Gaybutton

Yes, but first, regarding bedbugy's suggestion of using Google translations, forget it. Try copying a sentence or two written in Thai and pasting it into the Google translation. The English that comes out is incomprehensible. Most likely the reverse would be true and the Thai that comes out would be just as incomprehensible to a Thai person. Go to http://www.thaivisa.com and write 'translation' in their search. Many items will come up. Perhaps one of them will be what you seek.

I know of one. Perhaps you've heard of it. The name of the town is Pattaya.

I have never heard of a farang arrested when taking a boy off from a bar at all, regardless of the boy's age. But bars are not the only places where farang find under-age boys. I've heard about plenty of arrests when a farang picked up an under-age boy freelancing on the streets. Once in a while I have heard of arrests when bars were raided and a farang was caught with an under-age boy in the bar's short time room, but it's been about ten years since I last heard of such an arrest. That doesn't mean it's worth the risk. Just because I've never heard of it doesn't mean it never happens or can't start happening. Also, few hotels are going to let someone in if he has an under-age boy in tow.

I see signs in the windows of many travel services, legal services, and language schools that offer translation service. Also, you might be able to do it in a different way. Are there any Thai restaurants in your area? If there are, maybe someone in the restaurant would be willing to do it for you, especially for a fee. Then you could send out the letter yourself.

That's a good point. I would imagine those important documents would most likely be documents needed at Immigration. Obviously the ideal thing to do would be to get the documents wherever they need to be either before or after the splashing days. If that is not possible, then place them in a plastic bag or some other waterproof container. Take a baht bus and sit up front with the driver. Try to go as early in the day as you can, while the drunken revelers are still asleep.

Don't worry about that. Gang away! You, Soi10Tom, and everybody else are entitled to their opinions just as I am entitled to mine. There is never a problem about disagreement on this board as long as there are no personal attacks, and there have been none. Never think your opinion has to agree with mine (even though you're dead wrong whenever it doesn't . . . .)

Well, that certainly brings tears to my eyes. Is that what you find? I didn't even know you were looking. My friend, if you want to go by strict definitions and quibble about it, that's your affair. Just because you attach great importance to that doesn't mean everybody else has to do the same thing. New knowledge? That's a presumptuous assumption. Quite frankly, I actually have enough command of the language to already have known the differences long, long before your post. I never said I'm unwilling to hear facts or that I lack intellectual curiosity. That's your opinion. If you think you're telling me anything I didn't know before, well . . . you're mistaken. I already know the facts, thank you very much. I also know the phrase about a rose by any other name. In all honesty I'm neither interested nor do I give a damn. My interest is in the practical side. Quibbling about words and dictionary definitions is of no importance to me at all, especially in light of another fact: The last time I checked, English is not a static language. I'll tell you what. The next time someone is arrested for being a pedophile, but in reality he's merely a pederast, just have him open his dictionary for the police. I'm sure that will make a huge difference. If this makes me very Bush-like, so be it. I disagree with that interpretation. I thought it makes me very Nixon-like.

Here's one of my favorite quotes. I've posted it before,and it seems appropriate now: "The only good thing that ever came from religion is the music." - George Carlin

Exactly. I agree with every word of your post including the part about the pointlessness of going into what defines what or why the media reports whatever it reports. It doesn't matter. Pedo, pederast, or anything else. None of it changes the fact that if someone comes to Thailand, seeks out boys under 18 years old for sex, and gets caught, then he's going bye-bye. I fail to see what difference the rest of it makes.

For practical purposes, does it really matter? We can analyze and guess about the reasons from now 'till Kingdom Come, but none of it alters the fact that given the numbers of arrests of the pedos diddling around with under age boys, these people must have a whole hardware store full of loose screws to take such a risk. And for what? A satisfying cum. Great idea, pedos! Brilliant! Risk ruining your entire life, career, family, reputation, time in a Thai prison, time in a prison in your home country, along with a major loss of money so that you can get laid by a 10 year old. I have no sympathy for these people, but I do stand back in awe of that level of stupidity.

