Drafi

"Death squads", lost freedoms - people here are getting a bit more paranoid than usual, that's all.

Which doesn't mean they're wrong.

Ships begin to fix damaged cables

TAIPEI: -- Five repair ships have arrived in Taiwanese waters to fix earthquake-damaged undersea cables that have slowed down Internet traffic in the region, but the repair work could last two to three weeks, the state-run Chunghwa Telecom Co said yesterday.

Most Probably, they are fixing or installing their eavesdropping devices, too

There are hundreds of different sorts of chili. Normally, chilli contains an alkaloid substance called Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) which increase the bodies endorphin production. No addiction though. But if you eat too much they can create stomach or intestinal problems like heamorrhoids. The capsaicin itself is not digested.

For further information look here: http://www.g6csy.net/chile/index.html

By the way, the chilis I found and eat in Thailand are only hot but they do not have a lot of flavour. If you ever happen to go to Brasil, especially to Salvador/Bahia, then go to a local market and by the pickled chili looking like this:

http://www.chili-balkon.de/bilder/cheiro-bahia_pflanze.jpg

As I said they are pickled and come in small bottles. Once you taste them you'll know the difference between chili which is only hot and chili which has a taste. You won't regret it. I have never come across any chili-sort which had so much flavour like these. And from these, you can easily become addicted.

The last time the army denied publicly coup rumours that was exactly what happened some days later. I remember reading the newspaper several days before the coup in september 2006 and wondering why the hel_l an army general denied vigorously planning a coup. Some days later I knew.

Thaksin said in his letter that he would return to Thailand to face "any allegations" if he was tried by a justice system that adheres to international standards.

I wonder why he doesn't have faith in the system created by himself?

Today, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) mentioned in a carefully drafted article that there are speculations about a possible counter-putsch in Thailand.

Whoever is responsable for the bombings has weakened general Surayud and destabilized the provisional government simply by demonstrating that they do not have the power they claim to have.

We might see a series of even worse events during the following weeks or months. A military coup is a military coup and not in any case to be taken lightly even if it might have happened peacefully in the beginning. Long term political movements or underlying tensions do not simply disappear with a singular incident like a change of government.

Not being an expatriate and only knowing Thailand as a tourist I admit that I was amazed how lightheartedly the "farang community" in Thailand took the coup in semptember 2006. Personally, I think there was no solid base for being that optimistic and there still isn't. We don't really know what is going to happen.

Australian man killed after falling from 18th floor of Bangkok apartment

BANGKOK: -- A 70-year-old Australian man fell from the 18th floor of an apartment building in Bangkok in what police believe to be a suicide.

Yeah, that's what they always say. I don't believe in any of that. Jumping off balconies by elderly people is nearly unheard of in other parts of the world. Writing farewell letters in his own blood by a 70year old person - my ass.

To me it all looks like a crime cover up.