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

timesonline.co.uk A shapely 23-year-old of mixed Japanese and Canadian parentage, Maria Ozawa has been forced to cancel her arrival in Jakarta today in a row that has drawn in Islamic fundamentalists, feminists and plenty of people in between. Better known by her acting name Miyabi, Ozawa is one of Asia's most successful pornographic film actresses. But news of her plans to work in Indonesia have stirred up angry protests from conservative Islamic organisations in the latest round in an ongoing debate about sexual morality.

thejakartaglobe.com The decision to cancel Miyabi's arrival was reached during a meeting held in Jakarta on Wednesday between Maxima Productions and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Last week, the Islamic Defenders Front staged a demonstration in front of the production house's office. Communications Minister Muhammad Nuh also suggested the production house should consider public sentiments and think about replacing Miyabi with a ''less controversial actress.'' Jakarta Police on Wednesday launched a crackdown on producers and distributors of pirated pornography and other CDs, VCDs and DVDs

CNNMoney.com The Dow industrials closed above 10,000 Wednesday, ending at the key psychological milestone for the first time in more than a year, following upbeat profit reports from Intel and JPMorgan Chase. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 145 points or 1.5 percent, finishing at its highest point since October 3, 2008, when it closed at 10,325.38.

voanews.com Thailand's perception as a haven for foreign investment has been shaken after environmental activists and residents succeeded in a court order halting dozens of industrial projects worth almost $10 billion. This week, the Thai cabinet passed environmental protection legislation to support existing laws that call for a greater community role in assessing new industrial projects. The new legislation may go before parliament in February.

The Nation Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce has been brokering a truce between red shirt and yellow shirt protesters for the sake of the city's tourism industry, sources say. Mahawan Kawang, leader of the Society of Thaksin Admirers in Chiang Mai, said participants agreed that the conflict should be toned down so it does not affect the tourism industry ahead of this year's high season. Diplomats from Bangkok embassies are to be invited to a media conference on Monday.

andrew-drummond.com Marine Police Sergeant Tim Wright, 40 Commando, Taunton, Somerset, who appeared in 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand,' responds to a blogger: ''This ongoing corruption and criminality spoils a beautiful country and a very generous and loving people. I saw many tourists being scammed by the jet ski hire people, it is something I would warn anybody visiting Thailand against doing, along with motorbike hire, drugs and ladyboys. The whole visit to Phuket was marred for many of the young men and women I was policing by such scams, and it would be far more productive for you to try and remove that blight from your golden beaches than to insult law abiding tourists who bring much needed foreign currency to your country.''

albawaba.com IFA Hotels & Resorts announced today the launch of three new Thai-based Private Residence Clubs: The Heights Private Residence Club in Phuket, Northpoint Private Residence Club in Pattaya and The River Private Residence Club in Bangkok. The Clubs are developed by luxury condominium developer Raimon Land in which IFA HR has a 41.07 percent stake.

smh.com.au It's a price tag that would make even New Yorkers and Londoners gasp - nearly $US57 million for an outsized luxury apartment in one of Hong Kong's wealthiest neighbourhoods. A five-bedroom duplex suite with as much 580 square metres was sold on Wednesday to an unidentified buyer from mainland China, said the developer, Henderson Land Development, a major Hong Kong property company. It claims the apartment is the most expensive in Asia by square foot.

businessweek.com The chairman of Malaysia's state-controlled carmaker Proton has called for the automaker's sale to make it more competitive in an increasingly open market. In an interview Wednesday with the Associated Press, Chairman Mohamad Nadzmi Salleh said selling Proton to local entrepreneurs would better prepare it for industry liberalisation and ease the government's burden of having to protect the car industry with financial help and other privileges.

tvnz.co.nz A 10-year-old New Zealand girl has received a special award from Civil Defence for saving lives during the tsunami that recently hit Samoa. In a performance that recalled memories of a similar incident involving a young British girl on Phuket in 2004, Abby Wutzler ran down the one of Samoa's hardest hit beaches, Lalomanu, warning people of the looming disaster. Wutzler had learned the warning signs of a tsunami at school.

Antara.co.id Malaysia plans to recruit maids from Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand now that Indonesia has temporarily stopped the dispatch of its maids until a deal is reached on better employment conditions. Malaysian Labor Affairs Director Ismail Abdul Rahim said with the recruitment of maids from the three countries, Malaysian employers will have a choice. More than 90 percent of 251,255 foreign domestic helpers in Malaysia are from Indonesia.

monstersand critics.com A top-ranking Somali police official says the fight against piracy along the coast of the African state has so far not been successful, despite increased action by international navies in the region. ''Up to now there is not any progress about piracy in Somalia,'' police commissioner Abdi Hassan Awaleh said on the sidelines of the general assembly of global police organisation Interpol in Singapore. The international community was putting a lot of effort and money in the anti-piracy campaign, he said, ''but the result is very little.''

Xinhua Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia joined hands on Wednesday to enhance safety in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The three countries concluded a Joint Technical Arrangement with the International Maritime Organisation to institutionalise an IMO Trust Fund that supports co-operation among stakeholders towards enhancing marine environment protection, a statement from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said. The Fund benefits from an initial contribution of $1 million from Greece.

theaustralian.news.com.au Indonesian authorities have stopped more than 2000 asylum-seekers from reaching Australia's shores in the past two years. Immigration Minister Chris Evans confirmed the figure tas it emerged asylum-seekers detained at the weekend could be sent to an Australian-funded detention centre in Sumatra.

abc.net.au The 255 Sri Lankans aboard a boat moored in western Java have made a desperate plea to Australia and other countries to consider their bids for asylum. They say returning to Sri Lanka is no longer an option for Tamils who wish to survive.

businesswire.com Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. reaches another key milestone with the opening of its 150th hotel in Asia Pacific - the ITC Royal Gardenia, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Bengaluru. The opening of the 292-room hotel in India underscores Starwood's long-term strategic growth plans in Asia Pacific, where it has executed 23 new deals in 2009. ''Reaching our 150th hotel in Asia Pacific is an important next step for Starwood as we progress on the journey to open our 1000th hotel and resort worldwide,'' said Frits van Paasschen, President and CEO of Starwood. ''The growth opportunities in Asia Pacific are unsurpassed perhaps anywhere in the world.''

bbc.co.uk Standards in many state schools are ''woefully low'' and employers must ''pick up the pieces'', the boss of Britain's biggest supermarket chain has said. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, who is also an education adviser to the prime minister, said his company was particularly concerned about education. ''As the largest private employer in the country, we depend on high standards in our schools,'' he said. [Sir Terry also has a major interest in West Sands, Phuket.]

Phuketwan Update Following in the footsteps of 25 Miss Poland competitors, contestants for Miss Teen Thailand 2009 arrived on Phuket yesterday for a preparation camp and some sightseeing. ''We plan to film their visit to attractions around Phuket and nearby provinces,'' one of the organisers said.