[Paz]

Mr Shinawatra was quoted as saying "I've found life as owner of an over priced club full of injury prone egotists paid to prance around a bit of grass every wednesday both very expensive and meaningless.  Also the broad manchester accent is even more incomprehensible than Thai, and it's hard to find The Bodyguard 2 on import DVD.  "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7268222.stm

In other news, the Pakistani security service committed an act of Terrorism (according to the FBI's definition `The unlawful use of force... against ... property to ... coerce ... the civilian population, in furtherance of ... social objectives.') by sabotaging Youtube for a few hours last saturday for containing blasphemy:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7266600.stm

Pakistani claims that this was not intentional and it was simply an act beyond their control must be heeded.  "Afterall" Musharaff was misheard to say "We couldn't prevent the death of my honourable colleague Mrs Bhutto in a tragic accident.  People die during suicide bombings all the time here in Pakistan, there is nothing unusual about this.  The West only thinks there's something wrong when the victim's a glamorous lady who speaks English.  How is the new cricket coach doing?  "

Ever since, the Thai government have resisted calls to take similar action against youtube on the grounds of there being videos that aren't very nice about Bhumibol Adulyadej.  Accusations that they have simply collapsed under pressure from the mail order bride export industry (already suffering due to the credit crunch) who fear such a move would be bad for online business, are unconfirmed at present. 
 

[Houdini]

How odd no-one has replied to this fascinating thread!

I've nothing to add other than I was in Thailand at the time of the last coup, and it was a strangely ominous time for the locals.  The standard of the bar and coffeeshop chat rocketted around this time.  It was good craic.

(Taksin's a cunt.  He robbed Thailand of billions.)

[Paz]

Last week's claims by the US to have successfully shot down an `out of control' spy satellite:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/25/dead.satellite/index.html?iref=newssearch

have now been thrown into doubt after an anonymous missiles lands in a Pakistani village:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7268253.stm

Sources close to the Pentagon and Conspircy theorists lake have been misquoted as saying `this is simply a startling coincidence'.  In an unrelated development Prince Harry has been rushed home from Afghanistan where he has been selecting targets for airstrikes. 

[grumpycrumpy]

If you want something shooting out of the sky I reckon Prince Harry is the man for the job ...... If he can hit a fast moving bird of prey with a shotgun <alledgedly> , just imagine the damage he could do with a missile ..... Send him back ....

[Paz]

I really think now that Harry's a comic genius.  I reckon if you were at the party and he came as a Nazi it'd have been really funny - he's got some German in him afterall.  And even if it isn't, maybe we should file an extradition warrant on him to Austria like we did with that holocaust denier, or would that be treason?   He's third in line tothe throne, and today he said `I don't really like England that much'!  Everyone else there's thinking `this house to house counter insurgency is getting a bit intense, good job I'm fighting for queen and country', and he's there thinking `this is a bit of a laugh, innit?'. 

[Houdini]

Harry is also known (or Willaim, I'm in no mind to corroborate) by the military nickname of "Sicknote". 

He's a full-on wimp.  Fo sho.  I think any Nazi games are pure hilarity, but perhaps that's just me...

[grumpycrumpy]

I'm in two minds as to whether there is any german in him ..... After all he don't half look like his dad , and Hewitt is a great old english name  ....