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This is indeed terrible news and a shock to us all. Anyone familiar with the message boards was familiar with Wowpow. Anyone who knew him also knew that he was the very essence of culture and class, and was a pure gentleman. Wowpow was an icon in both Pattaya and Bangkok and an integral part of the gay scene. His death is a terrible loss. We are presently awaiting information as to funeral arrangements. At this point, nobody seems to know if there will be a funeral in Thailand or whether his remains will be sent home for burial. Once we are able to find out, we will certainly let you know.

As I'm sure most of you know, the new Birdcage bar, which used to be Lek's Bar, followed by being Guys Bar, is located on Soi Day-Night, adjacent to the Day-Night Hotel. I have not visited the bar yet during opening hours. Today I was there two hours before opening time and had a talk with Kevin and Marsha. I must say I'm greatly impressed with what they are trying to do. Both said there were opening night problems, which is to be expected, and they are getting them worked out quickly. Marsha said he put the whole thing together only within the last ten days, so whatever those of you who have already been there experienced, and I understand most people were greatly pleased, it's going to get even better. I've read a few reviews that have appeared on other web sites. I will be in Bangkok until Friday. I'm going to try to make it to Birdcage at some point over this coming weekend, after which I'll post my own review. In the meantime, It really looks like it just may be the bar that finally brings real life to Soi Day-Night and I think Birdcage will succeed. I hope other bar investors follow suit and try to get Soi Day-Night really going as the third major gay venue area in Pattaya. However, from what I've seen and heard from both Kevin and Marsha so far, Birdcage will be a tough act to follow . . .

When in a city you don't know very well, or don't know at all, that's where having a GPS, with the ESRI software, can come in mighty handy. When I go to Chiang Mai, I'm going to drive to get there. I already have most of the places I want to visit marked on the GPS. All I'll have to do is decide which location I want to visit, crank up the GPS, and it will lead me right to wherever I want to go. I spent some time today putting in all the places you talked about and am looking forward to visiting the ones that seemed most appealing to me.

Thank you, Bob. I certainly will. It's been a couple of years since I was last in Chiang Mai. GT's posts and your suggestions are sure coming at perfect timing for me.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ BOT and Ministry Will Ride the Baht The Bank of Thailand and the Finance Ministry will jointly manage the exchange rate through the market mechanism, following tomorrow's end to 14 months of hard-knuckled capital controls. Published on March 2, 2008 Tarisa Watanagase, the central-bank governor, told Nation Channel yesterday that the new BOT Act would go into effect tomorrow and the Finance Ministry had a new public-debt management law to rein in the baht. Both laws let the central bank and Finance Ministry issue an unlimited amount of bonds to manage the demand for and supply of foreign exchange as a means to stabilise the baht, which will likely shoot up after the 30-per-cent reserve requirement is lifted. "Since we held an election and got a new government, the policy direction has become clearer. The Finance Ministry has also taken action to support the BOT in overseeing the baht via its public-debt management office," Tarisa said. The government now has more powerful tools at its disposal to influence currency movements, while before conditions were not conducive to removing capital measures due to the lack of legal power to deal with volatility in the forex market. The export sector has been the only engine of growth for the economy, so authorities needed to be cautious to avoid causing undesirable impacts, she said. However, the economic outlook is now better and figures for imports and exports, government expenditures, investment and consumption for the last quarter of 2007 show that the time is now ripe to unbridle capital flows, she said. Tarisa insisted that the central bank had not acted under pressure from politicians. The Thailand Development Research Institute has forecast that the baht will appreciate by Bt1 per US dollar due to the unfreezing of reserves. Small exporters could be hit by the falling competitiveness of Thai goods in the world market. Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the opposition Democrat Party, welcomed the central bank's move, while Korn Chatikavanij of the same party said the baht would continue its upward trend because of the US dollar's weakness. Korn also warned the government not to attempt to fix the value of the baht because that was not possible under today's market conditions. The government should instead manage the economy competently with sound policies so that it would help avoid imbalances, he said. Overall, economic growth should be sustainable, he said, supported by sound policies for domestic public and private investment, consumption and export. Afterwards, the exchange rate will reflect these economic conditions, he said. The Nation

Thank you for these posts, GT. For me, your timing is perfect. I expect to be in Chiang Mai myself about a week from now and I'm certainly going to try some of your recommendations.

You have my word on it. I will be in Bangkok this week. Now, between that article and your posts, I'm hoping to be able to stay an extra day so that I can start exploring Chinatown and devote the entire day to it.

Excellent post and even more excellent advice! Next time I'm in Bangkok I certainly intend to do just that. The gay stuff can wait. From what I have been reading, coupled with your post, I for one am kicking my own butt right now for not taking the time to experience Chinatown before.

I have never visited Chinatown in Bangkok, but I happened upon the following article and it sure makes me want to do some exploring next time I'm in Bangkok. Perhaps some of you have spent some time in Bangkok's Chinatown and can make some recommendations as to things to do, things to see, places to eat, and if there is any gay activity there. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Weekend/GD16Jp02.html

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ BANK OF THAILAND Capital Controls to Go on Monday Published on March 1, 2008 BOT Governor Denies Political Pressure Behind Sudden Move; Rules Out Rate Cuts The Bank of Thailand yesterday decided to remove controversial capital controls and introduce new ways to prevent baht speculation, ending 14 months of the "draconian" measures. The move is effective from Monday. After the announcement, the baht onshore rate rose against the greenback to close at its peak of Bt31.45-Bt31.50, from an opening of Bt31.91-Bt31.94, while the baht offshore weakened to Bt30.40-Bt30.90 from Bt29.45-Bt29.55. Meanwhile, the central bank insisted it would not cut the policy interest rate, though the Thai rate is higher than the US and makes Thailand attractive for capital inflows, which would strengthen the baht. The market earlier believed the revocation would come with a deep policy interest-rate cut of at least 100 basis points from the current 3.25 per cent. The bank said the managed-float exchange rate was suitable, because it was flexible and dealt with global volatility, an important factor that is closely monitored. Bank Governor Tarisa Watanagase yesterday said it considered it "good timing" to repeal the controls. Domestic demand and export growth have been stronger, apparently, since the fourth quarter. A government stimulus package will help restore investor confidence and strengthen domestic demand. Tarisa said the balance of capital movement was experienced due to a decline in the trade surplus in January, increases in investment abroad at US$13 billion in December and resident foreign-currency deposits. Finance Ministry public-debt restructuring and management will help bolster the balance of capital flows, she said. The bank has more instruments to manage liquidity and the baht under the new Bank of Thailand Act. Moreover, manufacturers and exporters can adjust to an appreciating baht through forex hedging, along with improvements in production efficiency, management and market diversification. "There had been widespread expectation we would lift the measure. As a result, market participants have adjusted behavior in line with these expectations. This lessens the efficiency of the withholding reserve requirement," said Tarisa. The bank believed it would be able to counter huge demand for the baht if existing foreign investors totally unwound their forex positions, worth a total of US$5 billion (Bt157 billion at $1=Bt31.4), which would lead to currency strengthening. Tarisa was optimistic foreign investors would not entirely unwind their positions if they had a different view on currency trends. She was hopeful the revocation would not cause exporter panic, and would have a positive psychological effect on the stock market. However, exporters yesterday expressed disappointment with the removal. Earlier, the bank took a strong stance that the measures would be lifted only when it could ensure exporters would not panic, imports increased significantly and volatility in the global finance market declined. Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee called a February 12 confidential meeting with the central bank on the measure. Markets expected ministerial pressure on the bank to revoke the withholding reserve requirement. Tarisa insisted she independently removed the measure based on sound economics. There was no political pressure, she said. The revocation was pursued under a joint agreement between the central bank and the ministry, which both found supporting measures to reduce the impact on the baht. "I will not quit, because I am a working person. I insisted it would continue to work. I have not been pressured as reported. We considered it was time to remove supporting measures," she said. Deputy Governor Atchana Waiquamdee said the bank would not manage the currency with interest-rate movements, although appreciation would have an impact on the economy. The policy interest rate could be slashed only when inflationary pressure decreased, she said. The bank will continue to monitor the global economy, but believes the managed-float exchange rate will serve fluctuations, said Deputy Governor Bandid Nijathaworn. The central bank will tell commercial banks about the revocation and details of supporting measures soon. Anoma Srisukkasem The Nation ____________________ And This, from the BANGKOK POST: _____ Capital Controls Lifted The Bank of Thailand announced on Friday it was reversing course and will lift the 30 per cent capital controls effective on Monday. The baht exchange rate immediately leapt nearly 2 per cent to 31.45 per dollar, the highest in nearly 11 years. "The central bank decided to lift the capital controls because of the improving economic situation," said central bank governor Tarisa Watanagase. The controls were imposed during the Surayud Chulanont administration in an attempt to control the appreciation of the baht against the dollar. They require that 30 per cent of all incoming investments to be held by financial institutions for up to one year. Mrs Tarisa had fought the government on lifting the capital controls. The BoT has predicted the baht will rise in value against the US dollar when the controls are gone. The baht has already gained 7.4 per cent this year, the most of any of the top-10 currencies in Asia outside of Japan. Mrs Tarisa said one effect of lifting the controls would be a merging of the local, largely artificial exchange rate with the so-called offshore rate found outside the country - which was 29.7 baht per dollar on Friday. The central bank implemented the one-year, 30 per cent withholding requirement in Dec 2006. It justfied the restriction by saying they would help to maintain the competitiveness of exports by restraining the rise of the baht. The immediate effect of the measure was the biggest one-day stocks selloff in Thai history, and damage to the country's reputation with foreign investors. On Friday, Mrs Tarisa acknowledged the inevtiable, and said that widespread expectations of the lifting of the controls have "eroded their effectiveness." The current government campaigned for election late last year on a platform which included trashing the capital controls. Mrs Tarisa, whose position as head of the Bank of Thailand is now severely threatened, opposed lifting the controls, but eventually lost the battle. She said that "other measures" will be implemented to try to keep the baht as weak as possible. A managed float of the baht remains an appropriate policy, she claimed. The amount that the BoT has spent in its losing effort to keep the baht weak has not yet been made public. It is widely believed to be well over $100 million. Despite the spending, the baht has continued to rise, and is currently at 11-year highs against the US dollar, both at home and in offshore trading. ____________________ And this, from TNA: _____ Thai Central Bank Lifts Capital Controls Monday BANGKOK, Feb 29 (TNA) After a year of implementing reserve withholding measure, by which Thailand forced investors to hold in reserve 30 per cent of all short-term capital flowing into the country, the Bank of Thailand (BoT), the country's central bank, acted Friday to remove the measure, effective Monday. BoT Governor Tarisa Watanagase announced the lifting of the controversial measures to take effect March 3, ending the regime of the unremunerated reserve requirement (URR) after nearly 15 months in effect, a measure that was introduced to rein in the volatility of the Thai baht when demand was falling and "robust export growth was the main driver of the economy". Political and economic players alike have both supported and condemned both the initiation the measures, and the ending of their implementation. Stating that the country's economic performance in the last quarter of 2007 and in January this year indicated that the time was right to withdraw the measures, Mrs. Tarisa indicated Friday that the time had arrived. "Foreign exchange inflows/outflows have become more balanced', according to a BoT statement, with a moderate trade account surplus in January 2008, increasing Thai investments abroad, and regulations permitting residents to deposit foreign currencies as of this month. The appreciation of the baht – whether it will continue, and by how much – is at issue. Mrs. Tarisa told a press conference that the controversial capital controls the BoT had imposed to restrain the country's currency from getting too strong had done the job they were intended to do. The BoT's move follows the policy of the new government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to remove the controls. The central bank's web site is carrying notification of the lifting of the URR measures, rules for non-resident baht accounts and related matters at www.bot.or.th. (TNA)-E006

I agree with that. Obviously not everybody has the means to be risking money on investments or even enough money to make an investment at all. But for those who can, good suggestions are being made on this thread.

Regarding the exchange rate, I hope the lifting of the controls doesn't mean "There goes the whole ballgame" for the US dollar. If the dollar depreciates further, then all who depend on the exchange rate can really start laughing. The value of the dollar continues to diminish while prices are rising in Thailand.

Just out of curiosity, how do you know she's right?

See the following from PATTAYA MAIL: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd18

The exchange rates for Friday, February 29 are as follows: Opening Rates: US Dollar: 31.74 Euro: 48.035 British Pound: 62.94 Australian Dollar: 29.7925 Canadian Dollar: 32.27 And, since LP is recommending Japanese Yen and Swiss Francs, those rates are: Yen: 30.1975 Swiss Franc: 30.025 At the end of the business day today, I'll edit this message and post the closing rates. ****Closing Rates**** US Dollar: 31.78 Euro: 48.195 British Pound: 63.02 Australian Dollar: 29.83 Canadian Dollar: 32.30 Japanese Yen: 30.31125 Swiss Franc: 30.15 ******************** LP, what are your thoughts on the Chinese Yuan? I obtain the exchange rates from the Bank of Ayudhya web site, but they don't list the rates for the Yuan.

As many of you know, the news dominating the headlines in Thailand at the moment is that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to Thailand. He vows to stay out of politics. Good or bad, he is back in Thailand. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ THAKSIN'S BOISTEROUS HOMECOMING "I definitely stay out of politics" : Thaksin Published on February 28, 2008 Our Political Desk will be with you until Thaksin Shinawatra goes to bed in Thailand for the first time since September, 2006. He must be feeling very strange. We are. 2:19 pm: Thaksin starts speaking at his press conference. During the conference, he vows to stay out of politics and apologised to the people for their hardship caused by his involvement in the political conflict. "I and my family have suffered from injustice but this can not be compared to the hardship befallen the people who are the worst victims of political rivalry," he says. Thaksin says it is normal for politicians to having ties with him as this is part of Thai culture but should not be construed as his political comeback. He wants to return to his homeland since September 20, a day after the power seizure but he was asked by coup leaders to stay in exil for a while. This happened to last almost 18 months, he says. Following the restoration of democratic rule, he says he is obliged to come back to defend his tarnished reputation and that of his family. He says he is saddened by injustice, vowing to rebut his graft charges and prove his innocence. 2.10pm : Thaksin arrives at the Penninsula Hotel to hold press conference. 12.30pm : Thaksin holds a closed door meeting with his aides at his Chan Song La residence before attending the press conference which has been rescheduled from 1 pm to 2.30 pm. He is slated to stay at Peninsula Hotel for safety reason. He has booked 11 rooms on Floor 33 to 35, costing Bt106.000 per room per day. 12.10pm : Thaksin emerged smiling from the Office of the Attorney General following the completion of his successful bail review. He was granted temporary release on the SC Asset case. Thaksin is travelling to the Peninsula Hotel for a scheduled press conference at 1 pm. 11.55am : Thaksin was seen arriving at the Office of the Attorney General. Department of Special Investigation acting director general Thawee Sodsong was on hand to notify his charges relating to the SC Asset case. After notifyin his charges, Thawee would hand over Thaksin to the custody of public prosecutors. Thaksin is then expected to submit his bail application. The Nation 11.53am : Thaksin stopped by at the headquarters of the Crime Suppression Division at 11.00 am on his way for bail review at the Office of the Attorney General. He was accompanied by Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung and three children, Panthongtae, Paethongtan and Pinthongta. He reportedly had a brief rest before his scheduled appointment with public prosecutors. He resumes his journey at 11.40 am. 11.50am : Chiang Mai authorities are in full gear to welcome native son Thaksin Shinawatra who might return to his hometown to greet supporters on Friday. Thousands of supporters have already started rallying on Thursday ahead of Thaksin's anticipated return. 11.50am : Thaksin leaves the court house after the Court grants him a Bt8-million bail. 10.40am : Thaksin's lawyer Pichit Chuenban is applying for Thaksin's bail upon his client's arrival at the Supreme Court building for bail review. Thaksin Shinwatra is expected to apply for his temporary release before noon. His youngest daughter Pinthongta is slated to act as bondswoman. During the review, Thaksin would be held in the court's custody at a defence room. The bail process should take about one hour. 10.30am : Thaksin arrives at the Supreme Court where he will learn of the charges and request to be released on bail. 10.20 am: TPBS reported that Chiang Mai residents who gathered to watch the moment on TV were in tears. One TPBS announcer reminds the audience that the touching moments aside, Thaksin now will "walk straight into reality" _ the fight against corruption charges to prove himself. 10.10 am: Thaksin has come out of the VIP room to greet his supporters with a humble Thai "wai". It takes less than. It's very low-key by anyone's standard. It seems to be a well thought-out way of greeting, if there's nothing more, that is. But it seems he will not come back out. Meanwhile, additional TV footage just showed that once he got off the VIP room, he prostrated on the ground to pay utmost respect to the motherland. Then he "wai" his supporters and waved at them. The whole scenario from leaving the VIP room and greeting the crowds lasted less than five minutes. Tears were brimming in his eyes. TV stations are rerunning the ground-worshipping moment. 9.50 am: He has entered VIP room number 3 at the airport. TPBS reports that he would soon spend around 15 minutes greeting his supporters before heading to the Supreme Court. Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung and Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama are among senior government figures to greet him. Thaksin spent about half an hour with his family members inside the airport's VIP Room No 3. His wife Khunying Pojaman and their daughter Paethongtan were waiting to welcome him. His son Panthongtae accompanied him on the flight back from Hong Kong. His youngest daughter Pinthongta was at the court building to arrange for bail review. After greeting his family members, Thaksin met with a senior monk from Chiang Mai, his hometown. Phra Khru Suthep Sitthikhun of Wat Sribunruang presented him with a wooden Buddha statuette. Afterward, he talked to his close allies, including Sudarat Keyuraphan, Chidchai Vanastidya, Phrommin Lertsuridej, Pongthep Thepkanchan and his cousin and former Army chief General Chaisit Shinawatra. Five Cabinet members were also present. They are Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Transport Minister Santi Prompat, his deputy Songsak Thongsri and PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair. 9.40 am: Thaksin has landed. 9.30 am: TV Channel 9 ends a news break with local singer Christina's popular oldie: "My Heart Asks for It". Coupled with old Thaksin footages, it must be very touching for Thaksin's supporters. As for the other camp, yes, it can be one looooong day. 9.20am : Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung says he would personally escort former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from Suvarnabhumit Airport to the Supreme Court building for bail review. Chalerm was confident that there would be no eruption of violence, playing down concern about possible assassination attempt. "I don't think there will any assassination like what happened abroad and I trust in the security system and officials responsible for implementation," he said. He said Thaksin would stay at the Peninsula Hotel instead of his Chan Song La residence which is undergoing a renovation. 9.10 am: Hundreds of taxi motorcyclists, who had gathered on Lard Prao Road, were allowed to go through security the Suvarnabhumi Airport to join around 3,000 of waiting Thaksin supporters. There are all kinds of welcome-home banners carried by the supporters. One stands out: "Real Gem is Coming Home." 7 am (Bkk time): Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has boarded a Thai Airways plane in Hong Kong to return to Bangkok for the first time in 17 months after he was toppled. He insisted again he was going home to defend himself against unfair accusations and would stay out of politics. Lots of flowers from Thais at the airport, but that is nothing compared to what awaits him at the Thai international airport. Thaksin told reporters that he was confident of his innocence and was ready to prove he had done nothing wrong. He said he would report to the authorities on his arrival. He is dressed in black suit with black tie. Another man in the focus, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, said he welcomed Thaksin's return. But what else could he have said, honestly? "It's normal that he must defend himself in the court and my government will not interfere," Samak said. Best quote so far is from Thaksin: "Democracy returned to Thailand. So, it is time for those who are democratic advocates to go back." The first thing he wishes to do is to hug his wife and children. Good morning everyone. It can be another long day for Thai politics, but we have gone through many, have we?

The exchange rate has become even worse. This morning the exchange rate opened at 32.02 baht per dollar. The closing rate today was 31.95. That is nearly 35% less baht per US dollar than the rate that held steadily for many years at 45 baht to the US dollar. And, of course, Thailand has been going through a period of inflation, which makes things even worse. I notice significant differences in food and fuel prices. For example, two months ago a simple container of yogurt was 10 baht. Now it's 13 baht. That might not seem like a big deal, but it's greater than a 30% price rise, and a lot more than just yogurt has gone way up in price. Where will all this end? When will the exchange rate turn around?

Last night (Tuesday, Feb 26) Pattaya was hit by a powerful thunderstorm, and from what I understand it is considered a freak storm. We had torrential rains, but no damaging wind. However, the thunder was so powerful that it actually set off my car alarm. Sukhumvit highway was flooded. A friend was driving along Pattaya's Beach Road and he said the water had flooded well over the curb. My area did not lose electricity, but I have no idea whether any other areas of Pattaya lost electricity. I'm guessing there was no electricity loss. That usually happens only when a strong wind accompanies a thunderstorm. However, satellite television reception was lost for the better part of two hours, at least in my area. The whole thing lasted about ninety minutes. I hope the reservoir received plenty of water from this storm. Unfortunately, weather forecasters are predicting another serious drought this year and despite the promises that a drought will never again cause water to be unavailable in Pattaya, little has actually been done to prevent it. The promised pipeline from natural water sources to Pattaya has yet to be completed. It was supposed to be in place well over a year ago. It never happened. Now homeowners are being advised to install water storage tanks.

Actually, in my opinion that's just the problem. Obviously some people are experiencing major delays and others are having no delays at all. As it stands now, people just have to hope they'll be lucky. That doesn't exactly make the airport rate an A+.

It's terribly difficult to pinpoint anything. The best I can tell you is that once you've lived here long enough, you get to kind of just know. For me, I can "kinda-sorta" narrow it down to the eye contact and the smile. But there are subtleties to it that simply take getting used to. There are so many factors . . . demeanor, attitude, facial expression, body language, etc. It works for me.

According to the following article in THE NATION, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra will return to Thailand this week to face the corruption charges leveled against him. If he does, things are going to get very interesting in Thailand because the opposition, according to the article, intends to stage protests. Could this trigger off yet another coup? That, of course, remains to be seen. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thaksin to Come Home This Week Democrats Urge Calm, but PAD Threatens to Hold Protests Published on February 26, 2008 Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra will return home later this week to defend himself against corruption charges, a leading member of the People Power Party (PPP) said yesterday. A pro-Thaksin website, Hi-Thaksin.net, yesterday urged his supporters to gather at the Suvarnabhumi Airport on Thursday morning to "welcome home Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom we love, miss and have been waiting for his return for over a year". The PPP member, who asked not to be named, said Thaksin would issue a statement giving the schedule for his return, including the date and flight number. The statement will be uploaded to a pro-Thaksin website, http://www.truethaksin.com, today at noon. Thaksin will explain how he will deal with the cases and what he plans to do next once he is back in Thailand, the source said. However, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said yesterday it would oppose Thaksin's return and threatened to revive street protests, which in 2006 led to a political crisis and finally a military coup that ousted him from the premiership. The recent speculation about Thaksin's return followed news that his diplomatic passport has been returned to him. It would be his first time back home since the coup on September 19, 2006 while he was in New York to attend a United Nations meeting. Political scientist Kanin Boonsuwan said Thaksin had the right to return, but it would not be acceptable for him to interfere in the legal process that was scrutinising him. Kanin criticised the PAD, comprised of fierce opponents of Thaksin, saying its members should not exploit Thaksin's return to cause trouble or involve the Army in a conflict. The Assets Examination Committee (AEC), which investigated corruption charges against Thaksin, said it was good to hear Thaksin would return to defend himself. The AEC members do not feel pressured by his return, spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said. A Supreme Court judge, who asked not to be named, said Thaksin could ask the court for permission to leave the country after surrendering to face arrest warrants against him. The court would definitely allow him to go abroad as the only charges that bar people from leaving the country are those involving drugs, the judge said. Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda said Thaksin had the right to defend himself against the charges and warned all parties to let the legal process continue and not do anything to disrupt it. The military will not intervene in case of confrontations between supporters and opponents of Thaksin without an order from the government, Anupong said. PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair said it was unacceptable for any party to stage protests because the country was recovering from a crisis and the people were suffering from economic problems. However, the PAD had the right to stage protests as long as they did not cause trouble or violate the law, he said. Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said his party had long called for Thaksin's return to face the charges against him. He warned the PAD to be careful and strictly follow the law in its latest moves as it could cause violence. He said he would talk to PAD leader Somkiat Pongpaiboon, also a party-list Democrat MP, and Somkiat should consult the party's executives before making any further moves. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej reportedly will allow his party members to meet Thaksin after his return, but these should be regarded as personal meetings rather than on behalf of the party. The Nation

Other than that, it's great . . .

If you are talking exclusively about money boys, than of course I agree with you. But they're not all money boys. Anyone who has ever seen me would be sure to tell you that good looking and handsome are not even remote descriptions of me, and yet I regularly meet very cute guys who refuse to accept so much as a single baht. I don't understand why that happens, but I'm sure glad it does.

That would be a novel approach, wouldn't it? "Pardon me, would you mind if I sniff your armpits?" Maybe that would work, although you might encounter a few people who feel that such a request is an imposition. Then, a few seconds later I suppose it could be somewhat deflating if you have to say, "Damn! You used scented deodorant! Why did you do that? Now how am I supposed to know?" Well, why not? After all, dogs seem to get away with walking up to strangers and sniffing crotches. Why can't we walk up to strangers and sniff armpits? Hey! If it's good enough for a dog, then it ought to be good enough for me. That article gives me an idea. I think I'll start rubbing my armpits with chicken. It may not attract those who wish to test their gaydar on me, if anyone would care in the first place, but at least I'll smell like soup. Actually, all kidding aside, at least in Thailand my own gaydar seems to work pretty well, even without benefit of armpit odors. It's difficult to be specific as to how or why it works, but I think JoeM has latched onto something when he says it's in the eyes. Now that I think about it, I think he's right. The eye contact seems to be the primary indicator, usually followed by a smile. That works pretty well for me.

Despite the fact that most airlines ask international passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before departure time, many people arrive less than one hour before departure time and usually make their flight. At Suvarnabhumi, according to the following article, you run a real risk of missing your international flight unless you arrive at least two hours early. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Help Wanted: Airport Needs Immigration Staff The commissioner of immigration finally admitted on Sunday that a shortage of staff was forcing foreign visitors and returning Thais to wait in extremely long queues at Suvarnabhumi airport. "The Immigration Bureau has a limited number of staff while Suvarnabhumi airport is very spacious and has so many (immigration) counters," said Immigration Bureau commander Pol Lt-Gen Chatchaval Suksomchit after a personal inspection of the international airport. "That's why some counters are left vacant without staff and the queues are very long." Concerned about mounting complaints, the Royal Thai Police are considering requesting immigration officers on assignment with other agencies be returned to immigration. In addition, the bureau will recruit "a number" of new immigration officers for duty at the airport, said Pol Lt Gen Chatchaval. The Police are in charge of immigration offices and border checks. In the meantime, he recommended passengers arrive at check-in at least two hours before their departure time. "Many passengers have missed flights after showing up at check-in less than one hour before scheduled departure. There isn't enough time for check-in and immigration procedures. In fact, after the check-in, about 45 to 60 minutes should be kept for immigration procedures," Pol Lt Gen Chatchaval advised. Suvarnabhumi serves some 100,000 international passengers daily - 40,000 departing, 45,000 arriving and 15,000 in transit. Only 200 immigration officers are on duty during each of the four shifts a day. There are 80 counters serving departing passengers and 124 counters for arriving passengers. Both arrival and departure counters are about 400 immigration officers short of full staffing every day. (TNA)