bangkokpost.com The government says a fresh tax incentive is in the pipeline to rejuvenate the tourism industry. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said he wants income tax rebates for individuals using domestic hotel accommodation. The Labor Ministry earlier said about 100,000 to 200,000 workers in the industry may lose their jobs.

reuters Thailand has canceled an overnight curfew in Bangkok and 23 provinces. PM Abhisit Vejjajiva said: ''We will not have to extend it. The situation is under control now.'' The curfew was put in place on May 19.


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

nationmultimedia.com Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government was unfazed by signs of resistance from Montenegro over ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra's arrest warrant and challenged his fugitive rival to relinquish Thai citizenship if he planned to use his Montenegrin passport as a legal weapon. Interpol had not issued an arrest warrant for Thaksin, who has been granted Montenegrin citizenship.

time.com Anger and defiance are the emotions of the day. Accepting the government's plea for national reconciliation in Isarn is as unlikely as a meal without chilies. In the city of Khon Kaen, a billboard on a main road is emblazoned with a doctored photo of PM Abhisita, his aristocratic features bruised and battered. Even more chilling, everyone from matronly teachers to small-business owners is openly calling for armed insurrection.

Phuketwan Update Patong restaurants Baan Rim Pa, Joe's Downstairs and Da Maurizio have won top points in the Thailand Tatler 2010 annual best restaurant awards. All three ranked close to perfection for food, wine and service, according to the magazine. Baan Rim Pa is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Founder Tom McNamara died in 2008.

edp24.co.uk Businessman Dennis Bacon is offering a two-week stay in his million-dollar home on Phuket as the star prize in the Norfolk Dog Day in Britain to help raise money for charity. Being Norfolk Dog Day, it seemed only right that the holders of the winning ticket should not have to worry about what to do with their pets while they are away, so the prize includes a two-week stay for a dog or a cat at St Margaret's Pet Centre, in Little Melton.

nydailynews.com A top anti-smoking group called on the Indonesian government to give the parents of a chain-smoking two-year-old baby a kick in the ash. ''It's clear the parents of this baby don't understand the risk smoking poses to their child,'' said Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in Washington. Shocking photos of baby Ardi Rizal puffing away on up to 40 cigarettes a day have much of the world fuming.

Associated Press A woman dubbed the ''jungle woman'' after emerging naked and unable to speak from the wilds of northeastern Cambodia three years ago has apparently fled back to the forest, her presumed father and police said. Sal Lou, who claims to be the father of Rochom P'ngieng, said she went missing on Tuesday while bathing by a well behind their home in Rattanakiri province, nearly 960 miles (600 kilometers) northeast of Phnom Penh. She is thought to be 29 years old.

latimes.com Gary Coleman, who soared to fame in the late 1970s as the child star of the hit sitcom 'Diff'rent Strokes' and whose post-TV-series life included a stint as a shopping mall security guard and an unlikely run for California governor, died Friday. He was 42. The diminutive Coleman, whose adult height was 4 feet 8 inches, died at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage this week.

entertainment.gather.com Rolling Stone magazine has listed the top 500 songs of all time and named the best singers. The top 10 in descending order are: Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cook, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, James Brown.



THE high-performance Sports and Leisure Club at Phuket International Academy has made the key appointment of David Roberts as Director of Operations to oversee the day-to-day operations of the club. Raised in Canada, Mr Roberts was a professional tennis player before moving into management for elite sporting facilities in Asia. At the Phuket International Academy Sports and Leisure Club he will be primarily focussing on the co-ordination between club services, sports academies and membership programs.

SIRIWAN Nipatchareon has been appointed as Director of Sales and Marketing following a two year tenure as Director of Sales with the Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach. Khun Siriwan played an instrumental role in managing the resort's pre-opening sales activities. Thitaya Yenwattana becomes Director of Sales as the resort gears up for its first anniversary in July. Khun Thitaya joins the resort from XEN Hotels and Resorts where she was employed as Group Director of Sales and oversaw the sales activities of five properties throughout Thailand.



May 31-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.
June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival, Coliseum Cineplex, Phuket City.
June 13 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. Fun runs, too.
June 25 to 27 Second Kathu Culture Road Fair, recalling the region's history
July 21-25 Phuket Six Senses Race Week, Evason, Rawai
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.
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