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Note from GB: The baht opened against the US Dollar today at 35.06 and closed at 35.18. That was the actual exchange rate. These articles usually bring up the impact the strength of the baht has on exports from Thailand, but I never see these articles bring up an impact on tourism. Today is right in the middle of the high season. I was at the beach yesterday. There were no more people than I normally see in the middle of low season. I understand it's been like that for some time now. I have not seen any statistics that show how much of an impact the strength of the baht has on tourism, but my guess is that it is at least having some impact. Less tourists are coming and the ones that do come are spending less once they get here. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thai Baht Hits Nine-Year High Bangkok - The Thai baht hit a nine-year high Tuesday, peaking at 35.26 to the dollar, despite recent intervention from the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to try and slow down the soaring Thai currency. The baht moved in line with other Asian currencies except the Japanese yen against the weak US dollar, closing at 35.27-30, up against Monday's close of 35.46, traders said. BoT conceded that the baht went up "too quickly" and has continuously risen despite intervention from the central bank. "The baht has become so strong after the dollar and the yen have weakened," said the central bank's assistant governor Suchada Kirakul. "Capital inflows have continued moving into Asia, especially Thailand, on solid current account surplus," she told reporters, adding that the baht had risen 14 per cent since the beginning of this year. "We have stepped in to help manage the baht by monitoring the currency movements both in terms of trading volume and its value. Today the baht rose too quickly," she said. Exporters have asked the government to soften the baht, saying that the Thai currency's appreciation has outpaced regional rivals. But BoT played down the impact of the strong baht on exports. "The baht actually went up 9.3 per cent over the past two years which is the same levels of movement of other regional currencies," Suchada said. "Thai exports have remained competitive against shipments from our regional rivals," she said, adding that the baht is targeted to appreciate against the dollar by only 5.0 to 6.0 per cent this year as a whole. Analysts, however, expect the Thai baht to further appreciate despite the BoT intervention. "We target the baht to rise to 35.00 to the dollar pretty soon," a trader at a local bank told AFP. Agence France Presse

The site now seems to be working again.

Also not from here. However, the forum is working: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum

Then I must be very naive. All this time I thought that's what the USA is supposed to be fighting against.

I'm not worried at all. I just don't like someone pissing down my back and telling me it's raining.

I have to wonder whether you know it, or for that matter anyone else. One thing I am dead set against is baseless accusations, no matter at whom they are directed. I keep reading that the recipient of that accusation is guilty of skipping town while owing a large amount of money to the establishment where he had been living. I have also been reading about several other accusations against him involving money. What I haven't read or seen is any evidence whatsoever that any of these accusations are actually true. So far I've seen nothing but hearsay, primarily from people who only know the rumors they've heard from others. If anyone actually has evidence of the veracity of any of these accusations, I'd like to see it. I'm sorry folks, but to my mind no matter how much you may like or despise someone, making an accusation that you can't back up is highly inappropriate. In my opinion, unless you have the evidence to support your accusation and are willing to provide it in conjunction with your accusatory post, then you have no business making the accusation at all.

I hope so too. I completely agree with Pearl69er. I too am sick and tired of the assumption that if a person is gay, then he is also a pedophile. It's a totally erroneous stigma that people simply made up. It's just like the attitude that occurred when AIDS first started happening. All the Bible thumpers kept insisting it was God's punishment on the gays. They kept insisting on that, right up until heterosexuals began contracting the disease too. As far as I'm concerned, this nonsense is the same thing. Next time they question you, remind them that the vast majority of foreigners that get arrested in Thailand for engaging in under-age sex are heterosexuals who get caught with little girls.

My friends, you may notice that until now I have not participated on this thread. I really don't want to get involved in this other than to ask just one question: Whatever happened to "Don't Feed the Trolls"?

Perhaps incognito. Well, look for big limo cruising around Saranrom Park . . . .

Deface a picture of GB? Now that would be crass . . .

In the thread below, "Thai slaves in USA," (see: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1034 ) the story is about 48 migrant Thai workers who were held as virtual slaves in the USA by a human trafficking ring. That story is certainly a sad one, but it does bring up a question: How did they get into the USA in the first place? It is extremely difficult, and most often impossible, for so many Thai people to get a visa to enter the USA, so how did these workers manage to get in? Unless I'm missing something, nothing is included in the article to suggest they entered the USA illegally, so each of the workers who were duped must have had a visa to enter the USA. How did they get it?

BANGKOK, Dec 10 (TNA) Thailand's Ministry of Labour is coordinating with the Thai consulate in Los Angeles to find ways to help 48 Thai welders who were lured to the US by a suspected labour trafficker and forced to live in squalor, a senior ministry official said Sunday. Permanent Secretary for Labour Chuthatawat Indrasuksri said the ministry was finding out if any of the 48 workers want to return to Thailand or otherwise need help. If the workers are members of a fund set up to assist overseas Thai workers, they will receive compensation and travelling expenses to return home, Mr. Chuthatawat said. "The ministry has sufficient information to prove that offences (have taken place) and lead to the punishment of the culprits. But it is preferable to keep it confidential for the time being," Mr. Chuthatawat said. Reports by international news services published in newspapers in the Thai capital Sunday said a statement was issued by the United States federal government's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) saying it had reached a settlement with Trans Bay Steel Inc, which agreed to pay US$1 million in compensation to the 48 Thai workers who were brought to the US in 2002. The statement said Trans Bay Steel hired the workers after receiving a sub-contract to provide services to rebuild the aging San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in northern California. Two separate recruiting companies, Kota Manpower and Hi Cap Enterprises, were then hired to bring the workers from Thailand. The EEOC alleged the Thai workers hired by the Trans Bay Steel Inc. had been held against their will, their passports confiscated and their movements restricted. Even worse, they had worked without pay for long periods of time. Supat Kukhun, director of the Ministry's Office of Overseas Employment Administration, said there are now more than 100,000 Thai students and workers living in Los Angeles and more than 90 per cent of them went there without passing through proper channels or procedures. Mr. Supat urged Thais wishing to work in the US to study American working procedures and labour practices first so that they would not fall prey to illegal manpower firms. (TNA) - E 111 __________ And this: The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Govt helps workers in US 48 LaboUrers Worked in Slave-Like Conditions The Labour Ministry is taking steps to help 48 Thai labourers who were deceived by their employers in the US, where they were forced to work in slave-like conditions before their rescue by US authorities. When recruited they were told by their employers, the Kota Manpower and Hi Cap recruitment companies, that a steel-making company wanted welders to work in California. However, when they arrived in the US, only nine were given the jobs while the rest were forced to work without pay in Thai restaurants owned by the two companies in Los Angeles and Long Beach. ''The ministry has asked the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles to take care of them,'' permanent secretary for labour Chuthatawat Indrasuksri said yesterday. ''They will be immediately flown back to Thailand if they so wish, and those who are members of the overseas employment fund will also be eligible for compensation from the fund,'' he said. Earlier, Trans Bay Steel Inc, which hired the two recruitment companies to find workers for them, agreed to pay a $1 million (36 million baht) compensation to the Thai workers, who were taken to the US in 2002.The company hired Kota Manpower and Hi Cap to feed labourers for its work to retrofit the San Franciso-Oakland Bay Bridge in northern California. The workers were forced to work 10-hour shifts, seven days a week, at the Thai restaurants, where they were kept in squalid conditions without enough electricity, gas or water. Their movements were also restricted. Their misery came to light when a Thai worker managed to escape from the restaurant and took refuge at a Thai temple. ''The ministry is investigating the matter and has already obtained evidence that will lead to the arrest of the wrongdoers,'' Mr Chuthatawat said. He did not elaborate. Kota Manpower closed the two Thai restaurants after the police raids. The company's Korean owner, identified as Yoo Taik Kim, has escaped arrest. There are currently more than 100,000 Thais, including students and workers, in Los Angeles. However, up to 90% of workers have not followed correct job recruitment procedures, according to Supat Kukun, director of the Office of Overseas Employment Administration. ''We are sharing our information on human trade with US state agencies,'' said Mr Chuthatawat, referring to the kingdom's latest attempt to deal with illegal employment. Thais should be more careful when seeking jobs in the US, he said

Next time someone says that, show him a lit cigarette. Apparently they are monitoring you somehow. I'd be very interested to know upon what basis they are doing so. I am not aware that traveling to Thailand, staying in a gay hotel, patronizing gay bars, being gay, or engaging in sex with boys of legal age is a crime or even something a police agency has a right to question. I understand why you would not want this to end up in the local press, but I don't see how it can hurt anything to consult an attorney, let him know of your fear of publicity, and see what he says about the whole thing and how best to handle it. As far as I know, you have committed no crime and were not charged with a crime, so I'd be very interested to know why this interrogation took place at all. As I said, I don't know the law in the UK, but I would think you do have a right to at least be informed of the reasons why you were questioned. However, I don't think the police have to tell you how they acquired their information unless this ends up in court or as a lawsuit. Perhaps an attorney can find out without it ending up in the newspapers.

This is the first time I have ever heard f such a story. It sounds like sheer gay harrassment to me. Being an American, I know very little about the laws in the UK. If I found myself in a similar situation, then unless I was being charged with a crime, I would have gotten up, told them it's none of their business, and walked out. My next stop would have been my attorney's office. In the UK could you have done that?

You're not supposed to post photos of that size. Neither is anyone else. Quite some time back Stef posted a request that the "File Attachments" section of a post or reply (which you'll see if you scroll down a little bit when posting) be used and that people do not include photos directly on posts. We would like everyone to cooperate with that request.

But Jomtien . . . Don't you realize that we would all be so much better off looking like and thinking like Smiles? Being just like him has certainly long been one of my goals. I can't think of anything more stimulating than instigating a debate over the health value of a sandwich. Well, if someone doesn't want to eat the cheese steak sub, there are plenty of other choices on the Subs-N-Suds menu. I guess one of those choices would be better for those who can't enjoy a sandwich once in a while because it doesn't meet his health standards. One could always order the sub and ask that the Cheeze Whiz, or whatever they're using, be left off. Don't forget to take a nutritional guide book with you. Otherwise you might not be able to check the nutritional value and health standards of the bread being used. And for heaven's sake, whatever you do make sure that you don't order anything with mayonnaise on it. If you do, us "Amurcans" will not only be the the fattest, most unhealthy creatures on earth, but considering that Soi Yamato is quite a narrow street, the ambulance may not be able to make it to Subs-N-Suds in time to save you after the heart attack. So, if you eat there, make sure your thong is clean. After all, we all remember what mother said about wearing clean underwear in case we have to be taken to the hospital.

Somehow I'm not surprised that at least one poster, especially one in particular, has decided to create yet another argument . . . over a sandwich!

I don't know what a 'whiz wit' is, but I do know that I liked it. Since I don't come from Philadelphia, I'm not qualified to judge whether this is a purist's cheese steak, but I haven't found a better one in Pattaya. But I'm always willing to try if anyone has a suggestion.

I tried it too and I enjoyed it as much as you did. It is located about halfway down Soi Yamato, between Second Road and the Beach. If you start at Royal Garden, just go north, toward Central Road (Pattaya Klang). Soi Yamato is two sois up from Royal Garden. It is also marked as Soi 13/2. I liked the Philly Cheese Steak very much. I also liked the Toasted Italian Sub. I haven't tried it yet, but he's got a meatball sub on the menu too. I won't take me very long to get back there to try it. There are plenty of other subs and sandwiches on the menu. Give it a try. I have attached the Subs-N-Suds business card if you would like to have it.

Apparently so. I guess you're either going to hit it lucky or you're not, depending on how many boys decide to work that area on any given night. Another area I have never even tried is Lumphini Park. I know that for a long time that was the place to cruise at night, but eventually died down. Has anyone tried it lately? If yes, what's the story there? I've also heard, but have not tried, that Benchasiri Park, very close to the Phrom Phong BTS station, about Sukhumvit Soi 35, near the Regency Park Hotel, is a good cruise area. In Laos, in Vientiane, a good place to cruise was downtown along the riverfront at night. It's been six years since I was last in Vientiane, so perhaps someone with more recent experience can enlighten us as to the cruise situation there. As long as we're on this subject, does anyone know of other good areas to cruise in Bangkok, or elsewhere in Thailand?

Again, I thank all of you for your comments. It will make his getting an education easier for me as well. The financial responsibility on our end will be room and food. I understand the scholarship pays for nearly everything else. Unfortunately, kids are still kids. He has been getting congratulatory comments from other students, but he has also been the recipient of mean-spirited comments by students who didn't make it. They say things like, "Who did you pay to get the scholarship?" or "You only got the scholarship because you 'smoke' farang." He tells me some of the negative comments have really hurt his feelings. He hasn't let any of that get him down, though. He knows those kinds of comments are nothing but jealously. He felt much better when I told him my favorite story about Liberace. First I had to explain who Liberace was. The story occurred long before Liberace added the flamboyance to his act. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him something like, "How do you feel knowing the entire country is aware that you are a homosexual?" Liberace's immediate response was. "I cry about it . . . all the way to the bank." My boyfriend understood exactly what he meant.

I have read reviews people have written about that restaurant many times, but it wasn't until this most recent trip that I finally ate there. It's a hole-in-the-wall, immediately to the right of the Pinnacle Hotel, in Bangkok, as you exit the hotel. For those of you who stay at the Pinnacle, if you like Chinese food, you must give it a try. The food is outstanding and the prices are incredibly inexpensive. I ate there twice. I tried some of their dim sum style dumplings, which were fantastic. 60 baht per order and they give you so many of them that it can easily constitute an entire meal. I also tried their cucumber and egg soup and their sweet and sour pork, both of which which I also loved. The service is very good and the food comes piping hot. Even if you are ravenously hungry, your bill probably won't exceed 200 to 300 baht. If the restaurant is crowded or if you prefer to eat in your room, they will make "take away" for you. If you ask, they will even deliver the food to your room. I have some favorite restaurants I always try to get to when I'm in Bangkok, but I liked this little Chinese restaurant so much that I didn't even try to go to those favorites this trip. I preferred to eat at that restaurant instead. If you're looking for a late-night snack or late-night dinner, I walked by at about 12:45 AM, and they were still open and serving customers. I have no idea what time they close. When they finally do close, it's way past my bed time.

I agree with you entirely. Far too many threads on this web site, and others, end up degenerating into cat fights and pissing contests. When that happens, the intent of the thread is lost as yet another war of words takes over. It's almost always the same people having the same fight over and over and over again. It's who can out-insult or out-put down who, who can catch someone contradicting himself, who can catch who in a lie, who can write a loaded question, who can make the best retort, or Lord-knows-what. It all reminds me of a line I liked in "The Godfather II," in which Michael Corleone says something to the effect of, "Hyman Roth has been dying of the same heart attack for twenty years." I suppose there are a number of people that enjoy reading and/or participating in those sorts of things and they'll probably still be doing the same thing for the next twenty years. Personally, I do not find it enjoyable to have to wade through them to find the intelligent posts. Then again, maybe the people who write those posts think they are contributing something intelligent.

BANGKOK, Dec 7 (TNA) Bank of Thailand