnom said he had questioned the ladyboy to find out if he was suffering from dementia, but he said the ladyboy appeared perfectly normal (mentally, that is) and seemed quite knowledgeable about law. This obviously left the Colonel in somewhat of a quandary, but as he didn’t really see how he could do otherwise, considering the ladyboy had surrendered himself with a prohibited substance, he granted his wish and returned him to jail. The Colonel finished by saying it was very difficult to stop people doing as the ladyboy had done, but he had no suitable answer to such a dilemma.

Hi, Well if I have pressed all the right buttons, at the right time, you should have attached two info posters. The first is a reminder/invite for my birthday party on 22nd., and the second is details of our next concert trip on the 27th. Naturally I would love to see you on one of the dates, if not both! I have a few tickets for Mama Mia, the Musical, in Bangkok on Sunday 23rd. AUGUST. They are 2,500 discounted down to only 2147. It's first come, first served. We will be doing the trip by minibus and the cost of a seat will be around 400. As it is the last night of the run,it promises to be an extra good performance with a great party atmosphere. Book now!! Finally. It's party night in Sunee Plaza tonight. The winner or the recent "Face of Sunee" will be presented around the Balkan Express area tonight at 10pm. Afterwards all member bars, identified buy balloons, will be having a party with plenty of varied promotions, and a few surprises. Hope to see you there. All the best, Mike & the Team

I don't think you have to worry about racial problems. Many black people do come to Thailand and I've never heard of any of them encountering racial problems. As long as you have money in your pocket, race is not an issue at all. You might want to consider instead of hiring a guide, find a bar boy who you like, take him off, and let him be your guide. However if you do want a guide, in Chiang Mai I recommend Ben's Tours. See the following for details: http://www.geocities.com/benstours/Benstours.html In Bangkok you could do quite well with a bar boy. Let him be your guide. In Mae Hong Son I don't have a clue who to recommend as a guide. Perhaps someone else can post a recommendation.

Ok, then what is your actual position? I'll agree I can't really know what I would do if falsely accused of a serious crime, but what I think I would do would be to first make sure the police are really police, and refuse to answer questions until I speak with my attorney and notify my embassy. I do not think I would pay anybody to get out of something I had not done. It certainly would be a frightening experience to find yourself falsely accused of a crime in a foreign country where you don't speak the language and have no idea what to expect, especially since Thailand is a "guilty until proven innocent" country.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ No Witch-Hunt, Says Lands Department Foreign Ownership Debate Intensifies By: KANANA KATHARANGSIPORN Published: 15/06/2009 The Lands Department does not have a policy to scrutinise acquisitions in which illegal use of Thai nominees on behalf of foreigners is suspected, says director-general Anuwat Maytheewibulwut. Land ownership revocation cases mostly occur when a complaint or conflict is brought to the department's attention, he said. "Each year there are 5.5 million land-related transactions handled by the department and we receive around 1,000 complaints," he said. "We have no time to check every transaction, but we will investigate when there's a complaint." Mr Anuwat was responding after several sharp letters in the Bangkok Post over the past two weeks from readers who questioned the department's policy on land acquisition by foreigners. Some alleged it was xenophobic. He said it was likely a misunderstanding that the department would scrutinise every transaction suspected to have a Thai nominee owning land for foreigners. In fact, an investigation will be initiated only if there is a complaint. "There is nothing new in the Land Code for land acquisition by foreigners," he added. "For purchases or transfers, we have some regulations and processes to investigate illegality, but not that many. We must respect individual rights and assume individuals will not give fake statements to officials." According to the Land Code, a foreigner can legally acquire land by inheritance as a legal heir, and his or her land ownership must be approved by the Interior Ministry. Alternatively, a foreigner must invest at least 40 million baht and maintain it for five years through investment in Thai government bonds, property mutual funds, or in share capital of a Board of Investment-promoted company. Under these two criteria, a foreigner can purchase up to one rai of land for residential use. The department also allows foreign ownership up to 49% of saleable space in a condominium, said Mr Anuwat. If a foreigner has a Thai spouse, either legitimate or common-law, and wants to buy land, the Thai spouse must give officials of the Lands Department a joint written confirmation that the money for the purchase is wholly separate property or the personal property of the Thai spouse, not jointly acquired property. "If a foreigner has a conflict with his or her Thai spouse and makes a complaint on land ownership to the department, we will investigate," said Mr Anuwat. "If we find the ownership is illegal, we will ask them to transfer or sell that piece of land within 180 to 365 days." If the transfer or sale cannot be made within a year, the department will use its authority to do it. Any legal dispute between the couple not involving land ownership must be resolved under civil law. "Changing foreign land acquisition regulations such as an extension of the leasehold period to longer than 30 years or increasing foreigners' quotas to buy condominiums is a government matter. The department is always ready to carry out the government's policy," Mr Anuwat said. He added that all foreigners who comply with the law will get full protection under the law. "For anyone involved in land ownership on behalf of foreigners, what they should be sure of is concern for the nation, ethics and morality in applying the law to make sure they are good Thai citizens," he said.

What would you do? Pay them?

This morning I was out and about shortly after 6:00am. Today is the 15th, the day the one-way parallel roads begin. The traffic signals were now working. Of course, the red light lasts much too long in one direction and not long enough in the other, so even at that hour there were small delays. My favorite part was at the intersection at which you can now only turn left. That intersection has a right turn arrow traffic signal! By the time I was returning, at about 8:30am, the traffic signals were on flash again and the traffic cops were out there directing traffic. The traffic heading toward Sukhumvit was backed up by at least a quarter mile. Welcome to Thailand . . .