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Arrests at Moscow Gay Parade Ahead of Eurovision Song Contest MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Dozens of gays and lesbian rights activists planning a parade in southwestern Moscow Saturday have been detained, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. The arrests included Nikolai Alexeyev, a prominent gay activist in Russia and his associate Nikolai Bayev, Interfax said, adding that more people trickling into the location were being arrested without explanations. Officials of Moscow's gay community had announced earlier plans to rally at Novopushkinsky Park in central Moscow, Interfax said. The arrests came ahead of tonight's Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held in Moscow on Saturday evening. The contest has a strong following among the gay and lesbian community. Journalists from various countries gathered at the scene as police barricaded the park with metal bars. Trucks with soldiers onboard are parked on nearby streets, Interfax said. UK gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, in a statement on his Web site ahead of the march, said that it was being held to coincide with the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held in Moscow on Saturday night. "This parade is in defence of human rights. We are defending the often violated human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Russians. They want legal protection against discrimination and hate crimes. I support their cause. "Not all Russians are homophobic, but many are. Gay Russians suffer queer-bashing attacks, blackmail, verbal abuse and discrimination in education, housing and employment, This shames the great Russian nation." The Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, sees singers and groups from a shortlist of European nations perform a specially-written song, before telephone votes from each nation decide the winner. In western Europe the contest is regard as a light entertainment spectacular, with a strong following among the gay and lesbian community. Many fans dress up, hold parties and gather round the TV to watch the three-hour plus televised marathon. In more recent years, however, eastern European nations, which take the contest much more seriously, have come to dominate. The contest is also known for its political edge, as nations either give zero points to traditional enemies -- or, if they are enjoying good relations, the maximum number of points, as a sign of friendship. The most famous winners of the contest were Abba, who came to attention as the Swedish entry with Waterloo in 1974. In 1988 Celine Dion won the contest while singing on behalf of Switzerland. The dance show Riverdance first came to attention as an interval act when the contest was held in Dublin in 1994. The organizers of the contest estimate that it is watched by 100 million people worldwide.

Welcome to the club.

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man who lives in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!!! But He loves you." - George Carlin

You're feeling stingy because you're applying western standards to your concept of what things ought to cost in Thailand. It just doesn't work that way. Actually, I think people are making a mistake by paying more than standard fare because it encourages the drivers to try to cheat farang. That, by the way, also goes for the motorcycle taxis. Jomtien Complex to Sunee Plaza on a motorcycle taxi shouldn't be more than 30 baht, 40 at the most. If you wish to pay more than standard, by all means do so, but when giving the driver the extra money I suggest saying to him "Tip for you" so that he'll realize you do know the standard fare, but you wish to be generous with him.

I don't know what your friend saw, but I know of no gay venues on Soi Buakhao at all. Not one. There are plenty of mixed crowd venues, but no gay venues on that soi that I know of. There is a large lady-boy bar on Soi Buakhao, though. Cartier is not directly on Soi Buakhao. It's off Soi Buakhao on Soi Leng Kee 1, between Soi Buakhao and Third Road. I haven't been to Cartier in quite some time, so I really can't give you much in the way of first-hand experience, but I do know that many have said they love that bar and are delighted with the boys there. Give it a try. For its location I can't find any maps that show Cartier, but there is a hotel on the same soi called Opey de Place. Here is a link to their map, which is pretty good. Cartier is on the opposite side of the street, a little further up toward Third Road (just about where you see the letter "g" on the map for Soi Lengkee). http://www.opeydeplacepattaya.com/Location.htm However, I agree with your friend in that there are plenty of willing boys to be found on Soi Buakhao, both on the streets and working at the various entertainment venues. Also, many of the boys who work in gay venues live in apartments along Soi Buakhao, so finding boys in that area isn't very difficult at all. I also agree with your friend that people are missing out by not at least giving Soi Buakhao a try at least once.

If you were looking at the profiles of those who are online now, then of course you found only a handful. You're lucky you found any at all. Your post on this board says 8:59am (Thailand time). Apparently you were looking at Gay Romeo somewhere between 7:00am to 9:00am, Thailand time. I'll bet the "online now" box had a check in it. Wrong time of day to find many people in Thailand online. On the other hand, if you had looked at the profiles, but first un-checked the "online now" box, hundreds of profiles would have come up.

It isn't. I'm never happy when it becomes necessary to put on my moderator's hat, but that's what I'm going to do now before a minor dispute becomes a major dispute. I can see where this can go, so it's not going to go at all. Thread locked. Rest assured that if this continues on another thread, the posts will be deleted and whoever starts it up will be placed on moderated mode.

My friend, please believe me. For the sake of all concerned, I suggest the present risk also be the last risk. Some of the remarks you're making are offending posters here and I am receiving PMs complaining about it. I would rather not be placed in the position of having to do anything more than I'm doing in this post. If you simply stop making these kinds of remarks, then there is no problem for me to have to step in and solve.

I don't know a thing about India myself, but a good indicator, I think, is the fact that there are plenty of boys advertising themselves on Gay Romeo. I just did a Google search for "Gay India." Plenty of web sites come up.

The small towns can be difficult for a farang trying to find someone gay. Like any other small town, just about everyone knows everyone else. For that reason, often gays in Thai small towns won't be responsive. That doesn't mean you can't find anyone, but the odds are not that great.

In Thailand there has so far been only 2 cases of Swine Flu reported. That doesn't seem to me to be much of a cause for alarm just yet. However, if you do want cause for alarm, how about Chikungunya disease, a viral disease similar to Dengue Fever carried by mosquitoes. There's no shortage of mosquitoes in Thailand and so far over 15,000 cases have been reported. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ 15,000 Come Down with Mosquito Virus Published: 15/05/2009 An outbreak of Chikungunya disease, a virus spread by mosquitoes, has struck the South with over 15,000 people infected. No fatalities have been reported. Disease Control Department chief Somchai Chakrabhand said 15,240 people in 15 southern provinces had been infected with Chikungunya disease from January to April. The department has asked local health offices to intensify surveillance, particularly in the provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala, Trang and Phatthalung, where the most people have been admitted to hospital. He said the Public Health Ministry was confident it could contain the epidemic. The ministry had increased surveillance measures. Mr Somchai said a shortage of health staff posed a major problem for the ministry to deal with outbreaks of diseases, particularly the A (H1N1) flu. To contain the Chikungunya epidemic, health officials have been sent to tell people about the disease and how to destroy mosquito breeding grounds. He urged provincial governors to head Chikungunya suppression teams in their provinces as the ministry had inadequate medical equipment and staff. Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. Its symptoms are similar to dengue fever.

Not always, but from the posts on this thread, that's what it appears to be this time. For Brazil, I suggest sending GayThailand a PM. He can tell you everything you want to know about Brazil.

Chiang Rai is not exactly noted for its gay scene. The only two web sites I know of that even include the two gay bars in Chiang Rai on their lists anymore are: http://www.utopia-asia.com/thaicr.htm and http://www.thailandscene.com/other.shtml I have no idea whether the information is current. Also, Chiang Rai is nowhere near Mae Sot. It's hundreds of miles between the two and about a 9-hour bus ride.

Yes, and it's a good thing it didn't happen like that, but your post brings up the important issue of fire safety and it's never too often to give it serious thought.

Undercover agents? I doubt it. Every so often I'll read a news item about a Thai plain clothes police officer in a bar, but they're not in the bar to check farang. They're in the bar to check on any illegal activities in which the the bar might be involved. I'll repeat what I've said many times. I have never heard of a farang arrest for taking an under-age boy off from a bar. The only arrests I ever hear about stem from farang taking neighborhood boys home with them. The same holds true in this case, based on my interpretation of the articles. They don't say what led to the arrests, but it seems clear to me that these men were not taking boys from bars.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thailand Nabs Three Europeans after Paedophile Tip Thai police on Tuesday arrested three European tourists, all in their 60s, on charges of sexually abusing minors at a beach resort. The suspects were rounded up in Pattaya, 100 kilometres south-east of Bangkok, after Thai police were tipped off by Interpol about a Swedish child sex tour to the beach resort, notorious for its sleazy entertainment scene. The men arrested were Swedish nationals Karl Erik Berglund, 60, and Lars Anders Ellerman, 65, and British national George Stanley Gibbs, 67. "These men have abused many children in the Pattaya area," said Police Major General Chaiwat Gaetworachai, head of Thailand's Child Protection Division. He acknowledged that several of the men on the sex tour had evaded arrest.

Ok, then the next logical question is for Geezer. Where do you have your clothes made?

