There’s been a military coup in Thailand. No, I know, this isn’t very interesting. It twangs a sentimental chord for me, though. I lived in Thailand for three months back in the Upper Paleolithic. I believe I can still remember a few phrases from the language: Thanon Kroongkasem bai tinai krap? — there you go. In Thai it’s considered the height of good manners for a gentleman to end every sentence with a krap — I mean, with the syllable “krap.” Don’t blame me, I’m just a reporter.
Anyway, the Prime Minister, a rather attractive lady named Yingluck Shinawatra, was deposed by the nation’s army, who have declared martial law, suspended the constitution, and done all those other really boss things you can do when you’re in charge of an army and have pulled off a coup.
This is not a good season for national leaders with “luck” in their names. Over in Nigeria the President, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, is having no luck at all against the terror group Procol Harum, who this week carried out further lethal attacks on remote villages and towns before fleeing back into the bush in a blur of flowered shirts and bell-bottomed pants.
My commiserations to both Yingluck Shinawatra and Goodluck Jonathan. Perhaps they might get together and share their hardluck stories.
I’m a little frustrated here. Seems to me I should be able to get a married name joke out of Yingluck Shinawatra and Goodluck Jonathan. You know the kind of thing: If Oprah Winfrey married Depak Chopra, she’d be Oprah Chopra. There’s one there somewhere but I’m just not finding it … krap.