afp Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants on board a foundering vessel off Indonesia fought with axes, knives and metal bars in vicious clashes that left at least 100 dead, survivors said as they recovered from their ordeal.
Full story here http://goo.gl/hvky30

AP Thailand's former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday at the start of a trial that could see her jailed for a decade, which critics say is part of a politically motivated campaign against her family.

bangkokpost.com Police investigating human trafficking rings smuggling boat people into southern Thailand believe a major general was involved. However, the army says none of its officers are directly linked to the illegal activities.
Full story here http://goo.gl/LrPlDF

3aw.com.au A man claiming to be a member of the Hells Angels says stranded Bandidos sergeant-at-arms Daniel Roach shouldn't be let back into Australia: ''If he holds an English passport - as I do - and I went to another country and I was sergeant-of-arms of my own club, I'd expect the same treatment if things were as they were.''


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 Four top officials at the Tourism and Sports Ministry were moved to inactive posts by the junta over an alleged link to equipment purchases at inflated prices. At least 20 other key officials from various ministries including Interior, Finance, Agriculture and Natural Resources and Environment have also been removed.

bangkokpost.com Thai travel agents want authorities to take decisive action against a Bangkok seafood restaurant reported to have overcharged four Chinese tourists 8840 baht for a meal, including 17 percent VAT and an 800 baht tip.

nationmultimedia.com Companies and their support associations in the tourism sector commend the military regime for turning the industry around, but have urged the junta to seek more ''quality'' tourists and maintain safety standards.

bangkokpost.com Deciding it couldn't wait until May 29 for talks with Asean nations on the migrant crisis, Malaysia said it will meet Wednesday with foreign ministers from Thailand and Indonesia.

reuters Thailand expressed concern at a wave of anti-migrant vitriol on social media, which the government said underlined why it cannot accept any more of the asylum seekers who have been arriving by boat on its shores.



nationmultimedia.com A key meeting on the suppression of human trafficking was held at Royal Thai Navy base in Phuket, overseen by Deputy Prtime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Civilian authorities from Phuket, Phang Nga, Satun, Krabi and Ranong along with naval officers and military and police personnel attended the closed-door meeting.

bangkokpost.com Key human-trafficking suspect and former Satun PAO president Patchuban ''Ko Tong'' Angchotipan surrendered to police but denied he was involved in human trafficking.

nationmultimedia.com A senior officer at Khiansa Police Station in Surat Thani has been transferred pending an investigation into an allegation he had benefited from Rohingya smuggling. Police have also obtained arrest warrants for Pajjuban's wife, Thassanee, and a police officer based in Ranong, Lieutenant Narathorn Samphan.



9news.com.au A top Australian bikie motorcycle gang member is stranded in Thailand after the federal government effectively banned him from re-entering Australia. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton made the decision to reject Bandido Daniel Roach's residency visa renewal application, preventing the English-born sergeant-at-arms from returning home.

abc.net.au Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the decision not to renew his visa was based on character grounds. Such decisions are made ''"where I have evidence of people acting against the national interest, or not contributing to Australian society in a way that we would want people to contribute.''
Full story here http://goo.gl/gsGYTb

smh.com.au The charity set up in Thailand to support baby Gammy, the Thai infant at the centre of an international surrogacy battle, claims his Australian biological father David Farnell is now seeking to access more than $235,000 in donations. Gammy lives with his Thai surrogate mother Pattaramon Chanbua.
Full story here http://goo.gl/HEzXwA

Krabi Update Deputy Krabi Governor Narong Woonsiew led officials and troops to check hotels and restaurants at Ao Nang bay Monday to take action against businesses that released wasted water into the sea. The inspection found that several of 14 small hotels that were inspected Monday do not have proper wasted water treatment system. Narong said 14 more hotels and restaurants will be inspected Tuesday.

nationmultimedia.com A 78-year-old woman was killed by a pick-up truck as she attempted to cross Phuket's busy Thepkasattri Road. Sian Phetlamul had just disembarked from a local passenger truck (songtaew) after visiting relatives and was crossing the road on her way home, her relatives told police.

nytimes.com The police charged about 170 people in theshootout among rival motorcycle gangs at a busy shopping plaza in this Central Texas city that left at least nine bikers dead and 18 others wounded.

bangkokpost.com Former leader of the PDRC street protests Phra Suthep Prapa Saro, formerly Suthep Thaugsuban, is preparing to leave the monkhood and become involved in people's politics.

nytimes.com Hundreds of women and girls captured by Boko Haram have been raped, many repeatedly, in what officials and relief workers describe as a deliberate strategy to dominate rural residents and possibly even create a new generation of Islamist militants in Nigeria.

reuters At least 40 people have been killed and dozens are missing after a landslide in northwest Colombia, officials said. Heavy rains caused a ravine to overflow, sending mud and water onto neighboring homes in Salgar, located in Antioquia department.

washingtonpost.com Saudi Arabia has executed 85 people so far in 2015, already almost hitting the total number of executions in 2014. While Saudi authorities haven't explained what is behind this upward trend, don't expect it to end anytime soon: According to a job posting on a Saudi government website, the country is seeking more executioners to help with the workload.

theage.com.au The Australian Centre for Independent Journalism found in a survey of major metropolitan newspapers published in Australia in 2010 that 55 percent of content was driven by public relations handouts from lobbyists and their associated public relations arms, and 24 percent of the content of those metropolitan newspapers had no significant journalistic input whatsoever, relying heavily on public relations handouts.



npr.org Indonesia's top military commander defended a requirement that female recruits undergo an invasive ''virginity test'' to determine whether they are morally suited for the armed forces. His remarks follow a letter from Human Rights Watch condemning the practice.

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afp Australian-born former tennis Grand Slam champion Bob Hewitt has been sentenced to six years in jail in South Africa for raping and assaulting young girls he coached in the 1980s and 1990s. Hewitt, 75, had pleaded not guilty to the two charges of rape and one of sexual assault that were brought against him by three women in 2013.



June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek