bangkokpost.com Brazil will play a friendly with the Thai national team in Bangkok on October 7 as part of the celebrations of His Majesty the King's 84th birthday, the Thai FA chief said.


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

stuff.co.nz The father of New Zealand tourist Sarah Carter wants the Thai hotel she stayed in closed and a more thorough investigation carried out into her death. His comments come after it was revealed there had been three other unexplained deaths of people who stayed in the hotel in Chiang Mai.

bbc.co.uk Libyan rebels have been locked in fierce battles with pro-Gaddafi forces on two fronts. Rebel-held Zawiya, just 50km west of Tripoli, was the subject of a fierce government assault. Both sides later claimed to be in control. Heavy casualties were reported there and in other key cities, including the eastern port of Ras Lanuf.

independent.co.uk Saudi Arabia was drafting up to 10,000 security personnel into its north-eastern Shia Muslim provinces, clogging the highways into Dammam and other cities with busloads of troops in fear of next week's "day of rage."

standard.net President Obama is in a difficult position. He has formally endorsed an international "responsibility to protect" - the concept that if civilians are being massacred by their government or anyone else, the UN should step in to stop the bloodshed.

theglobeandmail.com Democracies are not always more popular than dictatorships. In reality, people prefer dictatorships if the alternative is chaos. This explains the nostalgia for rulers like Stalin and Mao, who were mass murderers but who provided social order.

Phuket Update Toyota yesterday opened Toyota Pearl, its third large sales centre on Phuket, this one south of Phuket City on Chao Fa Road East. Toyota aims for 4500 vehicle sales on Phuket this year.

huffingtonpost.com Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this week that Al Jazeera is gaining more prominence in the US because it offers "real news" - something she said American media were falling far short of doing. Clinton was speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and she said the US is losing the "information war" in the world. One of the reasons she cited for this was the quality of channels like Al Jazeera.

nationmultimedia.com Thai AirAsia, the largest low cost carrier in Thailand, is proceeding with a planned listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand despite rising fuel prices that are hurting the global aviation industry.

thephuketinsider.com Richard Li's Pacific Century Premium Developments, which is behind the 1000 rai Thai Muang destination resort in Phang Nga [a short drive from Phuket] will develop a new mixed use project in Japan's Niseko.

bangkokpost.com Surapol Svetaseni, the governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand, [who visited Phuket this week] said environmental protection was a key concern among both local and international tourists, and increasingly influences their decision to take a trip. When Asean becomes a single market under the Asean Economic Community by 2015, Thailand will have a great opportunity to attract more foreign visitors. However, communication skills of Thai people must be improved, he said.

newswiretoday.com Supalai PLC, a Thailand property developer has announced the launch of 16 new developments with a total value of US$656 million. The new projects are all located in Bangkok city centre and are aimed at providing affordable housing for buyers who live in the suburbs but are concerned with rising transport costs and travel times. Supalai predict that a total of 17 billion baht (US$ 557 million) in sales and thirteen billion baht (US$ 426 million) in future revenue will be generated from the new property developments.

allfacebook.com Molly McHugh at Digital Trends reports that Burmese social activists have created a Facebook page called Just Do It Against Military Dictatorship, to expose the human rights violations that are routine in their country. They hope to establish a larger social media presence and raise international awareness about the oppressive state in their country.

cnn.com "We went from being a privileged group to all of a sudden becoming whites, the new victims,'' says Charles Gallagher, a sociologist at La Salle University in Pennsylvania who researches white racial attitudes and was baffled to find that whites see themselves as a minority.



ACCORDING to usually reliable sources, on March 16 actor Nicolas Cage will be coming to Phuket to film a movie. He will be staying on one of the super yachts in the Yacht Haven. [Ed: Any confirmation of this? If so, please Comment.]

nydailynews.com Is anyone else starting to suspect that Nicolas Cage is taunting us? Because really, has there ever been a gifted Oscar winner so determined to ravage his critical reputation? As if on cue, here comes 'Drive Angry 3D,' so committed to its own junkiness that it is, in its way, a pleasure to behold.

easydestination.net In January 548,800 tourists traveled Indonesia, 14.81 per cent less than same period in 2010. This drop could be a big blow for Indonesia tourism that is expecting over 7.7 million tourists this year. However tourist arrivals in Bali increased by 16.81 per cent to 208,300 comparing to January 2010. Some credit is given to the Julia Roberts starer movie Love, Pray, Love which was partially shot in the Bali.

brudirect.com From March 28, Singapore Airlines will be scheduled to fly three times weekly from Singapore to Sao Paulo, Brazil, a diverse and exuberant entertainment spot for tourists.

engadget.com Apple isn't just challenging perceptions of the PC - they're saying that the age of the PC is over (at least for most people). The company is forcing consumers to ask if they even still want or need something called a PC.

theage.com.au The illegal sex industry in the Australian state of Victoria has enjoyed a decade of unparalleled growth due to a systemic failure by police, Consumer Affairs, the Immigration Department and local councils, which are variously hamstrung due to inadequate powers, legal loopholes and under-resourcing.

bbc.co.uk East Timor has formally applied to join the South East Asian regional grouping, Asean. Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa signed the application on a trip to Indonesia, the country which is currently chairing the 10-nation bloc.



The 18th Laguna Phuket Triathlon takes place on November 27 and the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship on December 4. ''We will add even more sporting and social events to create an even bigger and better Laguna Tri Fest - a week-long carnival of multisport fun and tri-related activities for you to enjoy at Laguna Phuket,'' organisers say.

March 4-6 Pool Asia Expo and Conference, Hilton, Phuket
March 6 Phuket Grumpy Old Men's Society car rally around Phuket
March 11 John Gray speaks at IBAP
March 5-19 Heroine's Monument Festival
March 14-19 ADFEST 2011 at Movenpick Resort, Phuket
March 26 St Patrick's Day Ball, Movenpick Resort and Spa, Karon. Details 081 3979809 or 086 9469232
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
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


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket