people.com.cn Copies of Thailand's court arrest warrant for former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra on terrorism charges will be sent to police in 187 countries. Department of Special Investigation director-general Tharit Pengdit said the authorities have stepped up joint efforts to extradite Thaksin back to Thailand.

DRAMATIC videos of clashes between soldiers and red shirts were screened in Parliament and on television today as PM Abhisit Vejjajiva made a long defence of the government's actions in putting down last month's red protest in Bangkok.


A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. PLUS World Cup Watch, every day.

bangkokpost.com The People's Alliance for Democracy has asked the Election Commission to dissolve the opposition Puea Thai Party and strip its executives of their electoral rights over their alleged involvement in the red shirt rallies aimed at overthrowing the monarchy. PAD lawyer Nititorn Lamlua submitted a petition to the EC and the political party registrar asking them to dissolve the Puea Thai Party and take action against its leader and executives.

todayonline.com PM Abhisit Vejjajiva is expected to survive a no-confidence motion thanks to his ruling coalition's majority in the Lower House. He has defended the deadly military crackdown, saying: ''What had happened was there was a militia group which attacked the military and that led to clashes. We will explain this fact and we show our sincerity by allowing an independent committee to investigate'' the events.

nationmultimedia.com Speaker Chai Chidchob adjourned Parliament at 2 am, one hour behind the time earlier agreed by the coalition and opposition whips. He also scheduled Parliament to resume at 8.30am on Tuesday.

bbc.co.uk The UN has demanded an independent inquiry into recent unrest in Thailand, when more than 80 people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters. UN rights chief Navi Pillay said the guilty must be held accountable.

stickmanweekly.com Letter: A lack of customers will not lead to bargains in the [Bangkok] bars but to closures, less choice for punters and less girls going to work in the industry. And replacing farang and Japanese visitors with Chinese and Indians will do nothing for the business. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but I really get a fin de siecle feeling about this. The good times may be over for good.

reuters.com Foreign tourist arrivals fell to 1.11 million in April from 1.46 million in March, the central bank said, as violence and travel advisories by dozens of governments made foreigners wary about coming to Thailand. Arrivals had jumped 28.4 percent to a record 4.7 million in the first quarter but, because of the unrest, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has cut its target for this year to 13 million from 15.5 million and slashed its revenue target.

express.co.uk Britain's Princess Diana was murdered because she planned to expose Britain's role in the deadly arms trade, a leading defence lawyer claimed. Michael Mansfield QC said she intended publishing an ''explosive'' diary to unmask those most closely involved with British land-mine manufacturing. Princess Diana called for an international ban on land mines months before her road-crash death in 1997.

timesofindia.com A Malaysian minister defended an Indian firm's plans to build an animal testing medicine lab in his state, saying God created monkeys and rats for experiments to benefit humans. Malacca chief minister Mohamad Ali Rustam said: '''God created animals for the benefits of human beings. That's why he created rats and monkeys ... We cannot test on human beings.'''

eglobaltravelnews.com.au Low-cost Malaysian carrier AirAsia has confirmed that its revenue performance for the first quarter of 2010 increased by 10 percent from 2009. The performance was complemented by passenger growth of 17.1 percent, increasing to 3.7 million passengers. AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes confirmed that Thailand and Indonesian operations generated a 31 percent increase in ancillary income which contributed 16 percent to total revenues.

cnn.com A study by Indonesia's child protection commission shows that between 2001 and 2007, the number of children smoking between the ages of five and nine jumped 400 percent. That is tens of thousands of cases. Ignorance about the dangers of smoking is compounded by aggressive advertising by tobacco companies.

todayonline.com Changi Airport is offering a prize of $1 million to attract more shoppers. Visitors in both the transit and public areas across all four terminals, including the Budget Terminal, have to spend a minimum of $60 to qualify for the lucky draw. Apart from the grand prize of $1 million, there are other cash prizes up for grabs.



Associated Press Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants the country to unite for the World Cup and end the debate over the squad that coach Dunga has assembled. Silva said he anticipated attending the World Cup final on July 11. ''If it's God will, it will be Brazil against some other team.''

euronews.net It was a record night for South Africa as the 2010 World Cup hosts outclassed Guatemala 5-0 in a warm-up match. The victory also stretched to 11 matches the unbeaten run of the host nation in friendlies since Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira returned last November for a second spell in charge.






Until 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.
June 25 to 27 Second Kathu Culture Road Fair, recalling the region's history
July 21-25 Phuket Six Senses Race Week, Evason, Rawai
July 4 US Phuket Navy League Independence Day free family picnic at the Headstart International Learning Center directly across from Makro (near Central Festival) in Phuket City from 10am-7pm.
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