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

FC PHUKET lost its match against Bangkok United FC in Bangkok last night 1-2 after an own-goal header. If the other leading teams perform well, FC Phuket will lose top spot in Division One. The score was 0-0 at half-time.

nationmultimedia.com Phuket City will host concerts at Thalang Road from 5pm to midnight next Saturday and Sunday to raise funds for flood victims in the South and Japanese tsunami victims.

Phuket Update Blue skies appeared over Phuket this morning as the weather returned to normal after 10 days of heavy rain that doused Phuket but caused far more severe damage and interrupted tourism on Samui as well as triggering killer torrents and mudslides in inland Krabi.

Rain kept falling in Nakkorn Si Tammarat and southern provinces, with the death toll now at 39. Relief efforts continue.

telegraph.co.uk On Koh Samui there were power blackouts, fuel shortages, and increasing concerns about depleting food and water supplies. A lack of information was the overwhelming complaint among stranded tourists.
Michael Hancock, Bangkok's British Embassy Consul who arrived on the island on Wednesday night, said they were trying to improve communication between the airport and passengers. ''The (display) screens are not working and airline staff are only holding up signs written in Biro,'' he said. ''They need a thick marker pen for a start.''

Phuket Update Hopes are high that a two-year-old bottle-nosed dolphin, rescued from the water near Rassada Pier in Phuket City, can be restored to good health at Phuket Marine Biology Centre in Cape Panwa. Villagers saw the sick dolphin in the water and managed to rescue it. Marine biologists think the dolphin may be suffering from an intestinal bug.

bangkokpost.com Five Indian tourists say they were drugged and robbed by a prostitute in Pattaya. They said they drank alcohol and a soft drink the woman gave them. After having sex with the woman, they said they all fell unconscious.

cnn.com A Southwest Airlines flight landed safely at a military base in Yuma, Arizona, with what passengers described as a three-foot hole in the fuselage of the Boeing 737. A spokeswoman for Boeing declined to comment on possible causes of the incident.

bernama.com Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand admitted that she was now being investigated by the Medical Council of Thailand for alleged breach of discipline. Questioned by lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammed Shafee Abdullah who is representing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Pornthip also admitted that she was a controversial activist in her country and disliked by the police.

aap Indonesia has criticised Australia for warning that the arrest of alleged Bali bomber Umar Patek could spark a violent response by extremists, describing it as excessive. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Michael Tene said the warning did not reflect the actual situation on the ground in Indonesia.

balidiscovery.com The warning did not mention if specific new information was received or if the caution was merely a generalised fear of retaliation.

abc.net.au Eight police officers in the Australian state of New South Wales have been caught dealing, and in some cases using, illegal steroids. A two-year investigation run by the Police Integrity Commission has uncovered a steroid ring based in Tamworth. The drugs were purchased over the internet and imported from Thailand before being on-sold.

smh.com.au Food security will be the greatest challenge to civilisation this century, with food shortages leading to higher prices, political instability and mass migration, warn scientists, farmers and academics.

thestar.com.my Federal and state governments will jointly develop a Greater Penang Transformation Program to unlock development opportunities. Projects under the Plan included the expansion and upgrade of the Penang Bridge, Penang International Airport and Penang Port, and the construction of the second Penang Bridge, electrified double track and Juru-Sungai Dua bypass.

thejakartapost.com The number of Japanese tourists in Indonesia dropped 7.45 percent in March due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports.

themalaysianinsider.com Christians can thank the government for solving the current problem created by its own policies but in the long run, any Malaysian government should put right what is wrong by allowing anyone to practise his faith in any language without any restriction whatsoever.

cnn.com Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni guided India to a second Cricket World Cup title as his team beat tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final in Mumbai.



THE PHUKET Gazette, having last year labelled American Ron Fanelli a ''monster'' and this year a ''confessed murderer,'' does a backflip this week by giving its front page to the spurious cause of the expat who stabbed a naked bar hostess twice, packed her body into a suitcase, dumped her, then fled into hiding. The newspaper that once even falsely accused Mr Fanelli of breaking the limbs of his victim to squeeze her into the case now finds his ''I am the victim'' version of events compelling. Less inclined to sensationalism, The Phuket News sticks with the week's big weather story on its front page. With the 24-page monthly Phuketian magazine inside, the News at 20 baht compared to the Gazette's 25 baht represents better value for money. Yet even with its moral confusion, the Gazette, for those desperate to catch up on what had happened up to Wednesday last week, is probably the better ''news'' package.



BIKE WEEK from April 8-11 is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Patong with highlights including a tree planting campaign, a tattoo contest, island rides and Miss Phuket Bike Week.

JAPAN and flood relief concerts April 9-10 in Queen Sirikit Park and a walking street fair in Thalang Road Phuket City hope to raise six million baht for quake and tsunami victims in Japan and flood victims in Thailand. From 5pm.

SARASIN Songkran. A first-time three-day fair and concerts from April 11-13 sees Phuket joining with neighboring Phang Nga to celebrate Thai new year on the obsolete Sarasin Bridge that links the provinces.

April 6 Chakri Memorial Day, public holiday
April 8 IBAP with Michael Ma at Indochine
April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 9-10 Phuket City concerts to aid Japan, Thai flood victims
April 11-13 Sarasin Songkran on the bridge between Phuket and Phang Nga
April 12-17 Phuket International Cricket Sixes
April 13-15 Songkran Festival, Phuket City, Patong celebrations
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket