The latest victim of influenza type-A, or swine fly, in Thailand has been confirmed to be a worker at a computer game shop in the Ratchaburi province. The Ministry of Public Health confirmed the cause of the 330 pound woman this week, citing that she may have had complications that made her more susceptible to the virus.

The news comes shortly after Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodee issued a statement suggesting that the popular hangouts, where players go to spend countless hours playing online computer games, were a major transmission point for swine flu, with so many bodies packed together in small rooms for large periods of time. The warning was issued after a survey of children that tested positive for the virus indicated that symptoms developed after visiting game shops.

And people wonder why I am a shut-in.

Flu claims 17th victim, 209 new cases [Bangkok Post via G4TV]

Pongsathorn Wattanabenjasopha, a sixth grader student at the Sri Witthaya Paknam School, committed suicide on Thursday. According to The Bangkok Post, several factors lead to his decision to take his own life: "Family problems topped the list. Other factors included physical and mental problems, economic hardships, poor income and unemployment."

Even as the suicide rate is rising in Thailand, the government has decided to crackdown on computer games and online gambling. On May 19, the Criminal Court to the Information and Communications Technology Ministry issued an order demanding that 72 gaming sites be shuttered. According to the director of the Rajanagarindra Child and Adolescent Mental Health Institute, the boy's addiction to gaming reflects that kids who game have an aggressive mentality and are more likely to commit suicide.

Court orders closure of 72 websites [Bangkok Post]

The original press release is in Thai, which I don't read, but the Cnet Asia reporter seems to be saying the release of the list and the killing are related. Now that Thailand has decided to pull one game from shelves, what's to stop them from pulling the ten on this list, which includes God of War and 300, the game, not the movie.

Here's your full list of "dangerous games."

1- GTA

2- Man Hunt

3- Scarface

4- 50 Cent - Bullet Proof

5- 300

6- The Godfather

7- Killer 7

8- Resident Evil 4

9- God of War

10- Hitman

Thai Ministry of Health's 10 most dangerous video games (yeah, you read that right) [Cnet Asia]

According to police, the youth wanted to find out if it was as easy to rob a real taxi as it was in Grand Theft Auto. Newspapers are reporting that the teenager didn't plan to stab the driver, but only did show when he retailiated. The teen was arrested on late Saturday when he was found trying to drive the car backwards out of a Bangkok city street. The driver was found severly wounded and in the backseat. Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry's Cultural Surveillance Centre, scaremongers:

This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse. Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner.

The police stated the boy showed, and we're quoting Reuters, "no sign of mental problems during questioning." Meaning that the mental problems were only visible when he was stabbing a taxi driver?

Thailand halts Grand Theft Auto sales after murder [Reuters] [Pic]

Angel's Tale [Official Site]

Surely that plumbing business is suffering due to huge time sink of saving that pea-brained princess (and playing soccer and baseball and dance-dancing and whatever else Mario is up to these days), as that lovable portly Italian is investing in the Thai travel sector.

Looks like he's also supplementing his income with hourly internet access and motorbike rentals. Or maybe, just maybe, someone in Thailand is less concerned about copyright infringement than they are with coming up with an original name for their fly-by-night travel shack.

Mario Travel [Flickr]