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

Associated Press The Thai army has begun closing a refugee camp and sending some 4000 ethnic Hmong back to Laos, despite concerns about their safety. Colonel Thana Charuwat said the operation began at 5.30am local time Monday morning, and involved a total of 5000 troops. He said the soldiers were unarmed, but equipped with shields and batons, which he said met international standards for dealing with such situations.

monstersandcritics.com Officials from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, other human rights workers and journalists were held several kilometres away from the Huay Nam Khao camp. Several thousand soldiers and police, backed by squads from the Interior Ministry, were determined that no outsiders should be seen by the refugees to prevent spontaneous protest or resistance. ''If the Hmong see journalists they will do themselves harm to make a scene and we don't want that,''said an army colonel.

radioaustralianews.net.au Human Rights Watch says mobile phone signals will be jammed to prevent the Hmong from contacting outsiders.The Hmong are seeking asylum based on claims that they face persecution In Laos for fighting alongside US forces during the Vietnam War. Vientiane insists the group will be safe after their return.

bbc.co.uk A Briton facing execution in China does not yet know he is to be killed later this week and will only find out 24 hours in advance, it has emerged. Akmal Shaikh, 53, from London, is due to be executed on December 29 after he was convicted of smuggling heroin.

cnn.com Passengers flying into the US from abroad should expect additional security measures at US and international airports after a passenger detonated a device aboard a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan, the Transportation Security Administration said. Measures will include increased pat-downs and gate screening, as well as having to stow carry-ons and personal items, including pillows.

smh.com.au Security at Australian airports was tightened dramatically following the attempt to blow up a passenger aircraft in the US. The move came two days after local rules on carrying sharp implements were relaxed for the first time since 2001. Thousands of Australians travelling to North America will now be individually searched on departure and banned from leaving their seats in the hour before arrival.

nationmultimedia.com Kanchana Nakkwan. 27, has not left the hospital since she was rushed from the Santika pub in Bangkok with 40 percent burns to her body on New Year's Day a year ago. ''I don't even want to meet friends who used to be presenters with me at glittering events,'' she said. ''I threw away my old cell-phone number.'' The blaze killed more than 60.

scmp.com A young Australian musician who died in a Hong Kong hotel a week ago had taken a deadly drug cocktail bought unknowingly from a doorman at a nearby nightclub. Daniel Hall and a friend, Evan Williams, snorted a mixture of cocaine, ketamine and opiates in their room, unaware of the risk they were taking. The drugs, some of which were found by police in a package on a bedside table, left Hall dead and Williams fighting for his life in hospital. Both 21, the pair were taking part in the Western Australian Youth Orchestra's first tour of the city.

tvnz.co.nz It seems appropriate that Big Buddha faces away from the frenetic nightlife district of Patong. Such a clash of cultural pace isn't uncommon on Thailand's biggest and most popular island, where visitors primarily come to enjoy the serenity of the local people and idyllic landscapes but often struggle to totally turn their backs on the buzz and hedonism of stretches such as Bangla Road.

wikinews.com A metal guard rail slicing into a bus killed 10 people in an overnight crash in Ipoh, Malaysia when the double-decker struck the rail at 1am. The vehicle was en route to the northern destination of Perlis from the central state of Selangor when it crashed in Perak on the North-South Expressway, which runs the length of the country.

nationmultimedia.com Letter from Jim Newport: But now that the concrete city that has risen above Kamala's southern beach nears completion, we face a new wave of a much more dangerous definition. A wave of grey water washes continually down from the heights of the gilded villas, to wash away the acres of dust and debris laid on by the construction. This is just the beginning, Imagine what will happen when the rainy season comes. This will be the next tsunami.


December 28 The Aleenta Resort, a short drive off Phuket across the sarasin Bridge, is releasing two turtles equipped with GPS as part of a fund-raising dinner on Monday, December 28. The bbq beach dinner, preceded by a visit at 3pm to the nearby turtle sanctuary, costs 1500 baht and includes a 200 baht donation. There's a free shuttle from Stereo Lab at Surin on Phuket at 4.30pm, returning at midnight. Details: Andreas 076 580333 or rmphuket@aleenta.com

December30 Red Cross is reckoning on a lot of people wanting to win a house on Phuket in probably the island's biggest lottery draw ever. Losers? There won't be any. The Red Cross Fair runs until January 9. Expect a big night on stage at Saphan Hin park in Phuket City on January 31.

December 31 Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation holds turtle release to celebrate the New Year and to raise funds for the care of sea turtles. Donations of 2000 baht to release each of 50 turtles will go to the hatchery program. Contact Khun Aim on 086 689 2230 or e: info@maikhaoturtlefoundation.com