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

southalltravel.co.uk The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines reported a strong increase in passenger traffic during August - 12.4 percent more than in August 2009. Association director general Andrew Herdman explained: ''The outlook for the remainder of the year remains broadly positive, although reported growth rates are expected to stabilise as the recovery phase is completed." Members including Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines and Dragonair.

kamcity.com The Central Group has confirmed that it will participate in the second round of bids for Carrefour's 43 Thai hypermarkets. Central Group said it expects political unrest to continue to hurt tourist confidence, and a decline in tourism spending due to the slowdown in economies such as Japan and the EU.

nationmultimedia.com International arrivals are expected to soar by 20-30 percent in the approaching high season, assuming no political tensions get in the way, the Association of Thai Travel Agents said. At this stage, advance bookings from overseas are up 5-10 percent. The coming peak season is hoped to repeat figures achieved before the airport closures of 2008.

wsj.com Thailand's Information and Communication Technology Ministry will present a draft national broadband policy to Cabinet in October, ICT Minister Chuti Krairiksh said. The government is proposing to extend broadband coverage across the nation within two years via the services of state-owned telecom firms.


PHUKET CITY'S pink buses are fast replacing tuk-tuks as the island's favorite transport symbol, winning a national innovations award in September. This week at a celebratory gathering of po tong staff conductor Kannika Jantaman was hailed for her honesty in returning one customer's 30,000 baht Blackberry device. Her reward: a 1000 baht pay rise. A Phuket pink bus ticket costs 10 baht. Students travel free.

cnn.com Lee Kuan Yew, widely credited with molding Singapore into one of the world's most prosperous countries, has been admitted to hospital. Lee, 87, was the founding father of the island nation. His son, Lee Hsien Loong, is now Singapore's prime minister - the country's third since it gained independence from Malaysia in 1965.

guardian.co.uk Tony Curtis, one of the last great stars of Hollywood's golden age, has died aged 85. The death from a heart attack was confirmed by a representative of his actress daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis married six times.

monstersandcritics.com Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is on a global tour to highlight his case ahead of a trial on sodomy charges, which he says is baseless and politically motivated. Speaking in Berlin after meeting with parliamentarians and political activists, Anwar said that he was using the opportunity of his bail period before the trial to underline what he called Malaysia's endemic corruption and politically biased judiciary.

thephuketinsider.com Leading Phuket luxury estate Malaiwana in Nai Thon has started construction on an upscale beach club called Wave. The offering of an exclusive bar, restaurant and sun loungers will be open to the public and estate residents.

guardian.co.uk North Korea has released the first official photograph of Kim Jong-un, the heir apparent to his father, the country's leader, after years of secrecy. A photograph of a group of senior officials from the North Korean Workers' Party was published in the official paper of the Workers' Party, and released to the media.

chosun.com After looking at Kim Jong-un's photo, a female North Korean defector said, ''What did he eat to get so fat, while people are starving to death?''

nationmultimedia.com Thailand is committed to the principles of democracy and human rights, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told the UN General Assembly, stressing the government is striving to heal political and social divisions. Thailand, he said, continues to be a functioning democracy, albeit a relatively young one.

goldcoast.com.au Australian Olympic silver medallist and Commonwealth Games gold hunter Sally Pearson will head off after the Delhi Games with husband Kieran for a seven-day sojourn in the sun at Phuket's Patong Beach.

telegraph.co.uk Ireland is paying a heavy price in a bailout after the reckless mistakes of its banks. Up to 50 billion euros to be precise, or one third of the country's entire economy.

irishtimes.com Laura Callan, moving to the US: A bunch of my friends have gone to the States, and are going again after our graduation. Two are going to Australia and another friend got a teaching job in Thailand. About 12 of my friends are emigrating.

tvnz.co.nz Australians and Indonesians are gathering to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2005 Bali terrorist bombings. Four Australians were among more than 20 people killed when suicide bombers attacked popular seafood cafes at Jimbaran Beach and a busy restaurant in Kuta on October 1, 2005.

afp The Netherlands will ban the burqa, anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders said following the announcement of a pact to form a minority coalition government backed by his party. ''There will also be a burqa ban,''' Wilders told journalists in The Hague, announcing measures agreed on by three parties negotiating to form a new government.

reuters.com Singapore, nicknamed the ''nanny state'' for its propensity for micromanagement, is fast emerging as one of the world's hottest destinations for wealth. The Boston Consulting Group estimates private banks alone in Singapore manage about $500 billion in assets. The numbers are dwarfed by the estimated $2 trillion in private wealth managed in Switzerland, but the growth in Singapore is startling.

traveldaily.co.uk Premier Holidays has launched an exclusive agent competition to win a holiday to Thailand. One holiday every 10 days will be given away to an agent selling the destination, starting this October.



October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Hafale, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
October 12 Qatar begins daily flights to Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
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