<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt">You have to give it to the lads of Internal Security Operations Command.<span>&nbsp; </span>When it comes to sniffing out reds under the bed, they have few equals.</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">My first rude awakening of this year came very early. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">I had no sooner nodded off after the last rude awakening of 2008 (the fireworks, the ship&rsquo;s horns blaring from the port, and all the other noisy New Year palaver), when a smell of burning wafted over the house.</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya appears to be a lightning rod for the current government, due to his previous active roles both on and off the PAD stage.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Hats off to Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Government Paranoid Suthep Thaugsuban for boldly revealing what we have suspected for so long.</span></p>

<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Many years ago, the BBC invented, for the benefit of their radio news readers, a thing called a &lsquo;cough button&rsquo;.<span>&nbsp; </span>Pressing on this button would temporarily disconnect the microphone, freeing them to make coughs, sneezes and assorted guttural hacking noises, without destroying the myth that BBC staff not only had mellifluous tones and impeccable accents, but also perfectly functioning vocal tracts.</span></font></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"></span><br /> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: &quot;Tahoma&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">Spokespersons for the Israeli government repeatedly claim that, in a sincere attempt to avoid civilian casualties, Palestinians living the Gaza strip are sent telephone warnings to leave their homes.</font></span></p>

<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">Now that the red-shirt pro-Thaksin Shinawatra protesters have succeeded in hurling an egg on the face of Chuan Leekpai, mentor of premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, and a former PM himself, what is next?</font> <div> </div> </p>

<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">As the number of deaths resulting from the Palestinian offensive on the Israeli enclave approaches one thousand, with half a dozen Palestinian civilians killed by home-made rockets fired by Kadima militants, the international community is intensifying its efforts to bring about a cease-fire.</font></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt">Here are the answers for last week&rsquo;s quiz questions that may have ruined your holiday peace of mind.</span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt">The following questions are designed to test the efficiency of your intelligence and memory.<span>&nbsp; </span>A high score indicates that you suffer from a chronic inability to distinguish between the important and the trivial.<span>&nbsp; </span>A career in journalism or politics beckons you.</span><em><span style="font-size: 10pt"><span> <br /></span></span></em></p>

<p><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT) has just received <a href="http://facthai.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/2008-mict-secret-thai-blocklists-1303-new-websites-blocked/">secret blocklists</a> leaked from Thailand&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. We know they&rsquo;re secret because each one is stamped </font><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2"><span style="color: #ff0000">ลับ!</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 10pt">The scene: A suite in the Pullman Hotel one evening last week.<span>&nbsp; </span>An MP is being escorted to his room for the night.</span></em><span style="font-size: 10pt"> &lsquo;Get you filthy hands off me.<span>&nbsp; </span>I&rsquo;ve got some important business to attend to.&rsquo; &lsquo;Yes, sir.<span>&nbsp; </span>We know, sir.<span>&nbsp; </span>And Mr Newin says you can attend to it just as soon as you&rsquo;ve voted tomorrow morning.&rsquo; &lsquo;You can&rsquo;t lock me up like this.<span>&nbsp; </span>I&rsquo;m an MP for heaven&rsquo;s sake.<span>&nbsp; </span>I know my ri-&rsquo;<span>&nbsp; </span></span></p>