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

PHUKET sent a cavalcade of pickups and other vehicles to the flood-ravaged south of Thailand today, laden with goods for victims. Phuketwan spied 33 vehicles queued along the bypass road before heading south, and they were joined by others. Bottled water and packaged food is still urgently required.

bangkokpost.com Private tourism operators are entertaining hopes that the flood-ravaged major tourist destinations in the South will be restored and ready to accommodate travellers in time for the Songkran festival.

upi.com Floods and mudslides in southern Thailand have killed 61 and sickened 80,000 with numbers increasing as waters recede. Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said 46 died by drowning, eight in mudslides and two were electrocuted. Three people were swept away by floodwaters and two died in flood-related accidents.

bangkokpost.com Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has emerged from months of silence in his self-imposed exile to say he intends to play a key role in running from afar Thailand's economic policies if the opposition Puea Thai Party wins the coming elections.

japanesetimes.co.jp Thai authorities said it will beef up inspections of fresh food imported from Japan by requiring "radiation certificates" for produce from 12 prefectures near the crisis-struck Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The Food and Drug Administration will soon require fresh food importers to certify the safety of vegetables, fruits, meats and marine products.

cnn.com Authorities blamed three deaths and more than 140 injuries on a fresh earthquake that struck northern Japan, shaking up a region already devastated by March's historic shake.

dailymail.co.uk Police in Bangkok have seized 1800 monitor lizards that were being smuggled on a convoy of pick-up trucks and believe they were eventually bound for the plate in China.

Associated Press Thai police have arrested 20 foreigners working for an alleged "boiler room" said to have bilked more than $3 million from would-be investors. Tourist Police said the Britons, Americans, Canadians, Australians and Fillipinos made calls from an office in Bangkok to lure ''investment'' from people overseas.

thejakartapost.com President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono invited delegates from Asean member states to visit locations in Indonesia other than Bali, the most visited province. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is striving to improve its tourism sector, which is often criticised as failing to promote destinations other than Bali.

foxnews.com Horizon Air admits that it removed a 6'9" passenger for being too tall to fit into his seat, upsetting his travel plans and causing him unneeded humiliation. The incident happened on March 18 on a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, AOL Travel News has learned.

afp Two couples were caned in Indonesia's staunchly Muslim Aceh province after being caught having extramarital affairs, a prosecutor said. About 200 people gathered after Friday prayers to watch the four receive their allotted lashes at a mosque in the city of Jantho, southeast of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.



SNAP! Both the Phuket Gazette and the Phuket News lead with the taxi blockade of a Phuket cruise ship earlier this week, although the Gazette headlines on the front page and in an editorial say tuk-tuks were involved. Actually the dispute was all about local taxis, and it's time someone told the Gazette that there is a difference. The News front page is brassier, and inside they've talked exclusively to a victim of Phuket's serial rapist, while the Gazette keeps readers informed about the Lee Aldhouse extradition. Surprisingly, the free classifieds in the News appear to have stalled at four-and-a-half pages, while the Gazette resorts to self-promotion and resumes its generic anti-spam campaign (why ever can that be??) to stay at 48 pages. Distribution remains a vital key. Oddly, at Phuket International Airport, one small shop sells the Gazette while the other sells the News. After six weeks, we'd score the veteran Gazette narrowly ahead on content, having improved its Phuket punch. The News still tends to rely on international agency copy far too much to fill space. Relevant local copy will decide who wins the battle for readers. Unwanted spam is turning off the potential audience for the News in the way that a blacklist once did at the Gazette.

bangkokpost.com Aspiring young football players across Thailand will be given the opportunity to win their way into participating in the Legends of Liverpool Fundraising Tour of Thailand 2011, which will involve matches between the Thai and English sides to raise funds for the Phuket Youth Football Home Foundation in June.



BIKE WEEK from April 8-11 is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Patong with highlights including a tree planting campaign, a tattoo contest, island rides and Miss Phuket Bike Week.

JAPAN and flood relief concerts April 9-10 in Queen Sirikit Park and a walking street fair in Thalang Road Phuket City hope to raise six million baht for quake and tsunami victims in Japan and flood victims in Thailand. From 5pm.

SARASIN Songkran. A first-time three-day fair and concerts from April 11-13 sees Phuket joining with neighboring Phang Nga to celebrate Thai new year on the obsolete Sarasin Bridge that links the provinces.

April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 9-10 Phuket 'mini concert' to aid Japan, Old Phuket Town
April 11-13 Sarasin Songkran on the bridge between Phuket and Phang Nga
April 12-17 Phuket International Cricket Sixes
April 13-15 Songkran Festival, Phuket City, Patong celebrations
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
October Vegetarian Festival, 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

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket