Good morning,

Today’s fire took place at a plastic bag factory on Soi Onnuj, which seems to have burnt to the ground. How many fires of the magnitude that we have seen over the last few days are normal? In this case, witnesses report a ‘machine catching fire’ and the flames then spread, presumably quite rapidly. Yesterday’s fire at a bus station which damaged eight buses was not caused by NGV explosion or anything related to NGV – so what would cause a bus suddenly to explode then? Perhaps I am just being paranoid (but I never told you that, it was not me, I was not here).

The death toll on the roads for the New Year season is finalized at 367, with 4,107 other people injured in a total of 3,824 officially recorded accidents. It is an enormous number of people but in fact several percent down on last year. Most accidents were caused by the usual combination of drink-driving, recklessness and inability or unwillingness to abide by the law (e.g. by riding motor cycles without helmets, driving down the wrong side of the road and all of the other abominations we witness here on a daily basis).

The big sports story here now is the forthcoming Royal Trophy golf competition, which begins at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi on Friday. The competition is a Ryder Cup style affair pitting Asia against Europe. The Asian team is led by Thai hero Thongchai Jaidee and the 17-year old Japanese newcomer Ryo Ishikawa. The European team includes Paul Lawrie and Paul Dougherty. Europe has won the previous two holdings of the competition but the Asian team is more confident this time around.

Back tomorrow.

Of course, the really big sporting event on Friday takes place at the Mad Stad where the honest Rs take on the Watford people in the almost annual 0-0 game. Still, back Mr Ghost to make a rare appearance and perhaps even score again.