Phuket Update Thairath Online reported that many Phuket residents called the tourist's emergency center of the Phuket Provincial Administration to report that they saw several big lights of unidentified objects before they disappeared into the sea. [Doh. It was an Indian rocket.]
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/bright-flash-close-phuket-rocket-splashdown-india-puts-satellite-orbit-22132/


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



bangkokpost.com The retail prices of cigarettes, beer and liquor have been raised by around two percent after the new sports tax took effect on Friday.

nationmultimedia.com Local villagers and tourist business operators in Krabi oppose the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)'s plan to build a port for coal imports and an electricity-generating plant in Nuea Khlong district.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Krabi-residents-demand-details-on-coal-power-plant-30256964.html



abc.net.au The co-pilot who investigators believe crashed a passenger jet into the French Alps worried ''health problems'' would dash his dreams and vowed one day to do something to ''change the whole system,'' an ex-girlfriend told a German newspaper.

thestar.com Clearly, intervention is needed in pilot culture itself to end the stigma of mental health, and the machismo that feeds lie-to-fly. Pilots need a way out of this circular logic that addresses their need for job security and protects passengers.



bangkokpost.com Editorial: Without tough action against perpetrators and corrupt officials, there is no chance of Thailand escaping international condemnation.
http://bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/510754/thai-slaves-in-the-spotlight

nationmultimedia.com Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra defended her administration after Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-o-cha claimed that it did nothing to solve human trafficking or forced labour on trawlers.



bangkokpost.com Lee was a civilian whose rule was always above the military. That's probably the first and last lesson our military leader should learn from the man.

dpa Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the world's nations to support Beijing's ideas for a new development bank and ''Silk Road'' strategy to serve Asia.

bangkokpost.com Police arrest a prominent hospital owner accused of masterminding the slaying of a well-known ''doctor monk'' in Udon Thani.

bangkokpost.com A US judge is expected to decide next month whether a Florida man will be extradited to Thailand to face charges of kidnapping a fellow American in Phuket.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/510973/phuket-kidnap-tale-fabricated

bangkokpost.com A 68-year-old French woman died on Koh Samui after she was hit by a speeding motorcycle while crossing a road. The 19-year-old rider of the red Honda CBR300 will be charged with reckless driving causing death.

smh.com.au An Australian tourist on the Thai resort island of Phuket was chased by a restaurant staffer after allegedly stealing two raw tiger prawns. ''Give them back, give them back,'' the woman yelled as she pursued 27-year-old Jacob Saveisberg.

illawarramercury.com.au By drawing in the sand, Andrei explained he's from Siberia, had been climbing in Krabi and was on his way to Cambodia (Koh Chang is near the border) to renew his visa. Then he bear-hugged me, skin to bare skin. Andrei, playful as a puppy, delighted in diving down and swimming bare-bottomed beneath me.

smh.com.au Now his phone stays in his pocket in coffee queues. ''I really like watching people and I was watching my phone instead. The real world is more interesting,'' he says, looking around. What do you see now, I ask. People on their phones, he says. More people are switching from smartphones to dumb phones, which are cheaper, sturdier and have longer-lasting batteries.

nationmultimedia.com Zeavola Resort, on Koh Phi Phi, has been honoured for the second time in three months for its commitment to the environment by winning a Five Star award in the category of Sustainable Hotel Thailand at the International Hotel Awards 2015. Announced at a ceremony at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, the International Hotel Awards, in association with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, is noted as an important quality benchmark among the hotel industry worldwide.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Phi-Phi-resort-wins-back-to-back-sustainability-aw-30256960.html

irishtimes.com Forces aligned with the Iranian-backed Houthi movement continued their advance into areas of southern Yemen, as Saudi Arabia conducted a second day of airstrikes intended to stop them.

bangkokpost.com The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation denied that the name of Koh Tachai would be changed to ''Sirivannavari''.

rujhaan.com Leonard Glenn Francis, aka ''Fat Leonard,'' is at the center of a scandal that has plagued the Navy for years. Fat Leonard was the CEO of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, or GDMA, a Singapore-based supplier of maritime services and naval logistics.



afp Malaysian police arrested three leading opposition politicians in a bid to thwart a protest march on Saturday demanding the release of jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, his party said. The protest went ahead anyway, however, with several hundred people taking to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to denounce the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-slaves-wave-spreads-farewell-lee-kuan-yew-vietnam-wars-true-history-22133/



cnn.com Lewis Hamilton will begin Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix in pole position after dominating qualifying in torrential conditions.

Tweet from Jenson Button Great few days training & acclimatisation for the Malaysian GP @Thanyapura1 in Phuket. Big thanks to team Thanyapura. #JB22

smh.com.au Michael Clarke's decision to retire from one-day cricket after Sunday's World Cup final has spared selectors and senior figures in Australian cricket from making the tough call on the departing captain's future.



April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-15 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek