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

nationmultimedia.com Some Phuket-based forestry officials will soon be subject to a criminal investigation after it was alleged that they issued false documents declaring vast areas of two forest reserves as not being under state protection, the Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission said.

bangkokpost.com Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda said corruption is an incurable disease dragging the country backwards. He said Thailand placed 80th among 183 countries worldwide and 10th among 26 Asian countries listed in the 2011 Corruption Perception Index. The country's ranking was not satisfactory, he added.

thisismoney.co.uk The euro tumbled again amid fresh worries over Spain and a stark warning that failure to prepare for disaster in Greece would be a ''grave error''. The single currency fell below 80p against the pound and $1.25 against the US dollar.

bangkokpost.com The baht had its biggest weekly drop in 2012 as foreign funds reduced holdings of local stocks amid concern that Europe's debt crisis will slow global economic growth.

AP Lady Gaga has met Thailand's premier lady boys at a Bangkok drag show featuring busty dancers who were not born that way. 'Born This Way', the title track of Lady Gaga's latest album, has become a gay anthem.

antara Indonesia's Business Competition Supervisory Commission said it was investigating an alleged monopolisation of insurance services for foreign tourists in Bali. The same company, Tadjuddin said, was planning to build a ''world-class'' hospital in Bali.

chinadaily.com Chinese and Thai marine corps concluded a military-training exercise in the waters off Shanwei, South China's Guangdong province, as they try to cooperate more on fighting terrorism and strengthening their military exchanges with each other.

dailymail.co.uk Singapore's latest skyscraper is to have an infinity pool 38 storeys above ground between two towers. The infinity pool will dramatically connect Sky Habitat Singapore's two towers once the ambitious project is completed in 2016.

AP Brazil's Trip Airline says one of its female pilots tossed a passenger off a flight because he was making sexist comments about women flying planes.

globalnation.inquirer.net Philippine officials have warned Filipino workers in Thailand against using the travel document issued by the Philippine Consulate General for visa runs. Consul General Edgar Badajos cited an increase in the number of Filipinos applying for travel documents.

cnn.com Many incidents have occurred in Beijing following last week's launch of a 100-day campaign to "clean out" non-Chinese living or working illegally in the city. Until the end of August, all foreigners are expected to always have on them a valid passport, visa and resident permit.

irrawaddy.org Eighty-five Rohingya boatpeople who were picked up by Mon fishermen in the Andaman Sea have been landed in Mon State. ''They were at sea for two weeks,'' said a local woman had who voluntarily taken food and water to the destitute people. ''Then they had engine problems during a storm and could go no further.''

smh.com.au Indonesia boy Sam, 16, wrongly convicted of people smuggling, has spent more than two years in detention in Australia, mostly in adult jails with paedophiles, rapists and murderers.

eturbonews.com Centara Hotels & Resorts is maintaining a strategy of fast expansion in Pattaya, with three properties currently open and another four in the development phase. ''Pattaya is a very important part of Centara's own development growth, and we are very excited indeed about the potential,'' said Suthikiati Chirathivat, Chairman of the Executive Board, Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited. [In recent years Centara has fast-tracked Phuket.]

ft.com Accor, the Paris-based hotel group that owns the Novotel and Ibis brands, is pinning its Indonesian expansion hopes on the growth of secondary cities like Balikpapan, Makassar, Lampung and Pekanbaru, which are thriving thanks to the ongoing commodities boom. The group, which is Europe's largest hotel company by number of rooms, wants to double the number of hotels it operates in Indonesia to 100 by 2015.



Agencies With the French Open two weeks away, Roger Federer backed six-time champion Rafael Nadal to shatter Novak Djokovic's historic bid to become the first man in 43 years to hold all four grand slam titles.

mashable Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones may be the hottest athlete on Twitter right now. Her witty, self-effacing humor has charmed media and fans. Oh, and the attractive, single 29-year-old is also a virgin.

afp A top referee and a former Malaysian international have been charged with plotting to fix a match in Singapore, as corruption claims again overshadowed football in the Southeast Asian state.



Phuket's American Independence Day picnic sponsored by navyleaguephuket.org will be held on July 1 at the Headstart International School of Phuket, across from Makro. Time: 11am till 6:30pm Hamburgers, hot dogs and American beer for sale. Free entry. Games and events for kids and fireworks at sunset.

May 25-27 Phuket Rugby Tens

May 26-June 5 National Youth Games, Phuket

June 8-10 Laguna Phuket International Marathon

July 18-22 Phuket Raceweek

July 21-22 Toyota motor racing at Saphan Hin, Phuket City



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket