Helicopter crash causes fleet to be grounded
A third helicopter crashed near the Thai-Burmese border yesterday killing three people on board, forcing the army to ground its Bell 212 helicopter fleet.
The Bell 212 transport helicopter crashed in the morning while on its way to pick up the bodies of the nine victims in the Black Hawk helicopter crash on Tuesday.
The Black Hawk crashed in a Burmese forest opposite the Kaeng Krachan National Park during an operation to retrieve the bodies of five soldiers who had died in an earlier air crash involving a Huey helicopter.
25/07/11
Kenyans win at the King’s Cup Pattaya Marathon
In the early hours of Sunday Morning, the King’s Cup Asian & Pattaya Marathon 2011 took place. As planned at 4.20am, the Wheelchair race got under-way. 10 minutes later, the main Marathon race began with an estimated 10,000 runners, a mixture of Thai and Foreign competitors. The Marathon race was dominated by the Kenyans from the start.
The results of the races were as follows: The winner of the men’s Marathon was Mr. Lawrence Kiptoo Saina from Kenya who crossed the line in 2hrs 21mins 6secs. He was presented with his 200,000 Baht cash prize and winner’s trophy. The Women’s Marathon was won by Miss Euzaeth Jeruiyoj Chemweno also from Kenya in a time of 2hrs 44mins 6 secs. The Half-Marathon was won by a Thai national, Khun Sanchai in a time of 1hr 12mins 13secs.
19/07/11
Firework festival to return to Pattaya in November
According to the Pattaya.com (news.pattaya.com) the International Fireworks festival is to return to Pattaya on November 26th. This hugely successful event previously held in August last year, will be held on Pattaya beach around the Central area. If you missed it last year, definitely make a note in your diary to see it this year. We will offer more details nearer the time.
13/07/11
Closures again this weekend (15/16 July)
For the 4th weekend in a row in some areas, bars will be closed this weekend (15th and 16th). This is for 2 Buddha days, which are “dry days”. Pattaya is the worst hit having been partly closed last weekend for local elections. The 15th is Asarnha Bucha; commemorating the Buddha’s first sermon in the Deer Park in Benares and the founding of the Buddhist sangha. The 16th is Wan Kao Pansa; it is the first day of Thai vassa, the Theravada rains retreat or Buddhist Lent. This is also a dry day. For more info see our page on “Dry” days here.
10/07/11
Pattaya Election Closures 9 & 10 July
There’s confusion out there! It has been known for some time that there are local elections in Pattaya on the 10th July. A letter went round from the police today in Boyztown saying the bars can not serve alcohol on the 9th and 10th (as with the General Election), although they don’t have to close. However the police in other areas have been saying verbally that the bars CAN serve and don’t need to close. I hate to say it but this is one time when the news on the ground is confused. The best advice Nicky can offer is “wait and see”. Sorry we can’t be more specific. It looks as if many bars will be open, it’s unsure as to their status in the serving of drink.
Don’t forget ALL AREAS have closures on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th for Buddha days.
07/07/11
UPDATE 08/07/11 with 24 hours to go this has appeared on the Pattaya Mail website: “Reminder: City Council elections will be held this weekend, and even though it is just a re-election for 2 local zones, bars will be closed from 6 p.m. Saturday, July 9, until midnight Sunday, July 10. This ban includes sales, distribution and organizing any parties serving alcoholic beverages.”
08/07/11
UPDATE 09/07/11 This will be the final update on this topic. It turns out after a HUGE amount of confusion the ban only applied to bars North of Soi Post Office (Soi 13/1). Therefore it does NOT affect Boyztown, Pattayaland or Sunee Plaza. Bars in these areas were open tonight, selling alcohol, as were the 7/11s. Even Friendship got confused, starting the day announcing “no sales” and later withdrawing the signs.
However, once again we remind you ALL AREAS have closures on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th for Buddha days.
09/07/11
July is OUT and in SUMMER MODE
Two of the free magazines now have their July issues in bars and clubs. OUT in Thailand has published it’s latest issue with featured articles including: Sherwin’s Sexy Swimwear and The Art of Living OUT in Thailand. Sherwin is the handsome hunk who won the coveted Mr Gay World Philippines crown, now based in Bangkok he has launched his own exclusive line in designer swimwear. See www.out-in-thailand.com
The July Issue of Thai Puan, includes an article about Chiang Mai – “Sex in the city” describing where to go for some fun in the city. Other features in this edition include: “An Issan road trip”, “Samui Top to bottom” and all the regular news and features from Bangkok and Pattaya. See www.thaipuan.com
06/07/11
Nicky’s Gay Chiang Mai opens
We are delighted to announce that the 4th Nicky’s website has just come online. Nicky’s Gay Chiang Mai is now up and running, in conjunction with the Chiang Mai Gay Guide. We are looking for contributors or a major partner to help bring the final site – Phuket online. If you live in Phuket or know anyone who does, and would be willing to help with details of the gay scene there, please contact me. Nicky’s is almost now complete for Thailand.
04/07/11
New York Allows Gay marriages
The biggest and most influential state in the US so far to allow gay marriages is New York. 6 other states have so far passed bills to allow this. The stars were out last night celebrating.
Openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris wrote, “It PASSED! Marriage equality in NY!! Yes!! Progress!! Thank you everyone who worked so hard on this!! A historic night!”
Lady Gaga, a New York native and gay rights activist, posted a picture of herself and pals with their arms raised in celebration, adding: “I can’t stop crying. We did it kids… The revolution is ours to fight for love, justice+equality. Rejoice NY, and propose. We did it!!!”
Lindsay Lohan ‘tweeted’: “Proud to be from NY!” while Cyndi Lauper echoed the sentiment in a statement reading: “I have never been prouder to be a lifelong New Yorker than I am today with the passage of marriage equality.”
Where will be next?
26/06/11
Election Bar Closures – UPDATED
OK so this topic is of interest to anyone in Thailand or visiting here in the next couple of weeks, but alas we can’t find all the DEFINITE information yet. The election is on Sunday 3rd July. That’s definite. The law says the bars can not serve alcohol the day before (Saturday 2nd) and the day of the election until midnight. That’s definite too. In practice this means they normally close. However some areas may require a “dry” period the weekend before (they did last time – 3 days) and this is the information we can’t track down. However watch this post and as soon as we know we will post here.
None of this applies to hotels and restaurants which can remain open and serve alcohol throughout the election. It is always possible too that some bars may not close and just serve soft drinks. Check with your local to find out what they are doing. And look out for the mysterious phenomenon of the “cracked coffee cup”. I’ll say no more!
And just as a fore-warner, there are two more dry days in July – 15th and 16th are dry Buddha days this year. The 15th is Asarnha Bucha and the 16th is the start of Buddhist Lent.
20/06/11
UPDATE 24/6/11
We have just heard Pattaya Bars WILL be closed 25th and 26th for “pre-election” days. We were told this will be all of Thailand, but can’t 100% confirm this. Sorry for the late notice! So that’s 6 closed days in 4 weeks – 25th and 26th this month, 2nd and 3rd July for the election and 15th and 16th July for “dry” days.
Nicky’s Gay Samui opens!
In conjunction with Emerald Green Samui, I am delighted to announce the opening of Nicky’s Gay Samui. It’s just as up-to-date and newsy as the Bangkok and Pattaya sites and will spread your knowledge of gay Thailand. Coming soon will be Chiang Mai, and then all we need is a partner to help with Phuket. If you’re living there and interested in being a contributor please let me know.
17/06/11
Total Lunar Eclipse in Thailand
Total lunar eclipse will take place in Thailand on June 16, 2011. The eclipse begins on the evening of June 15 in India but will be visible in Thailand after midnight to early morning of June 16, 2011. The time of the eclipse in Thailand start from 01:22:37 AM to 05:02:35 AM and total eclipse begins at 02:22:11 AM and ends at 04:03:22 AM.The moon will be visible in the southwest above the horizon about 30 degree (observer from Chiang Mai). For more information : www.narit.or.th
15/06/11
Two new issues of gay magazines available
Two of the leading gay magazines have now published their June issues. Attitude Thailand is available on the bookshop shelves priced at 120B, and Out in Thailand can be picked up free from any good gay venue in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Samui. Check them both out, they’re interesting reading.
12/06/11
E.coli found in EU avocados
Avocados imported from the European Union have been found to be contaminated with E.coli but it is not known yet if it is the same deadly strain that has claimed 27 lives in Europe, Thailand’s Public Health Minister says.
In the meantime, the health minister urged the public not to panic about the contamination since it is not unusual to find E.coli in fresh fruit and vegetables.
To avoid E.coli infections, the public health ministry advised the public to rinse fresh fruit and vegetables in running water for at least two minutes or keep them immersed in water with vinegar and salt.
And the likelihood of vegetables being rinsed in running water in Thailand is …
10/06/11
Launch of my new Bangkok site
I am delighted to announce the opening of Nickys Gay Bangkok.com It has been thoroughly checked and resourced and will be kept updated as much as the Pattaya site is. Please go in and have a look and then maybe you’ll enjoy Bangkok as much as I did when I researched it. It’s a great city and there’s a lot there (as if you didn’t know that already!) Click the banner or here to go to the site.
07/06/11
Thai gays demand legalised marriage
A gay network has asked the Democrat Party to support the legalisation of gay marriage for the sake of equality and human dignity.
Natee Teerarojanapong, coordinator of a gender identity network which includes his Gay Politics Group of Thailand and transvestite groups, filed the request at the headquarters of the Democrat Party on Tuesday.
In response, the secretary to the Democrat Party’s Bangkok vote campaign office, said his party listened to the needs of all groups of people.
If an item of proposed legislation has at least 10,000 signatures of support it can be proposed to the parliament, they said.
02/06/11
Temple Battle moves to The Hague
The battle between Thailand and Cambodia over who owns the land around the Preah Vihear temple has moved to the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Each side will put their case and have said they will abide by the ruling. This dispute has lead to fighting around the area and several deaths. It has threatened the border crossings and general peace between Thailand and Cambodia.
31/05/11
Pattaya to host Digital arts fest
In November, Pattaya, in collaboration with the Thailand Creative and Design Centre, will host what is to be Southeast Asia’s biggest digital arts and design festival.
The event will showcase multimedia works by world famous artists.
The show will exhibited under 3 major themes, Digital Sea, Digital Sky and Digital Street, which will be using different areas in Pattaya City to display the art, including the ocean, sky, high-rise buildings and Pattaya Bay beach walking street. There will also be art and design markets, competitions and seminars.
23/11/05
Durian Season is here
Hardly headline news, but the durian season has arrived in Thailand with a vengeance. The fruit, which has a very distinct odour, is a native of South East Asia. To quote from wikipedia, “its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia.” The pulp can be eaten raw, or it can be made into everything from crisps to toffee. But be warned, it has a laxative effect if you eat too much.
22/05/11
Ultra High Speed Internet coming to Pattaya
An agreement has been signed at City Hall between the Mayor and True to bring 100Mbps speed internet to Pattaya in September. Pattaya currently has a limit of 16Mbps. The “5pm” slowdown, when everyone logs on is well known and the service becomes very poor for a couple of hours. When this does arrive it will be a welcome relief to tourists and residents used to Western speed internet.
14/05/11
General Election to be held Sunday 3rd July
It has been announced that there will be a general election in Thailand on Sunday 3rd July. There’s a lot of press coverage of this elsewhere. However it will affect the bars. If the last election is a guide, there will be two or three dry days on the weekend of the election and two the weekend before (for postal voting). Watch this space for confirmation of when the bars will be closed.
09/05/11
Miss Tiffany’s Universe 2011
After a week of competing and after the final at Tiffany’s on May 6th the winner of Miss Tiffany Universe has been announced. It is Sirapassorn Auttayakorn (Sammy) a student. Her prizes include a cash prize of 120,000 baht, a car, crown, diamonds from Goddiamond, trophies and many gift vouchers. The 1st Runner-up was Saranratch Chaiyakorn (Nut) a student, and 2nd Runner-up was Thissanamadee Bunniyom (Ji Ji) also a student. Entry to the competition cost each competitor $US5,000 (approx 150,000B).
09/05/11
Ramayana Water Park
In a signing ceremony on the 8th April, there was an announcement of the construction of a new 900 million baht state of the art water-park in Pattaya.
Stage 1 of the Ramayana Water Park development will be built on 40 acres of land at Na Jomtien. It will offer the latest industry-leading thrills and family rides available on the market today, including Asia’s first ever Viper family ride and the award-winning AquaLoop, being the world’s only vertically looping waterslide. This first of its kind ride drops riders vertically with thrilling g-force then performs a 360 degree complete vertical loop.
The water-park will also feature Duelling Master Blasters, where friends can race each other on triple tubes while racing up and down hills on specially designed water rollercoasters. It is scheduled to open in late 2012.
02/05/11
Pattaya Marathon
On Saturday morning at Pattaya City Hall, a meeting was held to discuss the coming 2011 Pattaya Marathon, which will be held on July 17, 2011. This year, all agreed to start and finish at the front of Central Festival Pattaya Beach Mall. There will be 5 Categories in the competition, Marathon, Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, Students and a Wheelchair Marathon. The budget for 2011 Marathon is 7,000,000 Baht, and Pattaya will be at the forefront of the news with this race, as it has been held for 20 years. For more information see – www.pattayamarathon.com
02/05/11
New? Radio Station
Mix 88.5FM radio station. 24 hour music with BBC News “live from” London. Available on radio or online at www.mix885.com/
02/05/11
