mirror.co.uk British expats on the Thai island of Phuket were said to be living in terror of a fugitive last night. Lee Aldhouse, a professional kickboxer from Birmingham, is on the run after a bar brawl in which he is suspected of killing former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow. One Brit claimed that Aldhouse, nicknamed the Pitbull because of his aggressive fighting style, could settle old scores.

birminghammail.com Danny Avison was working at Rawai Muay Thai when he first met Aldhouse: ''He was massive, He was overly aggressive. You can tell, they come here having done a bit of fighting thinking they are Rocky. He never had the qualities of a proper Thai boxer. We asked him to leave.''


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

nationmultimedia.com Scandinavians are planning to sell their properties on the resort island of Phuket en masse after the political riots in Bangkok badly shook their confidence, said Thanan Tanpaiboon, president of the Phuket Real Estate Association. The Scandinavians' strongholds are along Patong, Kata and Rawai beaches. Phuket has welcomed huge investment from UK, German and other European investors, who are less frightened by political instability.

bangkokpost.com The Thai government needs to speed up work to establish a single visa among Asean members and the 10-country group's six dialogue partners to enhance tourism within Asia, according to former tourism minister Weerasak Kowsurat. ''The presence of single visa in Asean that covers 10 countries plus six partners - China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand - would be a big boon to intra-Asian tourism,'' said Mr Weerasak, now the director of the International Institute for Trade and Development.

irishtimes.com A Boeing 737 passenger jet crashed and broke into three pieces on landing during a storm at a Colombian island, but the only fatality was a woman passenger who died from a heart attack. The aircraft, carrying 121 passengers and six crew members, was about 80m from the San Andres island runway when an apparent lightning strike caused it to land short and slide on to the runway, crumpling the fuselage.

bangkokpost.com Red shirt supporters in the North are gearing up for mass gatherings after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva lifted the state of emergency decree in three provinces. Mr Abhisit lifted the emergency decree in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Ubon Ratchathani. The decree remains in effect in seven provinces: Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima.

smh.com.au Pacific Blue will increase services over the coming months on routes including Perth-Phuket, Melbourne-Denpasar, Melbourne-Christchurch, Brisbane-Dunedin and Brisbane-Hamilton. Virgin Blue's chief executive, John Borghetti, said the network changes were putting the right aircraft on the right routes. Virgin Blue will cease flying within New Zealand.

bbc.com Leaders of the Thailand anti-government protests that brought part of Bangkok to a standstill earlier this year have appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges. The 17 so-called red-shirts are also accused of inciting violence and threatening officials. The next hearing was set for 27 September.

reuters.com Airport operator BAA and the Unite union have reached a deal to prevent a strike by ground staff at major UK airports this month, officials said.

afp.com Thailand will send two naval vessels, including one warship, to join the fight against piracy in the lawless Gulf of Aden off Somalia. The Thai navy will deploy 371 personnel for the 98-day operation, starting in early September, said deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut. An international armada has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the globe's busiest maritime trade routes, since 2008 in a bid to stop pirates from hijacking commercial vessels.

bangkokpost.com Thai Airways International will increase frequencies on its European, Australian and regional routes for the winter season but will add just one new route. The winter program, from Oct 31 through March 26, serves to underline the flag carrier's strategy to cash in on traditional routes while avoiding risks and heavy startup capital involved in new routes.

bbc.co.uk The family of a Swindon man who died in Thailand have criticised the assistance they got from the British Embassy. Matthew Grant, 54, had been working as an English teacher when he was hit by a bus about five weeks ago. His family said they only found out about the death on Facebook. His mother Jean Allaway said she borrowed almost 3000 pounds to bring her son's body back. A spokesman from the British Embassy said the family had been given full consular assistance.

cnn.com The Taliban stoned to death a man and a woman in northern Afghanistan for allegedly having an affair. The stoning took place Sunday in Dasht-e-Archi district, in the village of Mullah Qali - a village dominated by the Taliban in Kunduz province. The pair was accused of having an illicit sexual relationship, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor said.

rabble.ca MV Sun Sea will be remembered - a ship originating in Sri Lanka and denied permission to dock by Thailand and Australia - is now posing a security, immigration and moral dilemma for Canada. A Thai registered cargo ship, the MV Sun Sea had approximately 500 potential claimants for refugee status, all of Tamil origin.

rtb.gov.bn Brunei's Narcotics Control Bureau has foiled attempts to smuggle in marijuana worth a total of $390,000 and arrested seven people in two separate cases. A 32-year-old Malay man was detained during a baggage inspection on arrival from Bangkok. Confiscated goods included compressed marijuana leaves weighing 2.5 kilogrammes worth nearly $250,000.

thephuketinsider.com Emerging Thai based U Hotels and Resorts have signed a management agreement for a 140 key resort overlooking Nai Harn at the southern tip of Phuket. The operator is the hospitality arm of Thailand listed conglomerate BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited. The group's core business is the Bangkok sky train along with property development. The property will open in late 2011.

property-report.com The International Residential Report published by Chesterton Humberts discovered the price of new homes on Phuket was low at EUR3500 (US$4460) per square metre compared to Singapore EUR16,200 (US$20,650) and Hong Kong EUR19,500 (US$24,850). It also noted the millionaire population is rising fast with Singapore, Malaysia and China recording growth of 35 percent, 33 percent and 31 percent.

cnngo.com Earlier this year, Li Xiaoguang and Xu Boling stood on a beach in Thailand and exchanged their wedding vows in English with a Polish minister. Xu wore a white, Western-style wedding dress with a red sash. The couple invited just their families, who met for the first time at their ocean-front ceremony in Phuket. And, unlike traditional weddings, the couple planned everything - with no input from their parents.

expresstravelworld.com We are seeing a shift from the regular agenda in Thailand. We are focusing on two aspects: Giving out information on new places to see and things to do in Thailand and promoting lesser known destinations within popular regions. Krabi is getting very popular with the Indian market.



August 21 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Nai Harn beach
August 29 Patong Rotary Golf Scrambles and fun dinner for charity at Laguna. Details: 081 8929207
September 4 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Kata beach
Until September 9 Ramadan
September 11 Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival, Loma Park, Patong
September 18 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Surin beach
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi