3.2.1 Members are encouraged to voice opinions on a wide range of topics, while still being civil to others and subject to the limitations listed in Rule 3.2.3 below.
3.2.1.1 Posts which bear no relation to the original topic and which, in the view of the Moderator(s), go seriously off the rails and become unacceptably overly heated may be moved to the Holding Room, which is available only to members. The Moderators, at their discretion, may rename the topic and post in red a short announcement in the original topic advising members where the article, thread or posts have been moved to and under what title.
3.2.1.2 Once placed in the Holding Room, it follows that posts should not be reposted back to any of the main forums. Where a member does re-quote a post from the Holding Room in any of the main forums, the Moderator(s) will delete the post and, in red, will refer the member to this rule. The Moderator(s) may, at his/their discretion, post the number of the original post and the name of the topic which can be read by members in the Holding Room. Repeated breaches of this rule may incur sanctions at the discretion of the Moderator(s) (See Rule 4).
3.2.2 Members and businesses are welcome to promote and advertise gay services or other services used by gays on our Gay Thailand, Gay Cambodia and Gay Vietnam forums free of charge. But the promotion of services or advertisements outside our main area of interest - Southeast Asia - will not be accepted.
3.2.3 There are some topics that may not be discussed and which may put the Board in jeopardy. These are:
- The discussion of underage sex or the involvement of any persons in this illegal activity.
- The posting of any image of anyone under the age of 18 (even when they are fully clothed) is not permitted.
- Negative references to the Thai Royal Family are strictly forbidden. Thailand has very strict laws about this. The Thai authorities have varying ideas on what constitutes negative references, so as a general rule, it is better to just avoid the subject.
- Making defamatory/libellous statements about any person or organisation.
- Displaying pornographic images is not permitted. Nudity is allowed, while visible images of a penis, anus or balls are not permitted. If in doubt, refer the matter to the administration team. Please also avoid posting links to pornographic sites on the open forums. Such links will be removed without additional notes by a moderator. Links to pornographic websites may however be posted on the members only Holding Room or the Gay online dating - share and discuss your experience here forum depending on the content.
- No screenshots from messenger sites, dating sites and other services where the visitor cannot see these images without logging-in are permitted on the open forums. Such screenshots may however be posted on the members only forum - Gay dating applications - discuss and share your experience here forum.
- The posting of another member’s private message (PM) on the open forums without his permission is not permitted.
3.2.4 We at Sawatdee would prefer not to see negative posts about the other forums, which cater for gays visiting and living in Southeast Asia. All the forums are different in style with their own identity, but all serve the gay community. We therefore reserve the right to delete negative commentaries.
3.2.5 Satiric and comedic writing is encouraged on this Board. However, members are reminded that with the privilege of freedom of speech, comes the responsibility to use that freedom wisely to the benefit of the wider community (in this case, the Board and its members).
3.2.6 If a member believes that an article, thread or post has violated the rules, rather than sending a PM to a member of the administration team, the quickest and most effective way to notify the administration team is by clicking the red triangle icon, which can be found at the bottom left-hand corner of every post. After clicking the red triangle, members will be asked to provide a short commentary saying why they consider the article, thread or post has broken a forum rule. (For further details, see the explanatory graphic posted by the administrator on December 3rd, 2016 at post #3 in this thread).
3.2.7 The Moderator(s) may deal with the report as he/they believe(s) will be in the best interests of the Board and its members. This can range from a PM to the poster outlining why his post was unacceptable and specifying which rule was broken, up to and including suspension or dismissal from the Board if the post was truly injurious in any respect. The complainant can also expect to receive a PM reply to their report from one of the Moderators.
3.2.8 Any post, thread or article that breaches these rules may attract Sanctions (see Rule 4).
3.2.9 For the benefit of members, there is an edit feature that is active for 30 minutes after a message has been posted. This provides ample opportunity for a member to modify his language/comments. It ceases to function after that time, for the benefit of keeping subsequent posts in context.
3.2.10 The "Final Post". When a member of our community dies, it is common that someone from the community will announce the late member’s passing here on Sawatdee. Out of respect for the deceased member, this Board will allow only positive comments in these "Final Post" threads.
3.2.11 Members must not wilfully vandalise/sabotage the Board. Any member who violates the membership's trust, by wilfully being involved in this activity, will have their membership deactivated immediately and sanctions up to, and including, a permanent ban may be imposed.