thephuketinsider.com Peace talks over a pending military action by North Korea against their South Korean neighbors ended abruptly on Phuket. Emissaries of Kim IL-Jong were delayed in long lines at Phuket International Airport after landing at the same time as 14 charter flights from the Ukraine.

dailymail.co.uk Five children have died in a devastating fire that tore through a house in northern France. The children, who were siblings, were aged between two and ten, according to local officials in the town of Saint-Quentin.

smh.com.au A group of Asian tourists have been subjected to a racist rant on a Sydney bus that was filmed and posted online by a female passenger. The incident is the latest in a string of racist rants on public transport to be filmed or shared on social media.


Bag Snatcher Crashes Through Plate Glass Door
Western Australia Police released the CCTV footage showing a bag snatcher running straight through a plate glass window in a bid to identify the man.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/9964793/Australian-bag-thief-smashes-through-glass-door-during-escape.html

bbc.co.uk At least three people have been killed and 15 injured in a pile-up involving almost 100 vehicles in the US state of Virginia. Police said there were 17 separate crashes within a distance of 1.6km on Interstate 77 near the base of Fancy Gap Mountain.


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 When it comes to favorite destinations for tourists, Thailand is behind Singapore and Malaysia, according to a report of the World Economic Forum. The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2013 placed Singapore on top of the countries in Southeast Asia and put Malaysia one spot above Thailand.

abc.net.au Australian tourists holidaying on Phuket will be placed within new safety zones as part of a police plan to reassure foreigners of their safety. The Thai government is also under pressure to provide extra policing resources to crack down on local criminals who target holiday makers.

saudigazette.com.sa Domestic peace in Burma hangs by a slender thread. For too long, the UN has been indulgent toward the junta just as the government in Yangon has been turning a blind eye to the activities of Buddhist extremists.

AP The Associated Press became the first international news agency to open a bureau in Burma since a reformist government took power two years ago and began relaxing restrictions on the media for the first time in decades.

bangkokpost.com Burma's druglords, uncertain about their government's policy on narcotics, have begun dumping their goods in large quantities across the border in Thailand.

AP Burma's government rejected remarks by a UN human rights official suggesting that the authorities bear some blame for recent mob attacks by Buddhists on minority Muslims that killed dozens of people.

thejakartapost.com Indonesian and Australian foreign ministers will co-chair the 5th Bali Process Ministerial Conference slated to take place on April 1 to 2 in Bali. The People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime conference will be attended by ministerial-level officials from 49 Bali Process member countries.

smh.com.au Qantas says bookings for trips to Europe have gone up six-fold as its first flight in partnership with Emirates Airline took off on Sunday: ''The new network will cut average journey times by more than two hours from Melbourne and Sydney to the top 10 destinations in Europe.''

telegraph.co.uk The company has repeated this strategy of building supermarkets within shopping malls across Thailand. It has helped Tesco to become the biggest supermarket group in Thailand and the second largest shopping centre owner.

wanderlust.co.uk According to Britain's Marine Conservation Society, over half of the 754 beaches tested for dirty water at the end of last summer were not safe for swimming. Out of 754 beaches, only 403 beaches were fit for bathing, 113 less than the year before.

thetimes.co.uk Feminism has failed working-class women by focusing too much on gender equality in high profile roles, research suggests.

afp Queen singer Freddie Mercury disguised the late Diana, Princess of Wales as a male model and smuggled her into a notorious gay bar, according to a memoir serialised in Britain's Sunday Times.



reuters Big-hitting Australian Scott Hend capitalised on Prayad Marksaeng's spectacular final-round meltdown to lift the Chiangmai Golf Classic. Thailand's Prayad blew a five-shot lead and the chance to win his second tournament at home this month.

sail-world.com At the Singha OK Dinghy World Championships, taking place in Pattaya, the 70 sailors were greeted by another day of perfect conditions. The first two races were staged in a 12-18 knot hot breeze with race wins going to defending champion Andre Budzien (GER) and Roger Blasse (AUS).

AP If her victory celebration on the stadium court seemed well-rehearsed, it was. Serena Williams earned a record sixth Key Biscayne women's title by beating familiar foil Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.



April 5 IBAP at Royal Phuket Marina, Experienced regional journalist David Armstrong on News Media in Crisis: A Question of Trust

April 6 Chakri Memorial Day (holiday the following Monday)

April 13-17 Songkran New Year Festival

April 14-21 Phuket Bike Week

April 22-28 Phuket Pride Week, with the theme ''Same Same Not Different.'' Grand Parade 4pm April 27.

April 28 Kata-Karon Mini-Marathon, Karon Park

May 1 National Labor Day

June 9 Laguna Phuket International Marathon

July 17-21 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek

October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November 9 Asian Cup Triathlon Sprint, Patong

November 10 ITU Long Distance Series triathlon, Patong

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket

December 5 HM The King's birthday



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket