Gaybutton

That's just the problem. It will never happen. That's because it would make sense. Sometimes I really think there must be a law that says something to the effect of "If it makes sense, then don't do it that way." That goes hand-in-hand with the other law: "If it ain't broke, break it."

That makes about as much sense as most of what the powers-that-be come up with. In just about everywhere else in Thailand the water splashing lasts one day. Pattaya is the only city I know of in which the water splashing goes on for an entire week. When Pattaya was suffering through the severe drought, most of the central and northern areas of Thailand were getting torrential rains. The last thing they needed to do was conserve water. The water splashing in those areas lasted one day. In Pattaya, where a terrible water shortage was happening, the water splashing lasted a week. Welcome to Thailand . . .

I may be wrong, but I seem to recall something about the city considering just that the last time there was a water shortage, or limiting it to only one day, but it never happened. Naturally, just today Pattaya and surrounding areas had quite a downpour. I don't know whether it finally rained, and rained hard, because I started this thread or because I just had my car washed. I'll bet it was one or the other . . . That's the secret. If Pattaya or anywhere else is in need of water, they don't need pipelines or even a rain dance. They only need for me to wash my car. It never fails. I wash my car and within 24 hours it's sure to rain. I'll bet if I lived in the Sahara Desert, all that would be needed to bring on the rain would be for me to have a car and get it washed.

Actually, it may be even longer than that. I don't see it as a conspiracy or someone trying to make money. I see it as a lack of foresight and planning. In my own neighborhood, so far I've been lucky. All the water I want. But just a few blocks away, that's one area where people are getting nothing. One of the things the water company has been saying, according to the media, is they can't supply enough pressure to provide water until the pump is repaired because some areas are on a hill. My home is on a hill and I have had no water problem at all. Sometimes people are supplied intermittently. Letters-to-the-editor are common from people who aren't getting water. The most recent letter-to-the-editor in the PATTAYA MAIL appeared in the January 18 edition: _____ http://www.pattayamail.com/755/letters.shtml#hd7 Editor; I am writing to you regarding the continuous problem of town water off Soi Country Club across from Lake Mabprachan. I have a house with my Thai wife in Eastern Park across from Lake Mabprachan on Soi Country Club. 1. What is annoying is that the water board is doing nothing in terms of telling their customers what the problem is. Example: last month out of a total of 30 days I received water in about 5 of those days. They are quick to demand payment (245 baht, company house rates), but the service is terrible. In the end I have to buy water to maintain a certain standard of living (shower, cleaning and bathroom facilities). What I would like you to do is write about this and see if the water authorities will wake up.

For the past few months the weather in Pattaya has been beautiful. Cooler temperatures, nice breezes, low humidity, and hardly a drop of rain. That's the trouble. Two years ago, during the summer dry season nearly all of Pattaya was hit by severe water shortages when the reservoir finally went dry. For months, the only way to get water was to buy it from the water trucks. If you lived in a house with no water tank, then you had no water at all. At my home, my usual water bill runs about 100 baht per month. During those dry months it was necessary to have the trucks refill my water tank at least two to three times per week. The cost of one refill was 150 baht. I have no idea what it would cost this year if it comes to that. The way it works is large tankers bring water in from Sattahip and Rayong, neither of which is very far from Pattaya. The water trucks get their supply from those tankers and then resell it at the going rate. Even now, there are several areas of Pattaya and vicinity that get no water at all, and they haven't had any for months. The water company's excuse is a major pump broke down and they are waiting for a new one to come in from Hong Kong, or Singapore, or wherever. It's been at least six months. They could have built a factory and manufactured their own pump by now. Victims of this are furious because of the inconvenience of having to get their water from the trucks, let alone the cost. Obviously, the water company's foresight and planning leaves, shall we say, something to be desired. After the water shortage fiasco a couple years ago, all kinds of promises were made that steps would be taken to see that such a problem could never happen again. Major water pipes were supposed to be installed from far away, areas where water is always plentiful, to be piped to Pattaya. The local reservoir was to be dredged out to allow for much more water to be stored. Needless to say, neither ever happened. As far as I can tell, the reservoir is just the same now as it was two years ago. The water piping was never completed. I suppose the powers-that-be decided to just trust to luck that there would be plenty of rain to assure this problem can't happen again. Based on the weather lately, their luck is running out fast. Meanwhile, for the past two years we've all been given assurances that there will never again be a water shortage in Pattaya. Ok . . . The average tourist has nothing to worry about. All the popular hotels have water tanks and they don't let them run dry. You won't need to change your travel plans if a water shortage occurs again. So, how is Pattaya preparing for the worst? A campaign to get people to install water tanks and keeping water trucks on standby 24 hours a day. Well, thanks a lot Mr. Mayor and water company. That's certainly reassuring . . . The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Water Shortage Preparation Meeting On Friday Morning at Pattaya City hall, Khun Niran, the Mayor of Pattaya chaired a meeting to prepare for the forthcoming summer months which often lead to water shortages around the City. This year, the Mayor would like to prepare for the potential water supply problems and this meeting discussed ways in which they will do this. A public campaign to save water and to install water tanks will take place. There will also be water trucks on standby 24 hours a day to deal with any emergency water supply problems. The Mayor did mention that the Maprachan Reservoir is suffering from months of no rain and the situation could become worse in the coming months.

That's not necessarily the case. The rule is not yet in place, which means maybe it won't even happen. But if it does happen, so far that would apply only to Penang. There is a way around that, and many of you are probably eligible. Get the retirement visa. Once you have it you don't have to worry, assuming you'll be making at least one trip per year to Thailand to get a new proof-of-income statement if you are unable to keep 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account. Even if you can't make the trip in the space of a year, and your visa expires, you can always get another one when you return. Once you have the retirement visa, figure out approximately when your next trip will be and then get a re-entry permit for a date around that time. The re-entry permit is valid until your annual visa expires. It's a bit expensive to do it that way if you are arriving on the 30-day visa-on-demand, because you'll have to get the proof-of-income statement from the embassy, which costs 1200 baht. and then pay Immigration a total of 3900 baht to have them make the conversion to a Type"O" visa, followed by an immediate conversion to the retirement visa, followed by 1000 baht for a re-entry permit. In most cases, the least expensive and most convenient way to do it would be to spend at least a night or two in Bangkok upon arrival in Thailand. That way, you're already in Bangkok in close proximity to the embassy to get the proof-of-income statement. Once you have it, now you can move on to Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai, or wherever you wish to go. Immigration offices are in most major cities. If you have the retirement visa, you can stay in Thailand as long as you want. All you have to do is report your address every 90 days. Also, if you have a re-entry permit along with a retirement visa, then you will not be asked to produce a ticket out of Thailand when you arrive. Most Thai banks will allow you to open an account provided you have at least the Type"O" visa. Most Thai banks will not allow you to open an account with the 30-day visa-on-arrival anymore. However, Siam Commercial Bank, a major Thai bank, still allows it. You must have a Thai bank account in order to obtain a retirement visa. So, you're looking at spending about US $190, at current exchange rates, to do all this, but it sure beats having to make a trip to Penang or anywhere else. Just about anyone at least 50 years old will be eligible for the retirement visa.

Most likely the sports bars will do it. The one place I know for certain that will air it is Jameson's. See http://www.jamesons-pattaya.com . Jameson's is quite easy to find. If you are going north on Second Road, pass Central Road (Pattaya Klang) and look for Soi 4 on your right. Soi 4 is where the main branch of Bangkok Bank is. That's Soi 4. Turn right on Soi 4 and follow the road as it curves to the right. You'll see Jameson's. You can't miss it. By the way, Jameson's is also a great place to eat.

This may be a misprint. I don't know. Until today all the publicity I've seen states that the ban will begin on February 17, however the following article in today's PATTAYA CITY NEWS states that the ban will begin on Monday, February 11: _____ Smoking Ban in Bars and Other Entertainment Venues from 11th February On Thursday Morning at Pattaya City Hall, Khun Niran, the Mayor of Pattaya along with his Senior Adviser, Khun Itipon chaired a meeting of Entertainment Venue Managers and Owners from around Pattaya to discuss new legislation which is about to come into force and previous legislation which City Hall must enforce. The main issue discussed in the meeting was a new law which is coming into force on 11th February. From this day Smoking is not permitted in public venues including bars, offices and markets. The maximum fine which can be imposed on individuals who are caught breaking this law is 2,000 Baht. The bar owners were told about this new law and how they must ensure it is enforced in their venues. The owners and managers were also reminded that regulations regarding music levels and industrial waste control are still applicable and checks will be made over the coming months to ensure that venues are adhering to these existing regulations.

As an aside, please continue to cut and paste whether others like it or not. I have yet to ever see a cut and paste you submitted that wasn't well worth reading. Most of the people who criticize you for it never have anything to contribute beyond put-downs and snide remarks. It's rare to see any of them write anything useful. You always do your best to try to provide useful information, which is much more than most of the critics ever do.

I hope that is incorrect. First, there are other modes of transportation besides air. Second, what's their problem about Malaysia or Vietnam? I wonder if that would also apply to Laos, Cambodia, and Burma. It doesn't make much sense to me, but then again they never asked me . . .

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Airport Security Gets Serious? By Amornrat Mahitthirook Saprang Kalayanamitr, chairman of the board of Airports of Thailand, told AoT president Chana U-sathaporn yesterday to take tough action against those responsible for airport security over the most serious lapse. Top executives at Suvarnabhumi airport face possible transfer over the security lapse that enabled a Burmese immigrant to sneak into the airport grounds and board an empty Turkish Airlines plane last week. Both airport executives and outsourced firms are responsible for airport security. "The management must not compromise when any officer is not suited to his security-related duty. They must transfer that person immediately," Gen Saprang said on Tuesday. "Those who lack the leadership qualities required for their positions should be transferred to positions that suit them better." An airport source said the AoT executives facing possible transfer include Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Serirat Prasutanond, airport deputy general manager for operations Flying Officer Chaturongkapon Sodmanee, and the head of the airport security department Suthad Chimjarod. However, an AoT source said there had been rumours since late last year that Mr Serirat and Don Mueang airport general manager Anirut Thanomkulbutra might switch jobs. The rumour has it that Flying Officer Anirut is a classmate of AM Chana, which could make it easier for AM Chana to implement his policies through F/O Anirut. A committee was set up to investigate those in charge of Suvarnabhumi airport's security and the intrusion. It must conclude its investigation in seven days, the source said. The Burmese man was a jail escapee from Malaysia and had planned to go to a third country through Thailand. He has been charged with trespassing. Gen Saprang said security is the heart of airport business. He suggested AM Chana immediately take harsh disciplinary action against those who failed to perform their duties properly. Gen Saprang also chaired his last meeting as board chairman of Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel Co yesterday. He insisted the company's disbursement of the hiring fee for Universal Hospitality Joint Venture, which was contracted to manage Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, was transparent. He said the hotel board had been most prudent when preparing the disbursement of the 101-million-baht management fee to the joint venture.

Considering that Brando has been dead for several years, yes . . .

Sounds like a good idea, but it won't be quite as simple as that. It will take several visits to all the bars to be sure. Even though it's high season, and a better high season than the past few years, many of the bars are still quite empty. I went to few bars over the past couple of days. The ones I visited had maybe four or five customers at a time. I think the way to tell for sure is to observe what happens if a customer lights up inside the bar. Until we see someone try it (and I don't volunteer) and we see how the bar responds, we really won't know one way or the other. Also, it will be interesting to see which bars are or are not still in compliance six months from now.

I also have no idea whether a mafia presence is fact or nothing more than rumor. I know what I think, but what I think doesn't make it a fact either way. I have no real evidence one way or the other. But if someone comes along, resembles Marlon Brando, and makes an offer I can't refuse, then I'll know . . .

I'd like to be absolutely sure of this. Have you, or anybody you know, actually filled out, downloaded, and submitted the form in this manner? If yes, was there any problem about Immigration accepting it?

As many of you know, beginning Sunday, February 17, the smoking ban in any enclosed venue will go into effect. I have been reading comments on the various boards, some of which say that if they are in a bar, once the ban goes into effect, and they see someone smoking, they intend to complain to the management, walk out without paying, call the police, etc. I have no idea whether all the bars will comply with the ban. I hope they do, and I'm a smoker. I intend to comply with the ban and I have no problem at all about stepping outside if I feel the need to smoke. As a matter of fact, I can see that as a way of getting rid of a pushy mama-san or unwanted boy. Just excuse yourself to go outside and light up. I hope every other smoker will also comply, but some people out there are awfully selfish and probably won't comply unless they are forced. My feeling is that some bars flagrantly violate the laws about under-age boys. Those same bars are often raided, and yet they still employ under-age boys. It's hard for me to believe that those types of bars are going to worry about smoking rules and it's even harder for me to believe the police are going to be out there enforcing the rules. There is also a rule that says the music volume cannot be louder than 90 decibels. At first, when that rule went into effect, the police really did go around checking and fining bars found not to be in compliance. That lasted about two or three months before it fizzled out. Now, many of the bars blare the music at volumes that far exceed 90 decibels and it's been quite some time since I last heard about any police effort to force compliance. I can't help but wonder how it's going to be with the smoking ban. Despite being a smoker, I really do hope the ban will be rigidly enforced. I can't see any reason in the world why a smoker can't step outside. There are even some people who go into the bars and light up a cigar or a pipe, let alone cigarettes. One aspect of the ban that gives me some hope that it might actually work is the fact that this is the first ban I know of that applies primarily to the customers, rather than the bars themselves or their employees. It will be very interesting to see if the bars all put 'No Smoking' signs in place and instruct their staff to refuse to provide ashtrays and tell the customers smoking is not permitted.

Like I said, this board is and will remain a troll-free environment. Think whatever you like, but this board isn't here for any further personal attacks on people, including me. This thread is now locked. And yes, I will wipe any further such posts. If that upsets you, the complaint department is a PM.

The following article is the only publicity I have been able to find about this at all. If any of you were in Chiang Mai, can you tell us more about this? The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Gays, Lesbians Parade in Chiang Mai Chiang Mai - Members of the International Lesbian and Gay Association held a parade in Chiang Mai Saturday evening. The "Pride Parade" was held at 7:30 pm and the ILGA members paraded on the Chang Klan Road past the Night Bazaar. The organiser of the parade said it was held in the theme of "equality in diversity". The parade came a day after the ILGA held a meeting in Chiang Mai.

Those are all good questions and I don't know the answers. One reason might simply be because the raids are almost always in Sunee Plaza. Raids sometimes do occur in Boyztown, but in comparison to the number of raids that occur in Sunee Plaza, it's rare. Your guess is as good as mine as to why. During this latest raid, so I'm told, even Memories was forcibly shut down. I imagine if the police are bent on finding something wrong - an 'I' not dotted or a 'T' not crossed - they will.

Last night, around midnight, the Banglamung Police staged the latest raid on Sunee Plaza. IDs and ages of the boys were checked and bar licensing papers were checked. Several under-age boys were carted off to wherever they end up going and several bars were shut down. I wasn't there when the raid occurred, but I was there this evening. Every bar was open and running normally and there were just as many under-age boys working in the bars I visited as ever. Some of the bars that were forcibly closed were shut down not because of under-age boys, but because of improper licensing. That is not necessarily the fault of the bars. The licensing requirements are so confusing that sometimes even the attorneys don't know just what is necessary. Obviously, whatever the problems were, the bars all managed to get them resolved today since they were all open again.

Unfortunately for the US dollar, it didn't last long, although the other currencies seemed to fare better this week. The closing rates as of Friday, January 25 were: US dollar: 32.84 Euro: 48.26 British Pound: 64.91 Australian Dollar: 28.84 Canadian Dollar: 32.3625

I'm afraid you'll just have to keep on wondering. The moderators here make the decisions without getting involved in public discussions or debates about it. Suffice it to say that when trolls appear on this board they, their posts, and their threads don't last long. On that same thread Wowpow suggested that problem posters be dealt with quietly, without going public about it. That's good advice. That's how the latest problem was handled and that's how such future problems will be handled if and when they arise. This thread is now locked.

Here's some more information: Yesterday I was with a friend who applied for the retirement visa. He entered Thailand on the 30-day limitation you get when you arrive at the airport without first having obtained a visa. He had no problems getting the retirement visa. He had all the necessary documentation including the proof-of-income statement from the embassy, but before granting the visa the Immigration office needed to first convert his visa-on-entry to a Type "O" visa. That was no problem either, except they charge for that. So, he ended up having to pay the fee for a Type "O" visa first, and then also had to pay the fee for the retirement visa. 3900 baht by the time he was through. In other words, to get the retirement visa you don't have to go through getting a Type "O" visa first before entering Thailand, if you're eligible for the retirement visa, but you'll still end up paying the fees. Actually, since you have to pay the fees anyway, it seems much easier to just take care of everything at the immigration office. That way you don't have to send your passport off to a Thai embassy or consulate first and then wait for your passport to be returned, along with filling out the application, obtaining a money order, providing a return envelope and postage, etc. You can simply do the whole thing on the spot right at the Immigration office without any of the hassles. The Immigration officer will tell you what additional document copies he needs (just more copies of some of the documents you already copied to get the retirement visa), which you can get right next door at the photo shop (in Pattaya), and then there is a short application to fill out. The Immigration officer does the rest. He'll stamp in the Type "O" visa on the spot and then take care of the rest of the documentation for the retirement visa. You still have to return the next day, however, to pick up your passport with the retirement visa in place. Because Immigration now requires a new proof-of-income statement each year when you renew the retirement visa, assuming thats how you are going to do it rather than the 800,000 baht option, yes they do keep the original instead of just a copy. Now, one more thing that will probably provide a feeling of relief for many of you. They do require a copy, front and back, of your ATM and/or credit card. However, after simply taking a glance, the Immigration officer herself blacked out the numbers, all the numbers, not just the last four digits and the three-digit security code. For those of you who were upset over the possibility that somebody could take the information and wipe out your bank account or charge up your credit card, obviously that's not going to happen. Just why, then, they want a copy at all is just another item on my "I Don't Get It" list, but at least now you don't have to worry about someone from Immigration accessing your ATM or credit card information. Also, at least at the Pattaya Immigration office, if you're going in the morning, get there before 11:30 AM. We arrived at 11:45 and took a number, but they close up shop at noon and start again at 1:00. They hadn't called our number by noon, so we had to wait an hour until they reopened. Oh well, lunch at Dick's Cafe while we were waiting was very nice . . . For those of you who have access to a car, my friend wanted to get the proof-of-income statement, the letter from the bank, and get to the Immigration office all in one day. We left Pattaya for Bangkok at 5:00 AM so we could get to the US Embassy right at their 7:30 AM opening time. Why so early? After all there's no traffic problems getting to Bangkok at that hour. The trouble is, once you get to Bangkok the traffic problems in the city have already started. Also, we had to figure out where we could park the car. One of the toughest things to do in Bangkok is finding somewhere to park anywhere near where you're trying to go, especially if you're trying to go to the embassy, and even more especially if you're not familiar enough with Bangkok to have a good idea where to find a place to park at all. Not only that, but if you have to park far enough away from the embassy, or wherever you are going, that you'll need to take a taxi, it has to be a place easy enough for you to be able to tell another taxi later how to take you back to the location of wherever you parked. We didn't have any luck finding a parking place near the embassy, so we went to the Siam Center, parked in their parking lot, and took a taxi to the embassy. The Siam Center charges 20 baht per hour to park and a taxi from there to the embassy was about 50 baht. We were back in Pattaya and at the bank to get the letter at 11:10. By the time we got the letter and got to the Immigration office, it was 11:45. If we were a lousy 5 minutes earlier getting to the Immigration office, we would have been called before their noon lunch break, but it didn't work out that way. At least we were the first ones called when the lunch break was over. I can tell you that driving to and from Bangkok is much easier now if you are taking Route 7 to get there, rather than taking Route 3 through Si Racha and Chonburi. Route 7 is the expressway most taxis now use to get to Suvarnabhumi Airport. For a very long time there were always major traffic delays because of the construction on the expressway. Most of the delays were at the detours around the several overpasses that were under construction. Two of those overpasses are still under construction, but the rest of them are now open. We experienced no delays at all.

The following article might be the explanation for the sudden reversal of the baht and its weakening. Although it didn't weaken by much today, at least it weakened at all. There's a good chance it will weaken further. The bottom is dropping out of the Asian stock markets. Despite what's going on in the USA stock markets, the baht seems unable to hold onto its previous strength. Well, good! I hope the baht becomes very weak against the US dollar. If that happens, I just hope it happens before the bottom drops out of the dollar. Here's the article: _____ Thai Shares Tumble in Second Day of Global Sell-off BANGKOK, Jan 22 (TNA) The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) plunged nearly 25 points to close 3.26 per cent lower on Tuesday in alignment with global bourses as investors attempt to shed risky holdings in the face of a not only possible but an increasingly likely economic recession in the United States. The sub-prime lending crisis that won't go away saw the SET composite index falling 24.99 points to 741.54 and the blue-chip SET-50 lost 19.40 points to close at 531.45. Anticipating further drops when New York reopens tonight Bangkok time, investors moved to unload vulnerable positions. Indices fell in Tokyo by almost six per cent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 8.7 per cent, Australia's market lost 7.1 per cent, Shanghai dropped 7.2 per cent and India's main indices lost four per cent Tuesday, while Jakarta registered an 8.5 per cent loss. In part Asia's investors are fearful that the sinking US economy will mean markedly reduce markets for the region's exports. KGI Securities executive Adisak Kammoon said investors worldwide had slimmed their portfolios in concern about the sub-prime lending woes and the economic recession in the US. Mr. Adisak said he believed global stock markets would continue to fall in the first quarter of this year since the selling pressure by the investors appeared to continue unabated, leading foreign investors to dump shares in the Thai bourse for the second time of this year, having already unloaded Bt 30 billion in shares during the first round January 2-18. He was uncertain to what extend foreign investors would dump their shares in the second round, and advised investors looking for long-term investment stocks to slow their buying because stock prices are likely drop even further. (TNA)

Those numbers are correct. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I seriously doubt that even the Thai immigration officials would come up with regulations that would require people to have to spend hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars to get loads of individual documents notarized annually. If they do, I would think the US embassy would intervene somehow, either with a letter that would certify the documents have been checked and certified or a flat fee for those requiring documents for immigration purposes. That would make at least some sense. That's what scares me.