xinhua Three bodies were found Saturday within the passenger cabins of a South Korean ferry. Of the 476 passengers on board, 29 have been confirmed dead and 174 rescued, leaving 273 people still missing. Hundreds are school students.

astroawani.com The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Thailand and 10 other countries in Southeast Asia polio-free, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.


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



reuters The vice-principal of a South Korean high school who accompanied hundreds of pupils on a ferry that capsized has committed suicide, police said as hopes faded of finding any of the 268 missing alive.

AP The South Korean ferry captain was arrested on suspicion of negligence an abandoning people in need, as investigators looked into whether his evacuation order came too late to save lives. Two crew members were also arrested, a prosecutor said.

news.com.au Twelve people are dead, including five employed by a US TV network, after an avalanche swept down Mount Everest in what is described as the ''worst disaster in Everest history.''

bangkokpost.com Thailand's anti-graft agency rejects a request from PM Yingluck Shinawatra to call more witnesses and says it has all the evidence it needs to rule on her role in rice scheme by early May.

nationmultimedia.com The government's Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order came under fire for accusing the Constitutional Court and the National Anti-Corruption Commission of attempting to exceed their authority in cases against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.



heraldsun.com.au Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said he was hopeful the underwater search of a ''closely defined area'' by the US Navy submersible Bluefin 21 and its sonar would yield results soon.



gayapolis.com Asia's most picturesque resort is set to embrace the LGBT community during the upcoming Phuket Pride Week in what is likely to be a record for Thailand tourism.

bangkok.coconuts.co Two Chinese passengers picked a fight with a third on a Thai Airways flight because his eating noises were too loud. According to witnesses, three Chinese men in their 30s got into a brawl on the Bangkok-to-Beijing flight because one of them ate too loudly while the others were trying to get some sleep.

dailydrone.co.uk Former Daily Express news sub Alan Morison who has been taking a stand against attempts to silence the media in Thailand has spent five hours in a small prison cell crowded with 90 prisoners, including a man who admitted killing his girlfriend.

cnn.com Morison is still hopeful that the Thai government will intervene and the case will be dropped. ''It all comes down to what constitutes democracy,'' he said. ''The media is a very important part of most democracies, and the military shouldn't be able to sue the media over this kind of issue.''

Facebook The world needs more principled people like these two.

Phuket Update Phuket police aim to arrest Russians Larisa Kim, 40, and her husband, Valentin over a fatal hit-run. But the pair may have fled Thailand after a crash that killed a 16-year-old boy in Patak Road near Chalong Circle on Phuket early on April 5.



wired.co.uk The chief executive of Axel Springer, one of Europe's largest media publishers, has said that his company is afraid of the power that Google has accumulated, and worries that the search giant is becoming a ''superstate'' immune from regulation.

reuters US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power urged the Myanmar government to intervene in Rakhine State to stop violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. Power's remarks came after UN special adviser on Myanmar briefed the 15-member UN Security Council on the crisis.

crainsnewyork.com A wealthy hotel executive and Democratic fundraiser Sant Singh Chatwal, 70, who supported Hilary Clinton for president pleaded guilty to charges he secretly funneled more than $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions to three unnamed candidates and coached someone to lie about it.



bbc.co.uk Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal was forced to jump into a lake to avoid a swarm of hornets at the Malaysian Open, which Lee Westwood continues to dominate.

sportinglife.com The 2-2 home draw with Sunderland dealt another blow to City's Barclays Premier League title challenge, just a few days after their 3-2 defeat at Liverpool. They are third in the table with five more games to play, four points behind second-placed Chelsea and six behind leaders Liverpool, both of whom have four matches to go.



Krabi Update The sixth Krabi Rock and Fire International Contest will be held at Railay Beach and Tonsai Bay from 21 to 23 April 2014. More than 30 teams of adventurous tourists from the world over will join the climbing. Krabi has more than 18,000 hotel rooms.

Until April 20 Phuket International Cricket, Republic Ground, Chalong

Until April 19 Phuket Bike Week

April 20-27 Phuket Pride Week

April 26 Vote for mayor in Patong, alcohol sales banned in election area from 6pm April 25 to midnight April 26

April 30 US Embassy Outreach, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, 8am-noon.

May 24 Visakha Bucha Day

July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day

August 12 Queen's Birthday

September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

December 5 King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve