mirror.co.uk Government figures have been warned that an attack by Irish terror groups is ''highly likely'' on the day of the royal wedding. Britain's MI5 intelligence service believes a bomb attack may occur in Belfast or Londonderry in a bid to disrupt the celebrations.


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

todayonline.com Thailand denied accusations that its soldiers used toxic gas against Cambodian troops in a third straight day of fighting that has killed 12 and uprooted thousands of villagers from their homes.

Phuket Update FC PHUKET was thrashed 2-5 by Bangkok FC last night in its heaviest defeat to date in Division One. Fifth-ranked Phuket started hot favorite against the 16th-placed team. A succession of bad losses in games played away from Phuket City's Surakul Stadium is likely to lead to calls for coaching changes. Heavy rain ended last night's match early.

nationmultimedia.com Economists have voiced support for the Democrat Party's election policy of a 25 percent increase in the minimum wage within a two-year timeframe to boost domestic consumption but have cautioned about inflation. Workers in Phuket receive a daily minimum wage of 211 baht [the highest in Thailand] while those in Phayao make 150 baht a day.

mwcnews.net Much of Thailand, including Bangkok, remains under the threat of rainstorms this week following a spell of very wet weather which has led to flash flooding. [Dawn on Monday brought nothing but blue skies over Phuket.]

foxnews.com A would-be hijacker was subdued by a crew on board an Alitalia flight from Paris to Rome, reported news agencies. He apparently tried to divert the plane to Libya.

dailymail.co.uk An American doctor working as a volunteer in a Cambodian children's hospital has been accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Dr. James D'Agostino, 56, from, Manlius, New York, is being held in a Phnom Penh prison after being charged with buying child prostitution.

Associated Press The political party aligned with Thailand's yellow shirt group decided not to contest general elections expected in July. New Politics Party spokesman Samran Rodpetch said a majority of 1000 party members attending a meeting agreed after heated debate to support a "no-vote" campaign, a policy advocated by leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy.


A DEPUTATION of nine from the Administrative Court of China walked through Phuket's Soi Bangla in Patong last night after seeing a performance of the spectacular FantaSea show on Saturday night. The group, which is looking at Thailand's courts in operation on Phuket and in Bangkok, is also taking in a trip to Phi Phi before returning home on Wednesday.

smh.com.au In forecasts inserted quietly on its website in recent days, the International Monetary Fund has projected that by 2016, China will overtake the US in real economic output - the first time in the modern era that any country has done so.

pa A Buckingham Palace guard has been axed from his regiment's duties on the day of the royal wedding after he ranted about bride-to-be Catherine Middleton on Facebook. Scots Guardsman Cameron Reilly, 18, called the bride-to-be a "posh bitch" on the social networking site.

people.com When it comes to packing for their royal honeymoon, might the couple be taking along swimwear and scuba gear? The Sunday Mirror reports that the couple may soon be enjoying their newly wedded bliss on Lizard Island - one among a chain of islands along the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland, Australia.

techieinsider.com Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak announced an initiative to provide every Malaysian adult with an email address. He promised Malaysians that his administration would never censor the Internet.

voanews.com Christian worshipers packed Easter services in Jakarta, despite a bomb scare at a church days earlier that put police on the highest alert and added to concerns that minority religions are being targeted by increasingly active Islamic hardliners.

Associated Press Police detained at least a dozen Christians as they gathered near a public plaza in the city's university district, then bussed them to a local police station. Christians are required to worship in churches run by state-controlled organisations.

afp Malaysians will be allowed to perform a controversial "poco-poco" line dance after top clerics ruled that its benefits to health outweigh concerns about taste and decency. The decision came after a mufti outlawed the dance in his state, saying that its crossed-shaped movement was associated with Christianity.

heraldsun.com.au Tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders gathered at war memorials throughout the two nations today to remember the sacrifice of dead soldiers in large and small wars. In Thailand, Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce will attend Anzac Day services at Hellfire Pass, marking 68 years since the start of construction of the infamous Thai Burma Railway.

nationmultimedia.com Vorasit "Pla Wan" Issara and his long-time girlfriend Palawee Bunnag finally married at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. He proposed to her in subtle fashion at a New Year's Eve party at his Sripanwa Resort in Phuket: He kept repeating to her, "Be with you forever."

4hoteliers.com Centara Hotels and Resorts has promoted Michel Horn to Vice President of Operations. Mark Hehir has been appointed General Manager for One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives. He was previously the General Manager at the Anantara Phuket Villas

asiaone.com Since its admission into Asean in 1997, Burma has been dragging the regional grouping down. For over a decade, Asean leaders have waited in vain for real political change in the country.

thestandard.co.zw Dictator Robert Mu-gabe left Zimbabwe to collect his ailing wife in Singapore. Mugabe's sixth trip to Singapore since the beginning of the year came amid revelations that the 87-year-old leader demands at least US$3 million from Treasury each time he leaves the country.

todayonline.com The Li Ning Singapore Open, which will be held at the Indoor Stadium from June 14 to 19, will be the first tournament where all female badminton players must wear a skirt. The introduction of badminton's controversial "skirt rule" has now been postponed by a month to allow female shuttlers more time to adapt to the dress code.



April 25 Anzac night for Aussies, Lady Pie, Cherng Talay
April 28 Pierre-Yves Cousteau dinner at IndoChine
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
May 1 National Labor Day public holiday
May 5 Coronation Day public holiday
May 13 Royal Ploughing Day public holiday
May 17 Visakha Bucha Day public holiday
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 17 Phuket Property Dot Com Pro Am Invitational, Laguna
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 15 Asarnha Bucha Day public holiday
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday public holiday
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 26-27 9th Phuket International Soccer 7s
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 3-4 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket