A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.
bangkokpost.com Prosecutors have decided to drop charges against five suspects from Kazakhstan and Belarus found last month with 35 tonnes of weapons on a plane from North Korea, a source close to the case has revealed. The source did not elaborate yesterday on the reasons leading to the prosecutors' decision, which will be announced today.
newsweek.com J.D. Salinger, author of 'Catcher in the Rye,' is dead at 91. Next to the acerbic Holden Caulfield, today's boyish literary icons - the wizard with Coke-bottle glasses, the vampire with an abstinence agenda - look like a bunch of phony morons. The 16-year-old protagonist was a world-weary and tortured soul trapped in the body of a prep-school student, and his shiftless romp around New York City is required reading for the American teenager.
Phuketwan Update Splash Jungle water park in Mai Khao, Phuket's first theme park, will be formally declared open today, with VIPs coming from Bangkok and two Phuket vice governors overseeing operations. The 500 million baht park opens to the public tomorrow, with a fleet of shuttle buses due to begin a service around the island.
channelnewsasia.com Jetstar said it sees growth in the Asian aviation market taking off in a big way in coming years. The budget carrier signed an agreement with Changi Airport Group on Thursday to make Singapore its biggest operating base in Asia. Jetstar said the three-year deal will help reduce its operating costs and grow its traffic in the region.
Phuketwan Update The ABC nursery in Rawai will hold a charity day of fun for children from 2.30pm to 5pm Saturday, January 30, with the 250 baht entrance fee going to benefit Haiti. Parents are invited to bake cakes for the cake stand. Donations are also being sought from local businesses for the raffle. Contact Lesley on 089 9711 813.
bbc.co.uk Thousands of Indonesian demonstrators have taken to the streets in anti-government protests. Protesters say President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has not delivered on his promise to eradicate corruption during the first 100 days of his second term. His popularity has fallen slightly in recent polls.
straitstimes.com Human smuggling syndicates are behind a recent rise in the number of those trying to sneak into Singapore through the narrow Strait of Johor between Singapore and Malaysia. The Police Coast Guard (PCG) nabbed 49 illegal immigrants last year, up from 40 the year before. In the process, the PCG officers also thwarted 23 attempts by the syndicates to ferry them across, nearly double the 12 attempts in 2008.
chron.com A former Texas resident who authorities arrested and brought back from Thailand last year was convicted by a judge Thursday afternoon of sexually assaulting two girls. Darren Ray Castleberry, 41, was convicted of raping the girls from 1986 to 2005. Charges concern victims when they were 13 or younger.
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
February5-14 Phuket OTOP (one village, one product) Fair at Saphan Hin public park in Phuket City. About 300 booths, nightly performances, local and national products, good food. Hundreds of visitors expected each evening.
February 7 Wichit Municipality mini-marathon over 4.5 kilometres and 10.5 kilometres. For more information call 076-525100 or 080-6481363.
February 13-19 Chalong Temple Fair.
February 14 Valentines Day, Chinese New Year.
February 19-21 Baba Lights Up, Old Phuket Town.
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.
It's opening on January 30. Here's the first exclusive review of Phuket's Splash Jungle, a world class waterpark that has enough space and rides for up to 2000 people a day.
A Swedish couple have given a first hand account of a ride on a rampaging elephant that casts doubts over the use of male elephants for tourist rides on Phuket.
Phuket has 4000 illegal taxis, a meeting has been told at Provincial Hall. Planning continues for possible changes to the dysfunctional,overpriced system of public transport on the island.
A German man has been stabbed to death outside a 7 Eleven store near Chalong Circle. Police are hunting three youths seen speeding off towards Rawai.
The vastness of the ocean would have been among the thoughts going through the minds of three Phuket men lost at sea and contemplating death when they heard the sound of a helicopter.
Phuket's sky dive reef, the artificial destination for divers off Bang Tao, is being improved with protective buoys and the addition of railway bogeys. It's a comeback that's on track.
As Phuket continues to grow and each beach becomes the next beach to be THE beach, the appeal of the island broadens and becomes more international. The newest offering: Absolute Nakalay.