I would think the reason is due to the fact that so many pedophiles come to Pattaya for the express purpose of seeking out sex with under-age boys. That's bound to add to the statistics. Unfortunately, Pattaya is unique in that sex with under-age boys is so readily available.

Details are on the poster:

Damned right! What really is surprising me is that so far lvdkeyes is the only one posting that he dislikes Songkran and plans to go elsewhere. I would have thought several others would have posted similar sentiments. Maybe people have caught the spirit . . .

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Tourists Suspected of Underage Sex Crimes Thai, Australian Police Work to Make Arrests By: WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM and AFP Published: 21/03/2009 Thai and Australian police have arrested three men accused of sexual offences against Thai minors while on holiday here in a joint operation. Under the joint operation codenamed "Hercules", Australian Richard Jeremy Morrush and Italian David Costa Ruggero, both 60, were arrested yesterday in Pattaya, Chon Buri province. The third suspect, another Australian identified as David Anthony Hadson, 41, was arrested in Australia. The suspects were charged with plotting to lure boys under 15 to have sex with them and with the physical or psychological abuse of their victims. The three came to Thailand as tourists in 2007 and went to Pattaya where they committed sexual offences against three 14-year-old boys, police alleged. Police also alleged that Mr Morrush committed similar crimes in Australia before he came to Thailand. Mr Ruggero was arrested by Thai police in 2007 on similar charges. He was released on bail and the case is pending in court, police said. Both Mr Morrush and Mr Ruggero denied all the charges and remained tight-lipped yesterday, said Pol Col Suwipol Imjairat, deputy chief of the Crime Against Children, Juveniles and Women Suppression Division. Mr Morrush fainted during his arrest and had to be sent to the Police General Hospital, the officer added. Police are checking a computer laptop seized from Mr Morrush to see if it contained any illegal images. Police began looking into the case involving the three foreigners after they were informed by the Australian Federal Police that suspects in sex crimes they were investigating had travelled to Thailand. The Australian police said yesterday the three were charged with child sex tourism, child sex abuse and child pornography offences. Britain's child exploitation and online protection centre also assisted with the investigation, they added. The Australian Federal Police "will not tolerate any form of child abuse in Australia or anywhere in the world, and will continue to work with local and overseas counterparts to arrest those behind child exploitation", said spokesman David Stewart. Last year, officers arrested four foreigners accused of similar offences in Thailand. They were middle-aged men from England, the US and Germany. Meanwhile, at the Southeast Asia Conference on Child Sex Tourism in Indonesia yesterday, Southeast Asian nations were urged to do more to tackle child sex tourism as the global economic crisis has exposed more young people to exploitation. "The current economic crisis will increase children's vulnerability to sex tourism," participants from governments, aid groups and corporations said. "Poverty remains a root cause of child sex tourism. Other factors include limited access to education, gender relations, and weak law enforcement capacity," the conference said in a resolution. Asean governments should "enforce legislation to prosecute child sex offenders and where relevant collaborate regionally and internationally to ensure successful prosecution", it said. The three-day conference heard earlier that more than 70,000 children across Asia were victims of child sex tourism and that children living in areas exposed to natural disasters, particularly orphans, were at increased risk of abuse.The conference is being held on the Indonesian island of Bali and has attracted participants from 17 countries including Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands.

It's just incredible to me that given the number of arrests, people still think they're going to get away with it. Why do they even come to Thailand at all? Several other countries have ages of consent far younger than Thailand. Why do they come here? Just another item on my "I Don't Get It" list. The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: for photos see: http://www.pattayaone.net/news/2009/march/...9_03_52_3.shtml _____ British National Arrested for Engaging in Underage Sex Tourist Police held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce the arrest of Mr Paul Dixon, a 45-year-old British passport holder, on charges of engaging in sexual activities with a Thai male under the age of 15. Police told journalists they had set up an observation post in a known early morning area frequented by foreign men in search of sex with underage Thai males. Mr Dixon had allegedly come into this area at around 4:30am and offered the teenager 500 baht to perform sexual acts with him. Police pounced, arrested Mr Dixon and went to the man's room where they found what they claim are incriminating objects such as KY jelly, pornographic movies, and allegedly incriminating photos. Mr Dixon may now face court proceedings in coming days. ____________________ And this, in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ for photos see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000008692 ANOTHER BRITON ARRESTED IN PATTAYA ON PAEDOPHILE CHARGES On the morning of 19th March 2009 Pattaya police announced that a suspected British paedophile had been arrested in Pattaya, accused of having sex with an underage Thai male. At a press conference a police team led by Pol.Col. Krit Warit, Pol. Lt. Col. Chanchai Chowkasem, Pol. Lt. Col. Boon Rod Aung Gab, accompanied by Pol. Lt. Col. Suwan Aun Anan, revealed to the media that they had arrested Mr. Paul Dixon [45], a British national, for having sex with a Thai male under 15 years of age. On display were items collected from the suspect’s room at King Fisher House 504/498 Moo .10 Soi Yensabai, Pratumnuk Road, including KY jelly, pornographic movies, a video camera, sex toys, a bondage belt and a collection of photos which are believed to incriminate the suspect. Pol.Col. Krit Warit said they had been monitoring an area of the city frequented by foreign men looking for young Thai males for sexual purposes, and in particular a building no. 504/470 in Soi Tonson where many of these underage males were taken. Mr. Dixon, an engineer with the London Underground, was arrested by a police team when he ventured into the area in the early hours of the morning and propositioned a young teenager for sex. Police said the Mr. Dixon had been in Pattaya 5 times, normally on a 2 week stay. The suspect can now expect due processing according to the law. Pol.Col. Krit Warit added that his police team was under direct orders from The Tourist Police Commissioner, Pol.Maj.Gen. Adis Ngahm-Jit Sooksri, to seize foreign tourists who travel to Thailand to have underage sex, a problem which is still prevalent in Pattaya.

Yes, that's the one. Obviously totally different from Pattaya. It looks like great fun. That might be an excellent alternative for those who don't want to deal with it the way it works in Pattaya.

That is correct. Thailand does not permit police agencies of foreign countries to come in and act unilaterally. I know of no country that does. The Australian police would have had to act in conjunction with Thai police, and I'll bet as far as physically arresting anyone was concerned, their capacity was nothing beyond being observers.

This whole thing is so typical. A close friend of mine said it best, I think: "Everything in Thailand is reactive. Nothing is ever proactive." In other words, they come up with these things without ever thinking it through. There was absolutely no warning that this was coming. Everyone affected by this simply received the letter and was given less than two weeks to comply. If Bangkok Bank handled this the way it should have been handled, then they would have sent out notifications at least one or two months in advance and would have asked people what problems might arise and what suggestions for solutions could be offered, and would have given people plenty of time to make alternate arrangements if they wished. But noooooooo. Just send out the letter first and then worry about problems later. I wouldn't be surprised if once full clarification is received by Social Security, or whatever entity, it will turn out that none of this was necessary in the first place.

Seems to me that catering by Niddy would work. On the floral part of that link it says: "Personally Customized Floral Arrangements & Gift Baskets We are happy to design a beautiful floral arrangement or gift basket for your special day. We can do vase arrangements, basket arrangements, hand-held presentation bouquets -- just tell us what you want! Also, let us know your favorite flowers and a color or occasion theme and we will personalize your order to your specifications and needs. We are happy to hand deliver to any location within the greater Pattaya area." Seems to be an easy solution.

Thank you for that post, 2lz2p. I read the Expats Club letter. While it is encouraging that they are trying to do something about it, I'm reluctant to expect they're going to accomplish very much, although I'm hopeful. Some of the methods they posted about how to get around this seem to me to be much more complicated than just going ahead and changing over to the Direct Deposit account and going to the bank whenever funds are received. One potential problem the Expats Club letter did not address: Suppose you happen to be traveling in another country when your monthly benefit comes in and something happens to you that requires access to your money. Since you have no access to it at all unless you can physically get to a Bangkok Bank, what do you do in that situation? There is always the possibility that some bizarre situation will occur. In accordance with Murphy's Law, that's exactly what's going to start happening to people. How would you like to have been arrested for something, find you can pay or even bribe your way out of it, but can't access your money. "There's always the unexpected, isn't there?" - Warden to Shears, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' In my opinion, something is really wrong with a banking system in today's electronic age that prevents people from being able to access their own money. What Bangkok Bank needs to do is figure out some way to comply, but in such a way that the recipient can at least move the funds to a regular savings account without having to physically go to the bank to do it. It seems to me it shouldn't be all that difficult to come up with something satisfactory to all parties. By the way, last night I did receive a text message from Bangkok Bank notifying me that the SMS alert system for international deposits into my account is now in place.

Being the spoilsport that I am, I'm one of the crazies who absolutely loves Songkran. I thoroughly enjoy it, especially on the main insanity day (Sunday, April 19 this year in Pattaya). All those boys in wet T-shirts or shirtless! I don't mind the water splashing at all, at least on that day. I wouldn't dream of missing it. For those of you who will be here in Pattaya during the festivities, and many of you know the splashing starts sporadically several days before and there's more and more of it until the 19th, you can still avoid getting wet if you don't want to be wet. If you sit on a baht bus bench seat, it's virtually a given that you're going to get splashed. The trick is to sit up front with the driver. Then you won't get splashed. On the main day, if you're going to go anywhere or get into the traffic flow, make sure you have a full tank of fuel. You're going to be stuck in a hell of a lot of traffic and that would be the wrong day to run out of fuel. If you intend to go to Bangkok, if you go on the 18th (or come to Pattaya on the 18th), make sure you go via the Rt. 36, Rt. 7 expressway. Don't go through Chonburi. That's the main Songkran day in Chonburi and you'll be stuck trying to get through for at least two hours, probably more. But I too would be interested to know what those of you who dislike Songkran and are "stuck" in Thailand are going to do. Some choose to hole up in their rooms as much as they until it's over. If they won't even go out to eat and cannot or will not cook at home, they can always order food delivery from Door-2-Door or WOW. Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, and various Thai owned restaurants have delivery service of their own. During the day you're safe at places such as the beach, Pattaya Park, shopping malls, etc. Some choose to do as lvdkeyes is going to do . . . leave Pattaya during Songkran. If you are going to leave, where are you going? Last year TOQ posted some fabulous photos of Songkran in the rural areas of Thailand, on the Ting & Tong's Gay Thailand board ( http://www.gaytingtong.com ). I can't find those photos now. Maybe if TOQ sees this post he can post a link to those photos if he still has them online. But the point is that out in the rural areas Songkran is much more benign and subdued. A trip to the hinterlands might be a good alternative for some.

I see. Ok, then maybe they're in a Burger King in Nacogdoches.

"How often does a man get a compliment like that?" - Tevye, 'Fiddler on the Roof' Actually this old dog is still up to the same tricks. Sorry, no new ones. If you read previous threads on the Googie subject, you'll find that what I wrote on this thread is the same as I wrote on the previous threads.

"Mr. Towns, you behave as if stupidity were a virtue. Why is that?" - Dorfmann to Towns, 'Flight of the Phoenix,' 1965 version When you ask if they'll ever learn, and they don't, the above is the most likely reason I can think of.

That's absolutely right. No matter what you do, you still have to have the letter from the bank.