Phuket Update The body of a newborn boy was found in rubbish by garbage collectors in Poonpol, Phuket City, last night. The body was inside a makeup bag and may have been born prematurely.


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 Two young people accused of insulting the monarchy in a university play two years ago were each sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison by a Bangkok court. Student Patiwat Saraiyaem, 23, and activist Porntip Mankong, 26, pleaded guilty to defaming the monarchy following their arrest last August, nearly a year after 'The Wolf Bride,' a satire set in a fictional kingdom, was performed.

ft.com Central Group, the Thai retailer and economic bellwether, will invest more than $1 billion in an effort to fend off political strife back home and tap Asian consumers both in the region and in Europe.



bangkokpost.com Thailand's newly appointed ambassador to Washington DC, Pisan Manawapat, aims to improve ties with the United States during his tenure. ''This is one of two urgent tasks,'' Mr Pisan said in a telephone interview from Washington DC. The other urgent task is to help upgrade Thailand's position in the US State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report.



ibtimes.com Police in Thailand are on the hunt for a Chinese tourist who was filmed kicking bells at the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple in Thai city of Chiang Mai. The 14th century Buddhist temple is a sacred site to many citizens, and is a popular tourist destination.

chiangmaicitynews.com The latest video clip making the rounds online contains around 24 seconds of footage featuring a male tourist, who users claim is Chinese. The man kicks one of the holy bells at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and laughs before walking away.

asiancorrespondent.com Authorities in Thailand have been angered by the recent bad behavior of Chinese tourists, with some attractions reportedly refusing them entry.

thetimes.co.uk The airline at the centre of the missing schoolgirls' controversy faced further questions after it emerged that it also carried their friend on the same route without informing police. Turkish Airlines has now flown at least four unaccompanied schoolgirls on the path towards Islamic State, or Isis, without alerting the authorities.

skift.com Tourism Thailand has a short film that celebrates the Instagram stalker on the trail of the solo female traveler. Is this just another tone-deaf move by Tourism Thailand (it of the plastic surgery contest and other bad ideas), or a true reflection on just one of the ways that social media has changed the way we travel and interact?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rl-wRu3VYo&list=PLLfL_2D8hBINxMWdOlcefA6z6aurgW4M3

cphpost.dk A Danish man has died in the popular tourist destination of Pattaya in Thailand, according to a number of Thai media reports. The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the death of the 60-year-old and that his next of kin has yet to be notified. According to Ekstra Bladet tabloid, the man reportedly drowned after getting a cramp or suffering a stroke while swimming.

nationmultimedia.com Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has launched an Asean half-price promotion in the wake of the Flight QZ8501 crash in December that killed 162 people, with the carrier able to introduce the campaign because of its high jet-fuel hedging.

bangkokpost.com Booksellers say that Thais have lots of excuses for cutting their reading by half in just 15 years - and those who read the most, read mostly cartoon and tutorial textbooks.

ttgasia.com Performance in Phuket's hotel market declined across the board last year as a direct result of the May coup and an overreliance on mass tourism, new research reveals. The Phuket 2014 Hotel Market Update report from C9 Hotelworks, released this month, shows year-on-year hotel performance in Thailand's second largest destination after Bangkok dropped in all sectors.

thetimes.co.uk Heathrow operated at 98 percent of its capacity last year, which the airport said underlined its case for expansion. The airport revealed that passenger numbers rose by 1.4 percent last year to 73.4 million, with the strongest growth coming from British, Latin American and Middle Eastern passengers.

scmp.com The number of mainland tourists who came to Hong Kong in the first five days of the Lunar New Year public holiday fell this year for the first time in nearly 20 years, the head of the Travel Industry Council says.

smh.com.au This year's Oscars have been sharply criticised for their lack of racial diversity, with no non-white people nominated in any of the acting categories and the highly critically acclaimed civil rights film 'Selma' snubbed in all the major acting and directing categories.

reuters In research that contradicts years of health advice, scientists said that babies at risk of developing a childhood peanut allergy can avoid it if they are given peanuts regularly during their first 11 months.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-weather-hits-mas-thousands-flee-burma-fighting-fear-firing-squad-21932/



Phuket Update Phuket FC, squandered a chance to climb to the top of the Yamaha League One division with a 1-1 draw against top side BBCU at Surakul Stadium in the second match of the season.

theage.com.au After consecutive losses, England are forced to fight for World Cup survival against Scotland, winning the match by 119-runs in Christchurch, New Zealand.



February 26-28 Phuket Old Town Festival

March 1-15 Heroines festival

March 4-8 Bay Regatta

April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 17-19 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