xinhua Cambodian and Thai border troops exchanged fire on Friday near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, military sources said. The fighting started at around 3pm. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the crossfire.


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

bloomberg.com Russian tourists are flying by the thousands to the Egyptian Red Sea resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurgada, defying their government's warning to avoid the country amid mounting violence and political protests. ''Russians get less worried at such situations,'' a tourism agency spokesman said. ''This is a trait of national character.''

afp Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has revealed he wants to leave office, but fears chaos if he resigns. Mubarak told the US ABC Television network that he was "very unhappy" about the scenes of violence in Egypt and did not want to see Egyptians fighting each other.

cnn.com President Obama has said he told Mubarak a transition must take place, and it "must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now."

bbc.co.uk In a so-called "day of rage", more than 20,000 anti-government protesters have taken to the street of the capital of Yemen, Sanaa. They are demanding an end to the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for more than three decades.

guardian.co.uk Algeria became the latest country to try to defuse tensions by lifting its 19-year state of emergency. More protests are expected across the region following Friday prayers, including in Syria, where activists have used Facebook to organise demonstrations in front of parliament in the capital, Damascus, and at Syrian embassies across the world.

Phuket Update A list of the top 10 spa destinations in the world on tripadvisor.com puts Phuket at No. 4 behind Corfu, Istanbul and Tuscany and ahead of Reykjavik, Andalusia, Bali, Baden-Baden, Prague and Cannes.

Phuket Update The head of Phuket's Natural Resources and Environment Department, Ong-Art Chanachanmongkol, is moving on as twice-yearly changes of senior departmental heads on Phuket begin. Khun Ong-Art will be remembered for resisting the roadway plans of former Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob. A replacement has yet to be named.

travel.aol.com After investigating why smoke entered a bathroom during a flight to Hong Kong earlier this week, Singapore Airlines found burn marks on electrical wiring in an Airbus A380 superjumbo jet.

propertywire.com Luxury properties with a sea frontage on the Thai island of Phuket were the best performing properties, according to the latest real estate market overview.

afp Asia rang in the Year of the Rabbit on Thursday with fireworks, lion dances and prayers that the bunny will live up to its reputation for happiness and good fortune next year.

bangkokpost.com Diving ban sceptics think closing the [Andaman-Phuket diving] sites will neither solve coral bleaching nor reduce sea temperature, which is believed to be the main cause of the bleaching. Such a claim might be true, but too many nature lovers visiting an ecologically-fragile site can still cause damage to the very nature they so love.

thephuketinsider.com India's Andaman and Nicobar islands have seen seaplane service launched as a joint venture between the government and a private enterprise. As more resorts continue to be built in Phang Nga Bay and Phuket's hotel pipeline sprawls into Krabi and Koh Lanta, expect more upstarts in the sector.



nydailynews.com After several false engagement reports, [frequent Phuket visitor] Kate Moss is ready to tie the knot. The supermodel, 37, and her rocker boyfriend, Jamie Hince, will wed July 2, according to The Sun. The British newspaper reported that Hince, a 40-year-old guitarist for The Kills, proposed with a vintage diamond ring.

guardian.co.uk Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, is destroying large areas of carbon-rich peat swamp forests to expand plantations. A report from Wetlands International said palm oil plantations are being greatly expanded, largely in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo island. Unless the trend is halted, none of these forests will be left by the end of this decade.

sfgate.com Cambodian tourism businesses have launched a colorful global campaign, Adore Cambodia!, to let GLBT travelers know they are especially welcome in the Kingdom of Wonders. With the spread of ultra-cheap flights from regional hubs like Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, gay and lesbian tourists have discovered a quiet haven of tolerance, culture and world heritage that is actively reaching out to the economically powerful GLBT niche travel market.

bloomberg.com A Japanese rubber company says that nearly 725,000 of its condoms have been stolen in Malaysia. Sagami Rubber Industries Co., one of Japan's biggest condom makers, said that the condoms were en route from the factory to a port, where they were supposed to be shipped to Japan.

warnerbros.com Controversial French actress Maria Schneider, best known for her infamous role opposite Marlon Brando in 'Last Tango in Paris,' died in Paris following a lengthy illness. She was 58.



February 8-10 Old Phuket Town Festival, food and walking street fest
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi
February 18 Makha Bucha public holiday
February 23-26 Phuket Gay Pride Festival, Patong
February 25-26 Phuket International Blues and Rock Festival 2011
February 26-27 Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s, Phuket International Academy
March4-6 Pool Asia Expo and Conference, Hilton, Phuket
March 14-19 ADFEST 2011 at Movenpick Resort, Phuket
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City


Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket