The PM is meeting all of Thailand's governors today and red shirts have been sent warning telephone text messages. Moves against the red shirt protesters are expected at any time now, definitely before schools in downtown Bangkok resume next week.

TNA Electricity, water supplies and all kinds of public transport services at and around the red rally will be cut from midnight.


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

PHUKET will get to see Boy George while he is still a boy: the singer-songwriter doesn't turn 50 until the middle of next year. Britain's Karma Chameleon is set for Phuket and a gig at Seduction Beach Club and Disco in Patong on May 26, according to Facebook. The Lady Gaga of his era, Boy Geoge could also be justifiably called a genuine ''pre-Madonna''. The androgynous and perhaps bisexual image-maker of Britain's post-punk New Romantic era is apparently now categorised as a ''Superstar DJ.'' He has recently released a single and a series of concerts late last year in London left fans happier than they were with Whitney Houston's croaky karaoke. The advertised time for Boy George's gig: 10pm-4am, perhaps a little late for someone fast approaching 50.


bloomberg Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told demonstrators to leave Bangkok's streets or risk action from security forces, a sign he may be losing patience after two months of round-the-clock protests against his administration. ''The security team may use measures which may affect people in the area, not only protesters,'' he told reporters in Bangkok. ''Not ending the protest means that they reject the reconciliation road map,'' Abhisit said.


bangkokpost.com Since the state of emergency was imposed in Bangkok in April foreign arrivals are down at least 20 percent from the same period a year ago. The impact on some hotels in the capital has been severe, and comes at a time when the industry was just beginning to see a substantial turn around, said Andrew Langdon, senior vice-president of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels.


nytimes.com Complete results of the Philippines election showed that Senator Benigno S. Aquino III apparently defeated rivals with far more experience, ambition and charisma, winning by the widest margin in a presidential election since his mother, Corazon C. Aquino, overthrew the longtime dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos in a ''people power'' movement in 1986. ''I will not only not steal, but I will run after thieves,'' said Mr Aquino, 50, who is known as Noynoy.


guardian.co.uk Singapore, which prides itself on being one of the most environmentally friendly nations in Asia, is expanding its coastline with irresponsibly dredged sand from Cambodia, according to a report from an environmental NGO. Global Witness says the lucrative sand trade devastates ecosystems, lacks regulatory oversight and enriches traders at the expense of local fishermen.
Cargo manifests and photographs in the report suggest Singapore imported 14.2m tonnes of sand worth $273m in 2008 from Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. Its sourcing has reportedly expanded recently to Burma, the Philippines and Bangladesh.
On a single day, the NGO says its investigators have seen nine dredgers inside a single protected area - the Peam Krasop wildlife sanctuary and Koh Kapik Ramsar site. The dredging operations threaten mangrove swamps, coral reefs and the biggest seagrass bed in the South China Sea, which is home to several rare species including the Irrawaddy dolphin, dugong and seahorses, it said.


reuters The report said Singapore was the world's largest importer of sand in 2008 and has used sand imports to increase its landmass by 22 percent since the 1960s. It said this development has wreaked havoc on the region's coastlines, with Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia having all announced bans on sand dredging for export due to environmental concerns.


Phuketwan Update The untimely death of Phuket story-teller Frank Visakay, aged 71 at his Rawai home, apparently from natural causes, has occurred midway through the serialisation of one of his fictitious tales in the fortnightly Phuket Post. Readers will have to wait until the next issue on May 14 to find out whether Mr Visakay managed to conclude the tale in time. Mr Visakay's stories were once published in the Phuket Gazette before it became a weekly.


huffingtonpost.com Tiger Woods withdrew from The Players Championship on Sunday due to fears that he was suffering a bulging disk injury. Golf Channel sportscaster Win McMurry dutifully passed the news on to viewers, but a verbal slip-up left McMurry inadvertently reporting that Woods suffered a ''bulging dick,'' instantly reminding viewers of Woods' affairs.


smh.com.au Conservative leader David Cameron has become Britain's youngest prime minister in almost 200 years, after Gordon Brown stepped down and ended 13 years of Labour government. Mr Cameron, 43, visited Buckingham Palace on Tuesday and was asked to form a government by the Queen - less than an hour after Mr Brown tendered his resignation to the monarch.


afp The French parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the full-face Islamic veil as an affront to the nation's values, setting the stage for a law banning it. The vote in the National Assembly put France on course to become the second European country after Belgium to declare the wearing of the burqa or the niqab illegal in public places.


readwriteweb.com A growing number of industry watchers are talking about people deleting their Facebook accounts. Some, including at least two members of our own staff, have already done so.


Phuketwan Update Sheraton Grande Laguna has announced the appointment of Erica Robinson as Director of Marketing Communications. Robinson has held a number of key management and leadership roles within Starwood properties, most recently the position of Marketing Communications Manager for Sheraton & Westin Resorts, Denarau Island, Fiji.



May 21-23 Paragliding on Phuket.
May 23 Tourism Authority of Thailand bicycle ride around Old Phuket Town. A guided tour, with meals and a t-shirt, for just 100 baht. Bookings from May 10. Details: 076 217138 or 076 211036.
May 26 Boy George plays at Seduction, Phuket.
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.
June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival, Coliseum Cineplex, Phuket City.
June 13 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. Fun runs, too.
July 21-25 Phuket Six Senses Race Week, Evason, Rawai
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

2011
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi