bloomberg Thai Tiger Airways Pte is due to start operations in the first quarter of next year, pending regulatory approvals, Tiger Air said in a stock exchange statement today. Thai Air, Southeast Asia's third most-valuable airline, and another local company will own a combined 51 percent of the venture, with the remainder held by Singapore-based Tiger Air.

wsj.com Based in Bangkok, Thai Tiger will operate international and domestic flights, offering short-haul, point-to-point services within a five-hour flying radius, a statement said, adding that further information on the corporate structure will be announced later.

heraldsun.com.au Tiger group president Tony Davis and Ryanasia principal Declan Ryan will represent Tiger Airways on the board of Thai Tiger. Mr Ryan was one of the founding shareholders of both Tiger Airways and European low cost giant Ryanair.


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

todayonline.com Tiger Airways is set to form an alliance with Thai Airways to start a low-cost carrier. The two sides are scheduled to organise a joint press conference in Bangkok today to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding to establish the budget airline to be named Thai Tiger, reports said. When contacted, both Tiger Airways and Thai Airways declined to provide details on the deal. Analysts said the deal is the first between a full-service carrier and low-cost airline to form a budget airline.

Reuters THAI Airways International plans to form a new-low fare airline with Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways Holdings. The two airlines will hold a joint new conference in Bangkok on Monday to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the new airline, said a Thai Airways official, who declined to provide further details. Thai Airways is 51 percent-owned by the Thai government. Tiger is 49 percent-owned by Singapore Airlines.

Associated Press A rabies epidemic has gripped Bali, an island of three million people and one of Asia's top tourist destinations. Seventy-eight deaths have officially been logged in the past two years, including that of a 40-year-old woman a week ago, and many other deaths have likely gone unreported. The Indonesian government says it's overwhelmed, with more than 30,000 dog bites reported in just the first half of this year across Bali.Officials killed about 200,000 dogs instead of initially conducting mass vaccinations. [Phuket is rabies-free.]

bangkokpost.com Beaches on Phuket and in other provinces have been demoted from four stars to three stars because of poor management of tourism and the environment, and degradation of natural resources. Only six beaches nationwide have earned a five-star rating on the Pollution Control Department's latest beach quality index. The PCD's survey of 233 beaches in 18 provinces, carried out last year, found many beaches have been damaged by pollution and other human activity. Beaches on Phuket gave cause for most concern, said Worasart Apaipong, PCD's deputy chief.
The department assessed 14 beaches on Phuket and awarded three stars to 13 of them. The other received two stars. Phuket's Patong and Rawai beaches were found to have an excessive amount of coliform bacteria in the sea water. Nai Han beach is flooded with garbage with an average of 2.23 kilogrammes of garbage for each 100 square metres. At Mai Khao beach, the garbage problem is little better -1.7 kilogrammes per square metre. Beach quality ratings are based on four major indicators: environmental protection, pollution management, natural resources preservation and tourism management.

Associated Press Several hundred red shirt protesters defied a state of emergency in Bangkok to stage a symbolic protest Sunday, with hundreds of people sprawling on the ground and chanting, ''People died here!'' The demonstration at the city's Democracy Monument was peaceful, but it was the latest sign of simmering discontent since the army cracked down May 19 to end 10 weeks of demonstrations calling for early elections.

thephuketinsider.com Two new beachfront boutique hotels under the Maikhao Dream name are set to open on Phuket and in 'Greater Phuket' during Q4 2010.

nationmultimedia.com Be positive, creative and friendly to all people, including those with different political opinions. That was the advice of Deputy Premier Suthep Thaugsuban, who is secretary-general of the ruling Democrats, when he addressed members at a party seminar in Phuket. ''Thailand is on the edge today. All parts of the country must work together.''

bbc.co.uk The worst monsoon floods in living memory have killed 1100 people and affected one million in north-west Pakistan, officials have said.

gulf-times.com Qatar Airways' new routes will take the passenger network to nearly 100 destinations, with the additions of Phuket on October 12, Hanoi on November 1, Nice on November 24, Bucharest and Budapest on January 17, and Brussels on January 31.

nationmultimedia.com MBK, operator of hotels and shopping complexes, is opening a new golf course, Riverdale Golf Club, in northern metropolitan Bangkok. The group has two courses in Phuket, Red Mountain and Loch Palm. The new course is expected to generate revenue of Bt100 million per year. The two courses in Phuket are earning Bt200 million per year.

koreaherald.com To take advantage of the myriad of information about Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Seoul office is holding a photography and multimedia contest titled ''I Love Thailand Power Blogger Contest.'' Entering the contest is simple - post the address of your blog which has related information about traveling in Thailand on the TAT message board.



August 5-8 Kite Jam, Surin beach
August 6-12 Andaman Motor Expo
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival
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