Visit Thailand, hang out with Rihanna, get arrested

WHEN TWO of your best-known cities are Bangkok and Phuket, is it any surprise that Thailand has an issue with sex crimes?

Well, there's a new sheriff in town and we can call her Rihanna: SVU.

New, racy tweets from RiRi regarding a lewd sex show on the island of Phuket have led Thai authorities to arrest the owner of the bar where the show took place.

These tweets come two weeks after an Instagram photo of Rihanna with a protected primate, which led to the arrest of two other men.

Phuket officials said yesterday that the bar owner faced charges of obscenity and operating an entertainment venue without a permit.

District Chief Weera Kerdsirimongkon said that the man was arrested Saturday as part of a crackdown on shows featuring naked dancers.

"Authorities found out about this bar the morning after Rihanna tweeted about it, but we were not able to catch them violating the law until Saturday night," Weera said. "We had been waiting for them and finally caught them red-handed."

And red-faced.

Weera said that the bar owner could face up to one month's imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,900.

If only "Captain Phillips" could have tied the following story into its opening-weekend publicity campaign, it might have unseated "Gravity" as the nation's No. 1 film.

In a sting operation worthy of Hollywood, Somali pirate kingpin Mohamed Abdi Hassan was lured from Somalia to Belgium with promises of work on a documentary about high-seas crime that would "mirror his life as a pirate," federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle said yesterday.

But rather than working behind the camera as an expert adviser, Abdi Hassan ended up behind bars, nabbed as he landed Saturday at Brussels airport.

"[He's] one of the most important and infamous kingpin pirate leaders, responsible for the hijacking of dozens of commercial vessels from 2008 to 2013," Delmulle said.

Why the Belgians were eager to nab him: Abdi Hassan was charged with hijacking the Belgian dredger Pompei and kidnapping its nine-member crew in 2009, Delmulle said. The crew was released after 10 weeks when the ship's owner paid a reported $3 million ransom.

Why Abdi Hassan was interested in working on the movie: Can you think of a better movie to pirate?

* Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, of ABC's "The Bachelor," are getting married.

OMG! We're hyperventilating.

Their wedding ceremony will air live on ABC on Jan. 26. "The Bachelor: Sean and Catherine's Wedding" will be hosted by Chris Harrison, because what's a wedding without a host?

Lowe was named the franchise's 17th bachelor after he was rejected by Emily Maynard on "The Bachelorette."

"The Bachelor" returns in January with Juan Pablo Galavis looking to find the love of his life from 25 skinny, eligible, mostly vapid young women.

* In other reality-TV non-news, one of the original members of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" has announced that she's leaving the show after five seasons.

Caroline Manzo made the announcement Sunday on Twitter and on her blog on Bravo's website after "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" aired the final part of the show's reunion.

She says that the reality show - known for its brawls, screaming and family fights - has become something she hopes that her future grandchildren will never see.

Hey, we've never seen it. It's not that hard to miss.

Manzo wrote that she's filming a pilot spin-off called "Manzo'd With Children" that would give "a very different look" at her family that should be perfect for her future grandchildren.

* Former 'NSync-er Lance Bass told gossipcop.com that he thinks that he and his former boy-band buddies should get their own reality-TV show: "We see each other a lot, but we never get to see each other all five of us in the same room. It's such a dynamic, it's hilarious."

The problem? Justin Timberlake's busy schedule.

And likely lack of interest.

But Tattle has to acknowledge that the concept of Lance, Joey, JC and Chris living in a house with Justin and Jessica Biel could be comedy gold.

* According to RadarOnline. com, Q Scores' "likability" ratings for Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner have both plummeted more than 50 percent in the past two years.

Kim has dipped from a 9 score in 2011 to a disappointing 4 last month.

Kris has dropped from a 12 to a 4 during the same period.

Oh, we're sorry, we thought those were IQ scores.

- Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

On Twitter: @DNTattle