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

PHUKET Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob has given permission for jet-ski operators on Patong beach to celebrate November 26 with a fair for tourists.
The operators wanted the opportunity to demonstrate the fun of taking a ride on a jet-ski now that a compulsory insurance scheme is in place, and to have the chance to persuade resorts that it is no longer necessary to warn guests that scams have led to some dishonest operators extorting thousands of baht from unwitting tourists.

tradingmarkets.com Thai-built Tata light trucks will be exported to Asean next year to take advantage of tariffs on automotive products being reduced to zero from January, said Tata Motors Thailand's chief executive, Ajit Venkataraman. The company plans to ship the pickup trucks to neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia, which both have vast automotive markets.

bangkokpost.com The former army chief who led the 2006 military coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra was named leader of a new political party, Matuphum (Motherland), on Wednesday. General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, 63, said he accepted the leadership because the party's campaign platform was to restore unity to the country.

philly.com Guards aboard the Maersk Alabama used guns and a sound blaster to repel the second pirate attack in seven months on the US vessel at a time when ships are increasingly hiring armed security teams to thwart hijackings. A US naval commander hailed the ship's new defenses, but the handling of the attack highlights a growing schism over use of arms on commercial vessels.

smh.com.au Cosmic rays are being considered a possible cause of a Qantas plane plunging twice in quick succession on its way from Singapore to Perth in October last year leaving one flight attendant and 11 passengers with serious injuries. The investigators found the seatbelt sign was not illuminated while the plane was cruising and there was no policy or procedure requiring cabin crew to check or enforce seatbelt use, beyond take-offs and landings.

theaustralian.com.au Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono returned from Singapore to a perfect storm of a corruption scandal that requires perhaps the most dextrous manoeuvering of his career. The affair, which can be seen as the institutional version of a long-simmering feud erupting into a deadly street brawl, has transfixed Indonesia's commentariat for weeks.

mizzima.com Military ruled Burma has been ranked third among the most corrupt countries in the world, Berlin-based Transparency International said in a new report. TI's 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index reveals that an unstable and fragile Burma, scarred by war and ongoing conflicts, is third among the worst, with a score of 1.4. Somali with 1.1, and Afghanistan with 1.3 scores, are the countries below Burma.

bbc.co.uk Afghanistan's President Karzai has now set up his third anti-corruption unit. The first was disbanded when it was revealed that its head had been imprisoned on drugs charges in the US. ''Words are cheap. Deeds are required,'' remarked US ambassador Karl Eikenberry, who has recommended to President Obama that no further US troops be sent until corruption is confronted.

upi.com A Scottish man who disrupted an international flight by refusing to move his cast-encased arm to allow a trolley to pass has to keep the limb extended, his US lawyer told a hearing. The Philadelphia-to-London flight was diverted to Boston due to the disagreement, authorities said. The man said he asked for a window seat but was given one on the aisle.

Associated Press A flight from Atlanta to Houston with more than 70 passengers on board was delayed when a passenger refused to end a cell phone call. After several failed attempts by the crew member to get the man to end the conversation, the captain returned the plane to the gate. The passenger complied when asked to get off. No charges were filed, and that the plane departed for Houston 2 1/2 hours late.

smh.com.au A luxury Malaysian beach resort has come up with a novel way for guests to actually look forward to a downpour on their holiday: a free night if the rainfall exceeds three centimetres. The Tanjong Jara resort, owned by the YTL Hotels group, is located on Malaysia's east coast and its ''Everybody Loves Rain'' promotion comes during the area's main rainy season, which starts in November and ends in February.

Associated Press Hawaii intends to showcase its tourism opportunities and cultural diversity when more than 10,000 people arrive in the islands for the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering. It will be the first Apec summit in the US since 1993. President Barack Obama announced this weekend that his birth state had won its bid to host the meeting.

asiaone.com Singapore is a nation of budding student entrepreneurs, according to a National University of Singapore Entrepreneurship Centre study that showed 18 percent of tertiary students wanted to become entrepreneurs. This compared to 69 percent who preferred a regular salaried job.

afp Thai customs officials said they arrested a Pakistani man at Bangkok's international airport with 54 condoms in his stomach containing half a kilo of heroin. Kamran Pervaiz Butt, 24, was arrested on a Thai Airways flight from Islamabad after Thai authorities received a tip-off. The haul had a street value of 1.7 million baht.

dailyrecord.co.uk It's the most unusual civic greeting you are ever likely to hear. Welcome to Forks, Washington. Population, 3175 humans. And eight and a half vampires. The town has become famous over the past 12 months as the setting for the Twilight books and movies and is now the world capital for vampire tourism.