• Hilton Missives
My name is Anuchit Phonboon (Apple). I am from Sisaket, but now I live in Bang Kwang Prison. Every month I look at Citylife. My favourite part is ‘City Events’. If my English was better I am sure that I would enjoy all of Citylife. Citylife is helping me with my English. Thank you and please continue sending us Citylife.
A Happy Reader,
Anuchit Phonboon (Apple)
• Quaking in our Boots
Last night’s earthquake tremors have got me thinking.
I live on the 21st floor of Rimping Condo in Chiang Mai and the tremors certainly made the condo shake to an alarming degree. Many of the residents evacuated and randomly assembled out in the street.
Some used the elevators, others the stairs.
There was no sign of the resident manager and the security guards were confused.
There was not a systematic evacuation routine. There was no communication.
Are condos here required to have an evacuation plan?
If so, I presume condo management should hold evacuation drills?
This should also apply to fire evacua- tion and drills.
And are local condos built to withstand tremors?
If so, to what level?
Shaken Up,
Chiang Mai
• Not that Out in Chiang Mai
I refer to your article in the April issue of Citylife – No Pride in Chiang Mai?
I and my partner, who is from London, are gay and have lived here peacefully for more than a decade and a half. Chiang Mai is our home.
There is, as you know, a large gay community here in this fair city of ours. Many are here and not in Pattaya or Phuket because we do not want Gay Prides, feather boas and shirtless hunks as you so seedily wrote. We do not want this on our streets because that’s just what it is seedy and it just doesn’t fit with our city. Keep it in Pattaya or Phuket and anyone who wants to indulge in such displays can easily make a trip if inclined.
We do not care what you do in Phuket or Pattaya just do not do it here. We take great exception to your remark, “The many thousands of local gay men, both Thai and foreign would give it their backing too”. How dare you speak on behalf of the majority of gay people in Chiang Mai that want no part of it and would never support it!
How correct you are when you say that “interest in such an event is minimal”.
If you want to partake in such demeaning activities in the gay community then please stay in Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket, or wherever else you are.
If you are seriously interested in gay rights then this is another thing our local community here will help finance you when you decide to do something really worthwhile and good like protesting in Uganda. In the meantime leave us alone.
You are a foreigner who has no consideration at all for the sensitivities of the local Thai populace in CM including my family who come from the Mae Rim area and who in the general amenable Thai attitude to life attitude to life will give you a rope long enough, but I strongly suggest that you do not promote Gay Pride Parades there and all other Thai cities. We are very happy the way we are so why, oh why do you want to spoil it?
Citylife is correct in giving you a hearing…let it end at that.
Changthee Songpongsara
Pictures of Dr. Gary Grame Jones and another Citylife fan at Bangkwang Prison in Bangkok.