Gaybutton

Somehow I'm not surprised. According to Thaksin, he had promised his wife a divorce if he ever decided to return to politics. Since he is about to announce an official return, that's the reason for the divorce . . . so he says. Meanwhile, the PAD is essentially saying, "We are not amused." I suppose Thailand doesn't have enough political turmoil . . . The following appears in the THE NATION: _____ Fugitive ex-PM Thaksin to Declare his Return to Politics By Somroutai Sapsomboon The Nation Convicted ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra will declare his return to politic and his eye-for-an-eye fight with his enemies next month in a controversial mobile TV talk show, People Power Party's MP Jatuporn Promphan said Tuesday. "Khun Thaksin will announce on December 14 that he will return to politics to fight to defend his name. He will no longer stand still. He decided to come out to fight as he did not want to be attacked and cornered any more," Jatuporn said in an exclusive interview with The Nation. "Thaksin will no longer wait to be attacked, he will fight back by all means, particularly by eye-for-an-eye strategy, from now on. Khun Thaksin now believes that the only way for him Thaksin to survive and to live is to fight for his name," Jatuporn said. The announcement will be made in the Kwamjing Wannee Sanjon (Mobile Truth Today) to be held in Supachalasai National Stadium on December 14. The programme has been rescheduled from December 10 after the organisers learnt that the stadium is scheduled to host an Asean football competition on December 9-10. Jatuporn also said the main reason Thaksin divorced his wife, Khunying Pojamarn, was because he decided to return to politics. "Khun Thaksin and his wife had decided earlier, after the coup d'etat in 2006, that they would divorce if he decided to return to politic. It is a promise between them. So they decided to divorce now that Khun Thaksin will return to politics," he said. "However their divorce does not mean that they are no longer in love," Jatuporn said. ____________________ And this, from the BANGKOK POST: _____ PAD Threatens to Escalate, Claims Thaksin Lost Political War The anti-government People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) will protest even more if the parliament pushes forward the constitutional amendments, PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpa said on Tuesday. In response to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s warning to fight back his political opponents, Mr Panthep said Mr Thaksin has lost the political war and his subsequent movements would cause further damage to the government. He claimed that Mr Thaksin divorced Khunying Potjaman so Khunying Potjaman can become more involved in Thai politics while protecting their remaining assets. He also believed Mr Thaksin’s political movements in foreign countries were becoming less justified. On the video clip featuring a man resembling PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul who escorted a woman, Mr Panthep said it is still unclear whether the man in the clip was Mr Sondhi. He said Mr Sondhi does not hold any political position, and it would not be illegitimate for PAD leaders to lead a normal life.

I agree. It's top quality and available every day. There are other major hotels in Pattaya that most likely do something similar, but the Marriott is the only one within easy walking distance or a short baht bus ride from all of the popular gay hotels in Pattaya. If you're staying in the beach area, as far as buffets go I'm sure there are several, but I've never been to any of them. The Avalon hotel, the one right by the gay beach area, may have a buffet, but I've never checked. Maybe someone else can tell us. Most of the time, if I even eat breakfast at all (usually I either make my own or just have a cup of coffee at home), if I go to the beach area I go to either the Continental Bakery, which in my opinion is the best set breakfast in town, or Linda's, where I love their Scandinavian open-face sandwich breakfast. The Continental Bakery does not have a web site, but you'll find a very good review at: http://www.pattayamail.com/576/dining.shtml The review was written in 2004, before Continental Bakery moved, literally just a few feet away from its original location, and the prices are a bit higher now, but I definitely concur with what the the review says about the food. Want breakfast in bed? Is it a rainy morning and you don't know what to do about breakfast? The Continental Bakery has 10 breakfasts available, beginning at 11:00am, from Door-2-Door. See: http://www.door2doorpattaya.com/continental.php One thing to remember at many Pattaya breakfast restaurants: If you want toast, make sure to ask for it when you place your order. If you don't, many restaurants will give you un-toasted bread and you'll have to send it back to be toasted. Then, by the time you get it you'll probably have finished everything else. But most will be happy to give you toast if you ask. The buffet breakfasts at the Lek Hotel and the Diana Inn are both cheap, but not exactly gourmet quality. The quality is about what you would expect for that sort of price. I have yet to try the breakfast at the White Night. They're open for breakfast every day except Mondays. It's not a buffet. You order from the menu. They open at 8:30am and breakfast is available right up to 2:00pm. They also do an afternoon tea, available until 6:00pm. Except for buffets, most Pattaya restaurants charge extra for a second cup of coffee or tea. At the White Night you can have as much as you want at no additional charge. From what I understand, the White Night serves brewed coffee, good brewed coffee . . . not that Nescafé shit-in-a-cup that so many Pattaya restaurants serve. Has anybody been to the White Night breakfast and/or afternoon tea and can tell us what you thought of it?

The following was posted by Passion Patrol on the Pattaya Passion board: ______ If There's One Thing Gaybutton Knows, It's... FOOD! That's why when he posted a thread about Cafe Ritz, I ran out as soon as I could to try it. Here is where you can find his original posting... http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3152 I have to tell you, he was absolutely right on the mark! My meal was first class all the way -- and very, very cheap for what they served up. I chose the four course meal for 350 Baht, and here's what I got... Shrimp Cocktail -- beautiful presentation, tasty shrimp with a nice dressing. Served on a bed of lettuce and accented by tomatos cut into the shapes of beautiful flowers. A side white bread & butter plate was also given. Pumpkin Chicken Soup -- a creamy blend of pumpkin with just a hint of chicken broth to give it some depth. No lumps, no meat pieces -- very smooth and exploding with taste. A side French bread with butter was also given. Lasagna -- Garfield, start drooling! This cheesy, wonderfully powerful homemade lasagna in a bowl was mouth watering. It was a big portion and full of excellent quality cheese and high grade beef -- not the Thai stuff. Blueberry Cheesecake -- I can't even explain this one. If you ask me, this is the BEST part about this restaurant. I haven't tasted the other choices but they looked amazing as well. I could have eaten the whole pie! DON'T WALK, RUN TO THIS PLACE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. It is only a matter of time before you will have to have reservations -- as it is very small... ABSOLUTE, TOTAL PASSION APPROVAL! Well done, Gaybutton! And good for you, Cafe Ritz! May you live long and prosper!

I'm no great fan of Hillary, but I do think she would be perfect for the position of Secretary of State and, from the latest news reports, it looks like that's exactly where she'll be, assuming she would accept the nomination if it's offered. I would certainly think she will. I think it's quite a smart move on Obama's part. First, she has bipartisan support for the job. That alone is important and I think if she's nominated, she stands a very good chance of of being confirmed unanimously. Second, if Obama is already thinking ahead to 2012, then giving Hillary a top post like that makes it very unlikely that she would run against him. Unless Obama royally screws up, I think Hillary is out of presidential politics for the rest of her career, but she definitely has potential for making dramatic and historic moves, the right kind, as Secretary of State. I hope she gets it.

That's yet another reason I thank God I'm gay . . .

Out of curiosity I just called the Marriott (located next to the Royal Garden shopping mall) and asked the price for the breakfast buffet. 707 baht per person.

To set the record straight, I never referred to a black person as "boy" in my life and I never knew anyone who did. When I was growing up, black people were referred to as negroes. That eventually evolved into black and/or Afro-American. I'm not someone who gives a damn about being politically correct. I don't even accept the idea that those who are politically correct are actually correct about a thing. But as far back as I can remember, the term I always used was simply "black". As far as I know, the only people who referred to a black person as "boy" were those who were intentionally using the word as an insult or put-down, and most of those types were from areas that were not only segregated, but I wouldn't have been surprised if they advocated a re-establishment of slavery.

In Pattaya we had little else but rain for several weeks. Then just in time for the Loy Kratong holiday and the main ceremonies for the funeral for the Princess, the weather changed and became some of the most beautiful we've had in months. Now it's dark, dreary, rainy or about-to-rain weather again. How do they do that?

Other than the British style Sunday lunches, and several other Sunday brunches around town. I can't think of any restaurants that do lunch buffets. Some of the buffet breakfasts go on every day until about 11:00am or so. The buffet breakfast at the Lek Hotel, on Second Road almost directly across the street from the Villa Market does one. A little further up the street there is the Diana Inn, which also does one. Those are inexpensive, about 110 baht or so per person. Also, the Marriott Hotel does one, but it's much more expensive. I don't know how much it costs. The only time I was at that one was at someone else's invitation, so I didn't pay attention to the price, but it's probably the best one and highest quality to be found in the proximity of the popular gay hotels. I believe the Sizzler, in the Royal Garden shopping mall, has a daily buffet at lunch-brunch time. That's all I can think of. I'm sure there are several others, but in all honesty I rarely eat out for breakfast or lunch, so perhaps others can answer your question better than I. For a Sunday brunch, in my opinion the best one of all is at Casa Pascal. It isn't cheap, but it's one hell of a brunch. See: http://www.restaurant-pattaya.com/Sundays-Brunch.htm

It's all Thai food, but the area around Wat Chai and Center Condo, on South Road (Pattaya Tai) thrives with 'mom-and-pop' places during those hours.

I've written numerous reviews about restaurants about town that I enjoy. Within Jomtien Complex I recommend the Poseidon, L'Olivier, Hot Stone Grill, and now the Café Ritz. There are too many more for me to write out a list of the other restaurants about town that I recommend. If you use the 'search' function on this board and write in 'restaurant,' they'll come up, but you'll have to wade through the thread titles.

The bars are far less crowded, but the boys are as plentiful as ever. Unless the bars close, I doubt that the boys will be in any hurry to pack up and go back to the rice farm. There are nowhere near as many farang, but as long as there are any, that means there is still a chance for an off and a relationship. Also, even if there are no offs at all, as long as the boys are at least paid their salaries they're still doing better than they would do on the farm. And don't forget, while one goal may be to "have farang," there is still the goal of coming up with enough money to send home to mama. They can't do that if they are living on the farm.

In Pattaya I have noticed no attire out of the ordinary from among Thais and farang.

In the Jomtien Complex there is a new restaurant called Café Ritz. It's only been open about 6 weeks. This evening a friend and I tried it, and this restaurant is now on my list of "don't miss" restaurants. To find it, if you are standing in front of the Bondi, facing the street, just walk forward to the next soi, turn right, and you'll spot it. The restaurant opens at 6:30pm. The owner and chef is John Rumbelow, from the UK. He's definitely a character and he'll personally see to your satisfaction. The restaurant is quite tastefully decorated. It's a small restaurant, but we both thought it was excellent, with excellent service from his staff. There are only about a half dozen tables in the restaurant and one table outside. Basically, there are two dinner specials. One is 295 baht. The other is 350 baht. The dinner for 350 baht includes soup and your choice of starter. The dinner for 295 baht includes your choice of soup or your choice of starter (try the lasagna starter). There are several delicious starters from which to choose and at least two soups. There are several main course selections, everything from fillet steak to liver and onions, all of which include your choice of potato and a tremendous, and I mean tremendous, bowl of steamed vegetables, served separately. There is also a nice wine list. Wine by the glass is also available. There is a wide selection of dessert choices as well, which is included in the dinner, ranging from a champagne trifle to blueberry cheesecake. Considering the quality, I don't know how he does it at this price, but those are the prices. He also does turkey dinners three times a week, usually Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Of course, he also does a Sunday Roast. There is no Thai menu. Everything is "farang food." I asked about that. The answer was there is no problem if you bring a Thai boy with you and he wants Thai food. There is a Thai restaurant right next door. They'll give you the menu for that restaurant and that's where the Thai food will be prepared and brought over to your table at Café Ritz. If you have any questions or want to check on the availability of the turkey dinner, the contact telephone numbers are: 087-912-9108 and 084-865-0415 We truly enjoyed this restaurant. I certainly will be back a great many times. I highly recommend giving Café Ritz a try.

I think it was a completely different story, regarding Hitler. He made it to the top through violence and his charismatic ability to tell the people what they wanted to hear at a time when they wanted to hear it. By the time he reached the peak of his power he was considered almost a god-like figure among the people, provided they weren't Jewish, gay, Jehovah's Witnesses, gypsies, etc. I don't think the Burmese people see their leaders in that light. I don't recall the Nazis having to put down anti-government riots once they were in power. In Burma, I think the people are simply afraid and would prefer to go on trying to live out their lives as best they can rather than become involved in anything that would cause them to lose their lives or end up among the living dead in Burmese prisons.

Whatever the reason is, why do I have a feeling it has nothing whatever to do with making "everybody feel comfortable"?

According to the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, tourist numbers in Pattaya this year are 50% less than last year, and last year was no great shakes in the first place. Based on personal observation, I believe the numbers are even less than that. Details are in the following article i The PATTAYA MAIL: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd3

Finally, we have something official. The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Entertainment Venues and Tourists Prepare for 3 days of Closures and Limited Service During this time, Pattaya along with the rest of Thailand are in a period of mourning. Although Pattaya is dominated by it’s entertainment industry, local venues are complying with regulations put into place to cover a 3 day period from 14th until 16th of November when Cremation Rituals and the Cremation Ceremony for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Wattana takes place. Entertainment venues recently received a letter from the Chief of Banglamung District, Khun Mongkol which stated that venues may open on 14th and 16th November, however entertainment within the venue must either be stopped or reduced to a minimum. Individual bar owners will interpret these regulations in their own way. The letter states that all venues offering entertainment must close on 15th November which is the day when the Cremation takes place. We toured South Pattaya on Friday Afternoon and found all bars were complying with the regulations. Many bars were open but no music was heard. Alcohol was being served and many tourists appeared oblivious to the temporary changes.

That's the point. Nobody knows. That's what they are researching and experimenting to find out. Even if tomorrow morning they can prove they've really found a cure, it would still be years before such a treatment is generally available if things go they way they usually do.

I'm taking it with the entire salt shaker. According to what I see in the two articles, this is a rare, isolated case and a great deal of further research is required, although I do agree with the opinion that a ray of hope exists, dim as that ray might be at this point. Obviously, even if this is something that eventually can be researched out and a true, genuine, universal, affordable cure can result, it's also obvious that such a cure is still years and years away. It would be fabulous to wake up one morning and find the headlines announcing there is now a cure and all you have to do is go over to the nearest pharmacy and buy some pills, but I wouldn't want to bet the farm that such a thing will be available within out lifetimes. It's a nice dream, though.

Yes. You said that you have not experienced a Thai boy who has a string of farang sending him money. While that idea has become somewhat of a cliché, I'm curious as to how you know you haven't experienced this?

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Sex Slaves Abroad Police in England have smashed a large sex slavery network which forced dozens of Thai women to work in at least 16 brothels across London. Local media in London said that the raids freed more than 30 women who were kept in bondage until they paid an alleged debt of 28,000 British pounds - almost 1.5 million baht. Two brothers arrested in the case allegedly directed a strong-arm racket which kept the women prisoner, including holding their passports. Nine Thai gang members were sent to prison for up to two and a half years in the first court intervention in the slavery case. About half of the 30 women rescued in the police raids have already returned home after intervention by the Thai Embassy and Thai Airways International. London media did not identify the two brothers alleged to be the head of the gang, which apparently smuggled the women into Britain as well as running the brothels. They used the Internet heavily in their operation, posing the prostitution racket as an escort service, at OrientalGems.com, which has since been closed down. The brothel sites were in generally up-scale sections of London, including Kensington, Bayswater and Paddington. Officers believe the network made about 1.5 million pounds a year from the slave racket, using the trafficked Thai women - almost 78.4 million baht.

To me, the next logical question is why are the people so kind and gentle? Is it because that's generally their nature? Is it because in effect a gun is being held to their heads and they're afraid to be anything other than kind and gentle? Is it something else? Is it a combination of several factors? While the people might be wonderful, the government seems to be a different story. You so much as look at the government cross-eyed and bam! Now they put you away, under God knows what kind of conditions, for the rest of your life. Under the conditions I'm imagining, I don't think that life would last very long and I doubt you would want it to last very long. The following editorial appears in THE NATION: _____ The Burmese Junta's True Color By The Nation Published on November 14, 2008 When the Burmese junta decided to jail the 14 pro-democracy leaders of the 1988 generation to 65 years old each, or in other words a life sentence, it was clear that the junta leaders want to challenge the whole world community to respond. The junta leaders know full well for now on it could do anything to any person who is considered a threat. Indeed, the Rangoon leaders are getting stronger by the day and become even more dictatorial in its approach and suppression. It is amazing as well that the harsh jail sentences came at the time there are debates on whether the UN, international relief agencies should continue to engage Burma and continue to provide humanitarian aid in the post-Nargis. After the disaster in May, Burma has received overwhelming sympathy from around the world, foreign assistance have poured in to help the suffering Burmese villagers in the Irrawaddy Delta. Medical supplies and others items such as small tractors and other necessities also come to Burma. The point here is the Burmese junta could not care less about the international community. Its leaders happen to know the limits of international cooperation. Once it involves their own national interests, they would be discreet, for fear of further exposure. Like it or not, the Burmese decision would pose a challenge to the incoming US president- elect Barack Obama. His vice president-elect, Joseph Biden, has a long history of support tough legislatures in the Congress in the past several years. The latest JADE ACT, which banned the import of Burmese jewelry, was also the product of collaboration of him and among key law makers. Throughout the Bush administration, the Burma situation has been a non-partisan issue in the Congress. President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have been rather passionate about the plight of Burma. On their latest visit to Thailand in Augusty, they met with the Burmese dissidents and visit camps along Thai-Burmese border. They have done a great job in keeping the Burmese junta on the radar screen in Washington and the rest of the world. Now with Obama, it would be interesting to watch if the US can cooperate with China and India as well as Asean to improve the situation in Burma. Obama has said that he would use dialogue and negotiation to end deadlocks on issues the US encounters. Intuitively, Burma is playing with the international shifting sentiment, which is very temperamental at best. In the time of global economic crisis, it would be difficult to discuss the Burmese suffering. After the Saffron Revolution last September, the sympathy from around the world increased towards the democratic groups operating inside Burma. Everybody thought that they would be able to embed further democratic values. Then, the May devastation caused by the Cyclone Nargis turned schemes of things inside Burma upside down. At first the catastrophe was a curse but later on it turned out to be a blessing because now the junta with a bigger coffer, thanked to influx of foreign currencies and aid; and it is stronger and is more determined to stay the course and annihilated all, both young and old, elements that challenge the regime. The junta is proceeding with its seven-point roadmap with a planned election in 2010. Of course, the outcome is predictable at the moment. But it wants to be sure that in the next polls in 2010 there would be no surprise liked the one in 1990 when the opposition won a landslide votes. Sad to say, the junta leaders are not yielding because they realize that there is a high level of hypocrisy out there in the world. If they stick together and their leadership left unchallenged and do not crack on pressure, nobody can do anything about it. Changes will come only when the opposition groups or the rest of the world accept the junta's terms and conditions. Even at that kind of dire state, many observers continue to back the arguments that the Burmese regime should be engaged, no matter what because there is no other option. Finally, it is obvious after the planned election in 2010, Burma plans to resume its Asean chairmanship, which it skipped in 2005, succeeding Vietnam. That would be the best of time because by that time there would be a surrogate government in place.

To put it extremely mildly, I am skeptical. If a cure has been found, don't you think that would be the major headline news throughout the entire world? I just looked at the CNN web site, and I can't find anything where this is even mentioned. Somehow, that doesn't strike me as a reason to think a cure for the world's most dreaded disease has been found. Even if this man really was cured, that doesn't mean the same treatment is going to work universally on everybody. Also, how much would such a treatment cost? What would be the availability of it? If you undergo the treatment, how much of a chance is there that it will really work? I don't think we're quite ready to hold a victory parade over HIV just yet.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ North Korea Threatens to Close Border with South SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea said Wednesday it would close its border with South Korea from next month in protest at what it called Seoul's confrontational stance, a move that could cripple a joint industrial estate. The communist state announced that a measure "to strictly restrict and cut off all the overland passages" would take effect from December 1, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. A total closure of the heavily fortified border would effectively shut down the Seoul-funded Kaesong industrial complex built just north of the frontier as a symbol of reconciliation. It would also halt a popular tourist trip to Kaesong city. South Korea's unification ministry expressed regret and urged the North to restart stalled dialogue. Spokesman Kim Ho-Nyoun said he did not believe the North intends a complete closure. Wednesday's announcement follows months of icy relations, including threats by the North to expel South Koreans from Kaesong in protest at the spreading of cross-border propaganda leaflets by Seoul activists. KCNA said the move was in response to Seoul's failure to honour agreements reached at summits between the North and the South in 2000 and 2007. It said the border restrictions were the "first step" in response. Seoul's confrontational moves were "going beyond the danger level," it added. "The South Korean puppet authorities should never forget that the present inter-Korean relations are at the crucial crossroads of existence and total severance." The head of the North's delegation to military talks with the South sent a notice of the ban to Seoul's armed forces on Wednesday. Cross-border relations soured after conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak took office in February. He promised to take a firmer line with the North after a decade-long "sunshine" engagement policy. Lee said he would review summit agreements between the North and his liberal predecessors, which envisage joint economic projects costing tens of billions of dollars. The North is also angry with South Korean activists who launch balloons carrying hundreds of thousands of leaflets across the heavily fortified border. These criticise leader Kim Jong-Il as a dictator and repeat suggestions that he is in poor health -- an especially sensitive topic. South Korean officials have said he suffered a stroke in August but is recovering. Ministry spokesman Kim called the move "regrettable." He said Seoul "respects the spirit" of all agreements including the summit declarations and was ready to hold detailed talks on implementing them. A senior presidential aide said North Korea may have been infuriated by the leaflets but the Seoul government could not legally ban them. The aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it is not yet clear whether the North means to close the industrial complex and the day tours. More than 32,000 North Koreans earning around 60 dollars a month work for 83 South Korean-owned factories at Kaesong, along with about 1,500 South Koreans. It opened in 2005 and earns the impoverished North tens of millions of dollars a year. A second major joint project, the Mount Kumgang resort on the east coast, has already been shut down. Seoul suspended tours after North Korean soldiers in July shot dead a woman tourist who strayed into a restricted zone. Kaesong and Kumgang are operated by South Korean company Hyundai Asan, which also operates the day trips to Kaesong city near the industrial park. "We don't expect tours to Kaesong to be affected by this announcement," a spokesman told AFP Wednesday, adding that about 5,000 people have booked to take the trip next month.