aap Police in Bali have been given orders to shoot criminals on sight after a string of attacks on foreigners, including one on an Australian woman who was bound and gagged when robbed in her hotel. Christine Cheril, 57, was reportedly held hostage as a group of men searched her villa, escaping with $A20,000 of valuables last week.


Associated Press Cairo's international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt and countries around the world scrambled to send in planes to fly their citizens out.


etravelblackboard.com Banyan Tree is poised to increase its presence on Phuket, revitalising its flagship Banyan Tree Phuket resort to house another two brands. Banyan Tree Spa Retreat will be developed to serve the wellness segment, while DPV will be launched to cater to the luxury travel market.


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

thejakartaglobe.com A shoot-on-sight order to stem a growing wave of crime in Bali is the latest attempt by authorities to maintain order. The police have no other choice but to act firmly if they do not want crime to scare tourists away from an island that depends on tourism.

aap Jetstar says its backlog of about 1600 stranded passengers waiting to leave Bali should be cleared by Monday after volcanic ash in the region caused flights to be cancelled and delayed.

thejakartaglobe.com A total of 14 foreign tourists are now confirmed to have contracted Legionnaires' disease in Bali since reports of an outbreak emerged earlier this month, health officials said. Ida Bagus Subhiksu, head of the Bali Tourism Office, said: ''Bali has a very high profile, so when visitors come here, we don't want them going home sick.''

Phuket Update A Swedish visitor to Phuket, Jan Robert Edlund, reported a bag-snatch robbery to Chalong police yesterday. Mr Edlund, 58, said two youths took a bag containing 2000 baht in cash and other items at 1.30am on January 20, the day after he arrived with his wife on Phuket. The theft took place outside the Boathouse in Kata. The couple had been staying at Kata High View Resort.

cnn.com Charter flights that begin Monday will ferry the first of thousands of Americans away from the escalating crisis in Egypt, the State Department said.

bbc.co.uk In one of the few supermarkets that remained open, shelves were stripped bare by shoppers, many stocking up with dry and canned foods. "I am getting ready," said one housewife. "Maybe I will just stay in my apartment for a few days if things get really bad.''

guardian.co.uk The biggest fear is of a domino effect, similar to what happened in eastern Europe in 1989, when a successful uprising encourages other "people power" movements, leaving Arab autocrats nervous and oil prices in flux.

bangkokpost.com The recent merger between the two giant hypermarket chains Big C and Carrefour is taking a toll on suppliers, who say they are facing tougher trade conditions. Representatives of Big C have told suppliers unofficially that if the fees they were paying to Carrefour and Big C were different, the higher rates would now apply.

dailystar.co.uk Playboy Prince Andrew has promised to challenge tough immigration rules so he can help more Thai masseuses set up shop in Britain. Royal trade envoy Andrew offered the helping hand when he met Thailand's prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, 46, at the world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. Andrew, 50, learned the power of a therapeutic massage on a trip to Phuket.

todayonline.com More than 200 passengers who were on board Singapore Airlines flight SQ328 had a scare after smoke was spotted in the aircraft's cabin shortly after take off. The plane, with 216 passengers on board, was flying from Singapore to Munich when the incident happened. It returned to Changi Airport.

afp The Cambodian government is choking freedoms and locking up detractors in an increasingly bold effort to silence critics as elections loom, observers say. PM Hun Sen, 59, who has vowed to remain in power until he is 90, recently said on national radio that his aim was "not just to weaken the opposition, but to make it die".

bbc.co.uk To protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas, special US agents operating in South East Asia have brought more than 80 alleged child sex tourists back to America to face justice. America has been joined in the past 12 months by Australia and Canada.

theage.com.au A brazen thief has fleeced wealthy guests at some of Melbourne's most exclusive hotels of $A100,000 in jewellery and other items after posing as a member of staff. In one case at the Grand Hyatt he left the suite picking up the bag, which contained a Cartier bracelet and a diamond bracelet worth three million baht.

phnompenhpost.com Cambodia Angkor Air is set to schedule flights from Siem Reap to Bangkok this year, bringing competition to a route presently flown by only Bangkok Airways.

thesun.co.uk Headline: Phnomenal Value. Dreaming of a far-flung tropical holiday this winter but worried you can't afford it? Think again. Budget long-haul carrier AirAsia X are offering incredible deals to sun-drenched destinations such as Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

pr.com Accor, the world's largest operator of hotels, announced the company signed over 70 new development contracts in Asia Pacific during 2010, which will add over 16,000 hotel rooms to the network. This record number of new contracts for a single year will ensure that Accor retains its leading position as the region's largest operator of hotels in Asia Pacific with over 430 hotels and 83,000 rooms under management.

nytimes.com Thomas L. Friedman writes: If Singapore has one thing to teach America, it is about taking governing seriously, relentlessly asking: What world are we living in and how do we adapt to thrive. ''There is real puzzlement here about America today,'' said Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

allkpop.com Girl group, SNSD released previews of their photographs in Phuket. On February 8, the group will release ''All about Girls' Generation: Paradise in Phuket DVD Preview'' and reveal their five night six day stay on Phuket.

xinhuanet.com More young people are going for plastic surgery to get a "head start." A check with nine plastic surgeons and aesthetic doctors showed an increase of about 30 percent in the number of clients under the age of 21 over the past five years, the Straits Times said.



February 3 Chinese New Year Festival, Phuket
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