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

bangkokpost.com Property developers and hoteliers in Phuket are warning of a looming oversupply of hotel rooms. Glenn de Souza, the vice-president for international operations in Asia for the US-based hotel chain Best Western International, said: "Local and national authorities should work together with the private sector to plan long-term tourism strategy, rules and regulations while applying the concept of sustainable development."

nationmultimedia.com Bill Barnett writes: For now, Phuket has all the rooms in the world, but very few places for people staying in those rooms to go.

Phuket Update Phuket hoteliers, meeting on Monday, are likely to have the lack of control of Phuket's total number of rooms, now heading towards 50,000, at the top of a list for government action.

theage.com.au Americans have paused to reflect on a decade of grief, fear and renewal that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, which killed close to 3000 people, cost trillions of dollars and forever put the US on alert.

bangkokpost.com Thailand's government has kicked off its anti-drugs push with a pledge to get tough on dealers and traffickers, but to help rehabilitate, rather than punish, addicts. The defence and the justice ministers will be asked to help find accommodations in military barracks or in prisons for drug addicts undergoing rehabilitation programs.

nationmultimedia.com Although most Thai children have access to basic education, people still question the quality of education being provided as international learning assessments show Thai students' performances lag behind most Asian countries.

Associated Press Officials say clashes between Muslim and Christian gangs in eastern Indonesia have left three people dead and more than a dozen injured. The two sides began attacking each other with rocks and machetes after exchanging insults during the funeral of a Muslim motorcycle taxi driver in Ambon, the provincial capital of Maluku.

Phuket Update Locals near Wat Chalong in southern Phuket have been supported by the local council in putting planter boxes for shrubs and flowers in the middle of Chao Fa Road West to try to reduce the number of crashes on a series of curves.

sky.com A British tourist has been murdered and his wife kidnapped when attackers broke into a luxury Kenyan beach resort. The incident happened north of the island resort of Lamu, close to lawless Somalia.

globalpost.com Nearly a millennium after Angkor Wat's 12th-century creation, it faces its greatest threat yet: millions of tourists marching upon its stones and pawing at its intricate stonework with greasy hands. The Disneyfication is just beginning. AngkorCoex is a 400-acre temple-themed sprawl of golf courses, hotel suites, duty-free shopping and a large convention center.

bbc.co.uk Three Lay Three, a group of prominent Burmese satirists, has flown back to Burma from self-imposed exile in Thailand. The three comedians and a dancer flew from Chiang Mai to Rangoon weeks after Burma's new civilian president urged exiles to come home.

stickmanweekly.com Revenge by Thais against foreigners is usually because of foolhardy actions. But don't let be alarmist. It's not difficult to placate jealous, envious or vengeful locals. Sometimes it is worthwhile yielding, even when you know you're in the right.

Associated Press Five people have been arrested in Britain on suspicion of holding two dozen men in squalid conditions against their will and forcing them to work for no pay for up to 15 years. Twenty-four men, mostly of English and eastern European backgrounds, were freed and taken to a medical centre.

Associated Press A rescue helicopter made an emergency landing while on a mission to find two missing foreign pilots whose plane went down in Papua, an Indonesian military spokesman said. No one was injured.

wsj.com Booming demand for BlackBerrys in Indonesia and elsewhere in the developing world is lifting hopes that the smartphone's embattled manufacturer might still have the means to grow even as its market share plummets in the US and other wealthy countries.

ausbt.com.au With Singapore Airlines removing the Airbus A380 from its Melbourne route in January, passengers should pick their flights carefully to get the best business class seating on the Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft that will be left.



PETER VAN BEEK from Sydney, who bid for a seven-day holiday at Phuket's Chava Resort in a charity auction to help victims of the flooding in Queensland earlier this year, must be wondering about his affinity with water after his arrival on Phuket was accompanied by a prolonged September downpour.

TWINPALMS, noted for holding some of the best parties on Phuket, is celebrating its seventh anniversary on Saturday September 24 with an event at the Catch Beach Club in Surin from 8pm to Midnight that features performers and the intriguing dress code: white (latex welcome.) Telephone: 076 316657.



smh.com.au Samantha Stosur has won Australia's first grand slam in a decade, emphatically taking down Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 23 minutes at the US Open.

theage.com.au The magic touch of Michael Hussey continues to leave an imprint on Australia's series against Sri Lanka, with the veteran batsman making another unlikely breakthrough with the ball to counter the hosts' dogged resistance in the second Test.

xinhua DPR Korea beat Thailand 5-0 to qualify for the London Olympics women's soccer finals after the last round of the Asian qualifiers.



September 17-18 Honda Racing, Saphan Hin, Phuket City

September 21-24 Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition 2011, Patong

September 27-October 5 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

November 1-6 Women's Beach Volleyball Series at Karon on 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

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



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket