Gaybutton

I agree, although I suspect the stranded people will be happy to get home at all, with or without their luggage. I have a feeling that by the time they get everyone out, they might as well apply for retirement visas. Here's another fun thought: Suppose the PAD voluntarily leaves the airports. If something else takes place that they don't like, what's to prevent them from doing the same thing again?

No, no. If the theater you're in happens to be between two others, now you get part of 3 movies for the price of one.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Fugitive Thaksin : Protesters Seizing Airports Must Respect Law By The Nation Fugitive ex-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has called for anti-government protesters who seized Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports to respect the laws or face legal action. He warned that if they did not respect the law, "law enforcement must be done." Thaksin has been on the run after being sentenced in absentia to two years in jail on corruption charges in Thailand. He was referring to seizing of the airports by protesters led by People's Alliance for Democracy, which reached the fifth day on Saturday. Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is Thaksin's brother in law, has issued state of emergency both airports. The move was seen as a tool to allow police to disperse them. "The airports must be reopened and the protesters must respect not only the law, but the citizens of Thailand," Thaksin said. "If no one respects the law, then law enforcement must be done." He also warned that should the military launch a coup, it would be much more bloody than the previously occasions. He also warned the army to stay out of politics, predicting bloodshed if they stage a coup. "If the coup were to happen, there's going to be bloodshed. It's not going to be an easy coup like in the past because the people are in hardship since dictatorship came to Thailand," Thaksin said. Thaksin urged his supporters to "protect democracy": "If you protect Democracy you may be painful for a while, but if you allow dictatorship to take over Thailand you are going to have a nightmare for your whole life." Thaksin said without elaboration, "So-called independent agencies or courts had been mobilised to bias against the government. That's very bad." Thaksin's message to the military: "They are officials whose salary is paid by taxpayer money, so they have to do what is wanted by the whole of the Thai people, not just for minority groups. They must respect Democracy. They must play by the rules. Being neutral means you have to observe the law." Thaksin was speaking to Thomas Crampton, a freelance blogger in a videotaped interview. Crampton said the interview came out when he had coffee with Thaksin. "He spoke passionately about this week's events in Thailand," he wrote. The date and time of the interview was not known. It was posted on Crampton's blog on Friday.

I suppose it's possible, but so far there is no indication that any of those things are likely to happen, other than air travel. As a matter of fact, I've seen each one of those things happen even when there is no trouble at all. As far as the general populace is concerned, life is going on as usual and it almost seems as if most of the people, if they're paying attention to it at all, are just about indifferent to the whole thing. It reminds me of the civil rights protests that took place in the USA in the 1960's. As I recall it, most people in the USA who were not directly involved would watch the news about it on television and would say, "Isn't that terrible?" That was about all. Once the news was over, that's the last time they even thought about it that day. From what I'm seeing, the financial system seems to be in more danger than anything else. This crisis certainly isn't going to help Thailand's economy. For farang, the silver lining on that cloud is that the exchange rate is rapidly moving in our favor. I'm definitely sorry for the reasons for the current exchange rate movement, but I'd be lying if I said I'm sorry about the exchange rate windfall it's producing.

Thank you all very much for these responses. I think I'm going to go for a fit-in-the-pocket sized camera. Apparently, most of them take decent enough pictures, so it's the features built into the camera that seem to make the most difference. I guess the most important peripheral features are the size of the LCD screen, whether you can still see the screen in bright sunlight, and whether the flash is going to wash out the photo. What features would you say are the most important "must haves"?

Unfortunately, you're by no means alone in that. It's a sad situation for so many people and none of the powers-that-be seem to know what to do about it. No matter what any of them do now, it will be the wrong thing to do. On the one hand, the authorities can't do anything to jeopardize the safety of the innocent people trapped in the airports. On the other hand, they also can't allow a protest group to literally destroy the economy of the entire country. The number of people who will be adversely affected economically, both directly and indirectly, could reach many millions by the time this is over. No matter what happens now, it's a crushing blow to the tourist industry that is going to last for years. By now, there has to be a significant number of people who were considering a holiday in Thailand who now will never consider a holiday in Thailand. The thing I keep wondering about is once the airports are cleared, whether done by force or not, what's going to happen next?

No.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ 100,000 Passengers Miss Flights in 3 Days By The Nation Published on November 29, 2008 Nearly 100,000 passengers have missed flights since protesters shut down Bangkok's two main airports on Tuesday and the total could hit 300,000 as the shutdown continues, Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said yesterday. "The total number could hit 300,000. When Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports are cleared, it will take 24 to 48 hours to verify aviation standards. It will take time to send people home," he said after a meeting with 14 airlines yesterday, including Japan Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and EVA Air. The ministry will set up an emergency centre to help stranded travellers, whose number is estimated to be about 30,000 a day. Four hotels will be chosen for airlines to operate check-in counters, where passengers can reschedule flights and pick up new tickets and be transferred by coach to U-tapao International Airport, 190km southeast of Bangkok. The centres are expected to start operating in the next 48 to 72 hours, the minister said. TAT is to gather travellers' information. Those put in priority groups will be sent home first, while their baggage will be shipped on later flights. Weerasak said the ministry would host a discussion with representatives of the Customs Department, the Immigration Department and related private and government agencies over additional assistance measures. Thai AirAsia chief executive officer Tassapon Bijleveld expects no more than 10 aircraft - belonging to Thai Airways International, Nok Air and Bangkok Airways - to operate from U-tapao, as most aircraft and equipment are locked up at the two airports and can not be moved out. U-tapao will be useful for incoming flights, he said. "We have no power to bargain for the aircraft as the government itself could not," he said. He also urged airlines with aircraft to extend help to other airlines' stranded passengers, to restore the tarnished image. Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin expects the airport shutdown to be extended, which is not good for any airline. Nok Air, which normally handles 2,000 passengers a day, is still selling advance tickets. "This will affect our business plan next year, but I don't know how yet in the middle of chaos like this," he said. Among stranded travellers are a group of 20 arts teachers from France who are now in Ubon Ratchathani. Traveller Alain Muni said protests were frequent in France and major venues had been shut down, but an airport had never been closed. While his visa is not a problem, he is concerned about extra expenses if he has to stay here for a long time. Anti-government protesters seized Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday evening and Don Mueang on Thursday morning. Some 7,000 travellers were stuck at Suvarnabhumi when it was raided, more than double the figure given by airport authorities at the time, Weerasak said. Tourism Authority of Thailand overseas offices are instructed to slow down their activities promoting air trips even if the airports reopen soon. TAT is ordered to focus more on trips on other transportation and encouraging more Thais to travel to compensate for the lower income from foreign travellers. Hotels in Nakhon Ratchasima witnessed a 90-per-cent cancellation of hotel bookings from foreign travellers, mainly those from Europe who could not reach Thailand after Suvarnabhumi Airport was shut down. Sawat Mangkornwat, chairman of the tourism business council in Nakhon Ratchasima, said travellers have lost confidence in safety following the shutdown of the airport. They have switched to neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Malaysia. If the problem is prolonged, the country's tourism and economy will suffer greatly and it could affect employment if business operators could not cope with expenses and needed to lay off workers. Now they are turning to local travellers through special packages. From the council's survey, tourism business in the province - involving hotels, restaurants and resorts - has lost Bt200 million so far. "Both sides must retreat for the national interest. They must step back to end the problem, before the country's economy is battered even more," Sawat said. He urged the prime minister to dissolve Parliament and the PAD to stop its protest. Ending the conflicts would restore tourist and investor confidence. Kamphol Tansajja, director of Nong Nooch Garden in Pattaya, is fretting that foreign travellers may not return to Thailand, following news that Thailand is bracing for civil war, which could affect their safety. He noted that his property suffered greatly during the Sars epidemic and the Persian Gulf War but survived due to support by Thai tourists. He also urged Thais to do the same thing this time.

The URL for DBS is: http://www.dbs.com.sg/home/index.html

Use the IMG function. That's how the picture below got here: I use Photo Bucket. That's where I store my photos. Under each picture there is a direct link which can be copied, and then pasted, like this (use brackets where I put in parentheses. I can't demonstrate with the brackets because the brackets won't show in the post): (IMG) link goes here (/IMG) That's how it's done.

That's why this evening was the first and last time I'll be in that particular bar.

This evening I went and had a look. In all honesty I see no significant difference between this bar and any other bar. I counted ten boys on stage, a few of whom I recognized from other bars. Two were dancing. The rest were doing the "one-knee shuffle." The seating and stage was no different than it was when the bar was Top Man. The music volume was blaring and about fifteen minutes of it was all I could take. I was charged 140 baht for a typical gin & tonic. There were, however, no pushy mama-sans. I really had hoped a new bar would bring something truly innovative to Sunee Plaza. In my opinion, the bar is typical of the type you find in Sunee Plaza.

Maybe this isn't such a bright idea, but I would try two things. First, since there are so many times when one branch tells you one thing and another branch tells you something else, try two or three more branches of the same bank before giving up. If that fails, try other banks. Different banks seem to have totally different policies. It's possible that other banks may issue you the credit card while your own bank won't. You can't be any worse off than you are right now by trying.

It's either U-Tapao or nowhere near Bangkok or Pattaya at all until this is over. There's not a lot of alternatives in the vicinity unless you want your plane to fly over Pattaya and drop you in by parachute (your luggage arrives later . . .). If some of the airlines opt for U-Tapao, there might be long lines and long waits for luggage, customs, check-in, etc, but at least you could get in and out of Thailand at all. It seems to me the airlines are also taking a wait and see attitude and I doubt they'll do it at all if it causes them to lose money rather than at least break even.

Friday, November 26 OPENING RATES: US Dollar: 35.13 Euro: 45.20 British Pound: 53.95 Australian Dollar: 22.9075 Canadian Dollar: 28.3375 _____ CLOSING RATES: US Dollar: 35.29 Euro: 45.345 British Pound: 54.275 Australian Dollar: 23.0575 Canadian Dollar: 28.4975

I was at the Amor and it was wonderful. Surprisingly enough, given the lack of tourist numbers, most of the tables were filled and everyone seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. Richard always has more food than will be served that night. He will provide the same dinner each night, for those who want it, until it runs out. Usually, it's all gone within a couple of days, so if you missed it, you can still get it. I have not heard any reports about the White Night dinner.

Me too! And my favorite part of the turkey is the wing.

There is also the problem of transportation to and from the U-Tapao airport. I don't think there is near enough taxi service to accommodate large numbers of passengers. Maybe, if it comes to that, since there would be money to be made, additional taxis, vans, and buses would head for U-Tapao, but be prepared for rip-off prices. If any of you are able to find flights to U-Tapao and are concerned about transportation to Pattaya from there, if you want to contact me and make an arrangement, I'll be glad to come to the airport and bring you to Pattaya myself. All I would ask in return is for you to refill my gas tank.

Actually, I was referring to Buaseng's post in which he talks about full flights and the difficulty of finding seats to get into Thailand. Some of you might recall an earlier post of mine in which I was talking about my friend trying to get back to Thailand from the USA, but ended up in Hong Kong. He did make it back. Apparently he's very lucky to have found an available seat for a flight into Thailand at all. He managed to get a seat on a flight from Hong Kong to Ko Samui, and then a flight the next day from Ko Samui to U-Tapao. He did make it back to Pattaya. As a matter of fact we're having dinner together this evening. He's very fortunate, considering he was caught up in the middle of this mess, and he knows it. If he wasn't able to get that flight from Hong Kong to Ko Samui when he did, Lord only knows how long he would have been stranded in Hong Kong trying to get back to Thailand. In all the years I've been coming to Thailand, and for the length of time I've been living in Thailand, this is the damndest thing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, here in Pattaya, if it wasn't for the news media you wouldn't know anything is going on at all. Aside from the lack of tourist numbers, everything is open and operating normally. I feel very badly for those who wanted to come to Thailand now, but had to cancel their plans because of this. We're enjoying some of the most beautiful weather we've had here in ages . . . cloudless skies, very comfortable temperatures, nice breezes, and low humidity. It's a shame some of you can't get here.

