nationmultimedia.com Thailand must show its sincerity in fighting graft by rushing ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, private and public sectors urged over the weekend. That would ensure enforcement against corruption and prove that the government was serious. Thailand hosts the International Anti-Corruption Conference November 10-14.


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

afp Thai police have detained a former US policeman who is due to be deported to the US where he is wanted for the trafficking of 13 Thai women and raping a minor. Gilbert Dubois, 55, from Orange County in California, was arrested in Bangkok, said police Colonel Voravat Amornvivat. ''His retirement visa has been revoked and he will be deported,'' Voravat told AFP.

mcot.net Two Iranian men were arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport for smuggling 6.2kg of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, worth 21.7 million baht, customs officers reported. Habibihemat Siamak, 41, and Elmjou Mohammad Reza, 25, were detained after customs officers suspected that the bottom of their baggage was unusually thick, as if specially designed.

nationmultimedia.com If national politics played a role in Sunday's Bangkok elections, the public moods have been confirmed to still be in favor of the ruling party. Pheu Thai will be the far happier of the two ''losers''. The results underlined considerable presence of red support in the capital, albeit mostly on its outskirts. New Politics, the newcomer, however, learned a hard lesson in its first real debut. The yellow-colored party has failed on two fronts - the battle against the reds and the attempt to present itself as an alternative to the Democrats.

xinhua A volcano erupted on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia for the first time in four centuries, with ashes and smoke shooting 1.5 km into the air, killing one person and prompting the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from nearby villages, officials said. The eruption did not disturb flight at the main airport in the area.

asiaone.com The Philippines has become a ''condemned'' country for tourists from Hong Kong as well as several major cities on the mainland. The travel business has plummeted as a result. Philippine Airlines said the number of cancellations of tickets has shot up ever since the Hong Kong government issued a black alert.

afp Tens of thousands of people rallied in Hong Kong on Sunday to demand justice for victims of the Manila hostage bloodbath, as the city's large Filipino community staged its own memorials for the dead. Demonstrators voiced their anger over the Philippine government's handling of the siege in the heart of Manila which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead amid widespread complaints of police bungling.

scmp.com ''If only we had been braver to unite and attack the gunman, things might have turned out differently. Regrettably, there are no 'ifs' in history.'' So writes hostage survivor Lee Ying-chuen.

bangkokpost.com Thai Airways International's intention to buy an additional stake in Nok Air from Krung Thai Bank in a bid to exert greater control over the budget carrier has been called into question. The flag carrier has offered only 13 baht each for the 500,000 Nok shares held by the state-controlled bank, compared with the current market value of 40 baht.

afp Singapore will recruit 45,000 Bangladeshi domestic workers in a boost for the impoverished country's labor export sector after jobs dried up in the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia. Singaporean recruiting firms agreed on the number following talks in Dhaka last week.

telegraph.co.uk More than 80 international cricket matches will be investigated amid allegations that a London businessman has been running a multi-million-pound match-fixing racket. The sport was thrown into turmoil after four Pakistan players were questioned as part of a Scotland Yard inquiry into claims they had taken orders from Mazhar Majeed, a British property developer and sports agent, to corrupt a Test match.

telegraph.co.uk It is only natural that cricketers - or some of them at least - should reflect the society from which they come. And Pakistan is, and has been almost throughout its existence, riddled with corruption.

smh.com.au A bestselling Indian author has branded the Delhi Commonwealth Games the biggest and most blatant exercise in corruption since the country won independence six decades ago. Chetan Bhagat, who has sold more than four million books and has a substantial youth following, called for the public to boycott the event as a protest against bribery and sleaze.

nationmultimedia.com Patrick Ross writes a letter: I recently passed through the domestic area of Suvarnabhumi Airport on my way to Phuket and was startled to see that a 70-centilitre bottle of Hundred Pipers Scotch Whisky was priced at the King Power outlet at 450 baht, whereas the same volume bottle and brand is priced in 7-Eleven stores at 349 baht, a staggering difference of almost 30 percent. Is not the Consumer Protection Act designed to stop exactly this kind of overpricing?

fosters.com Smoke wafting from a Cadillac Escalade on the Las Vegas Strip set off Paris Hilton's latest legal troubles when a motorcycle officer who suspected the smell was marijuana stopped the vehicle and police say a bag of cocaine later fell out of the 29-year-old socialite's purse. It's the second time this year Hilton has been arrested on drug possession allegations.

bloomberg Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's research business has awoken from a decade-long slumber to seek compensation from 11 companies including Google and Apple for its ''groundbreaking'' contributions to the internet economy.

stickmanweekly.com Watching international rugby in Soi 8 pub recently, I got chatting to some of my fellow countrymen sitting around me. Young guys, drinkers, rugby fans. Typical Kiwis. All were teachers and not one had even the slightest interest in the naughty bars. They simply had no interest in prostitution. A different type of person is applying for teaching positions in Bangkok these days.



thephuketinsider.com Bang Sak beach in Khao Lak is all the buzz as set work has started for the upcoming Hollywood movie 'The Impossible.' The epic finds its roots in a true story during the 2004 tsunami. Stars include Ewan McGregor, best known for his roles in 'Trainspotting' and 'Star Wars - Attack of the Clones'.



September 4 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Kata beach
Until September 9 Ramadan
September 11 Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival, Loma Park, Patong
September 13 Phuket Tsunami Drill, Loma Park, Patong, 10.30am
September 16-17 Celebration of the 114th birthday of Luang Pu Supha at the Chalong temple named in his honor.
September 18 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Surin beach
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi