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

Phuket Football: FC Phuket 0-0 Big Bang Chulalongkorn FC in Phuket City. Crowd: 4000.


reuters.com A fresh explosion that rocked Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex on Monday has not damaged the plant's No.3 reactor vessel, news agency Jiji said, quoting the plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co.

ctv.ca Japanese officials are reporting that a disaster-ravaged nuclear power plant has lost the ability to cool down another one of its reactors, hours after the same plant suffered its second explosion in three days.

cnn.com leading Japanese stock index recovered a little after dropping nearly 6 percent early Monday, the first full day of trading following last week's earthquake, but remained sharply lower.

Earlier reports:

theage.com.au Japan is battling a widening nuclear crisis, with presumed partial meltdowns at two crippled reactors and serious cooling problems at three more, while the death toll from Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami continues to soar.

scmp.com Japan is fighting to avert a meltdown at two earthquake-crippled nuclear reactors, describing the massive quake and tsunami, which may have killed more than 10,000 people in the nation's biggest crisis since the second world war.

huffingtonpost.com There remain a number of major uncertainties about the situation's stability and many questions about what might happen next. Along with the struggle to cool the reactors is the potential danger from an inability to cool Fukushima's spent nuclear fuel pools.

guardian.co.uk The full extent of the economic impact of Friday's earthquake and tsunami is becoming apparent, with hundreds of factories shut across Japan, warnings of rolling blackouts and predictions from economists that the disaster would push the country into recession. An estimated two million homes are without power and about 1.4 million do not have running water.

ft.com Fears of another earthquake combined with growing alarm about radiation leaks from nuclear plants in Fukushima have triggered an exodus from Tokyo. Most flights from Tokyo to key regional destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Sydney are fully booked for at least two weeks.

telegraph.co.uk About 590,000 people, many of whom have lost their homes, were living in temporary shelters, including 210,000 people evacuated from the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

nationmultimedia.com The travel business in Thailand is likely to suffer a negative impact over the next three to six months as Japanese tourists defer plans to come here, while Thais are likely to travel to other countries for fear of being caught in another quake.

telegraph.co.uk The three largest motor manufacturers - Toyota, Honda and Nissan - said they would stop production at almost all of their domestic assembly plants. Electronics powerhouse Sony also said that it would be shutting down production.

ukpa Sixty-year-old Hiromitsu Shinkawa has been rescued by the military after floating out to sea on the roof of his home when a tsunami engulfed Japan's coast.

nationmultimedia.com Experts came out to assure Thais that the recent massive earthquake in Japan would not affect faults in Thailand. "I am confident that the quake in Japan is unlikely to have any impact here," Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency director Anond Snidvongs said.

Phuket Update Phuket police are still pursuing ''Nuan,'' the long-distance driver of a tour bus that overturned, killing one passenger and injuring many others, as it descended Patong Hill and failed to negotiate a bend on Tuesday. The tour bus company that employed the man for three months had not recorded his full name or seen his driving licence.

usatoday.com A company whose tour bus crashed on Interstate 95 at the Westchester-Bronx border killing 14 passengers has been cited for fatigued driving often enough in recent years that it was put on alert by the US government.


OUR correspondent in Brazil is still checking the facts but usually reliable sources report that Kevin Radke, who opened the Shark Club on Phuket in the mid 1990s and quickly established it as the best nightclub in Patong, is planning to open a Shark Club Disco in Sao Pualo later this year.
''The Shark Club allowed Thai women free admission,'' reports TravelinAsia. ''The result was that on any given night, the club would be filled with Patong's most attractive women and freelance bar hostesses.'' It is not known whether Thai women will be admitted free in Sao Pualo.

bangkokpost.com Authorities have seized assets of an alleged key southern drug trafficker worth 35 million baht following the discovery of 6.9 million baht in cash in a car involved in a fatal road crash in Songkhla. Police believe Mr Zainudeng Ma, 33, intended to use the money for drug trafficking.

thailand-business-news.com Thailand ranks 14th out of 170 countries worldwide that can be potentially hit by effects of climate change, with Bangladesh topping the environmental risk list. The Siam Commercial Bank Economic Intelligence Center hopes the list will prompt industries to consider making way for a greener economy.

bloomberg Heineken NV, the world's third- largest brewer, will lower the alcohol content of one of its major brands in the UK after signing a government health agreement to help reduce misuse.

Associated Press Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based news website critical of Burma's military government, says it has been hacked by unknown attackers who posted fake articles on it.

BNO More than 100 Balinese villagers clashed over comments made on the social networking site Facebook, the Jakarta Globe reported. The fighting began around 10pm on Saturday night after villagers of Buana Anyar made offending comments against villagers of Kebon Kori.

indiatimes.com Top Thai hotelier of Indian origin Sonu Shivdasani is making his debut in India with spas, resorts and fine dining restaurants and with plans for some well-appointed boutique hotels to tap high-end travellers.

calcuttatube.com ''We are now looking at the Andaman Islands, Rajasthan and perhaps Bhutan to set up eco-friendly resorts,'' said Shivdasani. ''Once a resort in the Andamans is set up in three to four years, Six Senses might look at offering a joint Bangkok-Phuket-Andaman package,'' he said.

computerworld.com After a year of using the device, and speaking to other iPad owners I have to say that the iPad may really be the closest thing to a perfect computer. I don't say that lightly, either. If you need or want a tablet, get an iPad 2.



The HEROINES FESTIVAL offers stage presentations until Tuesday with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha in a starring role. The spectacular show recreating Thalang's history, including the legend of the Phuket sisters who fought off the Burmese, is held from 7pm at the Thalang Victory Memorial Field, on Dom Tom Chao Road, in Thepkasattri subdistrict. The cast numbers about 1000 people.

Until March 19 Heroine's Monument Festival
March 14-19 ADFEST 2011 at Movenpick Resort, Phuket
March 26 St Patrick's Day Ball, Movenpick Resort and Spa, Karon. Details 081 3979809 or 086 9469232
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket