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

jakartapost.com Bali set a new record of international tourist arrivals with 2.2 million in 2009, but local and international tourism industry players doubt the island can equal or break the mark in the future. Ida Bagus Sidharta Putra of Santrian Group tours and travel network said traffic congestion and dirty beaches were among the problems Bali had to address to attract more tourists.

nst.com.my Traffic jams on the poorly maintained narrow road to Batu Ferringhi, dirty beaches, illegal seaside businesses, rowdy beach boys soliciting for business and dangerous recreational activities on the beach are enough to ruin holidays on Penang. One tourist said para-sailing and quad-bike riding without proper supervision were dangerous to hotel guests.''In Phuket, tourists do not encounter such troubles,'' she said.

press association Backpackers taking trips to Thailand top the list of those making travel insurance claims, it has been revealed. Claims following Thailand visits account for 22 percent of all backpackers' claims, according to InsureandGo. Personal luggage claims account for more than 40 percent.

telegraph.co.uk Religious violence in Malaysia escalated on Sunday after three more churches were attacked in an unprecedented wave of assaults on Christian houses of worship. No one was hurt in the latest upsurge of violence which saw two churches firebombed and a third dubbed with black paint in a row sparked by a court decision allowing non-Muslims to use the word "Allah" in place of God in their literature and worship.

straitstimes.com A large number of East Malaysians are Christians who worship in Malay and have historically used the word 'Allah' to refer to God. Churches in Malacca and Perak were struck on Sunday as well, but no one was hurt.

reuters Thailand's Deputy Public Health Minister resigned on Sunday after being implicated in a corruption scandal over a $2.57 billion healthcare scheme. Manit Nopamornbodee was the second minister to quit over the high-profile scandal, which has embarrassed an embattled coalition government as it prepares to face mass street protests and a no-confidence motion in parliament.

guardian.co.uk Japan Airlines is expected to be declared bankrupt, possibly as early as this week, despite offers of aid from US rivals that could rescue the stricken carrier. The airline, biggest in Asia but burdened with debts, will file for bankruptcy as part of a state-sponsored restructuring that is likely to see it emerge slimmed and ready form partners.

asiaone.com The Khon Kaen Hospital agreed to pay compensatory damages to 10 people who became blind after undergoing eye surgery at the hospital. The hospital paid 130,000 baht to each of the 10 victims.

monstersandcritics.com Monaco's Princess Caroline is ''deeply humiliated'' by her husband's alleged infidelity. The princess's husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, has been photographed allegedly kissing another woman on a beach in Phuket. The royal couple were last seen together on June 27 at a showjumping event and spent Christmas apart.

nytimes.com Giorgio Armani has chutzpah, or whatever it's called in Italian. This spring, he plans to unveil the first in a much-hyped chain of Armani Hotels (www.armanihotels.com). Where? In the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. The hotel features lots of dark leather and wood and - given Dubai's economic troubles - will stand either as a symbol of rebirth or of hubris.

theage.com.au A growing number of drivers with no taxi licence are behind the wheels of Melbourne's cabs. The Victorian Taxi Directorate has warned licensed cab drivers against letting other people use their identity to drive illegally. The directorate warned that ''services provided by drivers of taxi cabs must be carried out in a manner that is not fraudulent or dishonest''.

scmp.com Hongkongers continue to fear further acid attacks despite the arrest early of a 39-year-old man on the roof of a building believed to be the site from which acid was thrown onto shoppers in the Temple Street night market. That attack, in which 30 people were injured, was the eighth acid attack in the city in 13 months and took the number of injured to more than 100.

bangkokpost.com Khao Lak Laguna was the village's first hotel, set up 13 years ago to cater to Swedish tourists who were looking for somewhere quieter than Phuket. Land still cost next to nothing when Yongyuth Khorpetch became the first villager to turn from tin miner to hotelier.

nytimes.com Cost of an incident in Newark when a guard briefly left his post and a ''romantic'' man slipped under a rope for one last kiss with his girlfried: 1600 people stuck in the airport for six hours; flights delayed and an ''incalculable'' loss of money. And then for five days after the incident, New Jersey law enforcement officials searched exhaustively for the man caught on a grainy surveillance video.

reuters British police charged a man over a bomb hoax that prevented a Dubai-bound Emirates airliner from taking off from London's Heathrow airport. Police had arrested three men over the incident. Robert Fowles, 58, was charged with making a bomb hoax and being drunk on an aircraft. Alexander McGinn, 48, was also charged with being drunk. The third man was released.

newsoftheworld.co.uk Jane Atkinson writes; I was welcomed with a cold towel, a cocktail and a huge smile from the friendliest hotel staff I have ever encountered. After four blissful days at La Flora I headed to the Indigo Pearl hotel perched on the edge of Nai Yang Beach on Phuket's north-west coast, 40 minutes from the centre and 10 minutes from the airport. The beautiful boutique hotel is designed as a tribute to Phuket's history as a tin mining region - it's like walking into a pristine Thai factory of a century ago.

dailymail.co.uk For most of us, heading to the airport at the end of a holiday will be accompanied by that distinctively depressing back-to-work feeling. Unless you're Kate Moss and Jamie Hince, that is. The model and her rocker boyfriend were in high spirits as they larked around at Phuket International Airport, taking a few last holiday snaps on Kate's mobile phone.




January 13 The Dutch Embassy will hold a consular outreach trip to Phuket at the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Phang Nga Road in Phuket City from 10am to 12.30pm that day to provide some consular services to Dutch residents of Phuket and nearby provinces.

January 24 A new kind of raw gourmet food is gaining popularity for its unrivaled health benefits including weight loss and anti-aging. Mom Tri's Villa Royale is holding the first raw food workshop on Phuket. The half-day workshop will feature celebrity raw food chef and author Ani Phyo, demonstrating six recipes adapted for Thailand. The 1pm-5pm workshop is 800 baht in advance or 1000 baht on the day. Call 076 333 569 for Sylvie or e: pr@villaroyalephuket.com