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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.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ UK Speaks on Visa Post reporters and Agencies Britain said Tuesday Thaksin Shinawatra's entry visa to the United Kingdom was revoked because of his Supreme Court conviction for corruption. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed at a news conference on his arrival at Sarajevo International Airport that Thaksin's visa would not be renewed. He said the decision to withdraw the visa was made by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith after he was convicted in absentia of corruption charges. Meanwhile, Malaysia yesterday refused to rule out granting political asylum to Thaksin, and said he is free to transit through the country. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said Thaksin had not approached Malaysian authorities for permission to enter Malaysia. But the government would have no problem if he wanted to transit through Malaysia, Mr Rais told reporters. "We have got nothing against Thaksin. If Thaksin wants to pass through Kuala Lumpur I think it shouldn't damage anybody. "But if he wants to stay here, that's a different thing. We will have to see the merits of his case," he said. Beijing yesterday confirmed Thaksin had been in China recently following Britain's decision to revoke his visa. "Mr Thaksin was in China on vacation. I don't have any further information on that," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said when asked about reports that Thaksin was in China. In a telephone interview from China on Monday Thaksin said he was preparing to leave China, but did not reveal where he was going. He is believed to be planning to travel to the United Arab Emirates. Thai consul-general Pasan Teparak told the Bangkok Post from Dubai that he did not know of the former prime minister's whereabouts. Nattawut Saikua, the government spokesman, denied a rumour that Thaksin had been detained at Dubai International Airport. Mr Nattawut said it was not possible as his security team would not advise him to fly to a place where he could be arrested. A PPP source said last night that he was in Hong Kong. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the opposition and Democrat party leader, said yesterday that Thaksin's interview on Monday, in which he said he would fight back against his political enemies and "start naming names", showed Thaksin had been doing everything for himself and paying no heed to the ongoing divisions in the country. Mr Abhisit said in Thaksin's case, the People Power party-led government also needs to explain if it really has the public interest at heart and whether it really wants to see peace restored. Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, former army chief and former chairman of the defunct Council for National Security (CNS), said he was not afraid of Thaksin's vow to fight back against his enemies. Gen Sonthi, who led the 2006 coup that ousted the Thaksin government from power, said he did not see himself as a Thaksin enemy, but did not know who would be named by Thaksin as having caused him hardship.Vice-Admiral Phajun Tamprateep, personal secretary to Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, said his boss was not intimidated by Thaksin's threat to name his enemies. "It's because [people in] Si Sao Thewes have nothing to do with him and never pay attention to Thaksin's words," said Vice-Admiral Phajun.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Burmese Fight Democracy UPDATE By Larry Jagan Burma's military rulers have revealed their intention to eliminate anyone who opposes their authority in the lead-up to the planned elections in two years' time. Anyone who poses a challenge to the Burmese regime is being targetted in what may be the biggest crackdown on dissent in the country since the massive pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, which brought the country to a standstill for months before the army seized power in a military coup. The courts in Burma have been very busy in the last few weeks as hundreds of dissidents have been put away for decades. In the latest case earlier this week, 14 leading Burmese political activists from the 88 Generation Students group, including five women, were each sentenced to 65 years in jail for their involvement in the monk-led uprising in Burma last year. These jail terms are only the latest in a series of harsh sentences the Burmese authorities have doled out to many artists, activists, bloggers, journalists and lawyers in the past few weeks. "The Burmese junta is clearly conducting a major crackdown on all dissent in the country," said Zin Linn, a leading Burmese dissident and former political prisoner, now based in Thailand. "They want to silence all opposition before the planned elections in 2010," he said. A military-controlled court inside the notorious Insein prison compound sentenced the 14 student leaders to long prison sentences for their support of last year's mass protests, dubbed the Saffron Revolt, against increased fuel prices and rising food costs. Most of them had been detained before the brutal crackdown on the demonstrators in September 2007. The United Nations says at least 31 people were killed when Burma's military rulers sent in troops to end the mass demonstrations led by columns of saffron-robed, shaven-headed Buddhist monks - the biggest challenge to military since it seized power 20 years ago. The 14 included Ko Jimmy and his wife, Nilar Thein, who had to abandon her four-month-old daughter when she went into hiding during the September 2007 military crackdown on the protesters. Nilar Thein was eventually arrested two months ago after being on the run for more than a year. The sentences were handed down behind closed doors - members of their families and the groups' defence lawyers were barred from the court. "Is this [65 years] all you can do?" one activist, Min Zeya, reportedly shouted at the judge. Nine other leaders of the group, including the top three - Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kyew - were recently sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court. They continuously interrupted court proceedings, shouting down the judge. They refused to accept the court's authority and insisted they would continue to oppose the judicial system using Gandhian tactics of non-violent civil disobedience. Since the contempt of court conviction, the nine have been moved to Maubin prison in the Irrawaddy delta west of Rangoon, an area devasted by the cyclone in May. "We fear they will now face harsh treatment at the hands of the authorities there, because it is more isolated and family visits are much more difficult," said Burmese actvist Khin Omar, based in Chiang Mai. "The conditions in the prison for political prisoners are getting worse and worse," she warned. The group faces more charges in the coming days, with another 20 members likely to be also given heavy sentences for their activities during the protests. "These convictions are only the tip of the iceberg," said Benjamin Zawacki, the Burma officer for UK-based human rights organisation Amnesty International. Most of them have been held for more than 12 months without trial, and in some cases without being charged, he added. "This probably is only the start of a season of trials and convictions." Many of the group's members were at the forefront of the mass pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988 and were tortured and given lengthy prison terms after the military coup 20 years ago. The activists resumed political activity after they were freed in November 2004, and have spearheaded the protests against the junta, usually focusing on the country's deteriorating economy. Many analysts believe that the junta fears the students even more than it does the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by detained oppositon leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which convincingly won the 1990 elections but was never allowed to form a civilian government. Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last 20 years under house arrest. "They think they can handle the NLD, but they know they cannot control the students," said a Western diplomat in Bangkok who deals with Burma. "These sentences will leave them in prison well past the election." Burmese courts have also been handing out harsh sentences on other dissidents this week. The prominent labour rights activist Su Su Nway was sentenced to more than 12 years in jail for her political activities. She served nine months in prison more than two years ago for agitating against forced labour. And 10 members of the NLD from Bogalay in the Irrawaddy delta were also sentenced to between eight and 24 years, said NLD spokesman Nyan Win. "These sentences are a clear signal to everyone that the regime will not tolerate any opposition in the lead-up to the elections in 2010," said Mr Zawacki. The sentences for members of the 88 Generation came one day after the jailing of Burma's best-known blogger, Nay Phone Latt, for more than 20 years for publishing a cartoon of the country's top military leader, General Than Shwe, on his website. His trial was held behind closed doors in Insein prison special court, which also sentenced the well-known poet Saw Wai to two years' jail for publishing a poem mocking Than Shwe entitled February 14, which was published in the journal Ah Chit (Love). The first letter of each line in the poem together spelled out "Power Crazy Senior General Than Shwe". In recent weeks there has also been a spate of lawyers being convicted for contempt of court. At least 10 lawyers who have tried to defend the dissidents have ended up in prison, either for challenging the court on their clients' behalf or because their clients had dismissed them since they were clearly unable to do the job. "It is complete intimidation," said Amnesty's Mr Zawacki. "Lawyers are being punished for being the messenger. The lawyers are clearly being warned, 'You must play by our rules and not by any accepted rules of procedure'," he said. There are more than 15 journalists, reporters and photographers still in detention awaiting trial, according to the Burma Media Association. Most of them are accused of publishing material on the conditions in the cyclone-devasted area, and pointing out inadequacies of the relief effort. "The sentencing of the 88 activists and the further arrests in recent days of journalists, bloggers and forced labour complainants, is further evidence of the extent to which conditions in this country are deteriorating in terms of basic political freedoms," said a Western diplomat in Rangoon. "It clearly shows what we can expect in 2010."

I'm not exactly planning to go tomorrow morning. I doubt it will be any time soon, but I'll get there.

What is their price. Also, please fill us in on the details of the gay bar. Is there only one gay bar? What kind of bar is it? Go-go bar? Host bar? Beer bar? Is off allowed? How much for off and how much does a boy expect to be paid? What's the name of the bar? Where is it? The more you can tell us, the better.

Actually Jim is one of the few who has every right to do that. You see, that is not a public street. That street is privately owned.

Part of the problem is likely because a great many people from Bangkok come to Pattaya for the Loy Kratong holiday and I expect because the rains seem to finally have stopped, there will be even more. It's to be expected during major holidays. If you're not already at the beach by 11:30am, you might as well expect major traffic delays during the holiday. I also wouldn't want to try to find a place to park anywhere near the beach after that hour.

He could end up losing more than just his choice of where he wishes to live. According to the latest news reports Thailand is taking steps to seize a major portion of that wealth. One article says Thailand is considering paying to keep track of his whereabouts and even the possibility of offering a bounty for bringing him back by force. The Philippines has announced they will "politely" reject a plea for political asylum should Thaksin ask for it. Despite all his wealth, I don't think I would want to trade places with him just now.

Here's a suggestion, under the circumstances: Many homeless shelters, church groups, and other community organizations put on Thanksgiving dinners. Why not consider volunteering your services that day rather than sitting home alone and feeling depressed? That way you not only get a Thanksgiving dinner, but you also get the satisfaction of knowing you were able to help those less fortunate. Something to think about, anyway.

I don't know of any places on earth that can compare. My only regret is that I didn't discover Thailand many years sooner than I did.

Yes, but I don't agree that the above cliché applies. The problems I wrote about do exist and I see no reason not to discuss them. To me, not discussing them at all would be much the same as burying one's head in the sand. I also said, and meant, that despite those problems I'd rather be here in Pattaya than anywhere else on earth.

Seems simple enough to me . . . ask a skydiver or bungee jumper.

I'm sorry to hear that, Laurence. While the holidays bring great joy to many, they also bring terrible depression to many. I hope you're joking, but in case you're not you at least have returning to Thailand to look forward to.

Would you prefer that I lie to them?

I used the service to return to Pattaya from the airport. It's on the lower level. Facing outside, you turn left and go all the way to the end of the corridor. The bus makes two stops. The first is at the bus station on Sukhumvit, just south of Central Road (Pattaya Klang). The second is the Soi Chaiyapruk stop. Those are the only stops. So, there are all kinds of choices for getting to and from the airport. The problem is the scheduling. As far as I can tell, the less expensive services are fine if you are arriving or departing during the day, but if you are arriving or departing in the wee hours, you still have little else you can do other than use taxis.

I agree with Buaseng's post. As far as I can tell, those who make these decisions do not even factor in anything at all about tourists and revenue losses for the entertainment venues, both gay and straight. This has been an extremely difficult year for just about any form of business that caters to tourists, especially foreign tourists, in Pattaya. There have been numerous mandatory closings throughout the year for this holiday, that election, this religious ceremony, etc. Couple that with certain monetary demands on certain venues from certain members of the local constabulary and now there is even more of a problem for the businesses. Considering that Pattaya is a city whose life blood literally depends on foreign tourism, it often seems as if the officials do everything they can to undermine tourists from wanting to come to Pattaya at all. One of the biggest resentments is these absurd closing hours of 1:00am. Why? Then there are the numerous raids that had been occurring at Sunee Plaza. The police seem virtually helpless to do anything about the lady-boy prostitutes along Beach Road. Every week there is at least one story about a tourist being pick-pocketed. You can't ride a baht bus without worrying about whether someone is going to try to pick your pocket. Then there are the bag snatchings and gold chain snatchings, to the point that it is nearly insane to even wear jewelery of any kind while in Pattaya. Simply trying to cross a street on foot is worth your life. Stores put barriers on the streets in front of their shops so that nobody can park there. For the life of me I can't figure out why they do that. How does a car parked in the street in front of their store hurt their business in any way? How are people who drive supposed to even get to their store if they can't park there? What gives them the right in the first place to put barriers in a public street? Who knows? Maybe the law permits it. I've never heard of any authorities telling any of these stores not to barrier the parking zones. I've never heard of any police fining any of these stores for doing that. On top of all that, you have a number of baht bus drivers that try to cheat their customers and/or treat them like scum. Worse yet, gang violence has gotten out of control. Have a look at this story from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000007734 That sort of brutality by street gangs is becoming more and more common. Just a few years ago gang violence was virtually unheard of in Pattaya. Thankfully most of it occurs when the majority of people are usually asleep in the wee hours of the morning, but why should tourists have to be frightened of gangs? Why can't the police seem to be able to do much of anything about it? Why, if you happen to be out from about 1:30am to 6:30am do you have to be afraid there's a good chance that you might not make it back to your room in one piece or without having been robbed or caught in gang crossfire? These gangs will attack people for the slightest provocation. Simply making eye contact with gang members can end up costing you your life. One poor guy was attacked about a week or so ago. He's still in a coma. He was carrying no ID, so the police have no idea who he even is. Apparently nobody associated with wherever he was staying has thus far bothered to call the police to alert them that one of their tenants has gone missing for several days. Pattaya can't bring the flooding problems under control during torrential rain storms that have been occurring almost daily. Road construction sits idle for months, and then when work finally begins again they pick high season to do it, but invariably any road construction takes forever to complete. In many cases by the time they complete it, the work was so shoddy that the same streets that were repaired are filled with potholes again. Traffic is getting worse and worse. A trip that used to take me ten minutes now takes thirty to forty minutes, and that's if I'm lucky. Tremendous amounts of traffic, and few places to park. There are times when you have to park so far from where you're trying to go that you still end up taking a taxi. Less than a week ago I was going to join a friend for dinner at the White Night. Big mistake and bad timing. It was raining rather heavily and traffic literally snarled. If you were driving there was no way to get out of it. Normally it would take me about fifteen minutes to get from my house to the White Night. That day it took an hour and forty-five minutes! By the time I could get out of the traffic I couldn't just turn around and go home. I would have ended up in a traffic jam just as bad going the opposite direction. So, I pressed on to the White Night. Then you have the people who don't mind double parking and sometimes even triple parking on major thoroughfares even during rush hour. They park like that with virtual impunity, especially if it's raining. When it's raining, you're not going to find police out there enforcing traffic laws (are there any?) or enforcing anything else. They seem to become totally invisible when the weather is bad. Other than that, everything is just ginger peachy. All of this, and more, adds to the problems faced by businesses. But you know something? Despite all these problems, and plenty more I didn't even list, I still would rather be here in Pattaya than anywhere else on Earth.

Why is there always an assumption that everybody is familiar with what is being talked about? I've never heard of this Hutch wifi and I have no idea what it is. How about telling us the details?

It's true. These other services charging 1000 baht and up are fine, but it makes no sense to me to spend the money when you can do the same thing for a tenth of the price. On top of everything else, private drivers expect a good tip along with the fare, making it that much more expensive.

Regarding Bell, the following was posted by Astrrro on June 5: _____

I just received some information from the owner of the La Cage bar, in Sunee Plaza. He says he can't get a definitive answer at this point, but from what he is hearing so far he expects to be closed the 14th, 15th, and 16th. He also says the White Night buffet restaurant will be open, but will not be serving alcohol. In other words, not even the bar owners have anything official at this point. However, based on the rumblings, I have a feeling the bars are going to end up closed. Those of you in Thailand on a holiday might be well served to make your weekend "arrangements" in advance. Look at the bright side. If the bars do end up closing, but you are able to make whatever advance arrangements you wish with a potential young gentleman companion, you'll save about 1500 baht in off fees and buy-drink-for-boy fees. I also expect that liquor will not be sold, even in stores, during that time period. Those of you who enjoy an occasional schnapps (for medicinal purposes only, of course) might want to do a little shopping within the next couple of days, before liquor sales are shut down. ____________________ We have two threads going about the bar situation, so I shut down one thread and rearranged things so that all relevant posts will appear only on this thread, to avoid any confusion. This just in, from Oogleman:

If either of us gets a chance to ask additional bar owners, let's do that and get it posted so that everyone will know what to expect. If anyone can help us out with reliable information for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, that would also be greatly appreciated.

As many of you know, the funeral ceremonies for HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana will take place from Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16. Many have been asking whether the bars will be open. Again, as many of you know, quite often the final word from the police is not given until midnight the night before, but the latest information I have is that the Thai government has declared those three days as an official mourning period. The government will not close the bars, but has "requested" that the bars "tone down" the entertainment during that period. That's all anyone has been told at this point. In other words, as it stands at the time of this post, it's up to each individual bar as to whether they will be open and also up to each individual bar as to whether alcohol will be served. Again, bear in mind that this information can change at any moment, but this is the latest. If anything changes, I'll certainly post as soon as I know.

Not long ago the question of transportation to and from Pattaya and Suvarnabhumi Airport came up. I had posted about a very nice express bus that leaves Pattaya from Soi Chaiyapruk, but I didn't have the schedule. Today I stopped in and got the schedule: Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi 9:00am 1:00pm 4:00pm 7:30pm Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya 6:30am 9:00am 1:00pm 5:00pm The fare is 112 baht, one way. For further information the telephone numbers are: 038 231 142 -or- 02 134 4099 Finding the bus station is simple. Any baht bus can take you to Soi Chaiyapruk. Soi Chaiyapruk is about a mile or so down Jomtien Beach from the gay beach area. If you exit the baht bus at Soi Chaiyapruk at the beach road, just walk up Soi Chaiyapruk about half a block. You'll spot the little ticket office on the right.

That's certainly encouraging. Ok, it looks like a trip is back on my things-to-do list.

There's certainly nothing new in that. Sometimes it's difficult to be sure the two are even talking about the same thing. You don't have to. According to several news reports, all you have to do is find a local street gang and make eye contact with them. Apparently, that's enough to get them to take care of the gun-to-the-head problem.