telegraph.co.uk The mysterious deaths of British tourists George and Eileen Everitt in Thailand, blamed on "toxic seaweed", could have been caused by a chemical spray used for killing bedbugs, new evidence suggests.

FC Phuket draws on the road 2-2 with Samut Pakarn.


A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

thewest.com.au Malaysia Airlines has launched a big fare war with more than $1000 slashed from long-haul flights from Australia. Travel agents believe the aggressive pricing may start another serious price war.

ft.com Thailand's PM has said he expects to hold elections on July 3 in a vote that will test the country's bitter political divisions.

Phuket Update A Phuket Navy League welcome party is set for Monday night for the crew of the USS Hopper. The arrival of the destroyer, Phuket's 33rd visiting US Navy vessel, follows a visit by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and several other US warships. Location: Irish Times Pub, JungCeylon, from 7pm.

radionz.co.nz A potentially lethal chemical that kills bed bugs could be behind the deaths of New Zealand woman Sarah Carter and three others in Thailand earlier this year, a New Zealand scientist says.

3news.co.nz Now the attention turns again to Thai authorities. Just how much of this did they already know, but refuse to disclose?

chicagotribune.com A man is in custody in St. Louis and being questioned by police and the FBI after he apparently tried to exit a Continental Airlines flight as it flew from Houston to Chicago.

afp Rights groups in Cambodia accused police of using disproportionate violence on Sunday, alleging they beat protesters at a rally by 2000 garment workers. Around 100 officers, armed with electric batons and guns, moved in to disperse the mainly female crowd that had formed a roadblock near Phnom Penh's airport.

nytimes.com A meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to make progress in resolving the deadly border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. In addition, the meeting ended with the question left open of whether Burma would assume the organisation's rotating chairmanship.

theaustralian.com.au Seventeen journalists from the Democratic Voice of Burma are just a few among the crowds of political prisoners locked up by the Burmese regime: activists, lawyers, writers, poets - anyone, in short, with the temerity to express a view or which differs from the official line.

bloomberg.com Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong pledged his People's Action Party will change the way it governs after returning to power with the smallest margin of popular votes and the opposition won a record number of seats.

telegraph.co.uk A "happiness gene" which has a strong influence on how satisfied people are with their lives, has been discovered. The gene, called 5-HTT, is responsible for how well nerve cells manage to distribute serotonin, a chemical produced by the pineal gland in the brain which helps control mood.

cnn.com Under the deal struck between Australia and Malaysia, the next 800 asylum-seekers who arrive in Australia illegally will be transferred to Malaysia for refugee status determination. In exchange, over the next four years, Australia will take in 4000 refugees who are already residing in Malaysia.

aljazeera.net Egypt's government has announced a series of security measures to curb religious violence after 12 people died in clashes in the Cairo suburb of Imbaba, sparked by rumors that Christians had abducted a woman who converted to Islam.

thephuketinsider.com We have learned that the 202-room upscale Kamala Cove resort will be restarting shortly and plans to open within nine months. While the project had previously been branded to Marriott, it is unclear if the management agreement has been retained.


IBAP meets at IndoChine on May 13 to hear Robert Mather on 'Phang Nga bay ecology, mangroves & sustainability.' Mr Mather is responsible for developing the International Union for Conservation of Nature's presence and program in Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as managing a new project on Building Coastal Resilience to Climate Change in eight provinces of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.


May 13 Royal Ploughing Day public holiday
May 31 New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
May 17 Visakha Bucha Day public holiday
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 17 Phuket Property Dot Com Pro Am Invitational, Laguna
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 15 Asarnha Bucha Day public holiday
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday public holiday
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 26-27 9th Phuket International Soccer 7s
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 3-4 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket