bangkokpost.com Jubilant red-shirt protesters vowed to keep up their efforts to overthrow the government after a court declined to issue a legal order to evict them from Bangkok's tourist hub. Supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra paralysed the capital's main shopping and luxury hotel district for a third day and also briefly stormed the offices of the electoral commission.

Associated Press Apple sold between 600,000 and 700,000 iPads on launch day in the US, with analysts predicting over 7.1 million of the tablets will be sold worldwide this year. Analyst Gene Munster noted that the iPad was doing better than the iPhone, which sold about half a million units in its first weekend in 2007.


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

aljazeera.com Opposition protesters camping around central Bangkok's main shopping district have been told to leave after Thai authorities said their gathering had been banned under security laws. The government said that the so-called red shirts, who are calling on the government to step down and call elections, could face a year in jail and a $620 fine if they do not end their three-week rally.


nationmultimedia.com Bangkokians are bracing for traffic, economic and political turmoil today as the stand-off between the government and the red shirts, who continue to occupy the Rajprasong Intersection, reaches arguably its most precarious stage yet. With the government reluctant to use force to clear the economic and tourist hub of protesters over the weekend, the impact of the area's closure on traffic will be felt the most today, and business groups are expected to pile on the political heat as losses keep accumulating.

nytimes.com Dancing jubilantly in the streets to the beats of blaring pop and country music, anti-government demonstrators on Sunday defied calls by the government to disperse from Bangkok's affluent commercial hub in a major escalation of three weeks of mass demonstrations. ''There's not a jail big enough to fit us all,'' said Nitipong, a protester who stood beside one of hundreds of pickup trucks blocking one of the country's busiest intersections. [About 500 protesters from Phuket joined the rally.]


nytimes.com An earthquake centered in Baja California in Mexico shook buildings as far north as Los Angeles Sunday afternoon. The earthquake was centered in the Baja California, about 108 miles east-southeast of Tijuana, with a magnitude of 6.9. High-rise buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego rocked back and forth as the quake hit.


timesonline.co.uk The murder of Afrikaner white supremacist Eugene Terre'Blanche, who was bludgeoned to death on his farm on Saturday, brings with it the threat of inter-racial war and political instability. His murder, allegedly by two black workers, could not have happened at a worse time for South Africa. Sixteen years after the end of apartheid the country remains polarised.


channelnewsasia.com Three foreigners were caught for allegedly cheating at the casino at Resorts World Sentosa. Two of them are French nationals, while a third is from Spain. The three, aged between 46 and 64, are alleged to have committed past-posting at the roulette table on at least three occasions. Past-posting is the act of placing the bet after the result is known. If convicted, they face jail of up to 10 years.


dailytimes.com.pk The Iranian Olympic Committee has called on Muslim states around the world to protest to FIFA and the International Olympic Committee after the country's women's football team were banned were from wearing the hijab at this year's inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games to be held Singapore, said a report on a website. Bahram Afsharzadeh, the secretary general of Iran's Olympic Committee, claimed the decision is a violation of Muslims rights.


voanews.com Prime Ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam arrived in Hua Hin for the first summit concerning the Mekong River. The one-day summit is set to begin as the Mekong and its tributaries suffer from a severe drought that dropped the rivers to a 50-year low. Delegates to the summit have been urging China to provide more information on its dams.


upi.com Sebastian Vettel re-entered contention for the Formula One championship Sunday, winning the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. His Red Bull teammate, Mark Webber, finished second. The German took the lead on the opening lap then remained ahead for the 56-lap race.


abcnews.go.com Tiger Woods appeared Sunday afternoon during a practice round at Augusta National, site of this week's Masters Tournament, which will mark the superstars return to competitive golf. It was his first public showing at a golf course since his marital troubles that began in November forcing him to temporarily quit the game. The troubled golfer hit 40 balls, and was warmly greeted by his competitors, and then he quickly disappeared.



April 6-8 First Phuket Tattoo Convention, Jungceylon, Patong. Admission 150 baht.
April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.
April 12-13 Water festival on the Beach
April 13-15 Songkran in Old Phuket Town
April 14-18 Phuket Cricket Sixes, Karon Sports Stadium.
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.
May Annual Phuket seafood festival.
May Date to be finalised for Muay Thai kickboxing competition at Laguna Phuket.
May 21-23 Paragliding on Phuket.
June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival, Coliseum Cineplex, Phuket City.
June 13 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. Fun runs, too.
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta