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

Phuket Update It's a public holiday on Phuket and throughout Thailand today with the Phuket forecast for clouds, with a 30 percent chance of rain and more possible Wednesday. Small boats are advised not to put to sea.

afp The Maldives has ordered hundreds of luxury hotels to close their spas after protests by an Islamist party, which claimed they were a front for prostitution, an official says. The Tourism Ministry instructed all resort hotels across the country's 1192 tiny coral islands to shut their spas and health centres with immediate effect.

traveldailynews.com Bending to Islamists opposed to spas and massage parlors, Maldives' president ordered them closed, even those catering to tourists at exclusive resorts. A statement from the president's office said "the government has decided to close massage parlors and spas in the Maldives, following an opposition-led religious protest last week calling for their closure."

cnn.com The hotel industry "is not going for that," said Mohamed Rashad, the manager of Royal Island Hotel. "We are open today and never closed, and the other hotels are keeping their spas open as far as I know." The nation's pristine beaches and rich marine wildlife drew nearly 800,000 tourists in 2010.

nationmultimedia.com This year will see political conflict boil over with fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as the ''death trap'' for the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, while the soaring cost of living could also spell trouble, deputy Democrat Party leader Korn Chatikavanij warned.

prnewswire.co.uk Despite flooding and civil unrest during 2011, Thailand remains immensely popular with British tourists; Bangkok was the most popular Asian destination for Brits, with the Thai capital rising the ranks one position to eighth place compared to 2010, and the country as a whole rising one place to 13.

nationmultimedia.com Tourists come to Thailand for two main reasons. The first is to enjoy Thai hospitality, while shopping is the second draw. To differentiate the country from its rivals, Thailand needs to promote itself as the ''uxury-shopping destination in Asia''.

balidiscovery.com A professor at Bali's Udayana University, Dr Dewa Ngurah Suprapta, blames the rapid rise of tourism in Bali as causing a dilution of Bali's traditional cultural-tourism image. if the current situation was allowed to continue unabated, Bali will eventually lose its unique character and, in turn, its ability to attract tourist visitors.

bangkokpost.com Tablets, smartphones, mobile apps and cloud-based services look set to become rising stars in 2012 thanks to changing digital lifestyles, lower prices and greater product variety. User-friendly and fashionable media tablets are gaining momentum, posing a challenge to the netbook market.

telegraph.co.uk Facebook is considering a float in New York that is expected to raise about $US10 billion and value the company at up to $125 billion, making it the largest offer by an internet company in history.



ANGSANA Laguna Phuket is celebrating its opening by inviting guests to contribute to a charity mural designed by Australian artist Christopher Hogan that will take pride of place in the lobby. Each tile costs 1000 baht and the 350,000 raised after a deduction of equipment cost will be used to fund art scholarships for local youngsters.

voanews.com Burma's state television and radio announced that President Thein Sein signed a clemency order for an unspecified number of prisoners to mark the country's 64th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule on Wednesday. More than 1600 political prisoners are still languishing in Burmese prisons.

asiaone.com Syndicates are increasingly using food products and supplements to market active ingredients of prescription drugs like Cialis, Viagra and Levitra, which are used to treat impotence in men, The Star reported. Beware the candy, chocolate or coffee with steamy images on its packaging promising to turn you into a Superman.

divernet.com A luxurious Indonesian diving liveaboard vessel has been lost after a fire broke out on board during a diving charter. The 24m-long Mandarin Siren sank during one of its December-to-May itinerary cruises amongst Indonesia's Raja Ampat islands, operating out of Sorong.

thephuketinsider.com In Pattaya, Thai hospitality group Centara have joined with the Tulip Group on a new offering. The beachfront Centara Grand Residences have come to the sales market with a pricing point starting at five million baht.

mmtimes.com With Burma (Myanmar) likely to again be among the world's top nations in terms of tourist arrival growth, stakeholders are warning that the government should ensure the industry's expansion doesn't come at the expense of Burma's culture and natural environment. International air arrivals rose more than 20 percent in 2011.



Late goals provided a fresh twist to the tussle for fourth place in the Premier League as Chelsea surged to a 2-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers and 10-man Arsenal slumped to a 1-2 defeat at Fulham.

afp Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been fined the equivalent of a week's wages of approximately 200,000 pounds ($300,000) by the Premier League club for a night out over the Christmas weekend, according to press reports in England. He was also suspended from playing in a surprise 2-3 loss.

afp Eli Manning sparked the New York Giants over Dallas 31-14 to claim an NFL play-off berth while Denver and Cincinnati both qualified for post-season play despite defeats.



Until January 8 Red Cross Fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City

January 14 Children's Day, Phuket

January 23 Chinese New Year

February 24-25 Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

April Opening of Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, three waterfront gardens that will dwarf Kew in London and provide ''green lungs'' for the city.

May 26-June 5 National Youth Games, Phuket

March 29-April 1 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket