asiaone.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Visa (Thailand) invited Matthew Harding, aka Dancing Matt, to lure foreign travellers under the 'Go Thailand: All that is missing is you' campaign. Harding recorded his ''happy dance'' at Phuket's Blue Canyon Golf Course, Kata and Karon beaches on Phuket. His YouTube video has been watched 40 million times.



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

nationmultimedia.com Flooding has cost the Thai private sector 1.3 trillion baht in lost revenues and damage to property, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told a Bangkok conference. The country's industrial output has dropped drastically in the last three months, Yingluck said in a speech to a workshop at the National Defence Studies Institute.

dvb.no A group of 63 Rohingya refugees attempting to reach Malaysia have been given prison sentences of one and a half years each by a Burmese court after their boat ended up on the shores of southern Burma. A law passed in 1982 made it impossible for the Muslim minority group to gain citizenship in Burma

ria.ru Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the US authorities of sponsoring the opposition in Russia and urged harsher punishments for those acting on orders from ''foreign states.''

nationmultimedia.com A total of 12,000 inmates were released after being granted Royal Pardons on the occasion of His Majesty the King's 84th birthday. Another 10,000 inmates will be released on December 18.

mcot.net Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made her official one-day introductory visit to Singapore, the seventh country of the 10-nation circuit to all Asean countries to strengthen bilateral ties and closer cooperation after assuming office in August.

bangkokpost.com Thailand Privilege Card Co, the debt-ridden operator of Thailand Elite Card, has 80 million baht in cash, enough to cover operating costs until the middle of 2012.

thejakartaglobe.com American Eli Gattenio of Bali has offered a $2200 reward to anyone who can help capture his Indonesian ex-wife. Gattenio said he had been raising their young children since the couple divorced and she fled with all of their marital assets.

travelweekly.com.au Watch out Qantas and Virgin Australia take heed - Air Australia has landed. Offering affordable flights, a spacious economy class and a lucrative frequent flyer program, industry pundits are confident Air Australia will shake up the market. The plan is to cut costs with an onboard purchasing service that puts more Australians in the skies.

dailymail.co.uk Supermarket giant Tesco reported an entire year of declining sales. The forecast is gloomy with Christmas approaching. In Thailand, like-for-like sales slowed from 7.5 percent to 1.4 percent as devastating floods forced the closure of 165 stores across the country.

channelnewsasia.com Singapore's tourism authorities have launched a new campaign to attract more Chinese tourists to the island republic. This is mainly to target more experienced and well-heeled travelers.

guardian.co.uk Chinese police have arrested more than 600 people and rescued 178 children in crackdowns on two trafficking networks. The Ministry of Public Security said that 5000 officers across 10 provinces had been involved in the six-month investigation.



nationmultimedia.com King's Cup Regatta Races resume today, with boats in several divisions aiming to make decisive moves on the penultimate day of competition. The Kiteboards class was due to compete yesterday, but unreliable light winds saw the contest cancelled.

sail-world.com Leading the regatta so far are the Japanese crew aboard the Summit/King 40 who are very good sailors. ''They look pretty slick,'' said Sydney Yachts Jason Rowed. ''We can charge upwind past them when we get to the corners, we are still working on that part. They have got it pretty well nailed. Good on them.''

afp Virender Sehwag hammered a record 219 off 149 balls to lift India to their best one-day total of 5-418 before the West Indies were bowled out for 265 in the last over.



Unti December 10 King's Cup Regatta, Kata beach

December 9-12 Phang Nga Carnival, Khao Lak

December 15-20 Carnival Festival, Patong



Late February Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

April Opening of Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, three waterfront gardens that will dwarf Kew in London and provide ''green lungs'' for the city.

May 26-June 5 National Youth Games, Phuket

March 29-April 1 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket