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I think the following two threads will answer that for you. If not, let me know and I'll try to explain more clearly. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=399 http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1029

I don't pretend to know anything at all about economics. I really don't. I'm posting the way I see it in hopes that someone else who does understand economics will point out where I'm mistaken in the way I see it and clarify the situation as it truly is. For quite some time the exchange rate was hovering around 31 to 32 baht per US dollar. Once the political crisis began in Thailand a rapid drop in the baht's value began to occur until the exchange rate was getting close to 35 baht per dollar. As the turmoil continued in Thailand it was expected that the baht would drop even further. Then came more economic troubles in the USA, so far culminating with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Stocks plunged in the USA, but right along with it stocks have also plunged in Thailand, to the lowest point since January 2007, with Thai banking stocks taking the biggest hit. In the meantime, the controversy over who will be Thailand's next Prime Minister still rages. The PAD protests continue and show no signs of slowing down. A second arrest warrant has been issued against Thaksin. Cambodia is calling for Thailand to hand over chairmanship of ASEAN to either Singapore of Vietnam because of the political turmoil. The Asian Development Bank is predicting a slowdown of economics throughout all of Asia that will last at least two years. In other words, Thailand is in Chaos both politically and economically, and the USA is in much the same boat. What's going to end up happening to the exchange rate as a result of all this? For the time being it all seems to be just about status quo. The value of the US dollar is weakening, but so is the value of the Thai baht, almost concurrently with each other. The exchange rate at the time of this post still hovers right around 34 baht to the US dollar (34.06 at this moment). Is it going to continue to be status quo? Will the US dollar weaken against the baht? Will the baht weaken against the US dollar? Obviously I'm hoping the baht will weaken against the dollar, but for now it's just a hope. I don't have the economic knowledge to predict what will happen next, so I'm wondering what you think is going to happen.

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Tuesday, September 16 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.20 Euro: 48.60 British Pound: 61.285 Australian Dollar: 26.8975 Canadian Dollar: 31.8225 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.09 Euro: 48.28 British Pound: 60.74 Australian Dollar: 26.7825 Canadian Dollar: 31.63

Yes. It's still accurate.

It's almost like the relationship between the Earth and the Moon. The dollar is dropping, but so is the Thai baht, at an almost equal rate. I think the relative rates between the two are what's keeping the exchange rate just about status quo. I think if the dollar was in better shape and the Lehman Brothers collapse didn't pick right now to happen, then the exchange rate would already be much more favorable to the dollar, in light of the political chaos in Thailand. I thought because of it we'd all be experiencing an exchange rate windfall by now. It hasn't happened. The exchange rate for the US dollar moved from the 31s to the 34s rather quickly, but for the past week it has been stagnating. If I were to point my finger at the place to blame for all this mess, then I'd be pointing at the person who currently occupies the desk where "The Buck Stops Here" sign ought to be. I think if it wasn't for the enormous amount of money literally being wasted in Iraq, then the dollar would be in excellent shape by now, and so would the USA economy. It seems to me that most of those thousand points of light have blinked out. How would you like to be the speechwriter for the next State of the Union address?

Monday, September 15 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.39 Euro: 49.16 British Pound: 61.81 Australian Dollar: 28.1275 Canadian Dollar: 32.23 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.41 Euro: 48.855 British Pound: 61.555 Australian Dollar: 27.7875 Canadian Dollar: 32.065

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Country Must Embrace 'New Politics' or Implode- Suriyasai Published on September 15, 2008 With no end in sight, the months-long protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy is driving politics to a dead end with little chance of a solution. Many questions are being asked of the PAD. The Nation's Sathien Viriyapanpongsa talked to PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila about its stand. Q : It seems the PAD will not get off the tiger's back. On what condition will the PAD stop the demonstrations? S : Now, we have two tasks. We are not only opposing the proxy government but we are also pushing for new politics. We must lead the society from old politics to new politics. In 2006, we fought only to free the country from the grip of Thaksin [shinawatra] without laying out long-term measures. Eventually, we got Thaksin episode 2 in the form of a proxy government. We have learned a lesson to upgrade our fight to a new level. We need to plan what we want next after winning this fight. Eventually, the PAD will have to re-evaluate itself to see whether it has done its best, and whether we are tired and should stop. It's not true that we have no way to halt this. We can stop anytime but we have gone this far and we have a chance to become successful. Now, senior people in society and the media have debated this issue a lot so it is part of our success. In the past, no one dared to move to new politics although they were fed up with this kind of politics. The PAD is now doing that. But the current Parliament shows no interest in taking up the PAD proposal of new politics to deliberate. In particular, the three PM candidates [somchai Wongsawat, Sompong Amornwiwat and Surapong Suebwonglee] seem to ignore the proposal. A puppet prime minister, who will come from the three, cannot support new politics because the People Power Party has its mission to return power, interests and honour to Thaksin. It wants to reinstall the business politics so that business tycoons can dominate politics. Q : How about the choice of Chart Thai leader Banharn Silapa-archa as the prime minister? S : The choice of Banharn would be unexplainable for society and the PAD cannot be sure whether he will forget his five-point promise when he works with the PPP. When he joined the coalition, he demanded that Thaksin had to stand trial, but now Thaksin has fled the country and issued a statement criticising the courts, so Banharn has no legitimacy left. Q : So, there is only one choice left - having coalition partners switch sides to join the Democrat Party to form a coalition. Will the PAD stop protesting in this case? If the political condition does not change and the next government will still become a proxy government after September 17 [when the House will elect the new prime minister], we will have to come out with new campaign tactics. We can't stop but we'll have to go on fighting. It will matter only how we will fight. Q : Will PAD propose establishment of a government of national unity? S : We'll have to wait and see the composition of such a national government first. If the government is composed of all political parties in the House like what Abhisit [Vejjajiva, Democrat leader] proposed, the politics will remain in quota system and the PPP will retain the majority vote. Will such a national government be successful? Will the Democrat be able to work with the PPP, which has a completely different stand? How could the Democrat explain this to society? Q : So, it is like that the PAD will propose a government with a non-MP becoming the prime minister? S : We will think about this during a meeting today. We will announce our official stand regarding to the national government and non-MP prime minister choice. Q : According to your initial discussion, how will the non-MP prime minister be? S : Our principle is that political reform must be done by non-politicians. Although a non-MP prime minister is appointed to carry out political reform, the society must also take charge, not the prime minister. But we affirm that the PAD won't accept a non-MP prime minister who is appointed by the military after a coup. We don't think that such a measure will be successful. But the military can take part by proposing its principles. If the military has a proposal that can help the society move forward, the PAD will be ready to talk with the military and cooperate to lead the country out of the crisis. Q : So will the next prime minister be a representative of the elite class? It will be okay to have a prime minister from the elite class as long as he has a clear mission. That is, he must have a mission to push for new politics and he must be free from control of the government, political parties, Parliament and politicians, and he must have society take charge of political reform. Q : But if the prime minister comes from the elite class, he will design new politics to benefit members of his class and the majority of the people will not receive benefits? S : I think he will represent the elite class only symbolically. Society must be the one to determine the direction of political reform. But during the transition period, sometimes, it needs influence of the leader. But not all changes in the past, which were supervised by members of elite class, were designed to benefit the elite class. For example, when Anand Panyarachun was the prime minister, he was seen as a member of the elite class but the 1997 constitution incredibly had many points that favoured the people. Or the 2007 charter, which originated from the military, is more advanced than the 1997 charter. For example, it was required to be approved by national referendum first. And the Council for National Security ordered the drafter to allow non-MPs to become the prime minister, the drafters refused to comply. Sometimes, the transition of politics did not depend on whether the leader is an elite or not, but it depends on whether we could arouse the people to take part in political reform and try to fight for their interest. I think this will determine the outcome.

I'm not sure that would work any better than using proxy servers at an Internet cafe if they use keylogger programs. If some entity wants to examine what web sites you visited and what you did on that web site, a keylogger program would still tell all. Unfortunately, as the world seems to become more and more paranoid, there is always some jerk who manages to get into a position of authority, and then comes up with yet another way to erode individual privacy. Here we are in the 21st century, and there are still people who want to decide for you what you can read, what you can look at, what your religion should be, who you can marry, how to have sex, etc. Now they want to control your use of the Internet in order to protect . . . . . well, what exactly are they protecting? Hey! That guy looked at a web site we don't want him to look at. Jail him!

I know how you can find out. Play the VCD. The pirated, low quality versions are already out among the vendors.

Sadly, TOQ will soon be moving away from Pattaya out to the hinterlands of Thailand, which means we will be losing those wonderful Pattaya pics. Don't worry, though. He will be back to Pattaya every few weeks and we will also get to see the wonderful photos I anticipate and hope he will be posting from the rural parts of Thailand, the areas that many farang never get to see.

I agree. Just how much of a disclosure is necessary? The dinner is 1600 baht. 500 is going to the charity. PattayaMale says it would cost about 400 baht to prepare the dinner. I think it would cost more than that, but let's say it does cost 400 baht. Do the math. It would mean the restaurant is making a 700 baht per dinner profit. I don't think that's over-the-top at all. What more of a disclosure do people want? Do people think the restaurants should also provide a full accounting of exactly how much they spent to buy the ingredients and prepare the dinner? Do people feel that the restaurant should close down it's business for the night and donate everything beyond actual cost to the charity? In my opinion, that would be getting just a wee bit ridiculous. To me, the only disclosure I care about is how much is going to the charity. As for the rest of the price, I agree with GT that it's an "up to you." If you like what you see on the menu, think you will enjoy the evening, and are willing to pay the price, then go. If not, then don't go. What's the problem?

It's been about four years since I last ate at the Leng Kee. I didn't know they had a Chinese menu. When I ate there I was with Thai people and I let them do all the ordering. Of course, everything they ordered was Thai food. Ok, great! Now that I know they have a Chinese menu I'll give it another try.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Emergency Ends The government will lift the state of emergency in Bangkok on Sunday after just 12 days in effect. The decision was made at a Saturday night meeting between acting prime minister Somchai Wongsawat and Army cief Gen Anupong Paojinda. They agreed the state of emergency was merely damaging the country, and the political situation was under control. Then-premier Samak Sundaravej imposed the state of emergency early on Sept 2, after a violent clash in which one pro-government protester was killed.

It's the religious right that scares me. It's getting to the point in the USA that all you have to do is mention Jesus a few times and the religious right is all set to support you, no matter what. At this point my money is still on Obama, but the election is still more than a month away. Anything can happen.

Last night TOQ and I tried Chow Soy. I'll suffice it to say that neither of us will eat there again any time soon. Not that it was bad, but it just isn't what either of us are looking for. In other words, we're still looking for the right restaurant, if one even exists in Pattaya.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Samak Steps Back By Eakarach Sattaburuth, Pradit Ruangdit and Penchan Charoensuthipan Ousted prime minister Samak Sundaravej ended his campaign to regain his position on Friday - and street protesters of the People's Alliance Democracy vowed to step up their campaign to overthrow the rest of the government. Mr Samak's decision was revealed yesterday by Theerapol Nopparampa, his close aide, after he spent about 50 minutes meeting Mr Samak at his home. Mr Samak asked him to tell PPP members that he has tried his best to protect democracy. He would now end his effort and let the party decide on its own future. Mr Samak's remarks have led to speculation that he will quit as PPP leader as well. PPP registration officer Samarn Lertwongrat said he had not been informed about Mr Samak's resignation as party leader. Mr Samarn said any such move would only take effect when the besieged former prime minister's resignation letter reached the party's secretary-general or himself. PPP MPs held a meeting yesterday after the vote for a new prime minister in the House was postponed to next Wednesday due to a lack of a quorum. Coalition parties and about 70 PPP MPs who opposed Mr Samak's nomination refused to attend the House for the vote. The MPs asked deputy PPP leaders Somchai Wongsawat and Sompong Amornwiwat and secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee to convince Mr Samak to withdraw his nomination, though they said he should have the right to nominate someone for the job. Sompong Amornwiwat, a key PPP contender for post, said the coalition parties would announce in the next two days the formation of the new alliance. On Monday, the PPP will meet to select a member to stand for prime minister. Mr Sompong said the party will tell coalition partners the name of its contender on Tuesday before voting takes place in the House on Wednesday. According to PPP sources, deputy PPP leaders, Mr Somchai or Mr Sompong, are likely to be nominated. House Speaker Chai Chidchob postponed the vote after a group of PPP MPs and members of the other five coalition partners opted not to attend the House meeting to elect the new prime minister. The next meeting of the House was scheduled for Wednesday. Wichian Udomsak, an Amnat Charoen MP and member of the Friends of Newin Chidchob group that pushed for the reinstatement of Mr Samak, said in his opinion parliament might be dissolved if the House cannot elect a new prime minister next Wednesday. Meanwhile, three Chart Thai MPs, Pathum Thani MP Ekkapot Panyaem, Ang Thong MP Paradorn Prissananantakul, and Si Sa Ket MP Siripong Angkhasakulkiat explained Chart Thai's decision not to attend the House meeting yesterday. They said it was due to disagreement within the PPP on the nomination of Mr Samak. They agreed to boycott the meeting to ensure it was postponed. A Chart Thai source said party leader Banharn Silpa-archa on Thursday night received calls from PPP groups that supported and opposed Mr Samak's nomination. Mr Siripong said Chart Thai was not playing political games with the PPP as alleged by PPP spokesman Kuthep Saikrachang, adding that: ‘‘We want to let the major party finalise its nomination first.'' Mr Siripong said the PPP should take into account people's opinions on its nomination of prime minister, while the next prime minister should be someone capable of solving the country's crisis. Somsak Prissananantakul, a deputy Chart Thai leader, said postponing the vote would allow all parties more time to think about the country's direction. Another deputy Chart Thai leader, Kanchana Silpa-archa, daughter of party leader Banharn, said the six coalition parties remain united. Yesterday morning, about 1,000 progovernment demonstrators led by the Khon Rak Udon group (Love Udon People) turned up in front of parliament to support the reinstatement of Mr Samak. The demonstrators were from Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Roi Et, Ratchaburi and Samut Prakan provinces. Clad in red tops, they expressed their anger when they heard about the lack of quorum in the House and that voting was postponed. The group's leader, going under the alias Pey Klong Toey, vowed to list the names of PPP MPs who were absent from the House, and proposed the party expel them. They were all elected because of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's influence, not because of their own talent, he said.

From what I have heard, some shops are complying with the law and some are acting as if they've never heard of it. You'll very likely find some shops that aren't bothering with it if you look around. I'm guessing you do not intend to bring a laptop with you. If you have one and bring it with you, and you also stay in a hotel at which you can get Internet access, then you don't have to worry about ID and checks. Many hotels now have wifi available, so you could check that before deciding where you will stay. If all else fails, and you can't find a shop that meets your needs, you're welcome to come over to my place and use my computer or plug your own laptop into my line, although I'm probably a bit far from wherever you plan to stay.

Regarding this particular event, has anyone asked?

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Samak's "Arrogant" Dreams of a Quick Political Return Seem to have Ended Former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's hope for a political comeback suffered a severe blow this morning when his allies both outside and within the ruling party boycotted a special House session to select a new chief executive. The allies disapproval of Samak's reinstatement forced the boycott. The House is scheduled to convene again next Wednesday to elect a new prime minister, but Samak's chances now appear doomed. All eyes are on the coaltion partners now, as none of them sent MPs to join the urgent House session. Even senior PPP leaders are acknowledging that the possibility of Samak's return has caused widespread conflicts. Speculation about the allies 'shifting their loyalty' and the possibilities of a 'national government' have resurfaced. However, it is believed that if the PPP nominates another person, the coalition partners will continue their backing for the ruling camp. A quorum check showed 161 MPs were inside the assembly hall this morning. Earlier, more than 240 MPs had signed their names for the meeting, which would make the quorum. It was obvious that many of those who signed their names decided or were told not to join the urgent session, which required attendance of at least 235 MPs to proceed. On Thursday, the coalition partners resolved to continue backing the PPP in forming a new government after Samak was disqualified by the Constitution Court on Tuesday. That pledge of loyalty, however, did not include backing Samak's return to power. The Democrats, who unsuccessfully nominated their leader Abhisit Vejjajiva during the quorum check, described the postponement as a time-buying tactic to settle differences among PPP MPs and coalition allies. Many PPP MPs were also absent from the Assembly Hall today, underlining reports that Samak was causing a divide even in his own party. Earlier in the morning, PPP MP Areepen Uttarasingh called for postponement of the House session to some time after September 25, when the Appeal Court will consider the lower court's libel conviction against Samak. Former prime minister Samak arrived early at the Parliament in the morning but he refused to talk to reporters. On Thursday, Samak said he didn't fear jail and was ready to risk his personal well-being to fight what he described as a threat to democracy. It was a borderline statement that could be perceived as harsh criticism against the Constitution Court which disqualified him on Tuesday for having conflicts of interests due to his "employment" as TV cooking show host. Hundreds of pro-government crowds gathered in front of Parliament this morning. However the anti-government People's Alliance for Demcoracy cancelled its plan to rally there. The pro-government crowds identified themselves as residents from every province in the Northeast. Every district reportedly organized about 10 to 20 villagers to join the rally. But Samak's trouble began early inside the parliamentary compound, with news about the allies' boycott starting to pour in. Chart Thai party's deputy leader Somsak Prissananantakul said after an urgent party meeting this morning that his party MPs would not attend the parliament session to choose Samak as premier. MP Preecha Rengsomboon of Isaan Pattana faction in the PPP also indicated that his faction would not toe the party line. He did not explain whether the faction would reject Samak outright, or abstain or vote for an alternate candidate. He said his faction was made of some 70 MPs. This was despite claims by PPP spokesman Kudep Saikrajang that his party would strongly back the reinstatement of its leader Samak. According to Preecha, many PPP MPs viewed Samak as being "arrogant" and failing to listen to criticism. Pracharat Party leader Snoh Thienthong had also already indicated that he might abstain from House vote to re-elect Samak. ____________________ And This: _____ Lack of Quorum Delays Parliamentary Vote for New Prime Minister BANGKOK, Sept 12 (TNA) - The parliamentary vote to decide whether Samak Sundaravej would return to the Prime Minister post was forced to delay due to lack of quorum as most of the members of parliament from the coalition parties did not turn up. House Speaker Chai Chidchob decided to postpone the session and ordered the next meeting to nominate new prime minister to be convened on Wednesday at 9:30am. The absence of MPs was apparently due to conflicts among coalition parties of the ruling party -- the People's Power Party (PPP) and also factions inside the PPP itself that opposed the re-nomination of Mr. Samak as prime minister. Mr. Samak was stripped from his post as prime minister on Tuesday after the Constitution Court ruled that he violated the charter due to his having hosted cooking shows on commercial television stations -- which was considered a conflict of interest, but the PPP nonetheless resolved to reinstate the sharp-tongued former premier. Parliament began its special session to nominate a new prime minister at about 9.40 am as 246 of the 470 members of parliament were enrolled for the session, enough numbers to complete a quorum. Banyat Bantadtan from the opposition Democrat Party proposed its party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to compete for the post of prime minister. Then PPP MP Sukhumphand Ngon-kam asked the House Speaker to check the quorum, and it was determined that there were only 161 members of parliament on hand at the session, which was insufficient for a quorum. Mr. Chai, who chaired the meeting, announced about 10am that the session could not proceed as there were not enough MPs as required by the rules and delay the meeting until next Wednesday. In the absence of the PPPs coalition partners, Democrat Party secretary general Suthep Thuaksuban tried to persuade Mr. Chai to recount the numbers of MPs present at the session but failed to convince the Speaker. Mr. Suthep said after the adjournment of the meeting that he thought Mr. Chai was too quick to call the delay. Meanwhile, PPP deputy leader Somchai Wongsawat, currently acting prime minister, said party members would meet in one or two days to discuss the candidates to be proposed for Prime Minister next week but stopped short of saying whether the party would stand by Mr. Samak or not. He added that the decision would also depend on the consultations among the six coalition parties. (TNA)

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Samak's Comeback Hopes Dashed as House Adjourns Urgent Session By The Nation Coalition disagreement over Samak Sundaravej has forced a boycott of the House of Representatives' urgent session to select new PM. 10.30 am: All eyes are on the coaltion partners now, as none of them sent MPs to join the urgent House session. Even senior PPP leader are acknowledging that the possibility of Samak's return is causing widespread conflicts. Reporters are asking questions about "shifting loyalty" and "national government" one more time but Chat Thai leaders still politely pledge allegiance to the PPP. 10.20 am: The quorum check showed 161 MPs inside the assembly hall. In the morning, 248 MPs signed their names for the meeting, which made the quorum. Obviously many of those who signed their names decided or were told not to join the urgent session. 10.15 am: The Democrats, who unsuccessfully nominated their leader Abhisit Vejjajiva during the quorum check, described the postponement as a time-buying tactic to settle differences among PPP MPs and coalition allies. It is believed that the PPP's "resolution" to reinstate Samak has caused serious conflicts within the coalition government. 10 am: Chai adjourns House meeting. The House will have to meet again next Wednesday. This confirms serious conflicts within the ruling People Power Party over possible nomination of Samak Sundaravej. Many PPP MPs were absent from the House session today and so were MPs from coalition parties. 9.55 am: The first quorum check reveals not enough MPs are in the assembly hall. Chai announced the House session will be adjourned to next Wednesday, despite some protests. 9.45 am: House Speaker Chai Chidchob is asking for a quorum check. There has been some confusion as to whether he can proceed with calling for a nomination without checking the quorum. 9.15 : PPP MP Areepen Uttarasingh calls for the House to delay meeting to choose new prime minister to be after September 25 when an Appeal Court will consider libel suit appeal against Samak. 9 : 10 am : Chart Thai party's deputy leader Somsak Prissananantakul says after an urgent meeting this morning that his party MPs will not attend the parliament to choose Samak as premier. 8.30 am : Democrat Party MP Thavorn Senniem said his party's MPs will not attend the parliament session in which PPP will nominate Samak as prime minister. The session will have to be delayed if the number of MPs attending the session are less than half of the quorum or 235. 8.30 am : Former prime minister Samak Sundaravej arrives at the Parliament. 8.05 am : MP Preecha Rengsomboon of Isaan Pattana faction countered that his faction would not vote the party line. He did not explain whether the faction would reject Samak, abstain or vote for an alternate candidate. 8 am : People Power Party spokesman Kudep Saikrajang reiterates his party would back the reinstatement of its leader Samak Sundaravej as prime minister. 7.50 am : PPP MP Preecha Rengsomboonsuk says in an interview with a news television programme that his faction which comprise more than 70 MPs will not change position and vote for Samak. He criticised Samak of being arrogant and not listening to any criticism. He is the main reasons of political problems at the moment. 7.45 am : Pracharat Party leader Snoh Thienthong has already indicated that he might abstain from House vote at 9.30 am if the PPP insists on nominating Samak. 7.30 am : Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa called an urgent meeting at 7.30 am to finalise his party's position whether to go along with the People Power Party's nomination to reinstate Samak Sundaravej as prime minister. Party's senior members Sanan Kajornprasart, Warawuth Silapa-archa were seen arriving at the party's headquarter.

Absolutely! Your photos are always wonderful. Please continue to post them.

Friday, September 12 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.55 Euro: 48.23 British Pound: 60.575 Australian Dollar: 27.57 Canadian Dollar: 32.015 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.50 Euro: 48.57 British Pound: 60.985 Australian Dollar: 27.7725 Canadian Dollar: 32.0825

Thailand's next Prime Minister will be selected by the Thai parliament, not by a general election. That selection could come as soon as today. At the moment it is about 6:40AM, Friday, September 12 in Thailand. Today's developments have potential to be quite dramatic. We'll see. The following editorial appears in THE NATION: _____ From an Honest Mistake to a Potentially Disastrous One By The Nation Published on September 12, 2008 Was the television cooking show a serious constitutional offence? No. Was the Constitution Court right to disqualify Samak Sundaravej from the chief executive post? Yes. Does the People Power Party have the mandate to reinstall him? Yes, technically. Ethically, no. The question of the day, however, is: Why should Samak be willing to go from committing an honest mistake to making a very serious and potentially disastrous one? If the pro-Thaksin camp insists that democracy is the most acceptable kind of political game, Samak's fate should be accepted, no matter how begrudgingly. You made a wrong move, your opponents caught it, and you are finished. It was the way things were. It was the way the Chuan, Banharn and Chavalit administrations crumbled. Some government politicians acquired land suspiciously and the Democrats were blown out of power. If Samak accepts a nomination, he will walk down the same catastrophic path taken by his alleged master. Thaksin Shinawatra was caught cheating, but he tried to muddle his way through by exploiting what was claimed to be electoral legitimacy. The rest is history. What would be the consequences of Samak's reinstatement? First of all, it would underline his "proxy" or "nominee" status. He would replace Thaksin as the centre of a head-on clash between the legislative and judicial forces, the result of which would however affect not only Samak but also the man in London. Some people surely want to discredit the Thai judiciary for obvious reasons. If a rebellious Thai legislature is up in arms against the justice system, somewhere in London someone could point to the developments and tell foreign observers, "See, you know what I mean?" Samak's return to power, however, would damage more than the Thai courts' credibility. A comeback would be detrimental to both parties in the war. It would simply prove that true checks-and-balances democracy can never work in Thailand. It would also re-endorse the dangerous but increasingly accepted belief that if you want to enforce the rule of law, ballot-box democracy is not the way to do it. What about the Appeals Court, which could still send Samak straight to jail? Although we can never predict how the court will rule, it's safe to discuss whether Samak should face a "second" judgement day as prime minister or ordinary citizen. There are two schools of thought here. The first one says a provocative Samak, one who defies the Constitution Court's ruling by reassuming the prime minister's post, would have put the last nail in his own coffin. The other says if Samak was destined for prison anyway, it would be more dignified to go down as a political victim, albeit in prime minister's clothes.

The next PGF (Pattaya Gay Festival) charity dinner will be held at the Amor Restaurant, in Pattaya's Boyztown on Sunday, October 19. Click the link for the menu and details: http://www.amorrestaurant.com