reuters Terrified passengers on a plane prayed as their aircraft, one of its engines on fire, made its way back to Singapore today. Cathay Pacific said the Airbus A330, bound for Jakarta with 136 passengers on board, landed back in Singapore ''without incident'' just before 2am.


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

bangkokpost.com The cabin interiors of Thai Airways International planes will get a dramatic makeover as part of a comprehensive multi-billion-baht plan to usher in a new era for the 51-year-old flag carrier. "Gone will be the candy-colored upholstery in economy class and dim shades of purple in business class," a source said.

reuters.com IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest on sexual assault charges, weeks before he was expected to announce a presidential bid, looks set to scar France's political landscape and remold its coming election campaign.

latimes.com Paul Browne, deputy New York City police commissioner, said: "A 32-year-old chambermaid at a Sofitel on 44th Street said that at about 1pm, she entered Mr Strauss-Kahn's room to clean when he came out of the bathroom naked, pushed her onto the bed and assaulted her." The maid told police that before she could escape, Strauss-Kahn forced her to perform oral sex, Browne said.

wsj.com New York police said Strauss-Kahn has been charged with attempted rape, sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment, according to The Wall Street Journal. The French blog Atlantico reported that he was expected to step down "within hours" of a court appearance.

npr.org Strauss-Kahn fled the hotel, police said, leaving behind personal articles, including his cell phone. He was seated in a first-class seat on a Paris-bound Air France flight when police arrested him. Though he had not yet announced his candidacy for president, he was already a frontrunner in opinion polls.

bangkokpost.com The government's National Reform Committee, chaired by former PM Anand Panyarachun, has resigned ahead of the general election. The committee looked at how to reduce social disparities, strengthen society and promote fairness as part of the government's reconciliation agenda. Mr Anand said injustice still prevails because power is concentrated in the capital and large cities.

andrew-drummond.com A coroner in England will investigate the deaths of British couple who died in a Chiang Mai hotel where tourists have taken ill and died in what Thai authorities claim is ''coincidental.'' Thai journalists have told andrew-drummond.com that writing critically of the ownership of the hotel is a ''no go area''.

theaustralian.com.au Rat poison is among the latest theories surrounding the mystery deaths of several tourists in northern Thailand. Test samples have been sent to the US-based Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta as well as Osaka University in Japan for examination.

todayonline.com Fifa executive committee member Worawi Makudi, who has been implicated in a World Cup bribery scandal, has lost his job as head of the Thai Football Association, local media reported.

telegraph.co.uk The first injunction specifically banning the publication of information on Facebook and Twitter was issued amid growing fears about the culture of secrecy in British courts. The order was granted after an anonymous Twitter user posted a list of celebrities who have allegedly obtained injunctions to hide confidential details about their private lives.

afp National carrier Malaysian Airlines said 13 of its scheduled flights had been delayed and over 300 bags left behind following a "total blackout" at the capital's international airport. "Although it was restored within a short period of time, it had resulted in several flight delays," the airline said in a statement.

Associated Press Singapore's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, resigned from Cabinet, ceding leadership to a younger generation after his party's worst election result since independence in 1965.

cnn.com Also resigning was Goh Chok Tong, who succeeded Lee as PM and recently served as a senior minister.

afp Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew's decision to step down after half a century in government could pave the way for reforms.

byronnews.com.au Only 20 metres off Natai Beach on the west coast of Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, Anchalika Kijkanakorn, an ex-financier turned hotelier, is giving Mother Nature a hand to recreate the coral reefs that once graced the Andaman Sea. Her Aleenta Resorts and Akaryn Hospitality Management Services group co-founded The Pure Blue Foundation last year to champion her vision and raise vital funds to bring her plan to fruition.

penn-olson.com A study asserts that the commercial value of illegal software in the Asia Pacific region reached $18.7 billion. It also claims the global the revenue lost due to software piracy jumped to $59 billion, nearly double what it was in 2003.

reuters Flanked by long-legged models adorned in peacock feathers, Hong Kong property and construction tycoon Lui Che Woo was all smiles as he opened the doors to his new $2 billion casino in Macau. ''If you merge Phuket with Macau it would create a new dimensional kind of market. The example of Galaxy Macau is to bring this tropical mood to Macau,'' said Lui.

aviationrecord.com Air New Zealand's Skycouch Economy seat has won the Aviation category in Conde Nast Traveller's 2011 Innovation and Design Awards. The Kiwi designed Economy Skycouch was selected ahead of new First Class A380 cabin designs entered by both Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.

nytimes In outsourcing critical parts of their defense to mercenaries the UAE has begun a new era in the boom in wartime contracting that began after the September 11, 2001, attacks. And by relying on a force largely created by Americans, they have introduced a volatile element in an already combustible region where the US is widely viewed with suspicion.

andrew-drummond.com I thought Fergie must have been hamming it up bit with the ''jungle embraced me'' quote, although there is a lot to embrace. Prince Andrew slips into Thailand a lot, too. Here his name has been linked to a well known luk-krung, but as she is now married I'm not going into that here.

Charity Job Wanted The Bangkok Free Ambulance is looking for a manager to run its fund raising and PR side of the NZ registered Foundation. We are short $20,000 to buy our replacement ambulance. The job, purely voluntary, would entail raising the remaining amount to enable us to continue our free ambulance service in Bangkok. - Marko



Until May 22 Phuket's village fair of local products, food and entertainment, Saphan Hin
May 17 Visakha Bucha Day public holiday
May 31 New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
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