asiaone.com The reinforcement of protesters from upcountry will play a crucial role for the red-shirt movement, given that despite the red-shirt leaders' promise to mobilise up to a million people, less than 10,000 protesters showed up at the sites yesterday.

bloomberg About 20,000 people from 11 northern provinces began moving in a convoy of pickup trucks and motorcycles that stretched more than 10 kilometers, the state-owned NBT television network reported from Nakhon Sawan, about 200 kilometers from the capital. Some 200,000 anti-government protesters across Thailand's 76 provinces took part in local demonstrations yesterday before heading to the capital, said Sean Boonpracong, a spokesman for the demonstrators


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

Associated Press A day of anti-government protests around Thailand passed peacefully Friday, though concerns remained about possible violence when demonstrators converge in Bangkok for a ''million man march'' on Sunday. There had been fears of gridlock, but the city saw lighter than usual traffic as many school and businesses closed in anticipation of possible trouble. [About 500 Phuket red shirts have joined the protest.]

aljazeera.net The red shirted supporters of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra have been busy mixing up a disgusting concoction of faeces and fermented fish to throw at anyone who might get in their way. I'm thinking of investing in a very thick jacket for protection. It's impossible to see a happy ending to this latest chapter in Thailand's political upheaval.

straitstimes.com Thailand's government is confident of holding its ground against protesters, who began massing yesterday ahead of huge rallies in Bangkok. But the scale of the protests by the red-shirted supporters of former PM Thaksin will be clear by today and tomorrow. The mass rallies may even spill over into next week.

timesonline.co.uk Up to 50,000 security personnel were deployed in and around Bangkok to prevent demonstrators paralysing the city this weekend and toppling the Government. The regime is braced for unrest, and has prepared water cannon, sound-wave machines, teargas and batons in case protests turn violent. Government insiders say that there are also fears of gun and mortar attacks, and political leaders will be moved to a military command centre during the rallies.

Phuketwan Update Tourists are advised to avoid Rajdamnoen Avenue, the Prime Minister's residence on Sukhumvit Soi 31 and media offices that may be accused of bias against Mr Thaksin. In greater detail, avoid the following: Ratchadamnoen Avenue (consisting of Ratchadamnoen Nai, Ratchadamnoen Klang and Ratchadamnoen Nok); Vibhavadi Rangsit Road; Rama 9 Road; Samsen Road; Victory Monument; Rama IV; Silom Road; Rajdamri Road. Visitors and tourists are also advised to avoid the following areas: Klong 4 in Thanyaburi district in Pathum Thani; Klong 4 Rangsit in Pathum Thani; Laksi democracy monument in Bangkhen; Thung Song Hong police station; Nonthaburi City Hall; Tha Phra Chan Pier; Thailand-Japanese Sports Complex in Din Daeng; Lumphini Park; Wongwien Yai, Thonburi; Bang Na intersection; Samut Prakan City Hall.

afp British Airways cabin crew will strike for seven days later this month after failing to reach agreement in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions, union officials said. The Unite union said in a statement that staff would spread the stoppages between March 20 and March 30 and warned that further walkouts may occur after mid-April.

guampdn.com President Obama is delaying the start of his trip to Asia - which includes a stopover in Guam - by three days from Thursday, March 18 to Sunday, March 21, according to USA Today reports. Also, the first family will not be accompanying him on his trip, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed.

todayonline.com Singapore has come in fourth in a global ranking of 75 financial centres. According to the Global Financial Centres Index, Singapore is placed behind London and New York, which tied for first place, as well as Hong Kong, which was ranked third.

bangkokpost.com Tests of the full-body scanner at Suvarnabhumi Airport have left Airports of Thailand unimpressed, raising doubts about its effectiveness and cost. The microwave imaging equipment, known as the Brijot Gen 2, was removed from the departure hall after only a few days of trial runs in late January as it was unable to detect objects including a piece of metal 2.25 square inches concealed on a person.

asiaone.com Three American teenagers smoked on the flight from Los Angeles to Taipei despite warnings from flight attendants. They were arrested by aviation police and will each be fined. The three teenagers, two male and one female, took the China Airlines CI-005 flight from Los Angeles, transferring in Taipei to Thailand. They smoked in the washroom one by one on the flight to Taipei. The teenagers had left Taipei to Thailand.

csmonitor.com Colleen LaRose, now known around the world by the pseudonym ''Jihad Jane,'' has been charged by US authorities with conspiring to commit murder and recruiting others for terrorist activities. She will appear in federal court on March 18.
Blond, Michigan-born, and female, Ms. LaRose does not fit easily into the template of a terror suspect. She apparently connected with Islamist extremists over the Internet while she sat alone at the computer in her home on Main Street in Pennsburg, Pa.

washingtonpost.com It took the case of ''JihadJane'' to illuminate what should have been obvious by now: Anyone who claims to be able to identify a potential terrorist by appearance or nationality is delusional. There's a reason all of us have to take our shoes off at the airport.

bbc.co.uk Many governments have used the internet to curtail freedom of expression at home, the US state department says in its latest annual human rights report. In many cases new forms of electronic communications are restricted to control domestic dissent, it says.

smh.com.au It's being billed as the closest thing to swimming with dolphins that a human can experience. The new wild-dolphin swim from Port Stephens in Australia certainly sounds dramatic, with swimmers harnessed to a cable between the bows of a catamaran as it sails among pods of the creatures.

Phuketwan Update Peter Schiess has been appointed as general manager of the Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach, on Makham Bay, Cape Panwa. The Swiss national is a highly regarded hotelier who brings to his new role over 25 years of hospitality background across more than 10 cities. He most recently served as general manager of the 330-room Radisson Blu Resort Hotel, Tala Bay in Aqaba, Jordan.

smh.com.au YouTube's first major move away from being a video-sharing site and towards an online TV destination begins with streaming free live Indian Premier Cricket League matches. The Google-owned YouTube unveiled eight sponsors, half of which are global brand names.

usatoday.com A police report says the ambulance crew that responded to Tiger Woods' infamous car crash wouldn't let his wife ride along with him, because they thought the case involved domestic violence. But the police report ultimately says there was no physical evidence to support that theory -- that Tiger's only visible injury was a cut lip, and his wife had no visible cuts or bruises.

wsj.com Prajint Vishiramala is one of the yellow movement's biggest success stories after he cooked up a hit toothpaste recipe. The 65-year-old pharmacist sells more than 20,000 large tubes a month at 150 baht and hands over two-thirds of his profit to a partisan satellite television station called ASTV that is controlled by the yellow-shirts' top leader and which tirelessly champions their cause.



March 13 Don's Last Dinner and Going Away Party from 6pm as Don's Mall in Rawai closes.
March 19 Phuket Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AusCham) Sundowners at Paresa Resort at Cape Sol, Kamala. 3.30 pm Seminar on sustainable/green development. Drinks 6pm.
Until March 20 Annual French Gastronomy Festival at The Boathouse. Wine Chef Jean-Noel Lumineau, Thailand's only Maitre Cuisinier de France, treats discerning diners to exceptional French food.
Until March 26 Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn Fair at Thalang Victory Memorial Park, near the Heroines' Monument.
March 19-28 Local Phuket Food Festival, Saphan Hin, Phuket City
March 27 Lights out at Le Meridien Phuket Resort and Spa in support of Earth Hour. Since 1987, the resort has minimised its impact with waste reduction, efficient energy management, water conservation, and green programs.
April 3 Attempt on the mass dive record, Thai Muang, Phang Nga, 11am. Details: 076-411388.
April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.
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.