The head of the British embassy's political section in Bangkok thought nothing of jotting a few inoffensive musings for a newspaper website as he approaches the end of his posting.
But Ian Proud's innocuous blog, in four postings over three days, has sparked a blizzard of comments on all manner of topics, including his forays into Bangkok's infamous red-light districts.
One mistake may have been agreeing to the posting of a picture alongside his blog on the Nation newspaper website. The photograph prompted a number of readers to recognise Mr Proud as being someone they had seen in the vicinity of Bangkok's notorious Cowboy Street sex bars.
"I recall going to the embassy once and that same night was down on Cowboy and who did I bump into? Yes, it was Ian," wrote Edwardio Shanks.
Another reader, Simon Peltier observed: "I saw him walking arm-in-arm with a girl that could only be described as '2 dollar whore'. I bet that girl got a visa no problem."
The British diplomat replied to some of his one hundred correspondents to set them straight. Yet he does not deny being out on the town during his four-year stint.
"I don't think there are many people here that haven't been in places like Soi Cowboy at some point". "But I'm not down there every Friday at 3pm. My last visit was about a year ago. I'm happily settled with a girl so I've no need or desire to go there."
Unfortunately since yesterday Mr Proud has removed his posts from his blog, although the comments remain. I was really busy yesterday, otherwise I'd have copied it for posterity.
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