As an aside, since many of you seem to own and know about cameras, how come so few of you are participating in the two photo contests (in the pinned section of the message board)? Doesn't anybody like Chivas Regal?

Actually, that's still not correct. I'm the moderator. Stef is the Webmaster. GayThailand is the owner of the web site and he is the one paying the entire amount of the contest out of his own pocket. I hope everyone realizes he's doing an extremely generous thing. He has nothing to gain by doing this.

Maybe it's just Bangkok, but I was under the impression that it's illegal for them to refuse to use the meter no matter where they operate in Thailand. I'd love to be able to recommend who to contact to register complaints, but I have no idea. If somebody knows, please post the information. I don't know if complaints will do much more than complaints about everything else, but it can't hurt to try.

Thank you. That idea finally occurred to me a few hours ago. Now I understand what it is.

That's very likely the case. I would think the top dogs in the government are preoccupied right now with trying to save their own skins as their top priority. Right now, it's very difficult to get in or out of Thailand. Those of you trying to get into Thailand might want to check the possibility of getting to Vientiane or Phnom Penh and then taking a bus or hired car into Thailand. At the moment I can't think of any other way to get here any time soon. Getting out again might also be a problem if the shut-down of the airports continues very long. The police have announced they do not intend to use violence to try to disperse the demonstrators at the airports, so I don't know how they're planning to force thousands of people out. And if a coup does indeed occur, it will be anybody's guess as to what will happen next. I'm somewhat surprised that it's difficult to get seats on flights into other cities in Thailand. Given the present circumstances, who would want to come? Maybe the flights are filling with people, like Buaseng, who are trying to get home, and home is Thailand. Are any of you presently stranded in Thailand, trying to get back to your home country? Are any of you stranded in another country because you live in Thailand and can't get back here?

Those of you considering a trip to Chiang Mai in the near future might want to keep tabs on the situation. The Prime Minister is in Chiang Mai and apparently is moving the entire government there because of fears of another coup. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ PM Has no Schedule to Return to Bangkok, Apparently Fearing Coup: Spokeswoman Chiang Mai - Deputy Government Spokeswoman Suparat Nakboonnam said Friday that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has no schedule to return to Bangkok in the near future. She said Somchai decided to remain in Chiang Mai as part of security measures due to uncertainty related to the moves of the armed forces. All moves of the prime minister will be held confidential for safety reasons, she said. The prime minister will resort to teleconference meeting with other Cabinet members in Bangkok, she said. ___________________ And this, from the BANGKOK POST: _____ Somchai Moves Government to Chiang Mai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat will remain in the northern city of Chiang Mai "indefinitely" because of tensions with the military, a government spokesman said. Somchai was forced to land in Chiang Mai from a trip abroad on Wednesday after anti-government protesters seized control of Bangkok's two airports. He declared a state of emergency at the airports on Thursday night as rumours of a possible military coup swept the capital, although the army said it was not intervening. "As there are still uncertainties in the tensions between the government and army, for his safety the prime minister will stay in Chiang Mai," government spokesman Suparat Nakbunnam said. "He has no schedule to return to Bangkok, he will stay in Chiang Mai indefinitely for his security," Suparat said. Cabinet ministers flew to Chiang Mai for an urgent meeting on Thursday, effectively setting up a government in exile from the capital, which remains cut off by air from the rest of the world. (AFP)