RED SHIRT leaders said tonight they would halt the protest in Bangkok if PM Abhisit agrees to an election and stops Parliament within 30 days. The red shirt leaders were to meet the Government late tonight.

IN A MOVE that threatens Phuket tourism, Australians heading for Thailand have been warned to reconsider the need to travel. ''We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Thailand due to the recent deterioration in the security environment caused by widening political unrest and civil disorder occurring in Bangkok and other parts of the country,'' the advisory says. It fails to distinguish between Bangkok and Phuket, hundreds of kilometres away from Bangkok and safe for travellers. It adds: ''While there have only been minor sporadic clashes involving anti-Government protestors outside Bangkok to date, more serious clashes could occur anywhere in Thailand with little warning.''
A Tourism Authority of Thailand spokesman told e-Travel Blackboard this morning that a number of MICE groups from Australia had already cancelled their trips to Thailand. He said around 25 percent of MICE bookings had been lost, including bookings from Orient Express, Access Advance and Stella Travel Group, which was a group of 720 people. The spokesman added that forward bookings have also ''really slowed down.'' Phuket heavily depends on Australian visitors.

news.ph.msn.com Thai emergency services and the health ministry said Friday that one person was killed in grenade blasts that hit Bangkok's business district. A Thai deputy prime minister put the death toll at three shortly after the five explosions which hit late Thursday.

aljazeera.com Hundreds of riot police and red shirt protesters faced off at a major intersection in Bangkok's financial district on Friday morning before the police pulled back without incident.


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

nytimes.com At least five grenades exploded in the heart of Bangkok's business district Thursday evening, killing three people and wounding at least 75 as rival groups of protesters demonstrated and shouted insults at each other across a makeshift barricade. The explosions, several of which took place on the platform of an elevated train, scattered shrapnel through the crowds that included international tourists, sending people fleeing in panic into shops and restaurants.

japantoday.com Five people were detained by Thai police Thursday night in connection with five explosions in Bangkok's Silom Road area. After the attacks, the government ad hoc emergency operations group set up to deal with weeks-long protests in the Thai capital convened an urgent meeting to discuss the latest turn of events.

straitstimes.com Witnesses said chaos reigned as people ran off or went to the aid of the injured immediately after the blasts, which the army said were set off by rocket-propelled M79 grenades. Last night's blasts came hours after the Thai army told several thousand red shirts encamped at the other main protest site - the upscale Ratchaprasong commercial district - to leave the area.

bankokpost.com About 500 red shirt members rallied at the United Nations regional offices on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue to call on the international body to intervene. They called on the UN to send peacekeeping forces to provide safety for their protest at Ratchaprasong intersection.

nationmultimedia.com At 10:40 pm Thursday night, about 100 Silom people regrouped and forced through the line of police to confront red-shirt protesters at Lumpini Park. The two sides then hurled bottles and used slingshots to attack each other.

montrealgazette.com '''We appeal to both the protesters and the Thai authorities to avoid further violence and loss of life and to work to resolve the situation peacefully through dialogue,'' said United Nations spokesman Martin Nesirky. ''This is a moment that requires restraint on all sides.'' According to a Western diplomat who asked not to be named, one Japanese and one Australian were believed to be among the injured.

afp The United States condemned the deadly grenade attacks and urged all sides in Thailand to exercise restraint. ''We condemn the violence and we call on leaders of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship to do the same,'' said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, referring to anti-government red shirt protesters. ''We also call on the Thai security forces to show restraint going forward,'' Crowley told reporters.

smh.com.au Victim Benjamin Rowse, 26, from Melbourne was taken to the Bangkok Christian Hospital, where he is in a stable condition.

malaysia.msn.com Britain, France and Austria warned their citizens visiting Thailand to stay away from political protests in Bangkok as they could turn violent. Austria's foreign ministry also issued a travel warning, advising against any unnecessary trip to the Thai capital, citing a ''high security risk for the greater Bangkok area''.

itij.co.uk Britan's Foreign Office website states: ''This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and the Terrorism/Security and Local Travel sections (violence in Bangkok). The overall level of the advice has changed; we currently advise against all but essential travel to Bangkok; against all travel to some specific areas of Thailand and all but essential travel to other specific areas of Thailand.'' [Phuket is 12 hours' drive from Bangkok and remains safe.]

wsj.com The Thai government will consider offering financial aid for business operators and workers that have been impacted by antigovernment protests, said Korbsak Sabhavasu, secretary-general to the PM. Around 40,000 workers have been hit as business operations have been suspended, Mr. Korbsak said. The relief measures will be considered by the cabinet next week.

theglobeandmail.com After working in Bangkok's neon-lit Patpong district for 36 years, Oi has seen enough to write a university thesis on the booms and busts of Thailand's sex industry. It's usually a slump-resistant business, but Oi, whose nickname means Sugarcane, has never seen anything like the past few days. Many of Patpong's notorious go-go bars and massage parlors have shut or cut staff, with tens of thousands of red-shirts whose camp begins just one block north.

huffingtonpost.com Officials at California State University-Northridge are mulling over whether or free speech encompasses a professor's right to run a sex tourism website - while teaching students. Economics professor Kenneth Ng is the scribe behind BigBabyKenny.com, a site that guides tourists through Thailand's sex trade. In a recent post on his site, Ng defends his freedom of speech and his right to portray the ''real Southeast Asia.''

tna Thai Airways International president said THAI has finally resumed almost of its flight operations with the exception of Germany's Munich Airport, which he believed would be open to operate on Thursday, following the six-day disruption by volcanic ash from Iceland to air operations in Europe and the North Atlantic. THAI president Piyasvasti Amranand said the priority now was to fly all its stranded passengers to destinations.

todayonline.com Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told visiting Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong that Japan backs Singapore's inclusion in the Group of 20. Mr Hatoyama said he would like to see the city state play a bigger role on the international stage.

usatoday.com Following protests from fans and anti-tobacco groups, Kelly Clarkson's upcoming concert in Indonesia will no longer be sponsored by a cigarette company, the promoter said.



April 23 Mom Tri's Kitchen Dinner Theatre at the Villa Royale hosts the Andaman Players 'Love is a 4 Letter Word' plus three-course dinner. Bookings 076 333568.
April 23 A 1001 Arabian Nights @ Sienna Rocks evening of fashion, entertainment and food is being held at the Cape Sienna Resort, from 6pm. The evening aims to raise money for 25 scholarships for underprivileged Thai students through the Phuket Asia Foundation. Tickets 500 baht, first two drinks free. Details: 076-337300. E: siennanews@capesienna.com
April 28 GreenLOVE festival to raise awareness about local and international environmental issues and solutions, British International School 8am-3pm.
April 30 Lions Club Of Phuket Pearl is holding a jazz concert and dance night, performed by children from the Phuket Academy of Dance, at the Royal Phuket Marina. Details: 081 477 0342.
May 1 The Phuket Has Been Good To Us foundation, first fund-raising ball, Sheraton Grande Laguna Resort, 6.30pm-Midnight.
May 31-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.
May Annual Phuket seafood festival.
May Date to be finalised for Muay Thai kickboxing competition at Laguna Phuket.
May 21-23 Paragliding on Phuket.
June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival, Coliseum Cineplex, Phuket City.
June 13 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. Fun runs, too.
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta