A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective. Reports from national and international media, with translations into English from Thai.

An American student missing since July 16 in Thailand is safe and left the country on Wednesday, Auburn University announced. Friends of Michael Harrie, a third-year veterinary student studying abroad in Japan at the time of his disappearance, were happy to hear the well-liked 29-year-old was safe. ''I'm just glad to hear that he is okay,'' said Heather Edwards, a fellow vet student and part of a group that was raising money to help Harrie's family with hiring a private investigator and other expenses. Thai officials notified the university's Department of Public Safety and Security that Harrie left Wednesday of his own free will, according to a release.


Bangkok Post Airports of Thailand is stepping up security to curb thefts from passenger baggage at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport. Several passengers have discovered thefts when they collected their baggage from carousels. Stricter security measures will be imposed on staff in luggage sorting, an extra 485 surveillance cameras will be installed, luggage handlers must wear uniforms without pockets, and they will be searched when they enter and leave the luggage handling area.

The Nation Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban says some people wanted to drive a wedge between him and the prime minister by using the Sondhi shooting case as a pretext. ''I insist there is no problem between us,'' Suthep said. The deputy PM, who is in charge of security affairs, said he would not be reporting to work on Friday, when the prime minister is scheduled to hold a crucial press conference on the Sondhi shooting case.

voa.com Burma's state-run newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar, is warning citizens not to incite protests on Friday, when the verdict for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be handed down. Security has increased near the Insein prison in Rangoon, where the pro-democracy leader has been on trial for more than two months on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest in May. She faces five years in prison and is ''preparing for the worst.'' Critics say Burma's military junta is using the trial as a pretext to keep her from participating in next year's elections.

guardian.co.uk Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes: ''I think of my sister Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi every day. Her picture hangs on the wall of my office, reminding me that, thousands of miles away in Asia, a nation is oppressed. Every day I ask myself: have I done everything I can try to end the atrocities being committed in Burma? And I pray that world leaders will ask themselves the same question. For if they did, the answer would be 'no', and perhaps their conscience will finally force them to act.''

AFP Malaysia's plan to deploy personnel from a notorious volunteer task force to help enforce a crackdown on crime has triggered criticism from human rights campaigners. The New Straits Times said the home ministry had enlisted 254 members from the Civil Defence Department and RELA, a 553,000-strong citizen corps that has been accused of serious rights abuses. The report said they were undergoing a two-week training program before being assigned to crime hot spots next month.

phnompenhpost.com Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism has released its full figures for the first six months of the year, showing an overall decline in the numbers of foreign visitors. The number of South Koreans visiting Cambodia dropped more than any other, down one-third from 160,400 to 106,300. The numbers of tourists from other key visitor nations such as Japan, China, Thailand and Australia were also down between one-quarter and 10 percent.Vietnamese have replaced South Koreans as the No 1 visitors.

Bloomberg.com The number of visitors to Japan fell 29 percent in the six months ended June, led by a drop in South Korean tourists, as travelers were deterred by the yen's strength and the spread of swine flu. Tourist numbers fell to 3.1 million in the period, led by a 49 percent drop in South Korean visitors from a year earlier, the Japan National Tourist Organization, an industry- backed group, said in a statement.

abc.net.au Queensland tourism businesses agree with a new survey that shows nearly half of Australian tourism operators do not expect the industry to recover until the end of next year. The quarterly Tourism and Transport Forum survey shows 45 per cent of tourism operators do not think visitor numbers will improve until the second half of next year. The Queensland Tourism Industry Council says international visitor numbers are still low too and destinations like the Gold Coast and far north Queensland have been the hardest hit by the shrinking market.

nydailynews.com Mexico City's desperate tourism industry is hoping to lure visitors back by offering free health and travel insurance through December. The plan, called the Tourist Assistance Card, covers guests at all of the city's 470 hotels, and provides emergency medical and dental care at their choice of public or private hospitals, ambulance service, prescription drugs, legal assistance for robberies and compensation for delayed or canceled flights.High crime rates and the swine flu outbreak this year are being beaten, with Mexico City hotel occupancy now at 59 percent after plummeting to five percent in late April.

AFP Efforts are being made to try to free two British women being held in a Rio de Janeiro jail on suspicion of staging a robbery insurance scam. Shanti Simone Andrews and Rebecca Claire Turner, both law graduates aged 23, were arrested after going to Rio police to declare possessions worth $2560 had been stolen on a bus ride from southern Brazil. Suspicious police found the mobile telephones and iPod the women said had been stolen in a hostel locker. The two face between one and five years if convicted. Police are vigilant against such scams, following a rise in false claims.

theglobeandmail.com Pedophiles have been thronging to Southeast Asia for decades, drawn by the warm weather, smiling people and ready supply of pretty, available young boys and girls. One year, the hot spot is a waterfall in the Philippines, the next a beach resort in Vietnam. Thailand and Brazil were once the choice spots for child sex tourists. Now Ecuador, Indonesia and Cambodia are favoured. Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, does a roaring trade in virgins, sought by Korean, Japanese and Thai men who believe that deflowering a girl is a kind of elixir. The child sex trade has drawn worldwide attention over the past few years, generating new laws and big publicity campaigns. Abusers show little sign of being deterred.

DPA A Spanish businessman has launched an internet campaign to raise funds to help Thai police combat crime against foreigners. Barcelona businessman Jordi Guerrero became conscious of Thai police's lack of resources after a group of 12 people robbed him of 15,000 euros at a Bangkok commercial centre in December 2008. The robbers followed Guerrero, dropped papers on the floor to create confusion, and snatched the money from his pocket. The Spaniard said security cameras recorded images of the robbers, but that Thai police did not have the means to analyse the images and to identify the suspects.


Ancient Phuket Giants Fall to Timber Poachers
Latest Phuket loses some mahogany giants to timber poaches, and the governor warns that people need to be on the lookout to prevent more heritage destruction.
Ancient Phuket Giants Fall to Timber Poachers

Motorcycle Rock Throwers Held for Attempted Murder
LatestLike paid assassins, the youths rode alongside a target vehicle then hurled a rock through the windscreen. Now four Phang Nga boys face attempted murder charges.
Motorcycle Rock Throwers Held for Attempted Murder

New Andaman Travel Slogan Comes With Music
Latest Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga have a new slogan to speed recovery. Wait for it: Three Destinations, One Thousand Activities. A music fest, flights and fairs are coming.
New Andaman Travel Slogan Comes With Music

Central Festival Joins Phuket Conventions Hunt
Latest Another player on Phuket is now searching in quest of conventions: Phuket Central Festival. The shopping mall entered the market with a two-floor offering and key supporters.
Central Festival Joins Phuket Conventions Hunt

Green Ban Halts Fast Patong-Chalong Road
Latest A new road between Patong and Chalong that would cut the time and distance to one quarter has been blocked, much to the Governor's displeasure.
Green Ban Halts Fast Patong-Chalong Road

One Dead, Two Hurt in Phuket Expat Car Crash
Updating Report One person is dead and two are injured as a car driven by an expat crosses a well made stretch of Phuket road and crashes into an almost stationary vehicle.
One Dead, Two Hurt in Phuket Expat Car Crash


MediaWATCH: Tourism Dollar Slides in Thailand
News Digest Asia Pacific reports Bangkok, Phuket down; Terrorist claims Jakarta credit; Hunt for US visitor; Burma strategy; malaria alarm; the Schu returns to F1; Westin for Phuket.
MediaWATCH: Tourism Dollar Slides in Thailand

MediaWATCH: Jail Almost Certain for Suu Kyi
News Digest Aung San Suu Kyi will be sentenced on Friday; PM cancels trip to Burma; Heroin Brit in Laos to go home; New limits on karaoke, internet cafes; Asean Pass from MAS.
MediaWATCH: Jail Almost Certain for Suu Kyi

MediaWATCH: Thailand Worst for Crime, say Brits
News Digest A survey of Britons reveals Thailand is tops for crime; Michael Jackson's doctor accused; H1N1 virus vaccine in short supply; China investing in Thailand; Next it's Thaksin TV.
MediaWATCH: Thailand Worst for Crime, say Brits