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

nationmultimedia.com According to TAT statistics, international arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport last month increased 6.8 percent from same month last year to 845,212. Phuket International Airport from August 1-22 welcomed 93,367 visitors, up 38.6 percent on year. Some 400 buyers and trade visitors from 49 countries have confirmed their participation in the Thailand Travel Mart from September 8-10 in Bangkok.

moneycontrol.com Russia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are home to the wealthiest expats, with Eurozone countries falling behind when it comes to paying for foreign expertise, according to a survey of expats. The third annual report commissioned by HSBC Bank International found finances among expats were generally positive with 66percent saying they have more disposable income to save and invest since moving abroad. But the survey found expats in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore enjoyed the greatest wealth overall.

forbes.com Thailand's most wealthy: Shifting sands displaced the three-time No. 1 monied master, Red Bull cofounder Chaleo Yoovidhya; his wealth is up from last year, but he slips to No. 2 with a net worth of $4.2 billion. Topping him is agribusiness owner Dhanin Chearavanont, whose conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group has seen the value of its stock assets more than double over the past year; his sum, which he shares with his three brothers, is estimated at $7 billion.

afp An Indonesian court ordered the local branch of Paris-based Buddha Bar to close after convicting the licence holder of blasphemy, a lawyer said. It also ordered licensee PT Nireta Vista Creative, the official Jakarta tourism agency and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo to pay damages of one billion rupiah ($110,000) to the plaintiffs for distress. The city authorities had failed to consider the religious sensitivities when they approved the licence, the judges said.

Associated Press Impoverished Cambodia plans to build a 555-meter skyscraper, its prime minister said, a feat that would give one of the region's least-developed capitals the tallest building in Asia. PM Hun Sen said he had approved a master plan for the skyscraper, which would be located about one kilometer from the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh - a dusty city of colonial villas, slums and one standout skyscraper, the recently completed Canadia Tower that is about 115 meters high.

reuters At least four retailers from Europe and Asia are poised to submit first-round bids for Carrefour's roughly $1 billion-worth of Southeast Asian assets, sources said, showing robust demand for the retail operations. Europe's top retailer is exiting Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to focus on markets where it has a leading position, sources with knowledge of the matter have previously told Reuters.

ft.com Tesco, the world's third largest supermarket chain, was among a pack of more than 10 bidders in the first round of an auction for the south-east Asian assets of Carrefour, the French retailer. The bidders included several large foreign retailers, together with private equity firms and local retail chains in Singapore and Thailand, according to people with knowledge of the auction.



Phuketwan Update Construction of a bridge that will help children at a northern Thailand school get to class without having to ford a river begins December 3-6. People on Phuket who wish to self-fund to join the trip to start the bridge should contact Bangkok Hospital Phuket 1791, Khun Jum on ext 1284 or Khun Pareeya on ext 2297. Cash and donations of food, toys and clothing are still welcome.

telegraph.co.uk BP continued its asset disposals to pay for the cost of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill with a $363m sale of its Malaysian petrochemical operations to state-owned Petronas. BP in July pledged to sell as much as 20bn pounds of assets to meet the spill costs.

nytimes.com Scores of people are in hiding, many of them sheltered by a mostly sympathetic population. Scores more, arrested at the scene, are being held without bail. Here in Udon Thani, the heart of red shirt country, the government appears to have made little headway in calming or winning over its opponents, and the arrests and detentions illustrate the continuing divisions in the country.

guardian.co.uk Imperial College London is to set up a new medical school in Singapore in the latest move by an elite British university to establish a presence in Asia. Jointly run by Imperial and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, the medical school will teach over 750 students when it is fully established, the majority of whom will be local residents.

afp Indonesian police opened fire and killed five people when an angry mob attacked their station with firebombs in a protest over the death of a man in custody, police said. More than 20 people including several police were injured during the violent clash in the town of Buol, Central Sulawesi province.



September 4 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Kata beach
September 8 Phuket Governor heading meeting about Phuket's entertainment zones, Metropole Hotel, Phuket City
Until September 9 Ramadan
September 11 Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival, Loma Park, Patong
September 13 Phuket Tsunami Evacuation Drill, Loma Park, Patong, 10.30am
September 16-17 Celebration of the 114th birthday of Luang Pu Supha at the Chalong temple named in his honor.
September 18 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Surin beach
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi