bbc.com US President Barack Obama will propose tax hikes on the rich to fund benefits to working families, in his annual agenda-setting speech to Congress.


PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.



nationmultimedia.com Thailand's reputation among foreign visitors has taken another dive following complaints of overpricing. A group of eight Malaysians visited a karaoke bar in Chiang Mai on Friday night and were together charged 114,080 baht for a few hours' stay.

bangkokpost.com The joint committee of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) has agreed to press a criminal charge against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in relation to the rice-pledging scheme.

nationmultimedia.com The new president of the Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) should be announced today, while the agency continues to go ahead with its plan to expand airports nationwide and launch promotions to deal with the rebound in the travel industry.



bbc.com Thailand's government has decided to drop a controversial plan to get prisoners to work on fishing boats, after labour and human rights groups condemned the project.



AP An AirAsia Airbus A320 that crashed last month with 162 people on board was climbing at an abnormally high rate, then plunged and suddenly disappeared from radar, Indonesia's transport minister said. An excessively rapid ascent is likely to cause an airplane to go into an aerodynamic stall.



andrew-drummond.com I made no pretence that I was going to change Thailand or anything in particular. But at least I believe I hope I have shown that it is possible to be a journalist here without simply recycling the obvious rubbish issued on a daily basis by officials and others without question. Er, well it is possible, sort of, kind of, perhaps.

bangkokpost.com A Russian tourist aged in his 30s was beaten unconscious by a bouncer and motorcycle-taxi drivers in Pattaya after the security guard thought the tourist was leaving without paying his bill. Police said the incident at the Honey Bar tarnished the reputation of the tourism city and they were hunting down the suspects.

time.com Since the May 22 coup many tourists and expatriates in Bangkok have fallen prey to a criminal practice. The victims have little recourse when reporting incidents to the police, because the perpetrators are police officers.
http://time.com/3674200/thailand-tourism-police-corruption-shakedown-extortion/

theguardian.com Baby Gammy, an infant who was left behind in Thailand by his Australian parents in a major surrogacy scandal, has been granted Australian citizenship.

cnn.com Two US Navy warships moved into new positions in the Red Sea to be ready to evacuate Americans from the US embassy in Yemen if an order comes to do so, CNN has learned.

bangkokpost.com A local environmental preservation network has proposed closing Khao Yai National Park for three months to rehabilitate nature there as tourists and business operators are damaging it. But the authorities said such a plan would result in severe impacts on locals and raise the threat of forest encroachment.

nnt The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is seeking to put telephone cables in Bangkok underground, as the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) will not longer allow additional telecom cables to be carried on electricity poles.

afp Shiite militia fighters attacked Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi's residence and seized the presidential palace in what officials said was a bid to overthrow his embattled government.

kyivpost.com Ukrainian tour operator News Travel (Kyiv) as of January 16, 2015 owed Sayama Travel Group Co., Ltd. (Thailand) around $106.000, and the Ukrainian operator has recognized the debt.

theweek.co.uk ''We are putting the words 'third gender''in the constitution because Thai society has advanced,'' a spokesperson told Reuters.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-inside-cambodias-village-death-singapore-snaps-rolex-watches-worms-turn-vietnam-21746/



afp A magnificent Raheem Sterling second-half solo goal earned Liverpool a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final at a snow-speckled Anfield. With Chelsea leading through Eden Hazard's 18th-minute penalty, Jose Mourinho's side were poised to pull off a classic smash-and-grab when Sterling surged through their defence to equalise in the 59th minute.

canberratimes.com.au Former Australian cricketer Bronwyn Calver knows how to handle the odd bouncer, but the kangaroo she collided with while riding her bicycle in Canberra almost got the better of her. The kangaroo appeared ''disoriented'' after the crash and was killed by a passing car.



January 21 Australian embassy outreach to Phuket Call 02-3446300, e: consular.bangkok@dfat.gov.au

January 30 US consular outreach, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort