A British couple kidnapped by pirates has been released after more than a year in captivity, Somali leaders said. Paul and Rachel Chandler were seized from their yacht in October last year, just after they set sail from the Seychelles Islands for Tanzania. A ransom of about $750,000 was paid.


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

theguardian.co.uk As dusk gathered, the order came by mobile phone to take down the barricades. The roadblock that for years had blocked University Avenue, cutting Aung San Suu Kyi off from her people, was no more. As the police attempted to pull down the barbed wire, the crowd overwhelmed them; seven years of anger and generations of frustration forgotten in one joyous moment.

cnn.com "I'm very happy to see you all again," she said, reconnecting with the people. It was difficult to hear Suu Kyi, her voice drowned out by the cheering crowd. But according to the independent Irrawaddy magazine, she said: "We have not seen each other for a long time. There are so many things to talk about."

afp The Norwegian Nobel Committee has invited Aung San Suu Kyi to Oslo, after Burmese authorities stopped her from picking up her award in 1991. Thorbjoern Jagland, the committee's chairman, said the Burmese activist should travel to Oslo as soon as possible to make her traditional acceptance speech.

wsj.com Ms. Suu Kyi's release isn't likely to trigger major political change in Burma, an impoverished but strategically important Southeast Asian nation with extensive natural gas reserves between China and India. Despite being one of the world's most famous political prisoners, Ms Suu Kyi's position has weakened considerably in recent years as Burma's ruling junta has fortified its financial and military strength through expanded ties with China and other Asian allies.

monsterandcritics.com Thailand welcomed the release, while expressing hopes that the Nobel laureate will be allowed to play a role in the country's 'nation-building process.' 'Her release marks another important step in the national reconciliation and democratization process in Myanmar,' the Thai Foreign Ministry said.

bbc.co.uk US President Barack Obama said Ms Suu Kyi was a "hero" of his while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said she was an "inspiration". But both leaders warned that her release should not mask the continued political oppression in Burma.

afp "She is an unwavering champion of peace, democracy and respect for human rights in Burma, despite being held in detention for 15 of the past 21 years," Canadian PM Stephen Harper said. "Neither her trial nor appeal process were conducted in line with international standards. She was not granted due process and should never have been detained," he said.

nationmultimedia.com She has not seen her two sons for about a decade and has never met her grandchildren. Her youngest son Kim Aris, 33, arrived in Bangkok ahead of her release but it was unclear whether he would be allowed to visit his mother.

bangkokpost.com Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed, but Human Rights Watch estimates that 2200 people continue to languish in Burmese prisons. The figure has more than doubled since the 2007 anti-government protests and 350 political activists have been jailed since October 2008.

bangkokpost.com Voranai Vanijaka writes: If there's one thing I've learned from the 14th International Anti-Corruption Conferencein Bangkok, it's that perhaps Thailand needs to be more like Indonesia. This is not to say that Indonesia and KPK don't have flaws, but it is to say that they are doing a lot better than we are.

mercurynews.com Facebook may be on the verge of offering e-mail to the 500 million members of its social-networking site, making it the largest e-mail service on the planet. More significantly, the offering could lead to a fundamental transformation of e-mail. Yahoo, Google and Microsoft are already scrambling to retool their e-mail services to build them more around people's social connections.

scmp.com Private pilots taking off illegally are causing UFO scares. Chaos at mainland airports caused by unidentified flying objects is being blamed on an increase in so-called black flights.



November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
November 21 Loy Kratong Festival
November 26-28 Phuket Honda Racing Fest at Saphan Hin, Phuket City
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
December 3-5 North Phuket Culinary Arts Festival, Mai Khao resorts
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 16-18 2010 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous
December 17 US Consular outreach service on Phuket
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross fair, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 22 QSI International fun run day at Bang Wad Dam, Kathu
January 23 The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race Day, Laguna Phuket
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi