A FIRE truck that turned up to fight a blaze last night at a shop near the Sam Kong intersection in Phuket City was found to contain no water.
Nearby residents were angry to hear a fireman say the didn't bother to load up with water because they thought it was probably a false alarm. The second fire truck arrived about 11.30pm with water, but by then the Sam Kong CD shop had been destroyed.


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

World Cup Scores: MEX 0:1 URU FRA 1:2 RSA NGA 2:2 KOR GRE 0:2 ARG
Screening Tonight: 9pm Slovenia v England USA v Algeria 1.30am Ghana v Germany Australia v Serbia

abcnews.go.com Thousands of opposition supporters who once occupied central Bangkok paid final respects to a renegade general assassinated at the height of the red shirt demonstrations. Amid heightened security, the mourners filed through a Buddhist temple to attend the cremation of Major General Khattiya Sawasdiphol, who was shot in the head by a sniper on May 13 while giving interviews to foreign journalists.

bangkokpost.com Supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship flooded Wat Sommanat yesterday with bitterness, resentment and anger about the death of the red shirt security chief better known as Seh Daeng, as well as the deaths of other red shirt supporters. Many at the cremation said they would not accept the government's reconciliation plan. ''If the government wants reconciliation, it should stop producing false accusations against us and stop hunting down red shirt supporters,'' said Sakol Nuchit, 42, said. A five-year-old boy who was brought to the funeral by a woman who claimed Seh Daeng was his father.

nationmultimedia.com US-based Marriott International announced its expansion in Thailand from the current 17 hotels to 21 over the next three years, for a total of 4422 rooms. Edwin D Fuller, Marriott's president and managing director for international lodging, said Thailand's tourism industry should recover within the next year. Emmanuel Vikas, regional sales director of Alila Hotels and Resorts: ''We are negotiating with property developers who plan to develop hotels in Phuket, and we expect to a conclude management deal within two years.''

cnn.com Barely able to sit up due to intense pain, first-time mother Bhateri Devi steadies herself with the help of a family member. She has had a Cesarean section, an experience many women have endured. But Devi is different: She gave birth to triplets in May this year and is 66 years old. It was her very first delivery.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk An airline is so proud of its in-flight food it plans to start selling takeaways. Thai Airways is introducing a line of seven ready-made curry sauces to be sold starting later this month at shops in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. The company said its target market was the business traveller who had enjoyed their in-flight meal but had no time to cook Thai food at home.

theage.com.au A British man missed the chance to see his dying aunt after being kicked off a flight for being too fat. Sandy Russell, who weighs more than 200 kilograms, was reportedly asked by a flight attendant to leave an Air Transat flight from London to Toronto because he could not fit in his seat. Mr Russell was told he could travel on the next available flight - but only if he paid for two seats. He did not take the flight and his aunt died two days later.

straitstimes.com Police in south-west China's Chongqing municipality shut down the local Hilton Hotel and arrested 22 people suspected of running a prostitution ring, state press reported. Chongqing police are investigating the owner of Hilton Chongqing, and its alleged links to an underworld gang running a prostitution ring at the hotel, China National Radio said. The Hilton International Hotel Group manages the business in a joint venture with the property company, the report said.

thestar.com.my The ''black economy'' in Malaysia has grown to RM10 billion, requiring the Government to initiate tougher measures against elements that may become national security threats, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. ''We are not just talking about betting and gambling. We are also talking about human trafficking of women and children (for prostitution), human trafficking of men, money laundering, drug trafficking and even terrorism-related activities,'' he said.

nytimes.com One of Indonesia's most popular celebrities could face up to 12 years in jail after he was detained and accused of starring in a series of celebrity sex videos that have riveted the Muslim-majority country and prompted calls for greater controls of online content. Nazril Irham, popularly known as Ariel, turned himself in to the police. Three low-quality clips that purport to show Mr Irham having sex with his actress girlfriend, Luna Maya, and, separately, with a married television presenter, Cut Tari, have spread rapidly online and by mobile phone.

businessweek.com Singapore's casinos have attracted more than three million visitors, created thousands of jobs and spurred spending at hotels, restaurants and shopping malls. They're also keeping the courts busy. Since the opening of Resorts World Sentosa in February and Marina Bay Sands in April, the island-state has seen cases of fraud, embezzlement and identity theft. Some offenders were fined or sent to prison, three European suspects have jumped bail and two Africans have been charged for cheating the casinos out of about S$140,000.

boston.com Inside the mind of the anonymous online poster: These users comment on everything from today's news to hotel rooms. Many are harmless. But some are ruthless. Who are they exactly, and why do they do what they do? News websites struggle to maintain civility in their online comments forums. But given their anonymous nature and anything-goes ethos, these forums can sometimes feel as ungovernable as the tribal lands of Pakistan.
After years of letting anonymity rule online, many media heavyweights, from The Washington Post to The Huffington Post, have begun to modify their policies. The goal is to take the playground back from anonymous bullies and give greater weight to those willing to offer, in addition to strong views, their real names.

voanews.com The Human Rights and Development Foundation says Thai authorities are targeting for arrest migrant workers who failed to take part in a nationality verification program. The HRDF says the government this month set up a special center to manage a crackdown on about 300,000 migrant workers who missed a February deadline to begin the verification process. The rights group says hundreds of migrants have already been arrested and more arrests are expected.

businessweek.com Indonesia asked the World Trade Organisation to investigate whether US tobacco control laws are illegally preventing imports of clove-flavored cigarettes. Jakarta said the US Food and Drug Administration's ban on manufacturing, importing, marketing and distributing candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored tobacco breaks trade rules because it exempts menthol cigarettes, most of which are made in the US.

wsj.com In his just-released biography 'Sergeant Smack: The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and His Band of Brothers,' crime author Ron Chepesiuk details how Atkinson smuggled heroin from Southeast Asia into the US and became a leader in the international drug trade.

wsj.com The political rush was on from the left and right to urge President Obama to exert his command over the military by firing General Stanley McChrystal for an impolitic interview with 'Rolling Stone' magazine. Why any US officer, much less such a senior one, would invite an antiwar correspondent from an antiwar magazine into his inner councils is one for the PR history books. There's no excuse for military officers to show such disrespect for civilian leaders, including US ambassadors, and especially to a Vice President and Commander in Chief.

cnn.com> A German national wearing a burqa was taken into custody by Pakistani security forces while trying to escape from a security check post in northwestern Pakistan, a government official told CNN. The German was wearing a full-body sewing cloth that Muslim women wear for cultural and religious reasons.

people.com.cn Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the civil war that lasted for more than two decades had left over 90,000 disabled people and about 300,000 children who are under their dependence. Delivering a speech at the marking of the third anniversary of the Cambodian Veteran Day, Hun Sen said that his government has to help these people for their daily survival.

abcnews.go.com A food industry watchdog group is threatening to take McDonald's to court over its practice of including toys with Happy Meals. The Center for Science in the Public Interest announced that it will file a lawsuit against McDonald's, calling the practice of marketing toys with junk food ''illegal'' under consumer protection laws in five US states.

prweb.com US-based LaTour Hotels and Resorts, which offers personalised luxury hospitality management services for four- and five-star properties worldwide, will now manage Grove Gardens Phuket, an exclusive residential estate property located on prestigious Cape Yamu on the east coast of Phuket. LaTour Hotels and Resorts also manage the Dewa Phuket Resort and IndoChine Resort and Villas in Kalim Phuket. Grove Gardens Phuket, overlooking Phang Nga Bay consists of 36 modern townhomes and condominium villas in spacious grounds feature a plethora of amenities that embrace the Phuket island lifestyle, including a spa with private massage and treatment rooms; a lush Balinese-style garden with steam room, sauna, cold plunge pool and gym; a swimming pool complex - connected by waterfalls - consisting of a lap pool, deep water pool for scuba training and children's pools/play areas; a tennis court and professional three-hole golf course, and a clubhouse featuring a restaurant, bar and convenience store.



bbc.co.uk Preview: Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek described qualification for South Africa as ''a fairytale ending from a Hollywood movie,'' and a point on Wednesday would take the smallest country at the World Cup through to the last 16. In contrast, England's campaign has the feel of a second-rate black comedy, despite the presence of a supposedly A-list cast.

guardian.co.uk Fabio Capello picks out courage and endeavor as England's missing virtues. On the eve of a game that could ravage the English national team for a generation, Capello's mantra sounded less of a diagnosis than a provocation to his players. If they hide again, a terrible darkness will descend.

scmp.com South Korea progressed to the second round of the World Cup for only the second time in eight attempts after a 2-2 draw with Nigeria in their final Group B match.

Associated Press Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss has lost his cool after his tactics were questioned for Slovakia's 2-0 loss to Paraguay at the World Cup, hurling expletives at his country's media and threatening to beat up one reporter.

Associated Press The referee waved a red card at the French player, ejecting him from the game for a nasty elbow foul. Soon after, South Africa put the French out of their misery with a 2-1 victory, and France's World Cup humiliation was complete. Seen as undeserving competitors even before the tournament began, France is going home early in economy class - winless and the laughingstock of the soccer world.

smh.com.au Raymond Domenech ended his troubled reign as France coach in controversial fashion by refusing to shake South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's hand at the end of their clash. The 58-year-old refused to expand on why he had not accepted the traditional shake of the hand from the World Cup winning coach.

smh.com.au The Socceroos have been awarded international football's unofficial '''unfair play''' award. Under the headline '''Australia's red mist,'' FIFA officials pointed out the ''unwelcome'' fact that in the last four World Cup matches played by the Socceroos, no fewer than six players have been sent off.



WHAT'S being touted as Asia's biggest beach dance party returns to Phuket's Karon Beach on Friday and Saturday, 6pm-2am. The Phuket Music Festival - Full Moon Version ''will help rehabilitate the image of the country and Phuket. It will also bring smiles back to the faces of Thai people and to foreigners following the political turmoil,'' says Wiwatchai Boonyapak, executive director of the product promotion department of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. ''Tourists from all around the world including Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong will be back,'' he adds. With a budget of 15 million baht, the event features a dance floor of 9200square metres of beach catering to an anticipated crowed of 50,000 plus visitors. There is parking for 300 to 500 cars, but no public transport. Admission is free.

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