The fact is the only ones who wish to refer to them as Native Americans are others trying to be politically correct. I can tell you that when I lived in Florida, my home was virtually next door to the local Miccosukee and Seminole tribes and I became friends with many of them. Believe me, they made it crystal clear that they wish to be referred to as Indians and not as Native Americans. They bitterly resented that term. You might be interested in the following: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1...a-gente-in-dios

That's partly true, but believe me there is a huge number of boys who really are gay and it's no problem finding them. There are plenty on the beach, plenty on Gay Romeo and other personals web sites. In the Pattaya bars you best bet is Sunee Plaza, although there are also plenty in the Pattayaland bars. Yes, the more feminine boys are almost invariably gay. I don't recommend relying on the mama-sans. There are too many unscrupulous mama-sans who will tell you anything to get you to take the boys off who give them the highest kickbacks. Believe me, you're not going to have any trouble finding as many truly gay boys as you want. When you come to Pattaya, if you feel more comfortable, I will be happy to take you around myself.

Note: I believe one of the names may be familiar to a number of you. For that reason I remind you that at this point these are allegations and nobody has been found guilty of anything. 3 Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse of Young Boys 5/12/2009 The Associated Press (AP) — BANGKOK - Two Swedish men and one British man were arrested Tuesday at a Thai beach resort town for alleged sexual abuse of young boys, police said. Police Maj. Gen. Chaiwat Ketworrachai said the men were arrested at their homes in Pattaya, 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Bangkok, and were charged with sexually abusing children under the age of 15. He identified the suspects as Briton George Stanley Gibbs, 67, and Swedes Karl Erik Berglund, 60, and Lars Anders Ellerman, 65. Police did not release their hometowns. "We cannot give more detail before the cases are filed to the prosecutors," Chaiwat said, adding police confiscated sex toys, still and video cameras, computers and a nude album of young boys. If found guilty, the men could face up to 20 years in jail. Several Southeast Asian countries-including Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam-are popular with pedophiles because of lax law enforcement, corruption in the justice system, and poverty that forces children into prostitution. A number of high-profile suspects have been caught in Thailand, including a Canadian arrested in 2007 after an Interpol manhunt sparked by some 200 Internet photos showing him allegedly abusing Vietnamese and Cambodian boys. He was sentenced to eight years and three months in jail.

Many people have recommended Jim's in Pattaya. I don't recall the location, but maybe someone else knows where to find them. You can also ask Jim Lumsden at the Ambiance. I believe he knows. I've used a couple of the mom-and-pop shops and was very pleased with the results. The one I like best is on Third Road, shortly after the Central Road (Pattaya Klang) intersection heading in the direction of Pattaya Tai. I don't know how I could possibly describe where to find them, but if anyone wants to try them I'll be glad to take you there myself.

Only two weeks into Mike's all new White Night Set Menu and already the new presentation is proving popular. We have now expanded the choice and introduced a new Mushroom Medley Starter and a wonderful new healthy Vegetable Soup, courtesy of Pattaya's very own celebrity Physician, Dr. Iain Corness. Our Main course choice has also been expanded with the addition of some real comfort food; A traditional Cottage Pie and Sausages in Onion Gravy now compliment the hit of the new presentation, the stunning Roast Beef. To finish a refreshing individual Summer Pudding is our new desert option awaiting your aproval. Don't forget we are open all day, every day, offering a full breakfast menu as well as a "Greasy Spoon" all day, cafe menu. Hope to see you soon. Mike.

Unfortunately, you're probably right about that. However, to my mind the incident is still quite bizarre for several reasons: If the woman was already known to them, how could they have known it was the same woman without checking? It wasn't necessarily a woman at all. It could have been a man with a higher pitched voice. It could have been a child. When asked why nobody checked, wouldn't it have made more sense to say they never heard her rather than saying they thought it was ghosts? Apparently thinking they were hearing ghosts is considered an acceptable reason. The spirit houses you see just about everywhere are there for a reason. A great many Thais really do believe in ghosts and they're afraid of them. They consider the spirits to be malevolent. No Caspar the Friendly Ghosts. The spirit houses are there because the belief is the evil spirits will inhabit those spirit houses rather than haunt their own homes. I remember one time when I had a young gentleman visiting. He refused to use my bathroom when the need arose. He was absolutely convinced ghosts were in there. Nothing I could say or do would convince him that it was perfectly safe to use the bathroom. I never did find out just why he thought my bathroom was haunted, but the rest of the house was perfectly safe, but that's a true story.

I don't know about the price a tailor would charge, but the mom-and-pop seamstress shops usually charge between 300 to 400 baht per garment.

From among all the bizarre aspects of this story, to me the most bizarre is the fact that for five hours it never occurred to the police that the cries maybe, just maybe, are not coming from ghosts after all. This woman was just outside the police station, going through hell and crying for help all that time, and nobody gave a thought to at least having a look? It's a miracle both the mother and child survived. This one gets high ranking on my "I Don't Get It" list.