perthnow.com.au Dozens of Australians who want to end their lives are jetting to Thailand as the new destination of choice for buying euthanasia drugs. Cheap flights and the ease of obtaining preferred suicide drug Nembutal means right-to-die group Exit International is recommending drug-buying missions to Thailand. One Thai vet supply shop reportedly has a sign in the window that reads: ''Welcome Australians buying vet supplies.''

xinhua PM Abhisit Vejjajiva said he is ready to send two senior officials as his representatives to confer with the anti-government protesters on ways to break the deadlock.

Reuters Opposition activists prepared for talks on Monday with Thailand's government to seek a way out of an political conflict, but with neither side willing to budge, a swift resolution seems unlikely. About 30,000 protesters remained in Bangkok.


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

straitstimes.com Police estimated that 120,000 people, 7000 cars, and more than 10,000 motorcycles wound their way through Bangkok. Yesterday's numbers indicated that the rally still has momentum. Protest leaders have said they will keep going for at least two more weeks.

bangkokpost.com Explosions took place at the National Anti-Corruption Commission and close to the Interior Ministry late Saturday night. The first bomb went off at the new offices of the NACC on Sanambin Nam Road in Nonthaburi about 9.50pm, leaving a 30cm-deep crater and damaging the wall of the building. About 11 pm, another bomb exploded close to the Interior Ministry. At least two injuries were reported.

timesonline.co.uk Police estimated 65,000 protesters, many wearing red shirts, assembled in a long convoy and completed a 46-kilometre route, handing out leaflets saying: ''We love Bangkokians''.

aljazeera.com Pitch Pongsawat, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said that many Bangkok residents sympathised with the movement, but did not support Thaksin Shinawatra. On Sunday, the red shirts plan to follow the march by producing a giant painting from their own blood.

latimes.com Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across Russia demanding the resignation of local and national leaders, including PM Vladimir Putin, over lingering economic woes. A coalition of opposition groups, hoping to channel rising anxiety over unemployment and financial policy into anti-government activism, had called for nationwide protests under the slogan ''Day of Wrath.''

Associated Press British Airways has cancelled more than 1000 flights after its cabin crew launched a three-day strike, wreaking havoc on the plans of tens of thousands of passengers just before the busy spring holiday season. Hoping to keep as many passengers happy as possible, BA scrambled to rebook some on other services, chartered planes from rival airlines and drafted in volunteer crew.

bangkokpost.com A Swedish bank robber who served 10 years after taking hostages in a 1973 holdup that led to ''Stockholm Syndrome'' is living peacefully in northern Thailand. Jan-Erik ''Janne'' Olsson, now 69, whose actions defined the description of cases where the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, has a Thai wife and together they now operate a mom-n-pop store.

cnn.com They are normally transmitters of the disease, but mosquitoes could one day be used to tackle malaria after scientists developed a genetically engineered version of the species that can deliver a vaccine. Researchers altered the salivary glands of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito, dubbed a ''flying vaccinator,'' so that it carried the Leishmania vaccine within its saliva.

asiaone.com Indonesian conservationists said they caught red-handed a 92-year-old man who admitted to killing dozens of critically endangered Sumatran tigers over a lifetime of hunting. The man, named Wiryo, told conservationists that he he has killed more than 50 Sumatran tigers in Riau province alone, an officer said.

Phuketwan Update Lifeguard training is being held for several Phuket resorts based around Mai Khao and southern Phang Nga at the Phuket International Academy this weekend. Classes will continue next weekend. The resorts involved are SALA Phuket Resort and Spa, JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, Anantara Phuket Resort and Spa, Renaissance Phuket Resort and Spa and Aleenta Resort & Spa Phang Nga. Participants are learning rescue, revival and first aid techniques.

dailymail.co.uk Donna Simpson already weighs 43st, but she is determined to nearly double her size to become the world's fattest woman. The 42-year-old from New Jersey, US, is set on reaching the 1000lb mark in just two years. She insists she is healthy, despite now needing a mobility scooter when she goes shopping. Donna, who wears XXXXXXXL dresses, eats mounds of junk food and tries to move as little as possible.

bernama PM Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak invited the local media to be his partner in his journey to transform Malaysia into a more prosperous and peaceful country. The PM said the government needed the media to communicate with the people and educate them throughout the country. He said accusations that Malaysia lacked press freedom were grossly unfair.

usmagazine.com Michelle ''Bombshell'' McGee, the tattoo model who claims she had an 11-month affair with Sandra Bullock's husband Jesse James, isn't bothered by all the blogs bashing her. ''She's very comfortable with who she is and what she believes in,'' says 21-year-old cocktail waitress Mary Guzman, who works with McGee at the Pure Platinum Strip Club in San Diego.

china.org.cn At the four-day Boao International Tourism Forum being held from March 18-21, officials are pulling out all the stops to convince visiting media and celebrities that Hainan can compete against rivals such as Bali, Phuket and Hawaii. The highlights of the forum are promotional events to boost Hainan's golf, yachting and real estate industries. Some say it will be a tough sell.

nationmultimedia.com An editorial says: Media outlets themselves will have to be ''fair'' to their audience, which means that if they are in the business to represent some people or some group's interests, then they must have the courage to say so openly.

thestar.com.my When you stay at these gleaming resort-studded beaches - Patong, Karon, Kata, Laguna and others - it's easy to forget that Phuket is just another Thai province. The island's interior is studded with forest-covered hills. Most of the people here live very normal lives, farming, tending plantations and running small businesses in towns. Around 35 percent of them are Muslim.



Phuketwan Update The 24th Phuket King's Cup Regatta will take place off Kata Beach, headquartered at Kata Beach Resort and Spa on Phuket, from December 4-11. Race Director Simon James tipped some changes for this years event. ''Already we are seeing a growth in the number of true Cruising Multihulls which are basing themselves in Phuket, and we will endeavor to create a custom class to cater for these boats. Similarly, there is a growth in the number of true Sportsboats in the region and we are working on a plan to attract these flying machines to our event.''

Until March 26 Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn Fair at Thalang Victory Memorial Park, near the Heroines' Monument.
March 19-28 Local Phuket Food Festival, Saphan Hin, Phuket City
March 27 Lights out at Le Meridien Phuket Resort and Spa in support of Earth Hour. Since 1987, the resort has minimised its impact with waste reduction, efficient energy management, water conservation, and green programs.
April 3 Attempt on the mass dive record, Thai Muang, Phang Nga, 11am. Details: 076-411388.
April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.
April 14-18 Phuket Cricket Sixes, Karon Sports Stadium.
May 31-June 5 Eight-nation football tournament for players over 55 at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City. Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, Iran, Armenia competing.
May Annual Phuket seafood festival.
May Date to be finalised for Muay Thai kickboxing competition at Laguna Phuket.
May 21-23 Paragliding on Phuket.
June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival, Coliseum Cineplex, Phuket City.