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

twocircles.net A billboard of Adolf Hitler used to advertise a new wax museum at a beach resort was covered up after strong criticism from the Israeli and German ambassadors to Thailand. Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, which plans to open an outlet next month in Pattaya, apologised for the billboard that depicted the German dictator giving a Nazi salute, with the legend ''Hitler is Not Yet Dead'' written in Thai. The museum was considering discounted entry in atonement.

english.cri.cn India Sunday forced a US army plane, carrying 205 passengers including marine commandos heading for leave in Bangkok, to land at Mumbai airport for violating Indian airspace, aviation sources said. The aircraft was grounded at the Mumbai airport because its 'call sign' was not registered. It was asked to immediately land while flying over the Indian airspace.

telegraph.co.uk British ambassadors' candid appraisals of their hosts have been disclosed in a series of valedictory letters. Sir Anthony Rumbold, who served in Bangkok for two years until 1967, wrote in his missive that Thailand had ''no literature, no painting'' and ''hideous'' interior decoration. ''Nobody can deny that gambling and golf are the chief pleasures of the rich, and that licentiousness is the main pleasure of them all,'' he added.

CNN.com A woman who was denied a marriage license by a Louisiana justice of the peace because he refused to marry interracial couples said the official should lose his job. Beth McKay says she is beyond shock. ''We are used to the closet racism, but we're not going to tolerate that overt racism from an elected official.''

news-briefs.ew.com Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden convened a news conference on Sunday afternoon telling reporters evidence now shows that Richard and Mayumi Heene lied to police and news media when they reported their six-year-old son, Falcon, had been carried away inside a helium balloon. The Sheriff hopes to see charges filed against the parents for conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk Formula One is headed for more controversy and acrimony, after disgraced Renault team principal Flavio Briatore announced that he is to commence proceedings against the FIA following the life ban imposed after he initiated the cheating that won Fernando Alonso the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Briatore confirmed he will start his legal action in the Paris High Court to challenge the World Motor Sport Council's decision of September 21.

afp About 17,000 people rallied in Bangkok on Saturday to demand that the Thai government move forward with a petition for a royal pardon for former Primer Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006. Thai authorities deployed 2000 police officers and invoked a harsh internal security law to ensure that the rally in front of the government offices did not turn violent.

Growth in the global cruise industry looks set to strengthen tourist links between the UAE and Singapore, with both countries developing terminals to meet expected increases in demand. Dubai's new cruise terminal, which can hold four ships at once, will be ready for business in January 2010. Singapore aims to welcome 1.6 million cruise passengers a year by 2015, with many also bound for Phuket.

chicagotribune.com The Cook County sheriff's police detained three women from Thailand on suspicion they had been coerced to engage in prostitution across the US in the last three weeks as part of an international prostitution ring. The women said operators of the ring confiscated their passports, demanded $60,000 for their return and then forced them into prostitution in San Francisco, New York, Texas and Chicago. Sheriff Tom Dart said the women were victims and won't be charged.

businessmirror.co.ph High hopes were expressed by exiled Burmese activists, with the approaching adoption of the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights by Asean, that the travails of their countrymen under the military junta would finally get corrective action. The AICHR is designed to address all cases of rights atrocities committed against nationals of the 10 member-countries. The rights body also seeks to guarantee respect of cultures, political beliefs, democracy, freedom and rights of the region's migrant workers.

smh.com.au Abraham Lauhenaspessy, known as Captain Bram, was discovered among 254 Tamils refusing to leave a boat at the Indonesian port of Merak in West Java. He duped the Tamils, who paid $4 million, apparently because he wanted to avoid arrest in Australian territory where he would face 20 years' jail. Mr Lauhenaspessy has brought more than 1500 asylum seekers to Australia since he emerged as a pivotal organiser of Indonesia's people smuggling in 1999.

luxurytravelmagazine.com Located near the Utah-Arizona border, Amangiri is the second property built in the US by Singapore-based Amanresorts. The resort is ideally placed for day trips to the Grand Canyon. Amangiri has 34 guest suites, each with uninterrupted panoramic views of the desert and mesas and endowed with all the luxuries and comfort expected since its first resort, Amanpuri, opened 21 years ago on Phuket.

smh.com.au Miranda Devine writes; You can't go into a restaurant these days without finding some gruesome item on the menu, like sweetbreads - see the euphemisms offal-eaters must employ to justify their perverted indulgences. As if frogs legs and snails weren't bad enough. Now we have to contend with rolled pig's spleen and roast bone marrow. Gulp.

Bangkok Post The whole [time share] concept makes perfect sense. In Phuket, Laguna Holiday Club is a leading company with 6000 members, of whom 70 percent are Thai nationals, mainly from Bangkok. So it is a big business with plenty of potential to grow further. Discussions have already been held to establish a Thailand-wide body that will enable the reputable industry players to impose strict standards that members must meet. In Europe and the US there are strong self-regulating organisations writes Gerard J.L.M. van Paassen, assistant vice-president of Laguna Holiday Club, Phuket.

wsj.com The car weaves along the winding country lane, cutting a narrow path through the lush tropical vegetation. Welcome to Singapore's last remaining slice of rural life: the Kranji countryside. ''Back in the 1960s, all of our chickens, eggs, pigs and fish and 40 percent of our vegetables were grown locally,'' says a spokeswoman. ''But the land here was neglected and this place almost became a lost valley because of the focus on urbanisation.''

onlineprnews.com Recent research shows that the island Koh Phangan is not suffering the international economic crisis while the tourism industry as a total, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand, has hit a 49-year low and is expected to decrease by 22 percent this year. The number of hotel bookings on Koh Phangan in the first nine months of 2009 increased over 12 percent compared to last year. One of the main reasons for this is the continuous popularity of the Koh Phangan full moon beach party. Research by major Koh Phangan hotel booking agency PhanganResorts.com also shows that over 85 percent of online bookings are around this world famous monthly event.

Phuketwan Update This year's Phuket Cup football will be sponsored by the Kata Group and involve the Thailand XI, coached by new boss and former England star Bryan Robson, taking on teams from Burma and Vietnam. Matches begin at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City from October 27-29, telecast live across the three countries.