PHUKET schools are likely to follow the lead of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration which has ordered the closure of 435 schools, 200 nurseries and 13 occupational training centres for five days from July 15-19 to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu. The Bangkok decision was announced on Tuesday as the toll from the virus rose to 24 in Thailand. It is understood several people remain in hospital on Phuket with H1N1 type symptoms. Prince of Songkla University campus remains closed for a fortnight after a the death of a 19-year-old student, Phuket's sole fatality so far.


A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective. Reports from national and international media, with translations into English from Thai.

Xinhua Amid rising death cases in the country, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart, who chairs the national flu H1N1 virus prevention committee, said the government should consider closing all schools for up to four weeks. Earlier, he said he will propose at the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday to purchase face masks worth 10 million baht for those who travel by public transportation.

afp The swine flu pandemic has become ''unstoppable'' and all nations will need access to vaccines, a WHO official says. As the death toll increased, the World Health Organisation official said a swine flu vaccine should be available as early as September and all countries would need to be able to protect themselves. A group of vaccination experts concluded after a recent meeting that ''the H1N1 pandemic is unstoppable and therefore all countries would need to have access to vaccines,''' said Marie-Paul Kieny, WHO director on vaccine research. Health workers should be at the top of the list for vaccination since they will be in high demand as people continue to fall sick, she said.

asiaone.com As the H1N1 virus spreads and claims more victims, the chorus to halt all forms of public life seems to be growing more strident. ''The transmission rate of the new flu virus from humans to humans will be drastically decreased if people across the country, including patients with flu-like symptoms, stay home and do not participate in any social gathering for two weeks,'' said Dr Tippawan Nagchinta, a health expert from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Tippawan, a consultant to the Field Epidemiology Training Program, urged the government to tell people to avoid crowded places in order to slow down the increase in virus fatality and infection rates.

Bangkok Post About 10,000 soldiers will be involved in providing security at the Southeast Asian foreign ministers meeting in Phuket to prevent a repeat of the Pattaya debacle that forced the cancellation of the Asean summit during Songkran. An army source said army chief Anupong Paojinda had ordered at least 5000 soldiers from the 1st Army Area be brought in to join 4000 troops from the 4th Army Area to keep the Asean ministerial meeting free of violence and protest. Another 600 members of the combined special forces from the army, navy and air force would be assigned to offer personal protection to visiting delegates. The US will bring its own security guards to protect US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Reuters Ford Motor has launched a new $500 million passenger car plant in southeast Thailand, a move aimed at raising its share of a lucrative small car segment in Asia dominated by Japanese firms. The plant, a joint venture with Japan's Mazda for producing Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 models, will export 85 percent of its annual capacity of 100,000 cars a year. David Alden, Ford's president for southeast Asia and Japan, said Thai-built Fiestas would be shipped to southeast Asian countries, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa from early 2010 when production started.

Bangkok Post Owners of at least 15 four- and five-star hotels in tourist cities are looking to sell their business to Chinese investors after being hard hit by the global economic crisis and the flu pandemic, Industry Minister Charnchai Chairungruang says. ''Chinese investors are preparing to buy 15 or 16 four- and five-stars hotels in Thailand for 1200-1500 million baht each because the economic crisis and the flu have caused a sharp drop in their revenue. The owners of those hotels face cash flow problems. Many of them are not able to repay their due debts.''' Most of the tourist hotels in financial trouble were in Pattaya, Bangkok and Khon Kaen, said Mr Charnchai. Chinese investors believe that tourism in Thailand will recover in two to three years.

voa.com Burma's ambassador to the UN says the military government is planning to grant amnesty to prisoners so they can take part in next year's general elections. Ambassador Than Swe told the UN Security Council that Burma is working to grant the amnesty on humanitarian grounds, at the request of UN chief Ban Ki-moon. Mr Ban told reporters the amnesty is ''encouraging.'' But he said he would have to see how Burma implements other issues he raised during a visit to the country earlier this month. Burma's leaders refused to allow the UN chief to visit detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his recent visit.

csmonitor.com North Korea's reclusive dictator Kim Jong-il has been diagnosed with life-threatening pancreatic cancer, a South Korean TV station reported Monday. The report cited unnamed South Korean and Chinese intelligence officials. Representatives from the two countries are meeting now in Seoul to discuss how to deal with a North Korea that has become increasingly belligerent in recent months. However, South Korean officials declined to officially confirm the report, and US officials had no comment, according to Reuters. Mike Chinoy, author of 'Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis', raised concerns about the reliability of the report.


wsj.com Suzanne Scholte writes: ''There are many horrible stories about the North Korean regime's disregard for human rights, but I recently heard one that's hard to forget: On a recent trip to Seoul, a North Korean mother told me she and her 14-year-old daughter fled North Korea but were separated in China. The mother waited in China to reunite with her daughter only to discover that Chinese security agents had forced the girl back to North Korea, where border guards beat her to death.'' Scholte calls for an atrocities tribunal to be set up in South Korea immediately.

thephuketinsider.com One of the year's most anticipated hotel openings, Krabi's Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, has delayed opening to the end of the year. In talks with the hotel General Manager Estelita Sebeto the current economic downturn has been sited as the principal reason for moving back the launch to high season. With 54 luxury villas design by world renowned Thai designer Lek Bunnag; the property has been touted to be a serious competitor to Phukets high end resorts.

csmonitor.com Some countries thrive on globalisation. Some don't. In the race to develop, who would you rather be: Chile or Singapore? In a new study, two Harvard experts apply ''capabilities'' to each nation to formulate a future. Singapore, which starts out at No. 47 out of 129 countries in terms of number of products exported, rises to No. 10 when the authors calculate its complexity, whereas Chile, which started at No. 48 in number of products exported, falls to 53.

bernama Malaysia has agreed on four issues on Indonesian housemaids, namely one day off per week, insurance coverage, improving the standard contract, and monthly or regular salary payment. Indonesia announced decision to stop sending housemaids to Malaysia until a meeting later this month to discuss a new migrant worker agreement following reported cases of maid abuse.

afp Investors are lining up for a piece of Vietnam's Da Nang beach, which industry players say could become a tourism hotspot to rival Bali or Phuket. Stretching about 30 kilometers from the mountain-fringed central city of Da Nang to the heritage town of Hoi An, the white sand beach now has foreign and local investors walling off areas for development. ''I think our beach is better than Bali,'' says Nguyen Duc Quynh, executive assistant manager of the Furama Resort Da Nang, which opened 12 years ago as the beach's lone five-star resort and is preparing to build 134 adjacent residential villas with private pools. Along with golf, a casino is coming to the beach, another developer said.


Flower Thieves and Red Shirts Plague Asean
Photo Album Who stole the governor's welcoming garden from Phuket airport? That was the shock development today as the Defence Minister told the red shirts: Stay off Phuket.
Flower Thieves and Red Shirts Plague Asean

Defence Minister, Army Chief Do Tour of Phuket
Photo Album The Defence Minister, quoted as saying that 10,000 troops could be deployed on Phuket, was touring the island today in a last check before the 27 nation Asean Regional Forum.
Defence Minister, Army Chief Do Tour of Phuket

Thai Army Issuing Color-Coded Permits for Asean
Latest Phuket residents who live and work within the five kilometre security zone around Laguna Phuket will be required to display a permit on cars and motorcycles during the Asean forum.
Thai Army Issuing Color-Coded Permits for Asean

Phuket Asean Clamp Unnecessary: Red Shirt
Latest Phuket's red shirt leader wonders whether a tight military hold on the island is really necessary for the important series of Asean meetings this month.
Phuket Asean Clamp Unnecessary: Red Shirt


Patong Klong Developers Told to Think Again
Latest Villagers fighting to preserve space for their longtails in a Patong klong have won support from a Phuket vice governor who told developers to keep their neighbors happy.
Patong Klong Developers Told to Think Again

Phuket Lessons in How to Treat Resort Staff
Latest Resorts planning on laying off staff this month had better get their timing right or face the wrath of a government determined to make the Asean summit work.
Phuket Lessons in How to Treat Resort Staff

Phuket Internet Shops Protest at H1N1 Closure
Latest Phuket internet cafes along with others throughout Thailand are to be asked to close for two weeks from Monday because of H1N1. But why? The idea seems to have little value.
Phuket Internet Shops Protest at H1N1 Closure

Phuket Lashed by Torrential Storm, Flooding
Photo Album Can an island be wet and dry at the same time? Yes if it's Phuket, where an alcohol ban today was accompanied by a furious downpour.
Phuket Lashed by Torrential Storm, Flooding


MediaWATCH: Thai Flu Death Toll Spirals to 21
News Digest Update Three more flu fatalities; storm sinks a ferry off Phuket; British boy dies at a Pattaya water park; Indonesia moves on Asean human rights.
MediaWATCH: Thai Flu Death Toll Spirals to 21