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

PHUKET police have arrested a gang of 11 men who wore black-visored helmets and carried automatic weapons when extorting money as loan sharks in the Baan Nanai-Thalang area. The gang charged excessive rates of interest on loans and terrorised the neighborhood, said Phuket Police Chief Major General Pekad Tantipong. Guns and knives were impounded, along with seven motorcycles and black-visor helmets, when the 11 were arrested in a raid on a rented house on December 19.

straitstimes.com Thailand said it expects a rise of up to 10 percent in the number of tourists travelling there next year, after political turmoil contributed to a drop in visitors in 2009. ''There will be 15 to 15.5 million tourists,'' the Tourism and Sports Ministry said in a statement on projections for 2010. It said the industry would campaign worldwide to promote Thailand as a holiday destination, with the priority of attracting more visitors from South and Southeast Asia, France and Britain.

informationweek.com Hewlett-Packard is investigating a claim that webcams built into its PCs are incapable of tracking the facial movements of black individuals and only function properly when Caucasians or people of other lighter-skinned races are in the frame. The probe was prompted by a YouTube video in which a black man named Desi demonstrates the problem. The camera, designed to follow head movements, fails to track Desi but when Desi's white co-worker, Wanda, enters, the camera follows her.

nationmultimedia.com The Sangha Supreme Council, the governing body for Thai Buddhist monks, has severed ties with Bodhinyana Monastery in Perth on the ground of violating a ban against the ordination of women. Acting in defiance of the Supreme Patriarch's prohibition, Phra Wisutthi Sangwornthera, the abbot of the Perth monastery, ordained a Bhikkhuni, the female monk unrecognised by the Thai branch of Theravada Buddhism.Phra Wisutthi, also known as Bhramavanso Mahathera, is a British national and a graduate of Cambridge University.

ttglive.com Destinations with something unique or new to offer will lead the way in 2010 according to Abta's Travel Trends report. Key drivers will be a desire to give back to a destination, experience one-off events such as the World Cup in South Africa or see places which feature in films and books. Long haul destinations that look set to return to popularity, and recover from the issues they have faced recently, include Mexico and Thailand.

rte.ie Former 'EastEnders' star Kim Medcalf has flown out to Thailand to visit children who were orphaned in the 2004 tsunami. The actress who temporarily took over the role of Sam Mitchell from Danniella Westbrook between 2001 and 2005, was invited to mark the fifth anniversary of the disaster. Speaking to The Sun, Medcalf, 16 weeks pregnant with her first child, said: ''As a mother-to-be, it's particularly upsetting and emotional to hear what happened to them.''

wsj.com Malaysian Airline System agreed to purchase up to 25 new Airbus A330-300 widebody aircraft with a list price of $5 billion, funded partly by a $777 million rights offering. The national carrier's chief executive, Azmil Zahruddin, said the agreement is for 15 firm orders and an option for a further 10 planes. The planes will be delivered between 2011 and 2016.

washingtonpost.com On the topic of Thai beaches in August, there are reassuring posts on travelfish.com from readers who've been there, done that. From one August visitor to Phi Phi and Phuket: ''In 15 days got 2 days virtually cloudless, about 2 where it rained more often than not (but these still had some sunny breaks and were not write-offs), and the rest were the normal mixture of one or a few showers, sun/scattered cloud. I had a great holiday.''

rnw.nt In the Indonesian province of Papua, around 400 people have attended the funeral procession for rebel leader Kelly Kwalik, who was shot dead last week by police during a raid. The mourners in the town of Timika used the occasion to criticise the US mining company Freeport McMoran. The protesters said the mine was responsible for the death of Mr Kwalik and demanded that it be closed.


TOURISTS are being invited to see what Old Phuket Town really looked like without all those power lines dangling from poles. From 5pm until midnight on Sunday, December 27, enjoy local food amid Thalang Road and Soi Romanee in Old Phuket Town, with the power lines buried underground. The island's Sino-Portuguese-style architecture never looked better. Nor does the entry price to the fourth 'Local Life' festival. It's free. Here's a great start to exploring Phuket's real culture.