Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Cornflakes, cats and grizzly bears
Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/03/2026
» Readers are no doubt aware that the official codename for the current US action in the Middle East is Operation Epic Fury which admittedly sounds more like the title of a martial arts B movie. It should not be confused with Operation Urgent Fury, the name given to the US invasion of Grenada back in 1983 during the Reagan administration. Israel incidentally has its own name for the current mission, Operation Roaring Lion.
Those elusive influential persons
Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/10/2023
» Most intriguing news of the week is that according to a parliamentary House committee there are only 180 "influential people" in the kingdom and in 10 provinces there are none at all. For those unfamiliar with the term "influential person" in Thailand, it is usually interpreted as someone who is powerful enough not to worry about the "long arm of the law" and can go about their sometimes shady business without fear of arrest.
Cops are queuing up for inactive posts
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/02/2023
» It has been quite an entertaining week although admittedly not everyone involved will see the funny side. An Air Force officer says he is happy he was caught after snatching a necklace at a gold shop because he wanted to get away from his wife and a prison cell would do nicely. A rather bizarre motive, but he got his wish. Apparently a lengthy spell in the slammer beats a daily nagging.
It could be fun, in a strange sort of way
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/01/2021
» A number of readers -- well, three -- have asked why last week's column did not contain the usual predictions for the coming year. My feeling at the time was that with the dark cloud of Covid-19 hovering over us it seemed a bit inappropriate to carry the usual frivolous PostScript predictions. However, I have had a change of heart and considering we are only 10 days into the New Year it is not too late to make silly forecasts.
A triumph of imagination over intelligence
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/02/2020
» I am not a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but considering the awful events of recent weeks, a bit of "love", however contrived, was a welcome break from the daily diet of depressing news. So this week, it feels like an appropriate time to dwell on matters of the heart, as long as it is not a cardiac arrest.
Why a teen girl in Korat cried all night
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/11/2019
» It is always uncomfortable to read about hard-working people who are taken advantage of by unscrupulous characters. This appears to be the case with "Orm", a 15-year-old girl in Korat who had been making krathong floats for tomorrow's Loy Krathong festival, only to be arrested and fined for alleged copyright infringement.
2018: The rescue that gripped the world
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/12/2018
» It ended up as a truly inspiring feel-good story, but could so easily have been a heart-breaking tragedy. That was why the tale of the Wild Boars football team -- 12 young Thai boys and their coach trapped in a flooded cave system in Chiang Rai -- held the attention of the world for more than a fortnight.
At least the Lady Plods put on a happy face
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/09/2018
» There have been understandable mumblings following the announcement that the Royal Police Cadet Academy would no longer be recruiting females, scrapping the normal 280 places available for the ladies. The explanation, in which we were assured the move would not affect the number of women in the police force, was something of a head-scratcher and had a definite "Catch-22" feel about it, which is probably exactly what was intended.
Rodents are simply a master of taste
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/08/2018
» There was a news report last week about the arrest on the Cambodian border of a gentleman smuggling 800kgs of dead rats. Imagine that. There are plenty of ways to make money through smuggling, but bootlegging deceased rodents is not one that immediately springs to mind.
And the award goes to … not these films
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/03/2018
» It's Oscar time again and as usual Hollywood is ignoring exciting Thai productions. Here are a few that caught the eye: