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 relocation of the Provincial Police Region 8 headquarters from Surat Thani to Phuket, the most important of the seven provinces in the region, had been decided seven years ago, Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmuang said after funding for the shift came under heavy criticism.

cnn.com Debris found in the western Indian Ocean appears to be part of a Boeing 777, the same model as Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that disappeared in 2014, according to a source close to the investigation.

ft.com Crash investigators are examining what may be the most significant development yet in the 17-month search for the Malaysia Airlines flight after debris potentially related to the crash was found on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.



thefinancialexpress-bd.com Angelina Jolie has arrived in Myanmar (Burma). A press release said the actress will carry out engagements in her capacity as Co-Founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, and as UNHCR Special Envoy will carry out field visits to displaced people, including Rohingya.

bangkokpost.com Stop blaming the United States and politics for the Tier 3 ranking on human trafficking says the premier - it's the fault of former governments.

rappler.com If the Obama administration genuinely cared about Rohingya they would not have sold out their deaths for a trade deal. The Myanmar and other regional governments dealing with the serious migrant crisis resulting from the exodus of Rohingya can rightly dismiss all US criticism as hypocrisy.

bangkokpost.com Until all people are treated with the same respect by authorities and enjoy the same rights before the law, unscrupulous traffickers will continue to wreak havoc on the lives of their victims.



bangkokpost.com Activist ex-politician Suthep Thaungsuban re-enters public life Thursday, amidst fears he aims to keep the military in power for more ''reform before election''.

reuters A Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Los Angeles with nearly 300 people on board landed safely after diversion to a remote US military airport in Alaska's Aleutian Islands due to smoke in the aircraft, airline officials said.

bangkokpost.com The new ''child protection act'' bars all commercial surrogacy and only allows the practice by relatives of childless, married, heterosexual couples.

manchestereveningnews.co.uk David Eastham, 20, was on a holiday of a lifetime with five friends across Thailand when summer trip was cut short by tragedy. He was thrown from a moped after the driver skidded off the road. David suffered a broken back, broken left shoulder, punctured lung, a bleed in the brain, cracked ribs and nerve damage to his left forearm.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/david-eastham-thailand-moped-crash-9745416

huffingtonpost.co.uk Originally, the Manchester-born student's treatment wasn't covered by his insurance, as the company only insured accidents on mopeds of 55c or smaller. However after lengthy negotiations, the provider agreed to cover his treatment, although refused to pay for his family's expenses to be by his bedside.

reuters A Zimbabwean court charged a professional hunter with failing to prevent an American dentist from unlawfully killing Cecil, the southern African country's best-known lion, in a case that has triggered widespread revulsion at trophy hunting.

pcworld.com Windows 10 is here, and with it comes Cortana - Microsoft's powerful, intelligent digital assistant. Spend just a few minutes with Cortana and it immediately becomes clear that she's taken the customised awareness of Google Now and the chatty personality of Siri, and then kicked up the schtick several notches.

thetimes.co.uk After a second consecutive night during which 1500 migrants attempted to clamber on lorries and trains heading to Britain, the company that runs the Channel Tunnel accused French officials of failing to deploy enough police.

scmp.com Responsibility for the death of a Chinese woman on an escalator over the weekend lay with the manufacturer and the shopping mall where it was operating, an official investigation has found. Xiang Liujuan, 30, fell through the floorplates and was killed by the machinery underneath but managed to push her son to safety just in time.

todayonline.com The next time you hear the call of the sea, paddle out to it at Krabi. Nestled by the Andaman Sea, Krabi is all about its waters - its brown rivers coursing through canyons and mangroves, meeting the clear blues of its bays and onwards to limestone karst seascapes.



reuters The leaders of China and Turkey agreed to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism and people smuggling, a senior Chinese diplomat said, after friction between the two states over Uygurs from China's Xinjiang province fleeing to Turkey.



smh.com.au Australia's fragility against the moving ball was demonstrated again as they were skittled for 136 within 37 overs by England on an Edgbaston pitch they chose to bat on in the Third Test.

autosport.com Singapore's Marina Bay Formula 1 circuit has been modified ahead of September's grand prix, with organisers hopeful the tweaks will increase overtaking opportunities. The changes will affect Turns 11, 12 and 13 and have come about as part of enhancements to Singapore's Civic District that tie with with the city-state's 50th anniversary of independence.



Phuket Update Government offices across Phuket are preparing for a four-day shutdown as Thailand marks the Buddhist holidays Asarnha Bucha Day and Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent) on Thursday and Friday (July 30-31) ahead of the regular weekend.

August 23-30 Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival

September Quicksilver surf carnival at Patong beach

October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies