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

Phuket Update Phuket's Ao Chalong Yacht Club has stepped in to save the 2011 Bay Regatta, formerly the Phang Nga Bay Regatta. The Bay Regatta regularly attracts 40-50 yachts and 400-500 people from around the world. ''Events like this, and the images they project of Phuket and the surrounding areas, are of tremendous value in boosting the region's image,'' said Commodore Mick Kealy, calling for sponsors to come forward to ''back the Bay.'' The event is scheduled for February 9-13.

indiatimes.com An international anti-terror operation netted seven people in Spain and three in Thailand: all of those arrested allegedly worked with terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, in staging the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166. The Spanish interior ministry said the group stole passports and sent those to Bangkok to be doctored and later distributed.

cnn.com In Thailand passports and other travel documents would be falsified and turned over to groups with links to al Qaeda. The documents also ended up in the hands of the Tamil Tigers, a rebel force in Sri Lanka, police said.

afp Police ''detected a number of stolen passports taken from Spain to Thailand, which were stolen almost entirely in the province of Barcelona from tourists who met the requirements stipulated by the 'World Islamic Front,' in order to be used by members of different terrorist cells linked to the al-Qaeda.''

guardian.co.uk Russia and its intelligence agencies are using mafia bosses to carry out criminal operations such as arms trafficking, according to allegations contained in the US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks. The Kremlin's spy agencies have such a close relationship with top organised criminals that Russia has become a "virtual 'mafia state'," the cables say.

theguardian.co.uk Wikileaked confidential document: Thailand enjoys a rapid expansion of Russian tourists visiting Thailand but has to deal with an unwanted side effect - the presence of Russian organised crime networks around the popular beach destinations of Pattaya and Phuket.

bangkokpost.com Airports of Thailand reported a loss of 643 million baht in the last quarter of its 2009/2010 fiscal year, an improvement from a loss of 750 million baht a year earlier. The July-September loss was due largely to higher expenses, primarily higher staff bonus payment, which reduced benefits arising from higher passenger and aircraft traffic throughput at its six airports.

sky.com Another round of heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures has plunged Britain into chaos amid warnings of more arctic weather to come. Two major airports - London Gatwick and Edinburgh - were closed all day.

dailymail.co.uk The family of a man horrifically injured in a road crash in Thailand are desperately appealing for 60,000 pounds to pay for hospital care - before doctors stop treating him. Antony Giles, 22, was a passenger on his friend's moped when it collided with a car between Rayong and Pattaya.

radionz.co.nz The New Zealand Government has accepted a recommendation from Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully to change NZ's position on Myanmar, the country also known as Burma. Mr McCully says the Government's preferred name is now Burma, signalling, he says, that NZ refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military regime.

voanews.com Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is urging her fellow citizens show courage in the wake of elections that critics say were rigged against the opposition. The Nobel Peace Prize winner told a group of about 200 supporters they need "to be united, to persevere and be courageous."

reuters Portland, Oregon's international airport topped the list as America's best airport while New York's LaGuardia was ranked the worst, according to a Zagat survey of 30 US airports



December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman 70.3 title
December 3-5 North Phuket Culinary Arts Festival, Mai Khao resorts
December 6 Long weekend public holiday
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 16-18 2010 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous
December 17 US Consular outreach service on Phuket
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross fair, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 22 QSI International fun run day at Bang Wad Dam, Kathu
January 23 The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race Day, Laguna Phuket
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi