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

afp Britain urged its citizens in Yemen to immediately leave the country, saying London was unlikely to be able to carry out evacuations if the security situation deteriorated further.

afp The death toll from Thailand's crippling floods has risen to more than 120, after the weeks-long crisis spread south and affected tens of thousands more people, including tourists. More than six million people have been affected, with homes submerged and farmland or cattle destroyed, in what Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has described as "a huge natural calamity".

nationmultimedia.com Intense rescue and recovery efforts are underway to save survivors and locate more than 100 people still unaccounted for after a village in flood-hit Krabi was swept away by a landslide. The number of bodies retrieved has increased to five.

bangkokpost.com PM Abhisit Vejjajiva flew to Krabi to inspect the situation in Khao Phanom district where dozens of houses were engulfed by mudslides. About 1000 people in four villages in flood-ravaged Nakhon Si Thammarat province remain completely cut off from rescuers.

nationmulktimedia.com An 11-year-old boy has emerged as a hero after he rescued a very young sibling from raging torrents of floodwater in Krabi. The young survivors are now anxiously waiting for news about their parents and their other sibling, but government officials are keeping everybody in the dark.

metro.co.uk British holidaymakers were among 800 people rescued from flood-hit island resorts by Thailand's navy. They were left stranded after a week of torrential rain forced the cancellation of flights and ferry services. About 700 travellers, mostly foreigners, spent the night camped on mats on board the aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet after being evacuated from the island of Koh Tao.

chinapost.com.tw The foreign minister refuted accusations that his ministry was unable to assist in the evacuation of Taiwanese citizens from Samui. The Taiwanese citizens found themselves trapped in the tourist destination after days of heavy rain and flooding across southern Thailand caused disruption to the country's transport infrastructure.

irrawaddy.org Burmese migrants working at fisheries, rubber plantations and construction sites in southern Thailand have been unable to work and are suffering financial hardship due to unseasonably heavy rain and serious flooding in the area, according to sources.

afp Up to 1000 bodies of victims of Japan's quake and tsunami remain uncollected in the exclusion zone around a stricken nuclear plant because of radiation fears, a report says.

cnn.com Radiation higher than the regulatory limit has been found in beef from Fukushima Prefecture, near Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the nation's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.

bangkokpost.com Bangkok Airways is updating its image with its first new uniforms in 15 years. The makeover aims to project a younger, modern, vibrant and sophisticated look for the 1200 front-line staff of the 43-year-old carrier known for conservatism in looks and management style.

theage.com.au Jihadis may be planning new terrorist attacks against Westerners in Indonesia, according to the Foreign Affairs Department, with the arrest in Pakistan of a key Bali bombings suspect inflaming tensions on the archipelago.

smh.com.au A scathing internal Jetstar email told pilots complaining about fatigue from long shifts to "toughen up princesses,'' a Senate inquiry heard. The email, which dismissed pilot complaints about Jetstar's flying rosters from Perth on the Denpasar-Singapore-Perth-Melbourne-Perth route.

economist.com ''On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog,'' read the caption of a 1993 cartoon in the New Yorker. The problem is that so many people behave like one.

smh.com.au A Cairns tourism operator is taking the wildlife experience to the extreme, allowing tourists to dangle over a four-metre crocodile. Those up for the challenge will face Goliath, Cairns Wildlife Dome's resident saltwater crocodile, while hanging from a flying fox-like apparatus.



IBAP with Indochine's Michael Ma as the guest speaker is at Indochine on April 8.

MORE than 5000 runners from around the world are expected to test their mettle in the Laguna Phuket International Marathon on June 12, with Thai-German star Mario Maurer and contestants from the latest season of 'The Biggest Loser Asia' taking part.

PHUKET Navy League is planning a free Independence Day event on Sunday July 3 from 10am to 7pm at Headstart International School, across the street from Makro, near Central Festival in Phuket City.

April 1 Turtle release, Banyan Tree seafront, Laguna Phuket
April 9-10 Phuket 'mini concert' to aid Japan
April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 12-17 Phuket International Cricket Sixes
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
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket