Al Jazeera reports ''mayhem'' in Cairo's Tahrir Square with men on horses and camels charging and clashing with anti-government protesters. One reporter saw at least two horsemen pulled from their mounts. Pro-Mubarak supporters followed the horses into the square. ''This will escalate, no doubt,'' warned one reporter.
Another said: ''There is anarchy in the middle of Cairo. Security people in plain clothes are trying to take out the protesters.''
Running battles reported.
Similar situations reported occurring in Alexandria, Suez.
Pro-Mubarak supporters took over a 10-storey building and hurled rocks down at the protesters. Soldiers were seen putting security people arrested by protesters into armored personnel carriers, under arrest.
Mubarak is being accused of orchestrating a desperate last-ditch bid to retain power. ''Tahrir Square has become the focus of the battle for the future of Egypt,'' said a reporter. Streets were flowing back and forth with a frontline of rock-throwing on both sides.

bbc.co.uk Frontlines have been established all around the square. Mubarak has been accused of bringing on the conflict. Troops, having fraternised with protesters, have now got into their tanks to await an outcome.

cnn.com CNN's Ben Wedeman said he overheard a panicked army officer say the situation was out of control and there was nothing the army could do to restore order.


bangkokpost.com The government must help free the two Thais being detained in a Cambodian prison and bring them home within three days, or face more pressure from yellow-shirt protesters, said Peoples' Alliance for Democracy co-leader Chamlong Srimuang.


guardian.co.uk Cyclone Yasi is a 500km-wide, category 5 tropical cyclone with winds up to 285 kmh now crossing the north-east coast of Australia. Meteorologists warn that Yasi will be the biggest and most powerful cyclone any Queenslanders living today have seen.

smh.com.au Queensland endured a night of terror as cyclone Yasi struck, delivering 290km/h winds and raging seas. The category five storm made landfall between Townsville and Cairns.


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

bangkokpost.com Thailand's tourism industry is worried about ongoing political protests hurting occupancy rates, says the Thailand Hotels Association. "We hope dissenting parties consider the national interest and give the battered tourism sector a break," said Prakit Chinamourphong, THA's president.

scmp.com Dozens of starving boatpeople from Myanmar (Burma) have staggered ashore at a beach beside a five-star resort on Phuket, wandering around the tourist island in search of food before most were picked up by police.

thesatellite.com.au Typical of many young tourists on Phuket, Trent Gardner, 22, wasn't wearing a helmet. He suffered a fractured skull, broken cheek, broken eye socket and various cuts and bruises. He also needed delicate brain surgery during more than two weeks in a Phuket hospital. His biggest regret is the impact his accident had on his family.

sunshinecoastdaily ''It was my 22nd birthday on the 29th (of December) and I can remember that, but the accident was on the 30th and I can't remember anything from that or the week after,'' Trent said. ''We were staying at Kata Beach and I've been told we were heading into Patong Beach when I left the others in the group to go back. Then I don't know what happened. Basically, my family said they arrived and I was being put into an ambulance.
''There was supposed to have been another vehicle involved but no witnesses ever came forward. It was a busy road, so someone must have seen something, but no one could tell my family what happened. It's still a mystery.''

property-report.com Anantara Vacation Club, a shared ownership concept from the well-known resort brand, has opened sales offices in Samui and Phuket. The club involves a point based multiple destination shared holiday ownership option, with luxury private villas in Samui and Phuket as the current ''Club Resort'' options and Bali to be added.

cnn.com Bowing to eight days of protests, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced that he will hand over power to an elected successor "in a constitutional way" when his term ends in September.

smh.com.au Mubarak's remarks did little to appease the crowds still gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square. They insisted they would not leave until Mubarak stepped down.

telegraph.co.uk King Abdullah II of Jordan sacked his government as he sought to appease street protests and avoid his country becoming the next Egypt or Tunisia.

afp Germany widened its travel warning to cover all of Egypt, including Red Sea resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh which have so far largely been spared the protests that have affected larger cities.

ft.com Hundreds of Egyptian protesters have turned to Google's Speak to Tweet tool within hours of its launch, allowing them to post messages to Twitter via telephone.

wsj.com Burma's first parliament in more than two decades nominated five vice-presidential candidates, one of whom is expected to become president and lead the new military-dominated government. The list did not include the country's current supreme leader, Senior General Than Shwe.

bangkokpost.com Passenger traffic through Suvarnabhumi Airport over the Lunar New Year is forecast to rise by 23 percent over the same period last year to a record.

etravelblackboardasia.com Society magazine, Tatler, have named Paresa in Phuket, Thailand, as one of the '101 Best Hotels In The World' in their Travel Guide 2011. Paresa is one of only two hotels in Thailand and the only place on Phuket (a destination with no shortage of world-class hotels) to appear in the list.

bbc.co.uk Seven Somali men accused of being pirates have arrived in Malaysia where they could face prosecution. They were captured by the Malaysian navy 10 days ago as they allegedly tried to hijack a tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

bangkokpost.com Nok Air finished 2010 with record earnings and revenue and envisages continued growth this year despite negative factors such as slower economic expansion and rising fuel costs. The budget airline posted an 83.9 percent jump in its net profit last year to 618 million baht from 336 million in 2009

manly-daily.com.au Four Sydney women injured in a boat crash in Thailand last year relived their horror on a flight from Phuket to Melbourne after their plane suddenly nosedived, injuring passengers and crew. Having taken advantage of a free flight to compensate for their trip last year, the women enjoyed an incident-free holiday before the V Australia flight was hit by severe turbulence near Indonesia.

wauchopegazette.com.au Passengers screamed and composed their final words as a Melbourne-bound flight from Phuket plunged, throwing cabin crew into the air and showering passengers with airline food. Passenger Lyall Johnson said the plane was thrown up and down for 20 seconds. ''Meals were flying everywhere, people were launching out of their seats.''

nationmultimedia.com Phuket is Thailand's biggest island and a province with many beaches and smaller islands nearby. It's also a city, so has plenty to offer in terms of activities and places to visit.

rustourismnews.com ''Rustic chic'' is possibly not a description that comes to mind when speaking of Phuket, but then Centara Villas Phuket, perched on a small hill overlooking Karon Beach, is like no other resort hotel on the island.


pr-usa.net For the many people of Chinese descent who call Phuket home, this is the most important celebration of the year and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have gone to great lengths to ensure this year's celebrations are better than ever. The festivities in Phuket will officially kick-off at 4pm on February 3 with a fireworks display and an acrobatics show at Sanam Chai in Phuket Town.

February 3 Chinese New Year Festival, Phuket
February 8-10 Old Phuket Town Festival, food and walking street fest
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi
February 18 Makha Bucha public holiday
February 23-26 Phuket Gay Pride Festival, Patong
February 25-26 Phuket International Blues and Rock Festival 2011
February 26-27 Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s, Phuket International Academy
March4-6 Pool Asia Expo and Conference, Hilton, Phuket
March 14-19 ADFEST 2011 at Movenpick Resort, Phuket
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City


Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket