Thais go to the polls

The elections are today. This is one of many voting stations around the city.

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How to spot a poorly written newspaper article

If the media thinks you are an idiot, and this article proves they do, us bloggers have to take the time out of our busy schedule to let them know about it. Take a look at this piece of drivel in The Nation, "Bangkok's Independent Newspaper" (Independent from what?)

Over 100 Thai women file for divorce with foreign husbands in Khon Kaen in 3 months

Khon Kaen - A total of 142 divorce cases were sent to the Khon Kaen Civil Court in just three months, most of them involving with Thai women seeking divorce from their western husbands, a senior judge said Saturday.

Patikorn Khonpipit, chief justice of the Juvenile and Family Court in Khon Kaen, said the divorce cases reached the court during July 1 to September 30.

He said most of the cases were filed by Thai women who wanted to get divorce from their foreign husbands.

The judge said Khon Kaen was one of the provinces with a lot of Thai women getting married with foreigners and many of them became disillusioned later so they filed for divorce.

The Nation

So this article leaves me with more questions than it answered:

1. Are 47 divorces a month for Khon Kaen unusual?
2. If so, is it a rise or fall in divorces that makes in unusual?
3. If Khon Kaen has population of 1,733,000 (2003), 142 divorces in 3 months make for an approximated divorce rate of .32 divorces per 1, 000, while the national average is .9, then aren't they doing good?
4. If 70% of the divorces are mixed couples, what percent of registered marriages are mixed couples in Khon Kaen?
   
5. Is the rise in divorces in among mixed marriages more likely due to the fact farang and Thais are more likely to register their marriage officially?
6. Is this the first ever mention of a Mr. Patikorn Khonpipit on the internet?
7. Who is to afraid to put their name on this piece?
   

Dog on a treadmill in Bangkok