thelocal.se A Swedish tourist has died after falling 150 metres into the crater of an active volcano on Bali. The man slipped as he tried to peer into the crater on Wednesday after a dawn trek to the summit of Mount Batur, which climbs to 1700 metres on the northeastern side of the island, police said. ''He was looking into the crater, slipped and fell 150 metres,'' local police chief Made Oka told AFP.

thejakartapost.com Rescuers managed to lift the body of Swedish tourist Daniel Fetersan, 25, from the volcano. ''The body has been lifted and is being transported down the mountain,'' said a Bangli police spokesman.

nationmultimedia.com More than 1000 local tourism sector representatives and tours operators will gather in Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Pattaya and Samui this Thursday to urge anti-government red-shirts protesters to end their rallies.

The protests have resulted in lost tourism revenue of about 10 billion baht, said Charoen Wongananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association.

thailand-business-news.com Although resorts in Phuket, Samui and Krabi are maintaining high occupancy despite the unrest, Prakit Chinamourphong, President of the Thai Hotels Association, says new bookings for the Songkran festival are down from last year because tourists feared violence.


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

Phuketwan Update Phuket police are on the alert for ATM fraudsters and illegal fuel. About 120 officers were briefed yesterday by bank officials on the kinds of tricks being used to rob individuals and banks. The gathering took place at Phuket City police station.


bangkokpost.com Bali may become a more desirable destination for Australian tourists than Thailand if political problems are prolonged, says Silachai Surai, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Australia and New Zealand office. Australian arrivals to Bali increased by 30 percent to 400,000 last year. Political troubles could see Thailand lose its preferred position with Australians.


adelaidenow.com.au A passenger on a Singapore-bound Qantas flight that was forced to return to Sydney Airport last night has told of fire coming from the plane. Nicola Wall told Channel Nine News that she looked out of her window to see "flames coming out from under the wing". Qantas could not confirm the reports, but last night said the situation was not an emergency.


etfbd.com In a speech in Kuala Lumpur to kick off the New Economic Model, PM Najib Razak said the entrenched affirmative action policies, which have historically benefited primarily the majority ethnic Malay population, will be adjusted to help disadvantaged members of the minority ethnic groups.

todayonline.com It remains to be seen whether Mr Najib, who came to office last year, can mobilise enough political support to push through the reforms. His proposal can be expected to generate opposition from within his own United Malays National Organisation and other Malay nationalist groups.


hightimes.com A 48-year-old Australian man is facing 20 years behind bars in Indonesia. Robert McJannett was arrested in Bali in December after customs officers allegedly discovered 1.7 grams of marijuana in his bag. Under ''harsh new drug laws introduced last year'' in Indonesia, McJannett faces five to 15 years for importing pot. McJannett is also being charged with possession, which carries a sentence of four to 12 years.


salem-news.com A jaw and a femur bone that could belong to Sean Flynn have been recovered in Cambodia. The legendary war photographer who never returned from tbe Vietnam War is the son of Errol Flynn, of Hollywood fame. Flynn disappeared in 1970 during the invasion of Cambodia.


latimes.com A prolonged drought punctuated by intense monsoons that partially destroyed the city's water-preservation infrastructure led to the 15th century collapse of the ancient city of Angkor, capital of the Khmer Empire, US and Asian researchers report. The first tree-ring chronology in Asia provides strong support. It shows that the drought persisted for decades, which would have severely strained the city's ability to survive.


Burma needs a general election, not an election of generals - theonlinecitizen.com

wsj.com Burma's generals are embracing democracy this year - ''discipline-flourishing democracy,'' as they like to put it - and some of the junta's friends are buying in to the program. ''There is a new beginning after the elections,'' said Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsawan, calling them ''a step forward.''

todayonline.com Many residents of Myanmar's largest city backed the decision by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's party to boycott elections, but others called it a blunder leaving little choice in the military-organised balloting.


Can Anyone Pacify the World's Number One Narco-State? - huffingtonpost.com

''If they come with tractors,'' one Afghani widow announced to a chorus of supportive shouts from her fellow farmers, ''they will have to roll over me and kill me before they can kill my poppy.'' - huffingtonpost.com


cnn.com A onetime contestant on 'The Dating Game' was sentenced to die for murdering four women and a child, Orange County, California, officials said. Rodney Alcala, 66, was convicted in February of kidnapping and murdering a 12-year-old girl and raping and murdering four Los Angeles County women in the 1970s.


theage.com.au Discount airline Viva Macau has apologised publicly to thousands of air travellers it stranded after aviation authorities grounded the airline on the weekend. As many as 4739 passengers were stuck when 33 flights were cancelled suddenly on Friday, after the Macau Civil Aviation Authority revoked its licence to fly. The Macau authorities cancelled Viva Macau's certificate after the airline failed to pay its fuel bill.


theaustralian.com.au Airline seats will be at premium on Thursday for Easter as the Australian industry heads into what is expected to be its busiest day of the year. Internationally, there was very strong traffic to Bali with Phuket, Auckland, Christchurch and Honolulu also proving popular.


usatoday.com Forget about simply betting on Tiger Woods to win the Masters, British bookmakers are taking wagers on whether the No. 1 player in the world will hit a tree on his first drive or if he'll kiss an anonymous blonde before teeing off.

nydailynews.com Tiger Woods thinks he has a good shot of winning the coming Masters Tournament without harassment, his longtime caddie Steve Willlias said. Woods is returning to pro golf April 8 still dogged by a sex scandal that nearly scuttled his marriage and derailed his career.


smh.com.au Peter Singer writes: The idea of a tax on global financial transactions, with the money going to help the poor, has been around for decades but without going anywhere. Now 350 economists from more than 35 countries have signed a letter to the leaders of the Group of 20 countries calling on them to impose a tax on financial transactions.


independent.co.uk Neither wholly male nor entirely female, there are more than 30,000 ''intersexed'' individuals living in Britain today. ''Society is becoming more open-minded, but most people still haven't heard of the word 'intersex', and gender variance remains the last taboo in our culture,'' maintains reforms supporter Adele Addams. Despite the recommendation of informed doctors, damaging surgery on intersexed babies still goes on in many countries.


abcnews.go.com Willy Wonka may have been on the right track - chocolate may be a sweet way to control blood pressure and thus protect the heart, according to a report from German researchers. A new study reveals heart attack survivors can benefit from eating chocolate but the benefit was greatest among people who consumed about 7.5 grams of chocolate daily, about a quarter of an ounce.



March 31 The Phuket Navy League is holding a welcome party at 7pm Wednesday for officers and crew of the USS Hopper, the latest US warship to visit Phuket. The USS Hopper was among the second group of ships to visit Phuket following the formation of the Phuket Navy League. Entry is no charge for those on active military duty, 200 baht for league members and 400 baht for visitors. Venue: the BBQ Hut in Patong Beach. Details: 081 8956104 or 089 9733483.

April 3 Attempt on the mass dive record, Thai Muang, Phang Nga, 11am. Details: 076-411388.
April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.
April 12-13 Water festival on the Beach
April 13-15 Songkran in Old Phuket Town
April 14-18 Phuket Cricket Sixes, Karon Sports Stadium.
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