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

walesonline.co.uk Research by Britain's Foreign Office shows that behavior often changes on holiday. More than a third (35%) of holidaymakers from Wales admitted drinking more, while over a quarter (28%) said they were more likely to carry around large sums of cash. And more than a fifth of people (21%) from Wales have found themselves in trouble while on holiday in the past. More than eight out of 10 Welsh respondents said they were ''embarrassed'' by the behaviour of British people abroad. This was due to a lack of respect for local culture (88%), bad manners (79%) and drunkenness (82%).

The Nation Metropolitan Police will deploy four companies of officers to keep order around Sanam Luang and near the residence of Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda on his birthday today. Red-shirt protesters plan a mass rally and a march from Sanam Luang to Prem's house. Khun Prem is blamed by some for the 2006 coup that brought down former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

Bangkok Post The government will enforce the Internal Security Act in Dusit district from Saturday to Tuesday as part of strict security measures to cope with planned red shirt protests. A special high-intensity loudspeaker was tested at an anti-riot demonstration yesterday. The government enforced the Internal Security Act in Phuket in July to prevent protesters derailing the meeting of Asean foreign ministers. Under the law, a rally could take place but it must not prevent government officials reaching their offices.

scmp.com The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club hopes to bring America's Cup-class racing to Hong Kong. With the America's Cup having descended into farce with holder Alinghi and challenger Oracle embroiled in a messy legal dispute ahead of their showdown in February in Dubai, the Louis Vuitton World Series has been conceived to give the rest of the world a chance to compete in America's Cup-class yachts.

straitstimes.com Signs of a global economic recovery, coupled with rate cuts at hotels and cheaper fares, seem to have slowed the steep decline in the number of tourists coming to Singapore. July's visitor arrivals, though 4.5 percent fewer than in the same period last year, was the smallest decline seen so far this year. ''Cautious optimism'' about a turnaround is starting to replace the sinking feeling for travel agents and hoteliers.

money.cnn.com Wall Street stocks gained Tuesday, extending the recent rally, after reports showed that consumer confidence and home prices are starting to recover. News that President Obama is nominating Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke for a second term in office added to the positive sentiment. The Dow Jones industrial average added 30 points and closed at its highest point since November 4

dailymail.co.uk Drug offences now account for a fifth of all arrests of Britons abroad and a quarter in Thailand, Foreign Office figures show. The latest figures on incidents among Britons abroad show that drink and drugs were a major factor in the number of Britons being arrested abroad or needing hospital treatment from last year. The statistics illustrate how some British tourists spiral into criminal activity and unacceptable behaviour when they are abroad, risking their security and the reputation of Britons in many holiday resorts.

AFPA group of 175 migrants among hundreds rescued at sea in December have returned to Bangladesh. Most were believed to be ethnic Muslim Rohingyas. Indian coastguard picked them up in the Bay of Bengal near the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, where they have been held for the past eight months. The Thai military still stands accused of towing them out to sea with insufficient food and water, leading to the deaths of hundreds. At least 150 more remain in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Associated Press Indonesian police have widened their investigation into last month's bombing of two Jakarta hotels, naming a suspect who may have served as a courier for al-Qaida to fund the attacks. Police said Ali Mohammad Abdillah, detained last week, is suspected of helping to provide financing for the bombings on July 17 that killed seven people and wounded more than 50. Police believe al-Qaida financed attacks in Indonesia that have killed more than 240 people, mostly foreign tourists on Bali, since 2002.

bbc.co.uk A Malaysian court has reportedly ordered a review of the caning sentence given to a woman caught drinking beer. The main judge at Pahang's Islamic court put the caning on hold pending the review, saying the sentence was ''too extreme.'' If the sentence is enforced, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno will be the first woman to be caned in the country. Analysts say the government fears that the punishment could damage Malaysia's reputation.

upi.com Florida's tourism business is looking at continued tough times and will have to innovate to cope with the economic downturn, industry analysts say. Gloom predominated at the annual tourism conference in Miami Beach as industry leaders were told the tourist trade was down 10 percent since fall with no recovery expected until the middle of 2010, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. Tourism leaders spent the day discussing ways to do more with less and identify new trends, a vital task given that South Florida is facing the worst tourism slump in memory.

bloomberg.com Japan Airlines Corp. may cut 5000 jobs, or about 10 percent of its total workforce in three years through attrition and early retirement, Kyodo News reported, without saying where it got the information. Tokyo-based Japan Airlines aims to save more than $1.59 billion by job cuts and other measures, the report said. The company had about 48,900 employees as of April, Kyodo said.

thejakartapost.com All signs indicate that the world's biggest Islamic population is becoming even more moderate. In March of 2008, 52 percent of all Indonesians and 55 percent of all Muslims believed that ''sharia law should be implemented in my area''. As at June 2009, those numbers are down to 42 and 43 percent, respectively. In March 2008, 45 percent agreed that ''it should be compulsory for women in Indonesia to wear the jilbab''. Fifteen months later, that number is down to 43 percent. Then, 40 percent believed that ''thieves should have their hands cut off'', now that number is down to 36. Then, 24 percent believed that ''women should just take care of running their homes'', now it is just 20 percent.

bloomberg.com The shift from rain forest to oil palm cultivation in Malaysia's Sarawak state highlights the struggle taking place between forces favoring economic development, led by Sarawak state's chief minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud, and those who want to conserve the rain forest and the ways of life it supports. Projects with links to Taib or his family are rolling back the frontiers of Borneo's rain forest, home to nomadic people and rare wildlife such as orangutans and proboscis monkeys. Unilever, which buys 4 percent of the world's palm oil, announced in May that it would buy only from sustainable sources.


Phuket Ownership: Governor Admits to Concerns
Updating Report A newspaper report about foreign ownership on Phuket may have been exaggerated but the concerns are real and need to be resolved quickly to everyone's benefit.
Phuket Ownership: Governor Admits to Concerns

'I Was Drugged, Robbed,' says Phi Phi Visitor
Latest A British traveller believes he was drugged and robbed while on Phi Phi, adding another mystery on an island where the deaths of two young women remain unsolved.
'I Was Drugged, Robbed,' says Phi Phi Visitor

Phuket Tuk-Tuk Drivers Learning How to be Liked
Latest Phuket's Karon beach service industry receives some good advice and aims to please tourists so they come back. A celebrity television talking head leads the reformation.
Phuket Tuk-Tuk Drivers Learning How to be Liked

Laguna Phuket Says, 'Good Morning, Vietnam'
Latest Laguna Phuket and Banyan Tree are pioneering brands in Thailand that are now becoming pioneering brands as well in Vietnam. Multiplication is the name of the game.
Laguna Phuket Says, 'Good Morning, Vietnam'

MediaWATCH: Thais Own Phuket, says Land Office
News Digest Foreign ownership of Phuket officially rejected; Michael Jackson 'homicide'; Thailand out of recession; Shame for bad Brit tourists; Radisson hacked; Le Meridien trio surf heroes.
MediaWATCH: Thais Own Phuket, says Land Office

Human Rights a Key Issue for Asean in Hua Hin
Opinion/Analysis The treatment of the Rohingya by Thailand raises fresh questions about the country's attitude to human rights as Asean leaders get set to meet in Cha AmHua Hin
Human Rights a Key Issue for Asean in Hua Hin

Wanted: A Shipwreck for Every Phuket Beach
Photo Tribute Phuket's Sky Dive Reef has been destroyed but more attempts will be made to create artificial reefs off every Phuket beach, says the Thai Diving Association CEO.
Wanted: A Shipwreck for Every Phuket Beach

Burma Visa Runners Face Temperature Checks
Latest Phuket expats who cross to Victoria Point in Burma for visa renewals will find themselves subjected to a temperature check for reasons that so far remain a mystery.
Burma Visa Runners Face Temperature Checks