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

Latest:

reuters Japan's nuclear safety agency said a pool for cooling spent nuclear fuel at the No.4 reactor of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remains a serious concern. Earlier in the day the agency said it could not confirm if there was water in the pool.

dailymail.co.uk The United Nations has predicted that a nuclear plume from a crisis-hit reactor in Japan could drift across the Pacific and over the US by Friday. The chilling forecast came as the US began evacuating Americans out of Japan amid escalating fears that the quake-ravaged country is facing a nuclear disaster.

presstrustofindia As the workers at quake-stricken Fukushima atomic plant in northeastern Japan struggled to avert a possible nuclear catastrophe, Germany has asked its nationals to leave the affected region or head south.

cnn.com Governments are taking precautions and conducting thorough inspections of Japanese food, which is popular worldwide and available at high-end stores around Asia, and specialty shops in Europe and the US.

Earlier:

smh.com.au A US agency helping Japan tackle its nuclear crisis at a stricken nuclear power plant says there is no water in one of the reactor's pools, leading to "extremely high" radiation levels, a claim that Japanese officials deny.

theglobeandmail.com Already jittery, markets began to tumble sharply after comments on the crisis by the chief energy official of the European Union, who warned that the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant was "effectively out of control" and could get worse.

smh.com.au Japan's tsunami-ravaged coast has now been hit by an unseasonal late snow dump, compounding the deprivations for 550,000 homeless survivors and millions more who are living without adequate supplies and services.

bloomberg The Japanese government has imposed restrictions to keep civilian flights away from the Fukushima nuclear plant, north of Tokyo. Some airlines also took steps to limit staff presence in Tokyo.

bangkokpost.com The Japanese embassy in Bangkok said items needed in disaster-hit areas were water, flashlights, blankets and sleeping bags. Scientists have confirmed that the wind has not blown radioactive air towards Thailand.

watoday.com.au Australian Ren Gregoric, 22, who decided to leave his home in Fukushima prefecture after a tense few days, said he believed the Japanese Government was trying to keep the population calm rather than giving them accurate information about the damaged reactor.

nytimes.com Jin Sato, mayor of the quiet fishing port of Minamisanriku, had just given a speech to the town assembly on the need to strengthen tsunami preparation when the earthquake struck. The tsunami came just over a half-hour later, far exceeding even their worst fears. As many as 10,000 people may have been swallowed by the sea.

Associated Press Growing up in a small fishing town on Japan's northeastern coast, 16-year-old Minami Sato never took the annual tsunami drills seriously. But the colossal wave that slammed into Shizugawa last week "was beyond imagination," the high-school student said. "There was nothing we could do, but run."

travelweekly.com.au Japan is likely to take as long to recover from its current devastation as Phuket did from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the boss of a specialist wholesaler has predicted. Anthony Luxton, managing director and owner of Brisbane-based Japan Holidays said the tragedy in Asia six years ago is the only event to compare with the earthquake and tsunami that obliterated coastal areas of Japan.

mercurynews.com Hawaii officials estimated that the powerful tsunami generated from the Japan earthquake caused tens of million of dollars in damage to ports, roads and homes in the state and expect tourism revenue to decline as Japanese travelers cancel vacations. Travelers from Japan account for 17.6 percent of visitors to the islands.

time.com Japan has 18 nuclear power plants, which together house a total of 54 reactors. These plants generate about 29 percent of the country's electricity.

bangkokpost.com Thai Airways International introduced a new 15 percent lower fare structure for domestic tickets in a bold move to reclaim market share lost to low-cost carriers. Complemented by double mileage points, the fares until September 30 are intended to lift the flag carrier's share in the domestic market from about 35 percent now.

tehrantimes.com The Dubai Court of Misdemeanors will Thursday hear a case against an Emirati lawyer who is being sued by the former PM of Thailand and billionaire businessman Thaksin Shinawatra for $120 million. Shinawatra has accused the lawyer of misusing funds from an escrow account that he permitted the firm to operate.

bbc.co.uk The UK Foreign Office has urged Britons to leave Bahrain amid protests and violence. Security forces with tanks have moved in on anti-government protesters in the Gulf state's capital, Manama.

reuters The international community has 10 hours to act against troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who are preparing to slaughter his opponents, an anti-Gaddafi Libyan diplomat said. "We think that ... in the coming hours, we will see a real genocide in Ajdabiyah if the international community does not move quickly and prevent him from attacking it with a large force," said Libya's deputy UN envoy, Ibrahim Dabbashi.

new.com.au Male foreigners over the age of 50 have been outlawed from marrying Cambodian women in the country under new rules designed to crack down on sham marriages and human trafficking. Foreigners who earn less than $2580 a month are also barred from wedding local women, foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told AFP, but the restrictions do not apply to weddings taking place overseas.


THE Women's Will Power Phuket Charity Group raised close to 240,000 baht raised for Phuket Shelter Home with its 2011 calendar. Phuket Shelter Home provides accommodation and support for women and children who have suffered domestic abuse. Many have suffered because of domestic abuse. Some of the women are rape victims, or single-mothers who cannot support their children. The 2010 calendar raised 120,000 baht for Phuket Sunshine Village, a tsunami orphanage.

salon.com Police said they have smashed a huge international pedophile ring, rescuing 230 children from abuse and arresting 184 suspects - including teachers and police officers. The three-year investigation code named Operation Rescue uncovered 670 suspects and identified and safeguarded children in more than 30 countries by arresting people accused of abusing them.

heraldsun.com Thirty-one Australians are among 184 people arrested after worldwide raids on an alleged online pedophile ring. The suspects were members of an Amsterdam online forum, boylover.net, that promoted sex between adults and young boys.

independent.co.uk The administrator of an anti-government website has been jailed for 13 years on charges of defaming the monarchy and violating the Computer Crime Act. The Criminal Court gave 38-year-old Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul 10 years for defaming the monarchy and three years for breaching a broadly defined information law.

afp Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has rejected "shocking accusations" from an inquiry linking him to an alleged prostitution ring, saying women only came to dine and dance at his house, he told La Repubblica newspaper.

Associated Press Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi paid for sex with an under-age Moroccan 13 times at his villa near Milan, prosecutors said in a document that detailed how dinner parties at the mansion were followed by erotic masked dancing and orgies in which Berlusconi had his pick of multiple partners.

reuters A Tibetan Buddhist monk burned himself to death in the country's west, triggering a street protest against government controls on the restive region, a group campaigning for Tibetan self-rule said.

allvoices.com The death of a French woman in Chiang Mai brings the total number of unnatural death of foreigners in Thailand to six in six weeks. Unless the deaths are fully investigated and explained, it could adversely affect tourist trade in Thailand.

eturbonews.com Sport tourism is turning into tourism's fastest growing sector. Now in its second year, a World Sport expo 2011 will be hosted in Bangkok from September 27 to September 29. Revenues from this niche market grew last year by 14 percent.

wsj.com Wyndham Worldwide Corp said the Wyndham Khao Lak Resort, owned by South Sea Pakarang Resort Co, is under construction and scheduled to open late this year.

mashable.com As of the end of 2010, more people get their news from the Internet than from newspapers - and more ad dollars went to online outlets than to newspapers, too. In surveys conducted by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism, 34 percent of respondents said they read news online within the past 24 hours (as opposed to 31 percent who favored newspapers); and a full 41 percent said they get most of their news online, 10 percent more than those who said they got most of their news from a newspaper.

iol.co.za Phuket's reputation as the Vegas of Thailand precedes it. ''Have a gander at these suits, mate,'' called one of countless Thai [Ed: Really?] salesmen as we wandered past the shops, sports bars and ladyboys prancing down the main street. Song Kran [sic] may just be the one time in your Thai beach holiday when you really get to mingle with the locals. Everyone gets soaked.

thephuketinsider.com Look out Laguna Phuket and Nusa Dua in Bali, here comes the new Treasure Bay destination resort. Located in Bintan, Indonesia, just across from Singapore, the resort will see a first-phase opening in 2014 at a $US334 million budget.

bunburymail.com.au Science teacher Athena Hain-Saunders was awarded the Australian Microsoft Innovative Teacher of the Year award at the Asia Pacific Regional Innovative Education Forum in Phuket. After being named the Western Australia's most innovative teacher last September, Ms Hain-Saunders was sent to Phuket to compete against teachers of different subjects to vie for the national title. Next: Washington DC in November to compete for the world title of Microsoft Teacher of the Year.



ST PATRICK'S DAY BALL. 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.

Until March 19 Heroine's Monument Festival
March 26 St Patrick's Day Ball, Movenpick Resort and Spa, Karon. Details 081 3979809 or 086 9469232
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket