Gaybutton

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Rush to Get Out By Post Reporters Tens of thousands of stranded passengers have been squeezing into the only terminal at U-tapao airport to catch flights out of the country. Tents have been erected outside the terminal to provide shelter to the passengers and more mobile toilets have been installed. Traffic to the airport, in Rayong's Ban Chang district, has been backed up for several kilometres. Capt Kiatkul Suwan, who oversees the airport, said immigration officers are working around the clock. On average, about 50 international flights have left the facility daily after the airport was opened for commercial flights. Each flight can accommodate 200-300 passengers. Transport Minister Santi Promphat said the air force base in Don Mueang has also been opened for commercial flights to held stranded passengers get out of the country. He said authorities were also negotiating with neighbouring countries to see if they can reroute passengers to their airports and send them home. He said the government is doing its best to resolve the crisis after People's Alliance for Democracy supporters continued their siege of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. The tourism industry across the country has been dealt a massive blow with the shutdown of Suvarnabhumi, the country's main commercial gateway to the world, as well as Don Mueang airport, which mainly handles domestic flights. Hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related business owners in key tourist destinations from Satun to Chiang Rai have reported cancellations. They believe the shutdown of the airports has not only caused difficulties for tourists but has also undermined tourists' confidence in Thailand. In Chiang Rai's popular Phu Chi Fah area, about 10 per cent of the hotel reservations have been cancelled. More cancellations are expected as the crisis in Bangkok drags on. Somkiat Chuenthirawong, the chairman of Chiang Rai's tourism association, said the tourism and service sector is losing huge amounts of income and any reopening of the two airports is nowhere in sight. He added that a massive drop in income from tourism is widely expected in the industry if the situation is not resolved soon. Satun is already facing a grim holiday season. About 50 per cent of the bookings during the Christmas and New Year festivities, mainly by foreign tourists, have been cancelled. In Hat Yai, Songkhla's commercial district, a large of number of foreign tourists arrived to board planes out of the country. The stranded tourists have headed to Hat Yai, from where they can fly or go overland to Malaysia and Singapore and return to their home countries from there. "Several hundred buses to Malaysia and Singapore are fully booked. The tourists have been advised to come to Hat Yai for flights to Malaysia or Singapore and then return home," said Kriangkrai Samphankul, chairman of the Phatthalung tourism association. "But some are taking the opportunity to explore Hat Yai as well while they are here."

Not at all, gents. If I didn't enjoy doing it, I wouldn't do it. As far as my eligibility is concerned, I'm not the least bit upset that I'm not eligible. I didn't expect to be. I also could have resigned as moderator. Then I would have been just as eligible as anyone else. You asked if I care to explain why I feel the way I do about some people who I believe are trying to take advantage. The answer is simple. No, I do not care to explain. I would have thought it is obvious. I guess it isn't. As it stands as of yesterday (I won't know today's tally until midnight) 29 people have their names in the hat. Again, the actual number of posts anyone writes in total is not what wins the contest. If you have 3 posts in one day, your name goes into the hat for that day, but only once. You could write 50 posts in one day if you really want to, but your name goes in the hat only once per day as long as you have written at least 3 posts that day. As for the totals since the beginning of the contest, MonkeySee you are leading the pack. As of last night's tally, I've got you down for 234 qualifying posts. You're definitely keeping me busy.

My interpretation is that it applies anywhere in Thailand. Not everyone stranded is in Bangkok. The Ambassador Hotel, just south of Pattaya, according to the article is full. But they do tell you to show the hotel your evidence of being stranded and the hotel will credit you with up to 2000 baht per day applied to room and food. That's not bad at all. That should be more than enough to cover the cost of the room and food unless you're going to stay at one of the high end expensive hotels. You might want to check to see if any of the gay hotels are honoring the offer. As long as you're stuck, you might as well enjoy it. If a serviced apartment will honor that, obviously it won't include food since they have no restaurant. However, you might want to call one of the TAT numbers or dial 1337 to find out what to do about food. If you can't get through, the TAT office is open 24 hours a day now and you might a well go there. If any readers here are stranded in Pattaya, I have a car. If you need any help, all you have to do is contact me and I'll do what I can for you. Just send an Email to me at gaybutton@gmail.com . That's the quickest way to contact me. If you have a telephone number and let me know what it is, I'll call you. If you don't have a phone, let me know that and I'll reply to your Email with my number. If you need any help, once you have my number feel free to call me at any hour, day or night. I don't mind that at all, even if you have a need to contact me in the wee hours. It's not a problem for me.

The following two articles appear in PATTAY ONE: _____ Emergency Meeting Discusses Local Assistance for Stranded International Tourists On Thursday Afternoon, Khun Mongkol, the Chief of Banglamung District chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the currently situation in Bangkok and the affect on Tourists residing here in Pattaya following the closure of Suvanabumi Airport. The District Chief announced that Pattaya City Hall and Banglamung City Hall’s can be contacted by Tourists who are stranded here in Pattaya following the airport closure which could last for some time. For the latest information the Pattaya City Call Center 1337 can be contacted and for those who need to leave Thailand urgently can also contact 1337 and decisions on whether to accommodate requests to leave Thailand urgently will be decided case-by-case by an emergency committee which has been set up. U-tapao Airport in Sattahip is still operating and can be used. So if you are stranded here in Pattaya and have problems with money or visas or if you require any advice regarding the use of other forms of transport to leave Thailand please call 1337. ____________________ Tourists Stranded in Pattaya Wonder when the Bangkok Protests will End Because of the Airport closures in Bangkok, thousands of foreign tourists are stranded here in Thailand. Many have come to Pattaya to wait for news regarding their flights. Many are angry, some have resigned themselves to the fact they are stuck here and are making the most of their extended holidays. It is clear that whenever the PAD protests at the airports come to an end, there will not be an immediate re-opening as security at both airports have been breached and damage has been caused. There were reports of some International Journalists walking onto the tarmac and up to parked planes with no signs of any security in place. Everyone is now wondering what the next move will be as the Army appear not to support the idea of using force to disperse the protesters and the Police have also claimed they will not use force. Some tourists are running out of money and others now have expired visas. Tourists with expired visas should make their way to the Immigration Office located in Soi 5 off Jomtien Beach Road where we understand that if evidence is produced to confirm they have been forced to remain here because of the problems, free visa extensions will be given. Many are hoping that the nearby U-Tapao Military Airport in Sattahip will be used for international flights, however due to the size of the airport it is unlikely that regular international flights will be possible. If you require urgent repatriation you must contact your Embassy who will listen to your case and make a judgment if an urgent evacuation from Thailand is required. Other options such as traveling to Cambodia or Laos by road are also being considered by some Tourists at this time. ____________________ And this, from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS _____ THOUSANDS OF STRANDED TOURISTS AWAIT FLIGHTS HOME AT PATTAYA HOTELS Thai Airways have brought tourists from two airports in Bangkok to temporarily check in at the Ambassador Hotel Jomtien and a few more hotels nearby before flying back to their countries from U-tapao airport. At 00.20 am. on 29th November 2008, our reporter was informed that over ten thousands tourists were waiting to check in at the Ambassador Hotel Jomtien, in front of the hotel and inside the Ocean Wings building. Mr. Anusak Rodbunmee, the hotel General Manager said the hotel has total of 4000 rooms but some of these have already been booked and could only offer 1,300 rooms for this urgent matter. Other hotels nearby had been approached and offered their rooms at a special rate. Mr. Tanasan Sarakol, the general manager of the Best Western Bella Villa said they will offer a 50% discount for tourists who are waiting for their flights. The first two flights Thai Airways could organise from U-Tapao were to Japan and Paris According to our information all the tourists' expenses including hotel accommodation and food would be paid for by Thai Airways. Reporters had noticed that some of tourists had run out of money and could not even pay for their drinks. Pattaya Bangkok Hospital also joined in to help by offering their ambulances and other services to patients (tourists) who needed help. 30 people had been treated yesterday but so far no one has requested treatment for any serious conditions. Mr. Akarawit Tepalak, Deputy Director of Pattaya Tourism Authority of Thailand, said that TAT, all concerned officials and local private companies have co-operatively set up an urgent care center at TAT office, Pratumnak Road, Banglamung open 24 hrs since 28th November. The center can be contacted at tel: 038-428750, 427667, 089-0999726, and Email:tatchon@tat.or.th. There are now over 100,000 tourists stranded in Thailand awaiting flights home and PDN has received unconfirmed reports that they will be receiving 2000 baht per day in compensation from the Thai government.

Actually, it's my "I Don't Get It" list, but much of what's going on definitely qualifies for the list.

This is excellent information and I had no idea about any of it before. For those who use the rapid transit system in Bangkok regularly, this could be quite useful. As for the two cards conflicting with each other, somehow I'm not surprised.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ One Million to be Unemployed from Suvarnabhumi Closure Deputy Prime Minister for economics Olarn Chaipravat said the government may have to pay about one billion baht to about 500,000 stranded Thais and foreigners at Suvarnabhumi airport, or about 2,000 baht per person a day. Because Suvarnabhumi airport was under siege by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), more unemployment in the tourism sector would arise because the number of tourist arrivals next year would plunge, according to Mr Olarn. The deputy premier said the initial forecast estimated 13.5 million tourists would travel to Thailand in 2009, but the figure would definitely drop due to the current political situation. As a result, about one million people working in hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses could be laid off next year, Mr Olarn said.

Thank you, jtrack33. I was not aware that you could use a Bangkok Bank ATM card for that purpose. I wonder if it's just Bangkok Bank or if you can do that with any Thai bank's ATM card.

I've brought up this very problem on other threads. If I had to be stuck somewhere, I wouldn't mind it being Pattaya, but if you have no money to at least enjoy it, then it can be a nightmare with everything so near, yet so far. If they have a credit card, they might want to get a cash advance. They might also be able to get their credit card company to raise their credit limit due to an emergency situation. There is also a rather unscrupulous way of getting cash without doing a cash advance and paying the hefty fees credit card companies charge for it. Some of the gold shops will sell you some gold, but what they are actually selling is cash. They'll write a ticket for an equivalent value of a certain weight of gold, put it through as a sale but actually give you cash. They keep a small percentage for themselves. Not all gold shops are willing to do this, but I know that some will. I was with a friend who did that about a year and a half ago and saw for myself. They might also try contacting their embassy. I don't know what, if anything, the embassy can do, but they might have some suggestions for people stranded and are out of money. If they have anyone back home who can help them, it's expensive, but there's always Western Union. If it looks like this is going to drag on for an extended period of time, they might want to consider renting a condo or an inexpensive room. They would have to pay for at least a full month, but if it's going to be weeks before they can go home (and even if the airports are cleared an hour from now it could take that long to fly people home) it would save them quite a bit of money instead of staying in hotels. They might even be able to negotiate with their hotel, or another hotel, for a less expensive room rate. The hotel may not like it, but it's better than having empty rooms, which would very likely be the case if tourists can't even get to Thailand. Immigration has announced they are going to waive overstay fines for those who can show evidence they were among the stranded, rather than someone trying to take advantage of this situation. It wouldn't hurt for them to go to Immigration and ask if they have any advice for people who are running out of money or maybe have already run out. They could also try contacting the police and the TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) for advice. Without knowing how much longer this is going to go on, or how long it will take to be able to go home once this ends, I would advise them to do what they can to be prepared to have to remain here for at least three more weeks. If they run out of money completely, with no way to obtain more, I don't know what they're going to do. It's going to be a serious problem for some people. They'll be forced to spend more than they can afford or even run out of money while stranded here. Then they'll go home only to be faced with no money for the days of work they missed. Some holiday! I wouldn't blame these people if the farthest they ever go from home on a holiday again is ten miles. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ No Way Out By Chatrudee Theparat and Chadamas Chinmaneevong Almost 100,000 foreign tourists are still unable to return home, but the number of passengers stranded by the closure of Suvarnabhumi airport may double or triple if the situation is prolonged. U-tapao airport has been used as a gateway for sending foreign visitors home. As of yesterday afternoon, six flights had taken off. The flights will increase to 15 today and 48 tomorrow. Aircraft capacity is about 300 passengers per flight. Asia Hotel, JW Marriott, Maenam Hotel and Centara Grand would serve as check-in venues. Airlines will announce hotels for their check-ins today. Imperial Queen's Park and Holiday Inn are on stand-by to accept passengers checking in for flights. Passengers would then be taken by bus to U-tapao. The Tourism and Sport Ministry would need at least 200 million baht a day, based on 2,000 baht per head for accommodation and meals, as expenses for stranded tourists, according to Minister Weerasak Kohsurat. He said previous figures showed that about 30,000 foreign visitors fly into Thailand via Suvarnabhumi airport each day. "Once the People's Alliance for Democracy protesters leave the airport, authorities will need time to restart operations. If the protest is prolonged, stranded foreign visitors may reach 200,000-300,000," Mr Weerasak said. The ministry will ask cabinet to get money from the Budget Bureau. Currently, it has only 10 million baht in initial funds. Yesterday, it called a meeting of 14 airlines, state agencies and the private sector to discuss measures to help foreign visitors get home. Airlines showing readiness to use U-tapao include Lufthansa, EVA Air, Scandinavian, and Canadian airlines. About 2,000 buses would take passengers to U-tapao, a trip of about three hours. U-tapao will also be for incoming flights from abroad. Stranded Thai travellers should contact their local Thai embassy or Thai Airways agent. They can also fly to Hong Kong, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, and from there to Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi. Thai Travel Agents Association president Charoen Wangananont said the association is checking how many Thai travellers are stranded overseas. The Foreign Affairs, and Tourism and Sport ministries will help Thais stranded overseas by offering accommodation and meals until the airports reopen. Wirote Sitaprasertnand, president of the Professional Tourists Guide Association, said some Thai travellers left in neighbouring countries such as Vietnam, China, and Laos are arriving by land. Some Thai travellers on long-haul routes have taken flights to neighbouring countries and then caught flights to Chiang Mai or Phuket. He said tour agents are facing problems as airlines from China refuse to give refunds. "They say it's not their mistake, but Thailand's problem. Now operators are negotiating to postpone flights instead of cancelling," he said.

In Thailand? You do know what "fat chance" means, don't you? The only thing you can do that will get you anywhere is to contact the previous owners and hope they are honest. If not, then unfortunately you can kiss 5000 baht goodbye. There's really nothing much else you could do, especially if you don't live here. A letter from a Thai attorney might help, but it would probably be ignored.

Yes, that's definitely important. As much as I would like to see more participants in that contest, I hope nobody posts any photos without consent. Of course, if we find out that such a thing has happened, we will immediately delete the photo and probably ban the person who posted it if we discover he did it intentionally.

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.