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

THAI Airways has cancelled two Bangkok-Chiang Mai-Bangkok flights on Monday, November 2, because of concerns about sky lanterns being launched for the Loy Kratong festival, celebrated that day.
One late-afternoon Phuket-Bangkok flight, TG 214, has been rescheduled, flying 45 minutes later. A Chiang Mai-Phuket flight, TG 129, has also been rescheduled by 45 minutes. Fears of the kom roy interfering with aircraft have already prompted a warning from Airports of Thailand management that sending them up within seven kilometres of Phuket International Airport could result in a long jail term.
Sky lanterns have become a regular feature of most big Thai festivals but complaints about the dangers of the naked flames and the aftermath of burned-out sky lanterns have also increased. Other airlines have not announced rescheduling.

telegraph.co.uk Somali pirates who kidnapped a retired British couple from their yacht have demanded $7 million ransom for their release. Paul Chandler, 59, and his wife Rachel, 55, were captured in the early hours of October 23 when armed men woke them at gunpoint as they sailed in the Indian Ocean. One of their pirate captors telephoned the BBC to make their first ransom demand.

The Nation Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says that the tourism industry situation has improved with more foreign tourists visiting Thailand. For example, in September the number of foreign tourists was about 200,000 higher than the same month last year, Khun Abhisit said.

Bangkok Post The Association of Thai Travel Agents projects international tourist arrivals to Thailand through its members will decrease by 38 percent to 1.5 million this year due to the persistence of global economic problems and local political instability. Surapol Sritrakul, the association's president, said advance bookings for the high season had been meagre.

cnn.com A crew member aboard a US Navy ship accidentally fired a machine gun into the Polish port city of Gdynia while cleaning the weapon. Three rounds were fired from an M240 machine gun into the town but no injuries or damage were reported. The gun, aboard the destroyer USS Ramage, is used to defend the ship in close combat. [Two US Navy vessels are currently visiting Phuket.]

smh.com.au A new $1.15 billion tourist resort on Australia's Great Keppel Island has been knocked back by Environment Minister Peter Garrett because it would have a major impact on life in the Great Barrier Reef. The minister declared the project could not go ahead because it was ''clearly unacceptable'' under national environment law due to the impact on World Heritage values of the area. The proposal includes a 300-room hotel and day spa, 1700 resort villas, 300 resort apartments, a 560-berth marina and yacht club, ferry terminal, retail village and golf course.

Phuketwan Update Phuket Vice-Governor Worapot Rattasima, who has held the position for four years, is moving to be a Vice-Governor in neighboring Phang Nga. Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob once served as Governor of Phang Nga.

independent.co.uk For the whitest sands and the most turquoise of seas, for a Buddhist culture that is both gentle and fun, for a winter-sun break that won't ruin your bank balance. Even the Post Office thinks you should go: in its recent Holiday Costs Barometer survey, Thailand came in ahead of South Africa and Malaysia as the best-value long-haul destination. The big beach resorts on the islands of Koh Samui and Phuket, in Pattaya, and along the Krabi coastline offer the works.

Reuters A controversial exhibition charting life from conception to old age using cadavers has come to Singapore this week - but without the copulating corpses that caused an uproar in Germany. Body Worlds' The Cycle of Life exhibition is one of several around the world that show skinless corpses with muscles and organs revealed, in life-like, often theatrical positions. It runs until March.

straitstimes.com Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew capped a series of meetings with top US leaders by calling on President Barack Obama at the White House. In his introductory remarks, Mr Obama described Mr Lee as ''one of the legendary figures of Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries, somebody who helped to trigger the Asian economic miracle.''

aap Spirits and full strength beer have been banned on intrastate Qantas flights in Western Australia because drunken mine workers have become too unruly. A Qantas spokeswoman said the new rules were designed to stem the number of drunken passengers on fly-in, fly-out routes to mining towns but would also apply on tourist routes.

Associated Press A German man reportedly dumped by a Brazilian woman he met on the internet has been living in an airport for 13 days and isn't saying when he will leave. The man, identified by authorities as 46-year-old former pilotHeinz Muller, is out of money, according to airport workers, some of whom bring him meals from the food court.

thenewstribune.com Thousands of dead fish and clumps of oil have been found drifting near Indonesia's coastline more than two months after an underwater well began leaking in the Timor Sea, officials and fishermen said. An estimated 400 barrels a day of oil has been leaking from a fissure that erupted on August 21 at a rig about 250 kilometers off the Australian coast. PTTEP Australasia, a branch of Thai-owned PTT Exploration and Production Co. Ltd., has failed repeatedly to stop the leak but says it is still trying.

guardian.co.uk The surge in interest in Michael Jackson's music was not enough to save Sony from its fourth quarterly loss in a row, but there are signs of optimism for the Japanese media group. The consumer electronics and entertainment company reported losses of 26.3 billion yen in the three months from July. Sony said it expected annual losses of 95 billion yen this year, a slight improvement on its initial estimate of 120 billion yen.

Phuket Airport Bans Loy Kratong Sky Lanterns
Latest Tourists and Thais love the sight of a night sky alight with floating lanterns. But the danger to air traffic brings a ban and a jail warning from Phuket airport's chief.
Phuket Airport Bans Loy Kratong Sky Lanterns

Phuket's Amazing Sunset Singalong: Photo Special
Photo Special Events that celebrate Phuket like this one don't happen often enough. Phuketwan takes readers inside the crowd to wave the flag for Thailand, and the island.
Phuket's Amazing Sunset Singalong: Photo Special

Phuket Splashdown! Jungle Waterpark Opening
Latest Phuket has long been waiting for a resort theme park to rival those of other destinations. The Splash Jungle Waterpark may be worth the price of admission, but we can't say for sure yet.
Phuket Splashdown! Jungle Waterpark Opening

Shots Fired, Anger Mounts in Phuket Land Dispute
Photo Album Protesters in a Phuket land dispute say they will demonstrate outside a Phuket City police station if action is not taken quickly against a worker who allegedly fired four warning shots.
Shots Fired, Anger Mounts in Phuket Land Dispute

Phuket Work Permit Crackdown Starts Next Week
Latest Work permits and ID cards should be kept handy from November 1 as Phuket officials check for illegal workers. The crackdown applies to all non Thai workers, skilled and unskilled.
Phuket Work Permit Crackdown Starts Next Week