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

PHUKET has recorded no road deaths so far during the Songkran New Year celebrations, with the new three-days of waterplay giving tourists and residents much more time to enjoy the fun. (Catch our Photo Special above). Songkran ends tonight, just in time for the weekend.

torontosun.com Another Thailand traveller was treated in hospital after spending time in Chiang Mai, where a number of tourists have mysteriously died since January. Megan Jefferies, 26, of Seattle, became violently ill April 4 along with two friends after eating and using restrooms at the Night Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on March 30. Jefferies and her husband, Mike, had to abruptly cut their one-year travel across the world short, after two weeks in Chiang Mai resulted in Jefferies making two emergency hospital visits - "the worst week of their lives."

dailymail.co.uk A British tourist was beaten to death by officers in a Dubai police station after being arrested for swearing, it was claimed. Lee Bradley Brown, 39, was on holiday at a 1000-pounds-a-night hotel in the Arab state when he was thrown into a filthy cell. Police sources say he was ''badly beaten up'' by a group of police officers, leaving him unconscious on the floor. Inmates told how they watched officers bundle him into a body-bag and drag him out of the building.

gulfnews.com A man in Dubai on a tourist visa died in police custody of ''natural causes'', according to a source at Bur Dubai Police station. The source said a police autopsy conducted on Lee Bradley, 39, ruled out any torture. The source said the man, a guest at the Burj Al Arab, was arrested following a complaint by hotel management that he had attacked a Nepalese housekeeper.

bbc.co.uk The Foreign Office is calling for a "full investigation" after a British man died in police custody in Dubai. Officials have also inquired about the "safety" of four other Britons held at the same police station.

dailymail.co.uk The family of a man allegedly beaten to death in a Dubai cell demanded government help last night after claiming his ''murder'' was being covered up. Authorities said Lee Bradley Brown had died of natural causes despite witnesses seeing him being ''beaten to a pulp'' by prison guards.

afp Two French nationals suspected of belonging to an international terror group have been arrested by Pakistan's security services, French and Pakistani sources said. The two are suspected of being part of the group responsible for the bloody attacks in Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people, according to Pakistani security officials.

northernstar.com.au Aussie undertaker Neil Edward Gray failed to appear in the Ballina Local Court to face four new charges of stealing from the dead. A medical certificate from a Bangkok hospital said Gray was suffering from a swollen leg, ''which limits his capacity to fly back''.

ft.com The Singapore dollar jumped to a record level against the US dollar after the island state tightened monetary policy for the second time in six months to combat rising inflation.

wsj.com Singapore Airlines will cut two of its seven weekly non-stop flights to Los Angeles next month due to lower demand, the airline's spokesman said.

bangkokpost.com Engineering experts are pushing for a review of Thailand's existing regulations requiring buildings to withstand strong earthquakes. The regulations issued in 2007 also should cover more provinces and types of construction projects, said Assoc Prof Dr Amorn Pimanmas, chairman of the project committee at the Engineering Institute of Thailand.

etravelblackboardasia.com As the sun sets over the azure blue waters of the Andaman Sea, the stunning cliff top location of five-star Phuket Resort Paresa lives up to its name translating to ''Heaven of all Heavens''. This magical setting above Kamala Bay, along the island's most sought after address known as Millionaires Mile, is now one of Asia's most magical destinations for dream weddings.

dow jones Singapore Airlines has stopped reducing the salary of its employees after they turn 60. The city state had allowed companies to reduce the salaries of employees turning 60 years of age by 10 percent when it raised the retirement age to 62 in the late 1990s, as compensation in several organisations was based on years of service and not performance.

stockmarketsreview.com The vast choice in Phuket Villas means that no matter what your budget you will find something that will suit it. The flourishing tourist industry in Phuket gives you the option to rent out your villa, either privately or though one of the many agencies, so while you are elsewhere in the world your investment will not only pay for itself but will give you a far better return than even the highest interest paying bank account or investment scheme.



Until April 15 Songkran Festival, Phuket City, Patong celebrations
Until April 17 Phuket International Cricket Sixes, Karon
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
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

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket