Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Time, ladies and gentlemen, please
Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/11/2025
» Well it looks like a decision has finally been made even though it has taken 53 years. According to Deputy Prime Minister Sophon Zarum, that quirky ban on the sale of alcohol in Thailand from 2pm to 5pm will soon be lifted. The ban had always defied logic. Let's hope there's not a catch, as the build-up to it, which involved several U-turns, has been a trifle confusing to say the least.
Great debates… and some not so great
Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/03/2025
» No-confidence debates similar to that which took place in the Thai parliament earlier in the week have become something of a tradition in the kingdom, but I can’t recall any such motion ever being successful. Still, at least it gives the MPs an opportunity to share their words of wisdom with us hoi polloi.
Make way for the Bold Gendarmes
Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/08/2024
» The Paris Olympics have sparked memories of the time as an eight-year-old I was dressed up as a French Gendarme for a Christmas concert at a church hall in England. There were four of us and we had to perform The Bold Gendarmes, a popular song in the mid 1950s by French operetta composer Jacques Offenbach. It made gentle fun of the French policemen as the opening lyrics suggest:
Foreign noses always good for a laugh
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/12/2021
» Today's column is coming from the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum to where I periodically escape for a break from Bangkok. There was a quick reminder that I was no longer in the Big Mango while sitting in a village restaurant with my wife and friends. A Thai lad about 5 years old came up to our table and stared at me for a bit and giggled. I might add this is not an unusual reaction to Crutch in the provinces.
A koala gets into the Christmas spirit
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/12/2020
» My favourite festive season tale so far features an Adelaide family who returned home to find a koala perched in an artificial Christmas tree in their lounge. It looked perfectly happy amid all the baubles and twinkling lights, but was less than impressed by the taste of the plastic leaves.
Experiencing the 'Self-Isolation Blues'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/03/2020
» I had been hoping not to mention THE VIRUS this week, but it is impossible to escape from it as it has become so overwhelming. The saturation coverage on international TV channels is enough to make you ill, even if you were feeling fine. It's almost like all those dreadful dystopian films we've been subjected to in recent years have come to be a grim reality
Always look on the bright side of life
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/01/2020
» We have just scraped through the Year of the Porkers and are hurtling into the Year of the Rat, which admittedly doesn't sound too promising.
Time to get the sledgehammers out
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/05/2018
» Life is full of surprises, especially if you are living in Thailand, as a long-time English resident discovered recently. His work involves a lot of overseas travel and after one exhausting trip he was happy to get home to his Sukhumvit apartment and catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Nothing wrong in being distracted
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/01/2018
» Earlier this month in PostScript there was a reference to "distracted walkers", a term for those people who bump into you on the street or the BTS because they have their noses buried in their smartphones.