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

bangkokpost.com Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij has ordered an investigation into alleged corruption in a 2.6 billion baht conference centre construction project on Phuket. Mr Korn said that he has directed deputy finance minister Pruektichai Damrongrut to investigate allegations that kickbacks were demanded from designers of the international convention centre on Phuket. ''Once we have the facts, we will consider what to do next [with the project],'' Mr Korn said.

Phuketwan Update Pirate goods valued at 43.6 million baht were destroyed in a blaze at Saphan Hin in Phuket City yesterday as part of an attempt to clamp down on fakes on Phuket. The blaze included 161,000 items of clothing, 15,800 bags, 1490 belts, 7,985 watches and 30,348 pairs of sunglasses, cigarette boxes and scarves. The assistant to the Minister of Commerce, Alongkorn Ponlaboot, came from Bangkok especially for the bonfire.

Associated Press The world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks. Electrical problems are partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform - the only part of the half-mile high tower open yet.

aljazeera.net The high-profile sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian opposition leader, has been temporarily halted after his lawyers moved to have the presiding judge disqualified. Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah will hear an application to remove him from the proceedings. Utusan Malaysia, a Malay-language daily newspaper linked to the government, ran photographs of the court's closed-door visit to the apartment where the alleged sexual encounter took place but the judge refused a request to admonish the newspaper over the photograph.

informationweek.com Google is reportedly planning to make Gmail more social by allowing users to exchange status updates with friends and share Web content links, features that moves Gmail into more direct competition with Facebook. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the company did invite journalists ''to see some innovations in two of our most popular products'' at a media event to be held Tuesday at the company's California headquarters.

casinogamblingweb.com The Lunar New Year holiday is this weekend in Singapore and residents of the country may have more to celebrate than just the New Year. Singapore's first casino, developed by Genting, could open this weekend as well. ''The early opening ahead of Marina Bay Sands will be positive as it allows RWS to reap the full benefits of a monopoly during the typically peak Chinese New Year festive season,'' said Keith Wee, an analyst at OSK Research Kuala Lumpur. Genting has been in a race with Las Vegas Sands to see which casino will be the first to open in Singapore.

casinocitytimes.com Recruitment of card dealers for Singapore casinos is underway in Taiwan, according to The Straits Times. An integrated resort operator believed to be Resorts World Sentosa wants to hire 150 croupiers and advertised on a Taiwanese job bank, The Straits Times said. Taiwan's plans for a casino are ''on the back burner'' according to the Straits Times report.

cnn.com A man pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Haiti's capital may have been trapped since the January 12 quake that leveled much of the city, doctors reported. The emaciated 28-year-old man was found in the wreckage of a market where he sold rice, his family told staff at a University of Miami field hospital. The man told doctors that someone was bringing him water while trapped.

bangkokpost.com Baan Taling Ngam Resort on Koh Samui, owned by the defunct Lehman Brothers (Thailand), will be offered for tender later this month. It will be the bank's first asset in Thailand to be sold as an open-market transaction since the giant Wall Street investment bank collapsed in late 2008. Binswanger Brooker (Thailand), a property consultancy, has been reviewing Lehman's local assets for the past three months as a consultant for potential investors.

kuenselonline.com Tourist arrivals in Bhutan dropped by 15 percent in 2009 from the year before, prompting people in the industry to call it one of the worst slumps in recent years. Arrivals fell to 23,480 in 2009, compared to 27,636 tourists in 2008, a drop of 4,156 tourists. Tourist arrivals have been increasing by 35 percent annually for the past six years.

businessweek.com A body was found in the landing-gear compartment on a Delta Air Lines Inc. flight from New York after the plane arrived at Tokyo's Narita Airport. The cause of death might have been lack of oxygen or hypothermia, and the body didn't appear to be crushed, said a police official stationed at Narita. The corpse was dressed in jeans and other civilian clothing and carried no identification, the official said.

Reuters Philippine politicians begin campaigning today in a wide open race for the presidency, with voters looking for a fresh start after the scandal-plagued administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The latest opinion poll shows two opposition lawmakers are neck and neck for the May 10 presidential election, but analysts say it is too early to establish a two-horse race because voters have yet to hear detailed policies from the candidates.

bbc.co.uk Australia is to increase humanitarian aid to Burma to help the country to be ready for political change, Australia's foreign minister has said. Stephen Smith said Burma could not be allowed to decay ''to the ultimate disadvantage of its people''. He said the increase was in line with US policy, which calls for engagement with Burma as well as sanctions.

cnn.com Beating drums accompany hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers as they inch their way toward the entrance of the Batu caves just north of Kuala Lumpur for the festival of Thaipusam. The festival is celebrated under a full moon and many Hindus come to ask Lord Muruga for good health and peace for the year, to help them find a job or to cure a sick relative. Some pierce their faces with metal spikes and have hooks inserted into their bodies while in a trance before climbing the 272 steps to the temples inside one cave.

responsesource.com Phuket's popular Cricket Sixes event will be returning this year. The dates for the 2010 competition have now been confirmed, with the pre-tournament beach cricket session scheduled for Wednesday April 14 and the full event getting underway the following day. Tournament director Brad Tarr said the Cricket Sixes takes place in ''one of the best holiday locations around''.

usnews.com A new study suggests that drinking soda may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer, Reuters reports. Researchers tracked 60,524 participants in Singapore over 14 years. They found that those who drank two or more sodas a week had an 87 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Lead author Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota says that sugar in soda may be to blame - at high amounts, it could boost the body's insulin levels and spur cancer cell growth, according to Reuters. Another expert warned that the study may be based on too few cases (only 140 participants developed pancreatic cancer).

chinadaily.com On honeymoon in Indonesia, Australian newlyweds Richard and Clair Webb decided to go to the remote Rimba Orangutan Eco Lodge, bordering Tanjung Puting National Park in south Kalimantan, a refuge of the endangered orangutan, one of four such places in Indonesia that try to educate guests about the environment and wildlife conservation. ''Watching these animals that are so rare, it was a really beautiful experience. It was the highlight of our honeymoon,'' Clair Webb said from her home in Canberra.



Until February 14 Phuket OTOP (one village, one product) Fair at Saphan Hin public park in Phuket City. About 300 booths, nightly performances, local and national products, good food. Hundreds of visitors expected each evening.

February 13-19 Chalong Temple Fair.

February 14 Valentines Day, Chinese New Year.

February 19-21 Old Phuket Chinese New Year Festival, Old Phuket Town.

February 25-28 Phuket Gay Festival in Patong.

February 26-27 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2010 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, Karon.

February 26-28 Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s at Fifa Phuket Tsunami Centre.

April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.

April 14 Phuket Cricket Sixes begin.

May31-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 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.

Phuket Tuk-Tuk Meeting to Follow Consuls' Summit
.Latest The innovative summit between Phuket's Governor and 15 national representatives was hailed as a success by participants, and next week the governor begins talks about tuk tuks.
Phuket Tuk-Tuk Meeting to Follow Consuls' Summit

Phuket Jobs Safer Now But Recovery is an Illusion
Latest Record traffic through Phuket airport is a sign that crisis marketing and discounts are working. But the big spenders may not be back for another season and Phuket's excesses remain a turn-off.
Phuket Jobs Safer Now But Recovery is an Illusion

Planet Phuket: Clean Future Grows a Fan Club
News Analysis A meeting on Monday represents Phuket's best chance yet to change for the better. The island's governor will hear the views of international representatives for the first time.
Planet Phuket: Clean Future Grows a Fan Club

Secret Phuket: Lifting the Veil on Heavy Metal
Take the Tour One of Phuket's most surprising features is a hidden valley tin smelter and refinery where links with the island's mining past are forging an environmentally friendly future.
Secret Phuket: Lifting the Veil on Heavy Metal

Rawai Blaze: Razed Roxanne Rocks No More
Latest A bar in the southern Phuket beach destination of Rawai has been destroyed in a blaze. Police have yet to determine whether the fire that razed Roxanne Bar was deliberately lit or not.
Rawai Blaze: Razed Roxanne Rocks No More

Phuket's Record High Sets Pace for Global Upturn
Breaking News Figures for Phuket flight arrivals and departures in January produce record numbers as the island's ability to recover from natural and manmade disasters shines through.
Phuket's Record High Sets Pace for Global Upturn