Thailand News 08.08.08

Here are some Thailand items in the news lately:

• Thailand’s former prime minister’s wife has been given a jail sentence for tax fraud.
• If you’ve ever wondered why there was no worldwide symposium on fireflies, wonder no more – Thailand will host the world’s first firefly conference later this month in Chiang Mai.
• Two people were injured last weekend when seven bombs went off near 7-11 stores in two different towns in southern Thailand.
• The prime minister of Thailand has made some big changes to his cabinet, involving 11 cabinet posts, in an attempt to stave off calls for his resignation.
• Tension continues between Cambodia and Thailand over a temple in a disputed region near the border.
• John Cusack is in Thailand making a movie called “Shanghai” right now.
• After a teenager in Thailand killed a taxi driver and stole his car, the Thai distributors of Grand Theft Auto IV have pulled the game from store shelves throughout the country.
• Thailand has nominated the 2nd temple in the disputed border region with Cambodia to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Although it used to be a relatively easy (and cheap) procedure to obtain at any age, castration is now banned for boys under the age of 18 in Thailand.
• A helicopter has crashed in southern Thailand, killing all 10 military officers on board.