Soopsip has just been to see the place where he gets his hair cut - where he's been getting it cut, in fact, since he was still polishing other people's brass buttons at the Chulachomklao Military Academy.

It seems silly to call the establishment in Ratchawat district a hair salon. It's a barbershop, plain and simple, complete with big old-fashioned, manually adjusted chairs.

The owner is a woman aged 72 who isn't crazy about giving her name out. The barbers she employs have been giving crewcuts to military big shots for decades, and trimming a lot of government honchos too, of varying degrees of handsomeness.

Surayud has been a loyal client for almost the whole time she's been in business. He's obviously a satisfied customer because he keeps coming back, most recently the day before he appeared on television to tell us what great pals we have in our neighbouring Asean countries.

He never has to tell her staff what to do. Short back and sides, no shave, and thanks, but he's already washed his scalp. It has always been thus.

"He's had the same hairstyle ever since he graduated, and anyway, he's a quiet customer," the owner says.

"Three days after the King appointed him prime minister, he came in for a haircut," she adds with pride.

The shop sounds awfully exclusive - haircuts must cost a fortune, right? Nope, she hits him up for Bt70. We were going to ask her if Surayud is a big tipper, but then she told us that Gen Thammarak Issarangkura, deputy leader of the Thai Rak Thai party, is another customer.

For some reason he hadn't been around in a while. Probably worried he'd run into a bunch of other guys from the party there and they'd get arrested for unlawful assembly.

How about Thaksin Shinawatra?  No, he's never been there (too expensive), but the owner does remember a six-year-old boy named Panthongtae coming in for a haircut once, and he said his dad was a businessman. He told her that one day he was going to be a millionaire! Just kidding.

Foreigner confirms that

foreigners cannot be trusted

Lots of good Thai girls seem to like the idea of dating farang. Lucky foreigners!

A British diplomat posted here has been studying this phenomenon for four years and is still wondering why they do. As far as he's concerned, most male farang in Thailand care little about the local culture, only about bedding as many local women as possible.

Miffed by the growing number of books advising Thai women on how to get a farang boyfriend, he's decided to write one telling them that the only thing they're likely to get out of the deal is a broken heart.

After highlighting the cultural divide between foreigners and Thais and the many devious tactics farang guys use on women, he has a simple message: rawang farang!

Keep your eyes peeled for this book when it appears on the shelves.

Our Soopsip newshounds can only confirm that the diplomat-guardian is working at full speed and looking for a publisher. Considering the subject matter, finding one shouldn't be a problem.

Enjoy more Soopsip on the Net. Visit www.nationmultimedia.com/webblog and search for Soopsip, where you'll find a steady diet of political and celebrity gossip.