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

PHUKET is regaining its international film festival in June, screendaily.com reports. The second Phuket Film Festival will go ahead from June 4-13.
Readers will recall Thailand's miscast plan, after the Songkran 2009 debacle in Pattaya, for a swift-recovery Asean conference last June on Phuket. The plan quickly fell apart, but not before festival organisers, fearing more Pattaya-style violence, had opted to cancel.
Organised by Scott Rosenberg of AMW International, this year's 10-day festival aims to attract Hollywood and European stars and directors, plus up to 6500 fans at 3500 baht a pop.
From the festival's own site at phuketfilmfestival.asia/ we learn that in its comeback appearance, winning films at the festival will be honored at the People's Choice Awards. A June date puts Phuket after the Festival des Cannes and before the Shanghai International Film Festival, ''offering film festival professionals an opportunity to visit Phuket between the two major film festivals.''
''The second edition of the Festival will lay the groundwork for a sustainable annual event which will not only help raise visibility of Phuket as a quality tourist destination but also act as an anchor event drawing tourism during Phuket's low season,'' the site says.
The history of the Phuket Film Festival is ''fraught with many of the same trials and tribulations the Cannes International Film Festival underwent in its start up days.''

nationmultimedia.com Airports of Thailand began a one-month test yesterday of a new body scanner at Suvarnabhumi. For screening, passengers have to stand without their wristwatch and coat or outer garments in front of the scanner, before turning around for 5-10 seconds for a full scan, without security guards touching people's bodies.

bangkokpost.com Airport deputy director Narongchai Thanadchangsaeng yesterday said the use of the microwave imaging equipment, known as the Brijot Gen 2, would be limited during the test run and then only on a ''voluntary'' basis. Khun Narongchai said all passengers would undergo the usual screening with metal detectors and X-ray machines first. Only passengers suspected of having concealed objects would be asked to choose between a pat-down screening by security staff or a ''virtual pat-down'' by the scanner, he said.

dailymail.com Burma's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, will be freed when her house arrest ends in November, according to a government minister. But that will probably be too late for national elections. Major General Maung Oo, Burma's home minister, told a meeting of businessmen and officials last week that the Nobel Prize-winner would be released in November.

latimes.com If Brad and Angelina split, would they be Bran and Gelina?

thephuketinsider.com Discounting by Phuket hotels cost the industry on the island $300 million in room revenue in 2009, according to the Phuket Hotel Market Update report compiled by leading Thailand consultancy C9 Hotelworks. Room rate cuts averaged 20 percent across the board last year, leading to the loss compared to 2008 room revenue. Despite tourism arrivals rebounding back to 2007 levels, a key blow to fundamental hotel metrics hit profit margins.

people.com A suspicious Elin Nordegren set events in motion on the night of Tiger Woods's fateful car crash by pretending to be her husband in texts to his alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel, says a new report. The Daily Beast says Elin confirmed her suspicions on the night of the car crash by texting Uchitel and impersonating her husband, then calling Uchitel after she texted back. Tiger had taken Ambien and was in a stupor when Elin woke him by screaming at him. Tiger texted Uchitel soon after his wife woke him up. Elin also found this text and chased Tiger out of the house.

abc.net.au Authorities have ruled out sabotage as the cause of a fatal Ethiopian Airlines plane crash off the coast of Lebanon, instead blaming bad weather. The plane plunged into the Mediterranean Sea in a ball of fire minutes after taking off, with 90 people on board. Authorities downplayed hopes of finding survivors.

bangkokpost.com In January 2009, foreign media outlets [actually Phuketwan plus the South China Morning Post] reported that hundreds of Rohingya refugees were towed out to sea in boats without engines, with little or no food and water provided. The call last month to halt the forced return of Lao Hmong, ''some of whom have international protection needs'' was not answered by the Thai government. In both cases, the UNHCR was denied access to the refugees. Sadly, during his chairmanship of Asean, Thailand's PM missed the opportunity of addressing the problem of Rohingya refugees at the regional level.

bbc.co.uk A human rights organisation has alleged that illegal drug users in Cambodia are being subjected to violence, sexual abuse and forced labor. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says guards in Cambodia's rehabilitation centres are responsible for ''sadistic violence''. Interviews with dozens of people produced allegations of guards carrying out beatings, electric shocks and even rape.

eweek.com Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates appeared on 'Good Morning America' and told viewers that the US economy needs ''years of digging out'' to recover from the recent recession. Taxpayers are going to have to shoulder much of that burden.

washingtonpost.com A Malaysian court sentenced a man and his cousin to 10 years each in prison in the fatal beating of the man's parents during a ritual to expel evil spirits, but acquitted the main defendant by reason of insanity. The three men, in their 20s, were charged with causing the death of the two relatives during a family gathering in an apartment in Kuala Lumpur in October 2008.

straitstimes.com Fourteen parallel importers caught and prosecuted last year tried to dodge paying about $5.3 million in import duties to Singapore Customs, almost 20 times the amount evaded the previous year. They were fined between $70,000 and a record $10.8 million for under-declaring the values of 4932 cars.

afp Police in Cambodia have arrested two locals and a US man after smashing a seven-year pedophile ring offering underage ''virgin'' girls to tourists for $US3000 a night. Taxi driver Mey Sovann, 36, had advertised underage virgin girls on the Internet since 2003.

bernama.com Strategic planning is key to Malaysia's ability to record the highest increase of tourist arrivals compared with its Asean counterparts, despite the global economic downturn. Malaysia Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said: ''We thought of a specific strategy, (adopting) a 24-hour crisis management outlook. With this approach, we took immediate action on whatever affected us." Malaysia recorded a 7.2 percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2009.

Phuketwan Update The ten Asean countries have launched a new tourism campaign built around the slogan, ''Southeast Asia: feel the warmth.'' The new campaign will target tourists in medium and long haul markets such as Britain, Australia, India, North America and Hong Kong. Southeast Asia: feel the warmth and SoutheastAsia.org will emphasize warm hospitality and climate and the diversity of the region's cultural attractions and tourism activities.

bangkokpost.com On Friday, a four-year-old female dugong, weighing about 120kg, was found dead on a beach in Kantang district, Trang. The dugong, about one metre long, had severe wounds on its body believed to be caused by a push net. It is the first dugong reported to be killed in this way this year.



January 27 Opening of @Beach Food Loft at Ocean Plaza Patong, a rooftop food court with views across beach road to the foreshore and sea. Seats 160, said to offer reasonable prices, something rare for Patong.

January 29 Former Phuket Brewery dining-entertainment venue opposite Tesco-Lotus to reopen as Lang Lao Sang Chan (Whisky and Moonlight.)

January 30 Splash Jungle, Phuket's first theme park across 14 rai with slides to suit everyone, opens at West Sands Residences and Resort, Mai Khao.

January 31-February 4 Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other warships anchor off Phuket for shore leave.

February 2 Welcome by the Phuket Navy League for senior officers and crew from US vessels. 7pm-9pm, BBQ Hut Smokehouse, Rat-U-Thit Road, Patong (opposite the Mercure). Cost is 200 baht for members and 400 baht for visitors. E: info@navyleaguephuket.org

February 3-7 Phang Nga Bay Regatta. More than 60 yachts are expected to enter in six classes. More information: http://www.bayregatta.com

February 7 Wichit Municipality mini-marathon over 4.5 kilometres and 10.5 kilometres. For more information call 076-525100 or 080-6481363.

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.

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

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.

June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival.