Gaybutton

Well, they had to put them there, didn't they? The Peninsula Hotel was full . . .

Some of what he said was hard for me to make out, but he clearly said, "We are going to loot everything." Next question: What was he doing out there in the first place? And Thailand is a guilty unless proven innocent country. There can be no dispute he was out there. There can be no dispute about what he said. I have no idea whether that is enough for Thai courts to find him guilty, but I have a feeling that even if there is no evidence of any kind to connect him with actually participating in arson and looting, this guy has already seen Pattaya for the last time. Maybe he'll be lucky enough to be released, but I've seen people do smarter things.

I'll bet I know what this same genius was doing during Songkran . . . Thai Government Accuses Foreigners In Bangkok Arson

I have "unpinned" this announcement. I think by now everybody knows about the curfew cancellation.

While that idea may be feasible in theory, how would it be done on a practical basis? Reconstruction needs to begin immediately. Holding Red-Shirts and Yellow-Shirts liable would mean lawsuits, wouldn't it? If that's the case, by the time it all gets dragged through the courts years could go by. I suppose in a lawsuit it could be incumbent upon them to reimburse the reconstruction costs later, but I don't think that's how the money will play out. Also, if the Red-Shirts and Yellow-Shirts prevail in such a lawsuit, then who pays? The thing on my mind right now is not who pays for the reconstruction, but what is to be done for all the people, especially those who were poor in the first place, who lost their jobs as a result of these riots. I haven't found any figures published yet for just how many people that would be, but I imagine it will be a tremendous number. I also haven't seen anything published about what, if anything, is to be done for those people, especially those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. And they all have bills to pay and rent to pay, much of which will be due in little more than a week from now. I think it's going to be a real mess. Even if the government offers to provide help, I'm guessing endless bureaucracy will cause long delays before these people see one baht. They would probably have to show evidence that they even had jobs in the first place that were lost as a result of the riots, to prevent cheating. They would probably have to show previous income evidence. They would probably have to show how many people are in their families. All kinds of things. I hope, if they even receive any kind of help at all, that it will come in time to truly help them. Too little, too late won't put much food on their tables or provide them with a place to live.

The MRT (subway) has announced service resumption beginning Sunday. On Sunday the MRT will run from 8:00am to 8:00pm. Full service is scheduled to resume on Monday. The BTS (Skytrain) expects to resume service on Monday. There has not yet been an announcement whether it will be full or limited service. Damage and potential problems will be fully assessed before resumption of service, which means there is a possibility that service will not resume on Monday, but at the moment resumption of service on Monday is expected. I have also seen reports that repair and reconstruction of the damaged shopping centers is expected to take at least six months.

Curfew lifted in Pattaya Published: 21/05/2010 The Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situation (CRES) lifted curfew in Pattaya on Friday night. The announcement, which was made at 8.45pm Friday, is effective immediately. Curfew imposed in Chonburi province greatly affected tourism in Pattaya, so the CRES decided to lift curfew there, according to local reports. The curfew has been imposed in Bangkok and 23 other provinces since Wednesday. Curfew lifted in Pattaya

Only Pattaya. The article says, " . . . it remains in force in other areas around Chonburi Province which remains under a State of Emergency." I wonder if the ATMs are working tonight as a result of the curfew cancellation, although I would think most people have already pulled out whatever money they need. I'm not going to personally find out. I'm in for the night and unless people are going out to the bars, most businesses and venues are probably shut down for the night anyway. By the time this news was publicized it was probably already too late for many businesses to reopen if they hadn't heard. However, tomorrow everything should be shipshape again.

NEWSFLASH – PATTAYA CURFEW CANCELED 21st May 2010 At 7pm on Friday Night we received information that the curfew has officially been lifted here in Pattaya. This follows a meeting held at Pattaya City Hall earlier on Friday where a number of business owners pleaded to the Pattaya Mayor to get the curfew lifted which they felt was uneccesary as there was no intelligence suggesting that any riots or other disturbances would take place here in Pattaya. Upon consultation with Police Leutenant General Asawin, the Region 2 Police Commander, the curfew in Pattaya was lifted, although it remains in force in other areas around Chonburi Province which remains under a State of Emergency. Whether, at this late hour, staff can be recalled to ensure that shops and entertainment venues can be opened on Friday Night is yet to be seen. We will provide more details on this important development on Saturday. NEWSFLASH – PATTAYA CURFEW CANCELED | Pattaya One News ____________________ I just spoke to friends who are in Sunee Plaza. The police did come around to let the venues and customers know the curfew has been lifted. Most of the beer bars are open and so are several of the go-go bars.

PM: Order is Restored in Bangkok, Provinces Published: 21/05/2010 Order has been restored in Bangkok and other provinces and the government will continue to swiftly restore normality throughout the country, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a nationwide televised address on Friday. "You can be assured that this government has every intention of moving the country forward, restoring order, making sure that our recovery is well on track, and that we will do so in a transparent manner," he said. An independent investigation into unrest in Bangkok will be held and rehabilitation will be part of the plan to bring the country forward. "We recognise that as we move ahead there are huge challenges ahead of us, particularly the challenge of overcoming the divisions that have arisen in this country," he said. PM: Order is restored in Bangkok, provinces ____________________ Thailand Works to Restore Order By the CNN Wire Staff May 21, 2010 Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai officials created two programs Friday aimed at returning life to normal in the nation's capital after clashes between anti-government protesters and troops crippled the city for days, a government spokesman said. A rapid-response team of police and civilian city officials will start patrolling Bangkok to ensure stability, prevent disruptions and help people resume their daily lives, spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said. And a new business relief center will give companies that nee assistance a chance to register, starting at 3 p.m. (4 a.m. ET). "We'll be looking for measures in the next few days to make sure that in this transitional period, Thai society is in the process of healing," Panitan said. A dusk-to-dawn curfew for 24 provinces is scheduled to remain in place through Sunday. Thai premier unveils reconciliation plan after chaos - CNN.com

That's very good news indeed! I think that clip must be a day or two old. Excellent! Except for the banks and the curfew, it looks like Pattaya is almost back to normal.

All banks to open on Monday Published: 21/05/2010 All commercial banks will open all their Bangkok branches on Monday, except the branches damaged by rioters, chairman of the Thai Bankers Association and president of Kasikorn Bank Prasarn Trairatvorakul said on Friday.

Pattaya has come through this crisis virtually unscathed. It's not over yet, but the crisis part of the crisis seems to be rapidly winding down and each passing hour makes it less and less likely that anything dramatic will happen in Pattaya. Nobody is talking about whether they would stay here, where they would go, or what country they would escape to anymore. Like it or not, the curfew seems to be working well in Pattaya and nearly everyone is willingly cooperating with it in hopes that what has happened in Bangkok and other cities will be prevented in Pattaya. I think the local authorities are to be commended. The only aspects of life out of the ordinary in Pattaya are the curfew, bank closings, and the shopping mall closings. Everywhere other than the mall closing areas in Pattaya is perfectly normal during the day and there has been no trouble of any kind at all. No buildings burnt down. No looting. No shootings. No military presence. No violence. No bullet riddled dead bodies in the streets. No running for cover because of gunfire. No roads blocked. No serious traffic problems. No fear or panic. No evacuations. Within the next couple of days life should return to completely normal in Pattaya and unless something new happens, I think everyone who loves Pattaya ought to consider themselves among the luckiest people in Thailand. What happened in Bangkok and other cities could easily have happened here. Thankfully, it didn't. I'm much happier seeing postings on this board about who is to blame for the crisis and criticizing each other for what is and is not permitted to be posted here than I would be if we had to be reporting about major damage, violence, and problems in Pattaya. Thank goodness that earlier reports of bombs and other problems in Pattaya turned out to be only rumor.

No city-wide water shortage, mayor reassures Pattaya City Council Vimolrat Singnikorn The more than 50 percent drop in the Mabprachan Reservoir and sporadic complaints from eastern Pattaya residents again has some Pattaya City Council members worried about water shortages. Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome ensures city counselors that there will be no water shortage during this dry season. Pattaya Mail - Vol. XVIII No. 21 - Friday May 21 - May 27, 2010 News

SUNEE PLAZA included the following as part of his information: A passenger who arrived late at the airport had no problem coming down to Pattaya in a taxi. No challenges were made. Sunee Plaza, Gay Pattaya, Gay Thailand

UPDATE ON THAILAND 21/05/10 In order to quell any rumours that are going round, we can absolutely confirm from personal observance. This morning the following were open: * Big C South * Friendship * Tukcom * All the small shops we could see * Bank ATMs * Bank exchange windows * The immigration office at Jomtien * The banks themselves were NOT open and said they wouldn

Ok, then I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about friends or family driving out to the airport to pick up passengers or take passengers to the airport during curfew hours. They have been permitting taxis and van services to take passengers to and from the airport during curfew hours. As long as the passenger has the documentation to prove he is on his way to catch a flight or has just arrived at the airport, they have not been unreasonable about it.

Everybody. I don't see it the way you do at all. I see nothing problematic about any of the posts you cited, although I do agree that one of them is questionable. Regarding my old board, I removed it when the powers-that-were suddenly started blocking web sites. For whatever reason, mine was the first one blocked. At the time, no one had any idea why my site was blocked. Then, next thing we knew the other gay web sites started getting blocked. Even my Thai attorney was unable to find out why these sites were blocked or who blocked them. To this very day we still don't know. Without knowing what was going on or why, I decided not to take any chances. Right or wrong, good idea or bad idea, that was my decision at the time, a decision I'm not so sure I would repeat today. However, regarding the posts you cite I'm whistling in the wind. It's not my decision to make. GT owns this board. He is where the buck stops. He'll be the one to decide whether to agree with you or not and he'll be the one who decides whether to let those posts stand or whether to remove them. I'm not going to remove them because I don't see them as dangerous posts. Don't forget, GT is looking for "a few good men" to join us as moderators. If you feel strongly about those posts, I would be delighted if you wish to join us as a moderator.

I don't know. A curfew is a curfew. I doubt such an explanation would be accepted for private vehicles and the the odds of being arrested are too great. I certainly would not ask someone to take that risk just so I can save taxi fare and between police and soldiers stopping the vehicle, I would doubt the driver would ever make it to the airport anyway. I think passengers arriving during curfew hours are just going to have to open their wallets and take a taxi until the curfew is lifted.

Air passengers can travel to and from airport during curfew hours BANGKOK, May 20 (TNA)

I agree. You have all the free speech you want in Thailand. Free speech means you are entitled to voice criticism of the government without fear of penalty. But under Thai law it is a serious violation, a very serious violation to voice criticism of the monarchy. Thailand also has libel laws that differ from the libel laws of most western countries. Those kinds of posts are what we object to and will not permit. What we are being asked by some to do is to permit this board to operate in violation of Thai law, thus placing the board owner and moderators at legal risk. That is something I absolutely refuse to do. If that makes me a "nervous nellie," then I'm a nervous nellie. I don't know anyone who posts on these boards qualified to interpret Thai law for me. I've said it before and I'll repeat it now - there is no way I will tolerate being placed in legal jeopardy for the sake of message board posts. I have yet to ever see anything so profoundly important that it just cries out to be placed on a message board despite placing the board owners and moderators at risk. If we are being asked to permit the envelope to be pushed so that political discussions don't have to be "farcical," then either don't have those kinds of discussions on this board or start your own board and you be the one who places yourself at risk. For some strange reason, I don't see very many of the critics starting their own boards. I think it is quite well known that I have the greatest respect for Hedda, but I really don't think it will be very much help to me if the police come knocking at my door when I tell them, "But Hedda said it's ok." If such a thing ever happens, I'm sure the police will listen intently to my arguments - all the way downtown.

I think it would be even better if the bars would consider opening during the day. Since the shopping malls are closed, I think they would get a lot more customers looking for something to do and someplace to go. Also, while it is good they are opening from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, that's when most customers are going to have to decide whether to go to the bars or have dinner at a reasonable hour. If special permission is needed by the powers-that-be to open during the day, along with a temporary suspension of that asinine "no liquor sales between 2:00pm-5:00pm" rule, I think it would be a good idea to try to get it, especially if the curfew ends up extended even further.

Pattaya under curfew for a further 3 days – UPDATE On Wednesday Night at 8pm, Pattaya Police backed up by Pattaya City Hall Security Officers began a tour of the city and ordered all establishments, including Bars, Discotheques, Banks, Shopping Centers and Convenience Stores, to comply with a Curfew order issued by Thailand’s Prime Minister earlier on Wednesday. The order came into force at 8pm and lasted until 6am on Thursday and we have been informed that a further 3 days of curfew are planned from Thursday until Saturday starting at 9pm and finishing at 5am until the situation in Bangkok and other provinces, where rioting is taking place, is brought under control. Here in Pattaya this could not have come at a worse time as the city struggles to continue life as normal while 150 kms away in Bangkok, fires have been reported at over 20 separate locations around the Thai Capital as the remaining Red Shirts refuse to leave the Capital quietly. On Wednesday Night we toured the city which was mostly in darkness as bars and shops were ordered to close. There were rumors spreading earlier on Wednesday evening that a bomb had been discovered at Big C in North Pattaya which had been closed since early evening. This rumor was found to be untrue and the center had been closed due to the curfew order. With many 24 hour convenience stores closing, panic buying began and Police were called to one minor incident at a store in Soi Neun Plub Wan which led to no arrests and was brought to a conclusion quickly. We can report on another incident which occurred on the overpass leading to Highway 7 in Central Pattaya where someone placed a tire on the overpass and set it on fire. Police are not sure if this is related to the Red Shirts or a prank by local youths. It is currently being investigated by Police. We must inform people currently residing in Pattaya that if you are caught breaking the curfew, you may be liable to arrest and could be fined, although it appears that authorities are not enforcing these curfew regulations in a strict manor here in Pattaya. http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/20966/breaking-news-pattaya-under-curfew/

Nothing has been said officially that I've been able to find, but I doubt very much that Thai authorities are going to expect incoming passengers, especially since many probably would not even know about the curfew, and even more especially at a time when Thailand needs all the tourists it can get, to end up being forced to remain in the airport until 6:00am. That would be ridiculous even for Thailand.

I support the curfew. I don't know whether the curfew has anything to do with it, but so far in Pattaya there have been no violent incidents associated with the Red-Shirt protest and nobody has been burning tires, burning down buildings, or trying to shoot people. If the worst that happens in Pattaya is, assuming the reports are accurate, shopping malls closing for a few days, then Pattaya is one of the luckiest large cities in Thailand.