Gaybutton

Click the link below to read the review: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/bmm.shtml

Dekdek, at which office did you obtain your license? Was it Pattaya or somewhere else? Also, if anyone has experience in other provinces, please let us know what you encountered.

I think the professor is Thai. At least that's the way it appears to me when I read the article. In any case, if he wants any help conducting his research, I volunteer .

I know this thread is about a month old now, but I thought some of you might be interested in the following article ( see http://www.sac.or.th/Subdetail/seminar/sum...eminar64_E.html ) __________ Summary Report

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ SOARING CURRENCY Speculators Behind Baht Surge: BOT Non-Residents Have Been Buying Baht Bonds to Lay Hands on Thai Currency The Bank of Thailand blamed foreign speculators for driving the baht beyond the Bt36 level to an eight-year high yesterday. The baht opened at Bt36.07-Bt36.10 and closed at its peak for the day of Bt35.95-Bt35.98 - the highest in eight years. Local bank dealers confirmed that there had been speculation, adding that the currency had appreciated too rapidly also because of the weakening of the US dollar. During the past six months, it has gained Bt2 against the greenback, which is far more than other currencies in the region. "Without intervention, the baht could rise further to Bt35.80 soon," said one dealer. Foreign speculators have found new ways of financing the speculation, BOT assistant governor Suchada Kirakul said, adding that the unit has strengthened too quickly - to a level not justified by economic fundamentals. The BOT has learnt that a number of non-resident investors have bought into baht bonds from Thai banks with the agreement to sell back the bonds in a certain period. This is equivalent to the borrowing of baht from local banks, and waiting for the right time to convert the currency into US dollars when the greenback slides further. Once the first sell-back agreement expires, they strike another revolving contract. "This has taken place after the central bank plugged a hole by forbidding commercial banks to sell bills of exchange with a maturity of less than one year to non-residents," Suchada said. Prior to that, the BOT also forbade non-residents from maintaining individual outstanding deposits of more than Bt300 million. The new financing scheme by speculators was introduced at a time when domestic interest rates were on a downward trend. This leads to a decline in long-term bond yield curves and boosts trading activity in baht bonds. The baht came under severe speculative pressure in 1997, when it was dumped heavily. The central bank launched a massive intervention scheme in a bid to prevent the fall, which later led to the unit's devaluation in the same year and the financial crisis. Suchada said the central bank would investigate and seek cooperation from commercial banks, as it tries to come to grips with the situation. Exporters have cried foul over the irregular baht movement. The central bank estimates that every percentage-point increase in the value of the baht against the dollar will slash Thailand's growth in gross domestic product by 0.3 of a percentage point. This would widen the current-account deficit, as export income would be hit as a result. Wider current-account deficits in turn would eventually weaken the baht. Boonsithi Chokwatana, chairman of Saha Group, said foreign businessmen the company had met had expressed concern over the rising baht. Industry Minister Kosit Panpiemras yesterday said he was aware of the strong-baht problem, but the decision on whether to intervene in the market is up to the central bank. Also yesterday, Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet said after a discussion with export associations that while the government would seek measures to relieve exporters' burdens due to the strong baht, it would need to ensure the measures do not affect fiscal stability. "We don't know where the baht is heading, or which measures would be applicable to which product. If we do too much, it could be taken as a subsidy. We need to look at the products, item by item. Exporters also need to be concerned with the exchange effects and urgently improve their product quality," he said. Representatives from associations involved in frozen foods, chicken and fruit exports expressed concerns over the strong baht. They urged the government to stabilise the baht/dollar rate and monitor comments from economists on the baht's movement. They also urged the central bank to review the requirement that exporters must hold dollar-denominated bills for 15 days, after receiving payments. The requirement was aimed to prevent pressure on the baht when the currency was weak against dollar. However, exporters said that holding the dollar would only incur exchange losses once they convert into baht. Krirk-krai said on Wednesday that he would seek an urgent discussion with Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula to use fiscal measures to help exporters. Despite the baht appreciation, economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires believed the BOT would probably shrug off the pressure and wait until next year to cut the policy rate, which is now 5 per cent. The Monetary Policy Committee next convenes on December 13. "Many exporters expect the central bank to respond to the baht's strength by cutting interest rates, but the main focus of the central bank's interest-rate policy is price stability. It's not about the interest-rate spread," said Standard Chartered's Usara Wilaipich. "Besides, a rate cut would have only a brief effect on the baht, which has been driven up by inflows into Thai stocks and bonds." Anoma Srisukkasem, Somruedi Banchongduang The Nation

I have no way of knowing whether any posts I write are the last word or not. If someone else decides to post on the same thread after I post, then I suppose mine isn't the last word. Anyway, my apologies for all my shortcomings . . .

That's very kind of you. My offer still holds too, which explains my involvement the other day. Well, there you have it. Different provinces obviously have their own methods of doing things. I don't know if this applies now, but several years ago a Thai friend wanted his license. He came from the Kamphaeng Phet province and that's where we were at the time. There was no requirement for a driving test, but he had to sit through a two-hour lecture and take a written test. He failed the test. 500 baht later, somehow he passed the test and was licensed. Welcome to Thailand. One thing I do not know - that's whether you have to obtain your license in the province in which you reside. Does anyone know? If you don't hold a valid International Driving Permit, then I'd go to Bangkok and try there.

BANGKOK, Nov 30 (TNA) Thailand's Ministry of Public Health announced on Wednesday that it would invoke the compulsory licensing clause in the Patent Act to allow for lower-cost local production of the life-saving anti-viral drug, Efavirenz, which is needed by thousands of people living with HIV/AIDs. So far, most people with AIDS have been priced out of the market. The move is expected to save thousands of lives in Thailand, and to raise the quality of life for families who have been forced to use up limited family income for medications. The decision, with immediate effect, will pave the way for the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) to mass-produce a cheaper version of the drug for local use. Production is expected to start in June next year. The compulsory licensing would be valid for only five years but Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla told reporters that the move was necessary given the growing number of people with HIV/Aids and the government limited budget. Thailand is one of a few countries in the world which provides free or low-cost anti-viral treatments to AIDS patients. "This drug is more effective than others and its users show few side effects. Although it is still under patent protection, it is needed to save lives and help us cope with the growing public health crisis caused by AIDS," the minister said. At the current market price, only one in four patients in Thailand have access to Efavirenz. Compulsory licensing of the drug is expected to enable the National Health Security Office to increase the number of HIV-infected people who receive the drug through state channels to about 100,000, a substantial increase from the current 25,000 people with AIDS who now are helped. There are over one million people living with HIV/AIDs in Thailand, about half of them need to use the anti-viral treatments. Under the agreement, the patent owner would be paid 0.5 per cent of sales from the GPO as compensation. Thai patent law allows state enforced compulsory licensing in the case of drugs being critically needed to save people's lives, providing that the state is unable to afford to subsidise them. (TNA)-E110

All of that is quite right. If you get there right at opening time, 8:30 AM, you'll find the waiting time will be as much as an hour less and the room won't be so terribly hot. When you get your first Thai license, it is valid for one year. When you renew, the validity period is five years.

Many of you are familiar with my article about how to obtain the Thai driving license. After an experience earlier this week, I need to write a revision to the article. If you want the short version, here it is: Make sure you have a valid International Driving Permit when you apply for the Thai driving license. Here's the longer version (it may be different in other provinces, but this is what he went through in Pattaya): I have a friend who wanted to obtain a license for driving a car and also a license for driving a motorcycle. He needed two separate originals of all the documents. Copies were not acceptable. That meant two residence certificates, two medical certificates, and two sets of photos. The only copied items that were acceptable were copies of his passport, but he still needed to have the actual passport with him. By the way, there seems to be some confusion about the requirement for a medical certificate. You must have a medical certificate to obtain the Thai driving license. You no longer need to have one to obtain the one-year retirement visa. We arrived at the driver's license bureau at 8:30 AM. You have to take a number and wait until your number is called. His was called at 9:00 AM. He produced all the documents and his valid driving license from the USA. They refused to accept his driving license. They used to accept those, but now they don't. They told him the only thing they will accept is an International Driving Permit. That makes about as much sense as so many other things, to me. You have to have a valid driving license in order to obtain an International Driving Permit. All you have to do to obtain the permit is to pay for it. So, why would a standard driving license be unacceptable? You figure it out. I can't. If he had the International Driving Permit, then all he would have had to do would be to take the color blindness teat, the peripheral vision test, and the reaction time test. That's it. He would have had the license within an hour. Since he didn't have the permit, he ended up having to take the above-mentioned tests and then sit through a one-hour movie. All "farang" applicants without the International Driving Permit were taken to a room, separate from the Thai applicants, to view the movie. Of course, there was no air conditioning, but at least the movie was in English. It started about 10:00 AM. When the movie was finished, he had to take a written test, also in English. He had to take two separate tests, one for the car driving license and one for the motorcycle driving license. After passing those he was told to wait until 1:00. He would have to take a driving test. The way the driving test works is that a lone examiner sits at a picnic table and watches the drivers drive through a rather bizarre obstacle course. One aspect I didn't understand was that drivers of cars with automatic transmission had to parallel park. If a driver was in a car with a stick shift, then they did not have to parallel park. The test began with all the applicants for a motorcycle license. That took about 40 minutes. Then, the applicants for cars were called forward. Only Thai citizens were allowed to be tested at first. "Farang" had to wait. I could understand that because instructions were first given in Thai. They needed to get the Thai applicants out of the way first. The trouble was, there must have been at least 30 Thai citizens in line to be tested. By the time they got to the "farang" applicants it was well after 2:00 PM. After the test was passed it took about another half hour before his license was ready. It was after 3:00 PM by the time we left. On top of that, he had to return the next day with a motorcycle to take the obstacle course test and obtain the license. In other words, folks, if you want a Thai driver's license, get an International Driving Permit before entering Thailand.

Central Bank Intervenes in Baht Movement with Caution, Says Governor BANGKOK, Nov 29 (TNA) Bank of Thailand

Heyyyyyy, I get it, Smiles. That's a good one. You know, sometimes you're very funny. And then there's now.

Because it says so under your name in the box on the left, unless of course you are a liar who posts under a different name and then re-registered just to post this nonsense under a different guise. It also says the above is your second post. And no sir, it is not stating a fact. It is stating your opinion, and it appears you have an ulterior motive for doing so. If it was a fact, then I would have experienced the same thing. So would have my friends. We didn't.

It always fascinates me when someone joins up as a new user for the sole purpose of trying to trash either a person or a venue, probably because of some sort of personal animosity. It just so happens, my friend, that I was in Wild West Boys only last night, with three friends. There were no "screeming Queenie Mamasans." As a matter of fact they were quite polite and cordial, without any pushiness and certainly nothing that would even hint at screaming. I don't know who owns the bar, but I can tell you their prices are the same as every other bar in Pattayaland. When we left Wild West Boys we went to another bar where I ordered precisely the same drink. In that bar I was charged 60 baht more for exactly the same drink that I had at Wild West Boys. Whether the owners are straight or not, what difference does that make? Does the sexual preference of bar owners determine whether the bar is a good one or not? Very sorry, but if you want to try to trash a gay venue, you're on the wrong board.

PHICHIT, Nov 27 (TNA) About 130 passengers including a number of foreign tourists were injured when a State Railway of Thailand sprinter train crashed into another SRT train carrying passengers to the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek in the northern province of Chiang Mai early Monday morning. About 20 passengers were severely injured and taken to hospitals. The accident, which paralysed all train services on the northern route, occurred in a remote area in Taphan Hin district of Phichit province. Rescue workers walked about five kilometres to transport the injured for emergency medical treatment. Officials are working to fix the railway track and clear the wreckage of the derailed train. Train service is expected to resume Monday afternoon. According to the initial investigation, the special service train bound for the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 stopped, waiting for permission to park at a station. It was then hit by a Bangkok-Chiang Mai sprinter train. Three cars of the special service train derailed and more than hundred passengers on both trains were injured. The cause of the accident is under investigation. (TNA)-E004

For the first time in many years, the exchange rate between the baht to the US dollar has fallen to under 36 baht per dollar. At the moment I'm writing this, the exchange rate is 35.98 baht to the US dollar. The other major currencies are as follows at this time (8:50 AM in Thailand): Euro: 47.355 British pound: 70.105 Australian dollar: 27.9875 Canadian dollar: 31.595

That's what I'd like to know. You contact the authorities and then the authorites will contact us. I'm waiting to see which authority is going to inform every message board in existence that the owner of the board no longer has the right to control what is posted and anyone can post whatever they please. Until then, we're the ones who run this web site as we see fit.

That would be fine with me if it were possible. All I am able to do as a moderator is either let a post stand or delete it entirely. I do not have the ability to enter someone else's post and edit it. Actually, it might be better the way it is. I don't want to end up being accused of entering someone's post and changing what was said.

As far as I know, that is not being enforced. People keep telling me they bring boys to their room and nobody bats an eye and nobody asks them to pay a joiner's fee, at least for "short time." If you have someone staying with you the entire night, that may be a different story, but I still have not heard anyone say they were asked for a joiner's fee even under those circumstances.

I appreciate that very much, Aunty, and I know how frustrating it must have been for you. I realize many people dislike it very much when a board takes steps to bring things under control, but unfortunately this sort of problem plagues all three of the most popular gay Thailand message boards. It was not easy to come to this decision and I assure you there was much discussion between the moderators and GayThailand before we were able to come to a consensus as to how best to handle this. There is always a set of people who want to try to control the message boards and feel it is their right and privilege to dominate and be abusive. If these same people were cooperative from the outset, then taking steps would not be necessary. But if we don't take steps to bring things under control, then they take control and those kinds of posts never stop. So, we're stopping them. Again, GayThailand and the moderators set the rules and policies of this message board. Those who wish to violate them are going to have to find somewhere else to post. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Posts that comply with the rules and policies of this message board stay. Posts that don't get wiped. It's just as simple as that. If that makes me, GayThailand, or the other moderators control freaks, then we're going to be control freaks. One thing needs to be clear to everyone. We are not going to let this board degenerate into a battleground for those who think this is the place for them to post abusive messages. We try our best to bring the best of gay Thailand to this board. Personal squabbles between posters have no place here and we're all through allowing this board to provide such a place. Those who wish to post flame posts are wasting their time here. As soon as we see them, they're gone. Two messages on this thread have already been removed for just that reason.

I don't recall the article, but I know Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok does this sort of work. Have a look at the following URL: http://www.bumrungrad.com/plasticsurgery/r...and_surgery.asp

Note from GB: The exchange rate mentioned in this article is the bank rate. At the moment I am posting this, the actual rate at which you will receive baht per US dollar is 36.23 to the US dollar. BANGKOK, Nov 27 (TNA)

I don't think they'll mind at all. Those same "problem children" have already been posting on those boards for quite some time.

You're welcome. I forgot to tell you in the E-mail that you have to insert an 8 in telephone numbers in Thailand now. Try dialing 81-859-6585. Drop the zero when dialing from outside of Thailand. That is probably why you're having problems reaching him. Try again. Also, make sure of the time of day. Jimmy answers his phone from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Thailand time. If you are calling outside of those hours, then you won't reach him. If you can't reach him, do not book directly with the hotel. You won't get the discount you can get by booking through Jimmy. If you can't reach him, send me another E-mail and include your name, date of arrival, approximate time of check in, what kind of room you want, whether you want a smoking or non-smoking room, and date you will check out. I'll be glad to call him and make the reservation for you if you are unable to do it yourself.

We've got quite a debate going on the "Common courtesy eludes . . ." thread. Since we're still debating that issue, I might as well throw in another one. What about the beach? How do people feel about seeing a boy at the beach who you like and would like to take back to your hotel room, but you also see he is already with another "farang?" What are you going to do in that situation?