afp The worst floods to hit parts of Thailand in decades have left at least 94 people dead, officials said. authorities estimate that several million people have been affected, with homes submerged and farmland or cattle destroyed, mostly in central and eastern areas.


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

PHUKET Governor Tree Ackaradecha is heading to Hainan on Sunday to sign on for a sisterly relationship between Phuket and the largest holiday island in China. Like Phuket, Hainan has urban and rural sectors but it is much larger and has a population of eight million. The governor returns to Phuket on Thursday. More China charter flights are expected as a result of the trip.

bbc.co.uk Thailand has a mixed image, from skyscrapers towering above the chaos of backstreet Bangkok, to the beaches, islands and seedy bars where tourists flock, to the rice paddies in its agricultural heartland. Its biggest export is computer hard disk drives - manufacturing is the industry which is driving growth. With the baht at its highest level against the dollar in 17 years, there is strong money around to spend, and so Thais are on a spending spree in Europe.

smh.com.au Two years ago, the Aussie dollar bought you just two quarters and a dime. My, how times have changed. Now the Aussie's going gangbusters against the greenback, there's never been a more affordable time for Australian travellers to hit the US. Airfares took a tumble last year when V Australia and Delta arrived to give the other Sydney-Los Angeles carriers, Qantas and United, a run for their money.

Phuket Update Preliminary figures compiled by police record eight deaths on Phuket's roads between October 1 and October 22, with police called to 82 crash incidents. Police figures are usually superseded by more complete Public Health statistics for each calendar month, but eight deaths in three weeks is an indication that the Phuket road toll continues to be reduced.

Associated Press Tiger Woods says he's looking forward to giving something back to Thailand when he makes a quick visit to his mother's home country for the first time in 10 years to play a one-day skins tournament next month. "The last time I played in Thailand was in 2000. I am really looking forward to coming back and hopefully win it all!" Woods said in a statement.

scmp.com Heading for a potential trouble spot overseas? Don't worry - government help will soon be at hand for Hongkongers. Residents will be able to receive the latest travel alerts by e-mail or mobile phone text message by the end of the year.

nationmultimedia.com Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is urging Asean to become more competitive by maintaining a free and fair business environment so that the grouping's infrastructure and people can be connected up to form a community. Abhisit proposed the initiative at the Asean meeting held in July last year in Phuket, saying it was time for the grouping to create a community of connectivity that would enhance intra-regional cooperation.

sfp The Maldives expressed "shock and disgust" after a video surfaced of a Swiss couple being mocked and insulted by a celebrant in the local language during their marriage ceremony at a luxury hotel. The celebrant calls the couple "swine" amid a host of other insults during a hateful profanity-laced tirade littered with often bizarre personal and religious-tinged taunts.

theaustralian.com.au An official warned that the death toll from a tsunami that hit remote Indonesian islands could soar past 500. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was heading to the disaster zone. An official tsunami warning was issued after the 7.7-magnitude quake but it came too late or did not reach the communities in most danger.

independent.co.uk The anticipated release from house arrest of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi next month will stir a "political reawakening" in the country after half a century of military rule, her close ally Win Tin told The Independent. "Aung San Suu Kyi's release will be like a great rain. When the monsoon comes to Burma it brings the whole countryside to life.''

thegauntlet.ca Burma is myanmarred by corruption: Take an astrologer, hack politicians and a dictator. It sounds like the start of a bad joke. Actually, it's the formula Burma's leadership has been using since 1962 to oppress its citizens.

movies.ign.com We all know that Mel Gibson won't be making a cameo in The Hangover 2, but now we learn that [former world heavyweight boxer] Mike Tyson will be back playing himself for the sequel. Tyson will reportedly travel to Thailand to shoot his scenes for the sequel. The former boxing champ also told The New York Post that he "100 percent" would have worked with the disgraced 'Lethal Weapon' star had the situation called for it.

guardian.co.uk UN funding is being used to run a brutal internment camp for the destitute in Cambodia where detainees are held for months without trial, raped and beaten, sometimes to death, former inmates have told the Guardian. Rights groups and former inmates say the Prey Speu facility, near Phnom Penh, is an illegal, clandestine prison, where people deemed "undesirable" by the government - usually drug users, sex workers and the homeless - are held for months without charge.

nationmultimedia.com While the baht's strength currently benefits foreigners disposing of Thailand-based property assets - because they are getting more in US-dollar terms - there is growing concern about the potential negative impact of the baht's appreciation on Thailand's real-estate sector, managing director of property firm Jones Lang LaSalle Thailand, Suphin Mechuchep. This is particularly felt in sectors where foreign buyers are a major source of demand, such as high-end condominiums in Bangkok and resort properties in major holiday destinations like Phuket.

businessweek.com Las Vegas Sands Corp. reported that its $5.7 billion Marina Bay Sands casino and resort in Singapore, which opened in April, was an immediate hit in its first full quarter. It generated $485.9 million in revenue and easily surpassed the company's take in Las Vegas.

abs-cbnnews.com Singapore's Changi Airport is now host to Philippine budget carrier Airphil Express, which launched its maiden international flight on Wednesday. The airline - owned by the country's second richest man, Lucio Tan - will operate 14 weekly flights between Manila and Singapore, as well as Singapore and Cebu.



THE POPULAR Phuket Red Cross fair returns from December 30 to January 9 with stage performances and good food nightly at Saphan Hin. The Red Cross lottery includes a house as the major prize, with a pickup for second and scores of other motorcycles, television sets and other goods to be won.

November 1 Yellow Submarine Divers on Phuket will launch the Donate As You Dive campaign
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 6 Charity golf at Tab Lamu, near Khao Lak: Call Sam on 089 875 1995 E: sam@khaolakappeal.com
November 6 Thailand Property Awards, Bangkok
November 12 IBAP meets at Thai Naan restaurant to hear Woody Leonard on what's best for internet access on Phuket.
November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
November 21 Loy Kratong Festival
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross fair, Saphan Hin
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 23 The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race Day, Laguna Phuket
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi