afp Indonesian rock star Nazril Ariel surrendered to police today over two homemade sex videos of himself with his celebrity girlfriends that appeared on the internet, police said.

afp John Terry has apologised to Fabio Capello and his teammates after launching a failed coup against the Italian's leadership of England's faltering World Cup bid.


A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. PLUS World Cup Watch, every day.

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bangkokpost.com More than 800 police are being deployed today to provide security at the royally sponsored cremation of army specialist and red shirt security chief Khattiya Sawasdipol. Major General ''Sae Daeng'' Khattiya was shot in the head on May 13 while being interviewed outside the red shirt barricadein Bangkok. A deadly crackdown followed.

nytimes.com The Thai government has moved into the next phase of a campaign against the dissident movement known as the red shirts, freezing the assets of scores of people it says helped finance recent protests, and planning to summon them for questioning. On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of security for the government, said a state of emergency declared during the protests would remain because of a continuing threat of disturbances.

nationmultimedia.com Starting next Monday, the 83 people blacklisted for allegedly funding last month's violent red shirt protests will be summoned to meet with the Department of Special Investigation after the Army commander signed a directive officially enabling the process.

afp One of Britain's most notorious child murderers, who killed a two-year-old when aged just 10 himself, has been charged with downloading child pornography. Media can now report some details of the case after a judge at London's Central Criminal Court lifted some legal restrictions. Jon Venables, now aged 27, was sent to a young offenders' institution with another boy after beating to death toddler James Bulger on a railway line in Liverpool, northwest England, in 1993.

Associated Press The UN Human Rights Council has unanimously elected Thailand's ambassador in Geneva as its president for the coming year. Asia is entitled to name the new chair under rules intended to ensure that each region holds the rotating presidency of the 47-member council every five years. Phuangketkeow's election follows criticism by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of the recent violent protests in Thailand in which some 90 people died and about 1800 were wounded.

ANI Hunting for tarantulas then eating them is the latest craze for tourists visiting Cambodia. Holidaymakers are joining locals in hunting tarantulas, which are considered to be a local treat. Locals hunt spider holes and then consume the creatures immersed in soy sauce, deep fried in salt and garlic, or mixed into rice wine and jack fruit cocktails.

property-report.com Holiday home buyers of resort condominiums on the Thai island of Phuket have adopted a more cautious approach, concentrating on completed and well-managed properties. According to professional services firm Jones Lang LaSalle, the Phuket holiday home market has seen a slowdown in sales since the global financial crisis escalated in the final quarter of 2008. It was not until the final quarter of 2009 when the market sentiment started picking up as economies in most parts of the world showed signs of recovery. However, the recent political unrest in Thailand have softened buyer confidence, resulting in a slower recovery process in the Phuket market.

bangkokpost.com Developers in Phuket should take actions to assure buyers of their ability to complete projects, as the trend today has leaned toward completed and well-managed properties to minimise risks in the currently slow market, according to Dexter Norville, head of estate management of Jones Lang LaSalle in the resort island. The company finds that confidence has receded among buyers, causing them to be more cautious about buying resorts, condominiums or villas on the island. Some potential buyers have postponed their purchases while others have concentrated only on completed properties.

bloomberg.com Malaysian Airline System, whose Airbus SAS A380s are more than four years late, said it ''cannot tolerate'' any further delays in deliveries of the aircraft. ''We are not happy,'' Chief Executive Officer Tengku Azmil Zahruddin told reporters. ''We will not rule anything out at this stage,'' he said when asked whether the carrier may consider scrapping contracts. Malaysian Air is in discussions with Airbus about its six on-order A380s. The carrier's first A380 is due in the second quarter of 2012, following at least three delays.

afp The major airline alliances - Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld - are proving their worth as carriers cope with troubled times and target China, one of the fastest growing travel markets. The three partnerships, originally set up around the key Transatlantic routes, now count some 50 companies in all, carrying millions of passengers and operating thousands of flights daily across 180 countries.

abc.net.au There has been an incident at the Darwin detention centre, where an asylum seeker has been taken to hospital. The Immigration Department has released few details but has confirmed a man was rushed to the Royal Darwin Hospital this morning. A group of 31 men has been staging a protest at the centre for more than a week. The protesters are Rohingyan, a muslim minority from western Burma.

phnompenhpost.com A group of Rohingya in Cambodia seeking political asylum through the UN refugee office is facing food shortages after about five months in the country, according to news reports. On June 7, Kaladan News, a Rohingya news agency, quoted one of the 32 asylum seekers, who arrived in January, as saying that the status of their applications was unclear, but that they were in dire need of food assistance.

theage.com.au Somaly Mam emerged from a life of sex slavery in Cambodia to become a champion of women's rights and one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people on the planet. Abandoned by her parents, Mam was raped at 12, forced to marry at 14 then sold into prostitution. Up to 70 percent of brothel clients are Cambodian men and the remaining 30 per cent are foreigners including paedophiles targeting children, she says.

eglobaltravelnews.com.au The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, Thailand's annual shopping extravaganza offers world-class shopping, a diverse selection of quality products and services, special discounts of 10-80 percent and promotional offers being extended by leading department stores, shopping complexes, King Power Duty Free shops, airlines, hotels, spas, golf courses, online travel agencies, hospitals, jewellery shops and participating retail outlets along designated 'Shopping Streets' in Bangkok and at special events held in the popular tourist destinations of Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Udon Thani and Hat Yai.



smh.com.au A merciless Portugal tore North Korea to shreds in a 7-0 rout to put them within reach of the knockout rounds and eliminating the Asian nation from the World Cup. With Brazil already qualified from Group G, Portugal now have four points to Ivory Coast's one, leaving Didier Drogba's team with only an outside chance of making the round of 16.

scmp.com A dominant Spain got their World Cup campaign firmly back on track when David Villa struck twice to lead the European champions to a 2-0 win over Group H minnows Honduras.

cnn.com According to Akamai, a content delivery network, the Web peaked at more than 12 million users per minute just two hours after the World Cup kickoff between South Africa and Mexico. By comparison, about 8.5 million people were logging on per minute the November evening that Obama was elected in 2008.



June 25-26 Phuket Music Festival, Full Moon Version, at Karon beach. [Last year it was called the RoyFest. It's no longer the RoyFest.]
June 25 to 27 Second Kathu Culture Road Fair, recalling the region's history
July 4 US Phuket Navy League Independence Day free family picnic at the Headstart International Learning Center directly across from Makro (near Central Festival) in Phuket City from 10am-7pm.
July 9-18 Phuket Flower Festival and Pineapple Show, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
July 21-25 Phuket Six Senses Race Week, Evason, Rawai
July 24 Third Worldwide Photo Walk, with at least one walk for photographers on Phuket
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi