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

bangkokpost.com Atiya Achakulwisut writes: So Thaksin Shinawatra said he put on one wrist watch at a time? That his family never lived in luxury? Here is a list of the wrist watches he declared owning:

- Patek Philippe: gold bracelet with a blue dial, diamond-encrusted;
- Cartier: silver bracelet, white dial, diamond-encrusted;
- Vacheron: black leather strap, gold dial;
- Patek Philippe: black leather strap, black dial;
- IWC: black leather band, white dial;
- Patek Philippe: black leather strap, black dial;
- Patek Philippe: black rubber strap, black dial;
- Chopard: brown leather strap, white dial;
- Patek Philippe: black leather strap, black dial;
- A watch with black leather strap, gold-patterned dial;
- Patek Philippe: black leather strap, white dial;
- Frank Muller: black leather strap, white dial;
- Gerald Genta: black leather strap;
- A watch with black leather strap, golf-motif dial;
- Patek Philippe: silver bracelet, black dial, diamond-encrusted;
- Vacheron: black leather strap, map-of-Thailand dial;
- Vacheron: gold bracelet, gold dial, diamond-encrusted;
- Rolex: gold bracelet, white dial;
- Patek Philippe: silver bracelet, black dial, diamond-encrusted;
- Breguet: black leather strap, white dial;
- Patek Philippe: black leather strap, white dial;
- Gerald Genta: black leather strap, black dial;
- Audemars Piguet: silver bracelet, black dial;
- Piaget: gold bracelet, gold dial;
- A watch with gold bracelet, black dial;
- Piaget: black leather strap, white dial (Kanchanapisek model).
The total value of the 26 wrist watches was almost 10 million baht.

scmp.com China's ambitious high-speed railway program will deal a ''devastating blow'' to its airlines and could even kill off short-to-medium-haul routes, the chairman of China Eastern Airlines warned.

nytimes.com Burma said Monday that a long-awaited election law was complete, paving the way for the country's first elections in two decades, a major step toward what the junta bills as its route toward democratic rule. The military has vowed to hold the vote this year. Details may be made public on Tuesday.

todayonline.com Commencing later this year: A feasibility study by a multi-agency group of whether nuclear energy can be a long-term option for Singapore. The effort will be led by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and it will aim to ''ensure that we fully understand, and objectively evaluate from all perspectives, the opportunities, challenges and risks involved with nuclear energy''.

travelbizmonitor.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand has inaugurated its Mumbai office, with director and former Phuket regional chief Sethapan Buddhani saying: ''India is a vast and an important market for us. Apart from servicing the travel trade, the role of Mumbai will be to market and promote Thailand in the assigned regions. Major focus segments are Weddings and honeymoon, corporate, Bollywood and high-end luxury market especially FITs.''

ft.com Dino Lalvani of Binatone writes: I wake up in my house in Knightsbridge, but it could equally well be one of many places round the world. I use three BlackBerrys, one US, one HK and one UK. As I'm getting in the car, my assistant hands over travel details for my visit to my father at his home in Phuket en route to Hong Kong. Before arriving in London, I flew to New York from New Delhi. India is quickly becoming our fastest-growing operation.

bangkokpost.com The food crisis of 2008 has inspired various countries in Asia to vie for status as the world's ''rice bowl'' and many hope to be able to dethrone Thailand. Vietnam, the world's second largest rice exporter, has set aside $6 million to improve rice quality. Burma, with fertile soil and water, will easily be able to double its rice production and exports.

afp Somali pirates raked in an estimated $60 million in 2009 but the Indian Ocean's ransom hunters have also spurred a much larger industry of ship protection devices. Naval missions patrolling Somali waters regularly remind seafarers that ships respecting recommended corridors and best management practices laid out by the industry rarely get attacked.

theage.com.au Germaine Greer writes: The most important change in the past 40 years is the gradual and apparently irreversible collapse of the patriarchal family. As women's economic independence increased, their tolerance of infidelity, cruelty, neglect and emotional and physical abuse on the part of their spouses dwindled steadily. The feminist revolution has not failed. It has yet to begin.

dailymail.co.uk More than 2.5million British homes now have wheelie bins fitted with microchips to weigh their contents. Disclosure of the rapid spread of chipped bins followed the announcement this week of the first council to bring in a bin tax. Bristol City is presenting its scheme as a reward for recyclers, with cash payments to homes that leave out less rubbish.

smh.com.au Hotel guests have rarely had it so good, with venues tripping over themselves to offer personalised services and quirky little extras to stand out from the crowd. Many hotels have rebadged the traditional concierge service to encourage guests to ask for anything that will improve their stay. The W Hotel in Hong Kong has branded it the Whatever/Whenever service, while The Sarojin resort in Thailand employs a full-time ''imagineer''.

businessweek.com Malaysian authorities have traced two US-made fighter jet engines to Uruguay that were stolen from a local military air base two years ago. Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail says the F-5E jet engines were located in Montevideo and have been seized by Uruguayan authorities.

cnn.com When you're airfare shopping, attractive prices can vanish in a split second. Just ask Jim Doll, a systems engineer in Atlanta, who recently tried to buy a ticket to San Francisco on AirTran Airways' Web site. He found a one-way fare for just $130, but by the time he'd toggled over to Orbitz.com to see if he could do better there and then clicked back, the price had changed. Why, indeed? Because that's not how reservations systems work.

smh.com.au A woman has crashed her car while shaving her bikini line. According to a report on news website KeyNews.com, a 37-year-old woman crashed her Ford Thunderbird into the back of a Chevrolet pick-up truck while trimming her pubic hair.

bangkokpost.com Life will become even more sophisticated on Phuket after July, when American and Singaporean joint venture partners officially open the IndoChine Resort and Villas at what was previously Villa Santi on Kalim Beach. What everyone is waiting for is the chic IndoChine restaurant at the multi-level dining, lounge and entertainment complex in front of the project.

cnn.com If disaster strikes when you are traveling, preparation before departure could be what keeps you safe and gets you home, experts say. That preparation includes bringing along the phone numbers of your travel agent, travel insurance provider, relatives and others who may be able to mobilize help for you and who care about your welfare. It also pays to know ahead of time how to make an international call.

aap Luggage loss, damage and theft represent the biggest single category of travel insurance claims, accounting for around 40 per cent of total claims. Up to 90,000 bags are mishandled each day worldwide, according to Travel Insurance Direct General Manager, Ian Jackson, of which about two per cent are never recovered.



Until March 20 Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn Fair at Thalang Victory Memorial Park, near the Heroines' Monument.
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.
March 13 "Lords (land) Last Barbecue Supper'' a 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.
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 Phuket Cricket Sixes begin.
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 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.