A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective. Reports from national and international media, with translations into English from Thai.

bbc.co.uk Australian police have made a series of arrests in the southern city of Melbourne after uncovering a plot to launch a terror attack in the country. Police said a group was believed to be at an ''advanced stage'' of preparing to storm an army base, media reports said. More than 400 officers were involved in carrying out 19 search warrants. The number of people arrested was unknown.

news.com.au A plot by Islamic extremists in Melbourne to launch a suicide attack on an Australian Army base has been uncovered by national security agencies. The Australian newspaper reports police swooped on members of the suspected terror cell this morning across Melbourne. The group was believed to have about 18 members. Authorities believe the group was preparing to storm an Australian Army base using automatic weapons, as punishment for Australia's military involvement in Muslim countries. It is understood the men planned to kill as many soldiers as possible before they were themselves killed.


abc.com.au ''Kill as many people as you can and whatever happens, you must not be taken alive.'' That was the chilling message relayed by phone from Pakistan to gunmen by their Lashkar-e-Taiba superiors during the Mumbai resorts and railways station terror attacks last November. The terror group, whose name translates as the Army of the Righteous, sent 10 heavily-armed gunmen to Mumbai to stage a spectacle so cruel and terrifying that the world could no longer ignore Lashkar-e-Taiba. Throughout the attacks the gunmen were given instructions from Pakistan, including instructions to kill hostages. They left 170 people dead and hundreds injured in a reign of terror.

foxnews.com A slew of posters have been spotted throughout Los Angeles that portray Obama as ''The Joker'' from The Dark Knight, with the word ''socialism'' printed in black above and below his face. The posters show the president decked out in the kind of unnerving makeup Heath Ledger used in the latest Batman. Obama's face is painted white, his eyes have dark circles around them and two red scars curl up from the corner of his mouth. It's unclear who is producing and distributing the sinister posters.

wsj.com Several Asian economies reported slowing annual inflation in July, largely because of a high-base comparison caused by last summer's oil-price surge. Indonesia's annual inflation rate eased sharply to a nine-year low in July. Consumer prices in Thailand fell for a seventh straight month in July, hitting their lowest level since the 1997-98 Asian economic crisis. The consumer-price index fell 4.4 percent from a year earlier after declining 4 percent in June, but was unchanged from a month earlier, a Commerce Ministry official said. Oil prices peaked at around $160 a barrel in July 2008, compared with around $64 a barrel now.

AFPA Los Angeles judge has named Michael Jackson's mother as permanent guardian of the star's children, ignoring a surprise late bid by the singer's dermatologist to have a say in their upbringing. But what was expected to be a straightforward hearing to approve the agreement on Monday took a bizarre turn when a lawyer for Jackson's dermatologist, Arnold Klein, appeared at the hearing. Lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan said Klein wanted to ''have a voice'' in issues concerning the children's ''education, health care and welfare''. Monday's twist is likely to stir up fresh speculation about whether the doctor is the biological father of Jackson's eldest two children.

Bangkok Post Thailand is trying to verify reports the Burmese military regime is building a nuclear reactor with a plan to make a nuclear bomb in five years. National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri has ordered intelligence officials to check on the reports and said yesterday that so far no evidence has been found that points to a Burmese nuclear program. Khun Thawil said regional security could be jeopardised if the plan to build a nuclear weapon was verified.

scmp.com Myanmar's fractious opposition groups are attempting to launch a fresh push for talks with the ruling junta about ending military rule in the country. A meeting of opposition alliances and ethnic groups is due to take place in Jakarta next week - which organisers are billing as the most comprehensive effort to unite since the battle for independence from Britain more than 60 years ago. Some underground activists have smuggled themselves out of the country so they can support veteran exiles. The two-day meeting would formalise a ''Proposal for National Reconciliation'', a plan that seeks dialogue with Mynamar's generals, ''effectively offering a sustainable exit-strategy for the military rulers,'' a statement from the organisers said.


Dear PM, Please Make Phuket Corruption-Free
Latest Happy Birthday, Mr Prime Minister. Here's a gift to you, an idea that could make Phuket and perhaps Thailand better places. Start your fight against corruption here, on one small island.
Dear PM, Please Make Phuket Corruption-Free

Will Asean Plus Six Sacrifice Meat, Drink and Sex?
Photo Album Is there room for 16 more people prepared to make sacrifices on Phuket during the annual Vegetarian festival? Visiting at that time are the leaders of the Asean Plus Six nations.
Will Asean Plus Six Sacrifice Meat, Drink and Sex?

Phuket Drownings: Two Tourists Die After Rescues
More Deaths Two tourists on Phuket have died after being rescued from the sea in separate incidents at Patong and Karon. The deaths add to mounting concern about Summer season safety.
Phuket Drownings: Two Tourists Die After Rescues

Phuket Monkeys Win 60m Baht Mangrove Home
Latest Monkeys in a large mangrove forest near Phuket City are likely to be safer with the implementation of a 60 million baht improvement plan for the area.
Phuket Monkeys Win 60m Baht Mangrove Home

Pattaya and Patong: Keep Your Shirt On, Please
Latest Patong and Pattaya both have reputations for being holiday towns where anything goes. But it seems the lines are clearly drawn, as police revealed in two cases this week.
Pattaya and Patong: Keep Your Shirt On, Please


MediaWATCH: Protest Crushing Alarms Malaysia
News Digest KL civil rights crunched; Suvarnabhumi arrests detailed; Spa tops in Phuket or Hua Hin; shouting Russians; Aquino dies; Middle Easti buys London; Spain hurt and hurting.
MediaWATCH: Protest Crushing Alarms Malaysia

MediaWATCH: Phuket To Have a Nuclear Neighbor
Latest News Phuket and Thailand will get a nuclear neighbor within five years if Burma and North Korea have their way, usually reliable sources report.
MediaWATCH: Phuket To Have a Nuclear Neighbor