afp Radical Florida pastor Terry Jones threatened to ''rethink'' his decision to abandon plans for a weekend Qoran-burning event that has drawn global outrage. Hours after calling off his much-criticised marking of Saturday's anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, Jones said it had merely been suspended.


A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

latimes.com The State Department warned Americans abroad that a Florida church's plans to burn Qorans on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks may set off violent demonstrations against Americans around the world, as US officials huddled to consider further precautions.

smh.com.au The evangelical Christian pastor from Florida who was threatening to burn copies of the Qoran has abandoned his plan. Pastor Terry Jones announced his decision after claiming that he had received assurances that a Muslim cultural centre planned for a site two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan would be relocated. However, officials denied any deal had been struck.

telegraph.co.uk Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, has urged Barack Obama to stop an American pastor burning copies of the Koran as international pressure on the US authorities grows from the Islamic world.

nationmultimedia.com Rawai beach on Phuket - home of the sea nomads - will be promoted as a special cultural zone to help these people to recover their way of life and culture and address their land ownership problems, according to PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtoey.

Phuketwan Update USNS Walter S. Diehl will be in Phuket from September 22-29, the first US ship visit since the Phuket administration undertook to prevent further taxi and tuk-tuk blockades that have plagued US warship visits.

bangkokpost.com The shameless extortion of foreign tourists by unscrupulous thesakit Bangkok city inspectors must be a big headache for people in the tourism promotion industry, people who are trying to convince foreign tourists to come and experience what this country has been so proud of - Thai hospitality. Bad officials will always find foreigners to be an easy target.

Phuketwan Update Phuket City police arrested a woman and two men in separate drug raids around the city region in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Phuket Police Chief Major General Pekad Tantipong told a media briefing that all three had large amounts of yah ice or yah ba or both, with the woman, Pattarawannee Aumboon, 30, holding drugs valued at 100,000 baht. She and Paiboon Jantharasud, 26, and Sompong Wongsneh, 27, now face court.

bangkokpost.com Hundreds of hotels in Phuket are operating without licences, claiming the cost of getting one is far too high. Officials have set up a working group to close the unlicensed establishments, deputy governor Niwit Aroonrat said. Government figures show that Phuket has 702 hotels with 42,684 rooms - but only 273 of these hotels are licensed. Khun Niwit said the hotels operating without licences violated building control and environmental laws and did not pay taxes. [As reported by Phuketwan on Wednesday.]

>kitv.com KITV4 News has learned federal immigration officials want to detain the man at the center of the largest human trafficking case in US history, which could keep Israeli citizen Mordechai Orian, 45, behind bars even though a federal magistrate ruled he could be freed on $1 million bail.

Associated Press The owners of a major Hawaii farm accused of exploiting 44 imported laborers from Thailand have changed their plea to not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial November 9. The change in plea was made after the Chief US District Judge took the rare step of rejecting a plea deal because Alec Sou and Mike Sou disputed some of the facts in the human trafficking case.

afp A Russian passenger plane carrying 81 people has made a ''miracle'' crash landing at a deserted air strip in Siberia after a complete mid-flight power failure, officials says. The Tupolev (TU-154) airliner en route to Moscow was forced to glide down from its cruising altitude with no working navigation gear and at a high speed after its wing flaps failed.

bangkokpost.com Qatar Airways is expanding its footprint in Thailand by introducing Phuket from October 12 as its second destination, adding a third non-stop flight from Doha to Bangkok and extending its services from the Thai capital to Vietnam. That marks an attempt to catch up with two other major Middle Eastern airlines, Emirates and Etihad Airways, which have footholds in Thailand.

cnn.com Philippine authorities acknowledged for the first time that some of the tourists taken hostage in a bus standoff last month may have been shot by police in the bungled rescue operation.

radioaustralianews.net.au Burma's junta leader Than Shwe has thanked China for supporting his country and pledged to work with Beijing to maintain stability on their border. Beijing has hailed the November 7 poll as an important step towards democracy.

Phuketwan Update Three Marriott Hotels in Thailand have won Best Employer 2010, organised annually by the Ministry of Labor. JW Marriott Phuket was recognised for is outstanding contribution to employee relations and welfare during the year 2006-2010. [Marriott won the Phuketwan Phuket Business of the Year Award 2010].



November 19 at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh. The Australian Thailand Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) is holding a Sundowners seminar and networking reception, with a finance theme. The seminar will start at 3pm and welcome a representative from Westpac Bank in Singapore to discuss global finance. Followed at 6pm by AustCham's regular business networking event. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 0812731740

September 10 International Business Association of Phuket presents a joint association networking meeting (BCCT, Navy League Phuket and SKAL)
September 11 Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival, Loma Park, Patong
September 13 Phuket Tsunami Evacuation Drill, Loma Park, Patong, 10.30am
September 16-17 Celebration of the 114th birthday of Luang Pu Supha at the Chalong temple named in his honor
September 18 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Surin beach
September 22-26 Quiksilver 2010 Surf Competition, Kata beach
September 22-29 USNS Walter S. Diehl to visit Phuket
September 25 International Reef Cleanup Day, Phuket. More: Roger Chubb 087 628 2805 E: scubawoj@gmail.com
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
October 12 Qatar begins daily flights to Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi