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

tradingmarkets.com Construction will commence in October on a new casino resort near the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia. The $A440 million development, by Intercity Group, is targetting high-rollers. James Cho, of Intercity, says representatives from MGM Resorts International and from Harrah's Entertainment have visited the development site and may potentially invest in the project. [The owners of the award-winning Sarojin, near Khao Lak, also plan to build near Angkor.]

wsj.com Thai Airways International said the formation of budget airline Thai Tiger Airways with Tiger Airways Holdings is aimed at reversing its falling market share in the domestic and regional markets. Thai Airways' regional market share in terms of passenger numbers flying to and from Thailand has dropped to 33 percent from 42 percent seven years ago due to low budget alternatives.

theaustralian.com.au Analysts from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation said the new budget carrier could hasten a shake-up for the industry in the region, where some markets are still inhibited by entry barriers. Besides plying routes in Asia including to popular holidays spots such as Phuket, Tiger Airways has also expanded into Australia, where it offers domestic flights.

ft.com AirAsia has a fleet of 82 aircraft; Jetstar, owned by Australia's Qantas Airways, along with its joint ventures Singapore-based Jetstar Asia and Vietnam-based Jetstar Pacific, has 68, and Tiger just 19. But all three have ambitious expansion programs. According to Capa, AirAsia has at least 165 planes on order, Jetstar 66 and Tiger 52. And that has led some people to worry about overcapacity.

nationmultimedia.com Jakerine Adirek, the host of 'TV Pool Tonight' on Channel 5, flew back to Bangkok from her visit to Phuket on Sunday, only to discover that 8000 baht had gone missing from the purse among her luggage. It could have been stolen before she boarded the plane or up in the air, but Jakerine found the budget airline's response even more of a jolt. She says one of its executives offered to replace the missing amount 'if she insisted,'' but there was no offer to investigate the money's disappearance.

bangkokpost.com With the UN World Tourism Organisation forecasting 1.5 billion tourists a year by 2020, the environmental impact of those movements is expected to be high, requiring all tourism stakeholders to continue to work together to ensure the sustainability of the sector, according to the UN Environment Program announcing the launch of a ''global partnership'' that ''aims to transform the way tourism is done worldwide.''

property-report.com A Phuket environmental regulation change affecting construction on hillsides has gone into effect two months earlier than expected, sending environmental consultants into a tizzy. The law applies more stringent restrictions to building on hillsides, enforcing a height limit and increasing the amount of green space per plot of land. Many currently existing hillside villa developments in Phuket would not be allowed under the new rules.

smh.com.au Readers have told us loud and clear why holidaying in Australia has gone out of fashion among Australians, the main gripes being that everything is too expensive and the service is rubbish.

suite101.com New Zealander Jeremy Burfoot left London on August 1, planning to travel all the way home by jet-ski for cancer prevention. From Sri Lanka his team makes a dash across the Indian Ocean to Sumatra, then up to Phuket. Better known as an idyllic tourist destination than an adventure stopover, the resort town [sic] will be a welcome opportunity for the team to get some respite from the rigors of bouncing on their tiny vessels.

nationmultimedia.com There seems to be no end in sight for the conflict between the residents of Koh Samui and oil exploration companies. Protesters plan to take their concerns to the Administrative Court if all drilling projects are not terminated. Residents, with backing from non-governmental organisations and local authorities, fear devastation of the resort island's tourism industry from the drilling activities following BP's oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

independent.co.au Indonesia has hit the fast lane in terms of auto sales and has overtaken Southeast Asian pace-setter Thailand for the first time, according to a Nikkei survey. Officials and auto executives attending the 18th Indonesia International Motor Show in Jakarta told AFP the outlook for sales had never been brighter.

Associated Press US budget carrier Spirit Airlines' controversial carry-on fees took effect on Sunday, catching some customers unhappily by surprise. But the low-fare carrier contends that the move will cut down on flight delays, potentially allowing Spirit to add new flights.

bbc.co.uk An investigation is under way in Indonesia after pornographic images were broadcast on an internal TV channel in the country's parliament. The X-rated footage was visible to staff and journalists for 15 minutes before security staff were able to turn off the stream, local media report.

perthnow.com.au Corrupt Indonesian immigration officials, police and military are aiding people-smugglers, taking bribes to let boatloads go to Australia. People-smugglers in Indonesia routinely pay bribes of $20,000 to corrupt army officers to secure protection for their boats. The country's recently retired director of Immigration Enforcement has been accused of taking payoffs to have asylum-seekers released from detention, and a senior army officer has been captured on camera discussing ''at least five billion (rupiah)'' for arranging a boat to Australia.

dailymail.com More than 100 cows descended from cloned cattle have been born on British farms, sparking alarm about their secret spread into the food system. An investigation has been launched after a farmer claimed milk from a cow born to a clone had gone into shops without special labelling.



FRESH from starring roles in two recently released major motion pictures in Thailand, 'That Sounds Good' and 'Pop Star,' actor-DJ Montonn ''Jay'' Jira is coming to Phuket. He's performing at Breeze, on Patong's beach road, on Saturday, August 7, 10pm-3am. Admission is 250 baht with one drink included.

August 5-8 Kite Jam, Surin beach
August 6-12 Andaman Motor Expo
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi