About 500 people turned out at Phuket City Police Station today to farewell Colonel Wanchai Eakpornpit, Phuketwan Phuket Person of the Year 2010, who is heading north to Ranong.


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

scmp.com Street clashes broke out across the Persian Gulf region as demonstrators in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen sought to capitalise on the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and swept into the streets, where they were met by riot police.

fox.com Pro-democracy advocates took to the streets of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and other cities in Iran, just days after the Islamic Republic celebrated its 32nd anniversary. It's not clear how many protesters may have been involved, as securing reliable information from Iran is quite difficult. Some reports are that thousands came out in protest, but those reports are difficult to confirm.

Associated Press Global airline travel will likely jump to 3.3 billion passengers by 2014 as Asia's fast economic growth drives the industry's expansion, the International Air Transport Association said. Asia will likely account for 45 percent of the 800 million increase in air travelers between 2009 and 2014, IATA Chief Executive Giovanni Bisignani said, with China, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Malaysia fastest growing.

reuters Boeing rolled out a new jumbo jet, hoping to revive the glamour surrounding the birth of the 747 over 40 years ago and use it to boost slow sales. The 747-8 Intercontinental will seat 467 passengers, 51 more than the current version of the 747, and burn less fuel while offering passengers more comfort.

Phuket Update A total of 140 couples were married at Phuket City registry office on Valentine's Day, many of them couples who had decided to tie the knot after years of living together.

monstersandcritics.com Thailand has the second-highest rate of teenage pregnancy worldwide after only South Africa, a government official said at a seminar marking Valentine's Day. An estimated 70 out of every 1000 female teenagers in Thailand had children, the Manager online news service reported.

afp Love swept around the world as the amorous mixed traditional chocolates and roses with new and more determined ways to demonstrate their ardour on Valentine's Day. Seven enchanted but exhausted couples smooched their way to a new world record in Thailand with the longest continuous kiss lasting more than 32 hours -- and kept going.

Associated Press Two Thai Air Force F-16 fighter planes taking part in a joint military exercise with the US have crashed in northeastern Thailand. The pilots safely ejected from their jets.


Colonel Wanchai Eakpornpit will be farewelled from Phuket City Police Station at 8.30am today by colleagues and community leaders. The colonel, who masterminded the introduction of a strategy that successfully put helmets on the heads of additional motorcycle riders all over the island, is being promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Police in Ranong. He was judged to be the Phuketwan/Phuket Post Phuket Person of the Year 2010.

reuters Airports of Thailand reported a 14 percent drop in quarterly net profit due to foreign exchange losses, despite improving aircraft and passenger traffic.

csmonitor.com With more than 4500 Tunisians having landed on one of its remote islands, Italy called for an emergency European Union summit to deal with the flood of refugees seeking asylum in Europe.

aap A Qantas flight from London to Singapore was stopped from flying into Iraqi air space. A Qantas spokeswoman told AAP that Iraq air services would not allow the flight into Iraq air space as they did not "recognise the authority" who had pre-approved the flight path.

innercitypress.com After Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya declared victory in the UN Security Council Monday over Cambodia's request for peacekeepers, Inner City Press asked him about Thailand expelling and denying UN refugee agency access to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Minister Kasit said later that there is a dialogue with UNHCR, and not to worry.

ipsnews.net The Rohingyas' journey across the Andaman sea to southern Thailand signals the possibility a flotilla of refugees will follow now that the ocean has regained its post-monsoon calm, say refugee and human rights activists who have documented the accounts of the Rohingyas.

channelnewsasia.com The Asian Green City Index, a study commissioned by Siemens, has concluded that Singapore is Asia's greenest metropolis among 22 cities surveyed.

afp Two people suffered broken bones when a Japan Airlines plane hit sudden turbulence en route from Tokyo to Hawaii, an airline spokesman said.

Associated Press Police say a woman in a jungle region of northern Malaysia rescued her husband from a tiger attack by clubbing the beast on its head with a large wooden soup ladle and chasing it away.



Life Home Project and Ireland's honorary consul Helene Fallon-Wood are
hosting the Second St Patrick's Day Ball at the Movenpick Resort and
Spa in Karon on March 26 with cocktails from 6.30pm and dinner
to follow. Tickets at 4000 baht benefit the Life Home Project. Contact
Khun Joojee 081 3979809 or Khun Eee or Nee 086 9469232. Tickets will
be available at BAKE Chalong, Cherng Talay and BIS.

February 18 Makha Bucha public holiday
February 20 Pink Floyd charity tribute by New Machine, Zantika, Khao Lak
February 23-26 Phuket Gay Pride Festival, Patong
February 25-26 Phuket International Blues and Rock Festival 2011
February 26-27 Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s, Phuket International Academy
March4-6 Pool Asia Expo and Conference, Hilton, Phuket
March 14-19 ADFEST 2011 at Movenpick Resort, Phuket
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City


Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket