timesofindia.com At least 50 people were killed when a strong earthquake struck Burma near its border with Thailand, a Burmese official said. Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres from the epicentre, Hanoi and parts of China.


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

bangkokpost.com Two powerful earthquakes hit northern Burma last night, sending shock waves that shook buildings in many parts of Thailand and caused panic among high-rise residents in Bangkok. A 7-magnitude quake at 8.55pm was followed by a 5-magnitude quake at 9.23pm, according to Thailand's Meteorological Department.

focus-fen.net At least 10 people were killed in landslides and building collapse in Burma's northeastern Tachileik and Tarpin, Shan state, caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake Thursday night, Xinhua informed.

slate.com Which countries are least vulnerable to natural disaster? Probably Estonia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Andorra. EM-DAT, a catalog of more than 11,000 major natural disasters, has no record of fatal floods, droughts, earthquakes, or severe storms in any of these countries from 1900 to 2009.

nationmultimedia.com Udom Srimahachota, adviser to the Thai Hotels Association, said that if Thailand is to be open for foreign investment, it should be limited to certain areas - particularly those outside Bangkok - and new properties should be five-star only to protect small and medium-sized operators. Meanwhile, the Thailand Professional Tourist Guide Association urged the establishment of a council to protect local tour guides.

mondaq.com According to Transparency International's latest survey, the level of corruption in Thailand is no worse than it is in many countries and better than in some. Is it liked? No. Is it accepted? Yes, but as a repugnant fact of life. Why? Because most people believe that they, as individuals, can do little about curbing it so they learn to live with it. Is the government promoting anti-corruption? Lip service, yes. Concrete steps? Very slowly so the jury is still out.

aap The Aussie dollar's high value - it was at $US102 today - has all but killed the "trip of a lifetime," say travel agents. Instead, holidaymakers are deciding they can afford to return to favorite destinations. [Probably good news for Phuket.]

cnn.com Embassies from more than two dozen countries have either closed down or moved operations to cities south of Tokyo since the March 11 earthquake and the resulting nuclear crisis in northern Japan, the country's Foreign Ministry said.

reuters Three workers replacing a cable at a crippled nuclear plant in Japan were exposed to high levels of contamination by standing in radioactive water. Two were taken to hospital with burns, nuclear safety agency officials said.

todayonline.com Samples from four vegetables imported from quake-hit Japan have been found to be contaminated with radioactive substances, said the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) last night. The four vegetables are mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), nanohana (rapeseed plant), mizuna (Japanese mustard) and perilla leaf.

reuters.com Two airplanes landed at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. without control tower clearance because their air traffic supervisor had fallen asleep, aviation officials said. The supervisor was the only controller on duty at the time.

thisisbristol.co.ukSpeaking after an inquest on eight Britons among the 90 dead in a Phuket air crash in 2007, solicitor James Healy-Pratt, who represented a number of the victims' families, said Orient Thai needed to be investigated further by the European Commission. He also urged the European Union to make its blacklist of airlines more accessible.

walesonline.couk Coroner Stuart Fisher returned a narrative verdict, saying the deficiencies of airline One Two Go, its parent company Orient Thai, the airport operator and the Thai authorities had contributed to the crash in some way.

birminghampost.net The boss of Birmingham Airport has said Brtiain's Chancellor should have gone further than simply delaying an increase in air passenger duty and scrapped the tax. Next month was due to see an inflation-rate rise in the airport departure tax, but this will be delayed until April 2012.



Brice Borin has been appointed general manager of the rebranded The Regent Phuket. Borin began in Asia in 1993 and has worked at hotels in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

getwokingham.co.uk The death of a man who suffered multiple injuries during a motorcycle collision in Thailand last year has been recorded as an accident. Patrick Douglas suffered several fractures when he collided with a crash barrier while riding on Ko Phangan on September 2 last year. The 43-year-old had been living in Thailand for 18 years.

afp India's fake pilot scandal began unravelling when a female captain landed her packed airliner on the nose instead of the rear wheels as she touched down in the holiday hotspot of Goa. Parminder Kaur Gulati, flying for the fastest-growing airline in the booming Indian sector, IndiGo, was investigated for the dangerous error in January and was found with falsified qualifications.

radioaustralianews.net.au Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi says sanctions on the Burmese military regime should remain. Her comments to a German newspaper come ahead of a decision next month by the European Union on whether to continue sanctions. Aung San Suu Kyi says sanctions should only be lifted when there are changes in Burma.

Associated Press Lady Gaga has urged young Malaysians to protest the censorship of lyrics in her hit song that encourage acceptance of gays. The Associated Press reported that radio stations in Muslim-majority Malaysia were playing edited versions of 'Born This Way' that use garble to replace the lyrics: "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby."

eturbonews.com The Pata 60th Anniversary and Conference takes place from April 9-12, 2011, at the China World Hotel, Beijing. It marks the return, after a five-year hiatus, of the Pata Annual Conference and is a must-attend for anyone interested in the on-going development of the dynamic Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry.

sbwiore.com MJETS, the leading private jet charter service in Thailand and South East Asia, has announced plans to build a private jet terminal at Phuket International Airport. The size of the terminal will depend on how much land the Airport Authority of Thailand agree to lease to MJETS.

openpr.com Castlewood Group, a Singapore commercial real estate company, confirms that tourism trends in Phuket are shifting to the Asian market, as Europeans are finding the economic situation not in their favor. Direct flights and a shorter travelling distance, Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans and Indians are heading to Phuket to purchase condominiums and apartments to use as investment property as well as staying in the luxury hotels.



ST PATRICK'S DAY BALL. Life Home Project and Ireland's honorary consul Helene Fallon-Wood are hosting the Second St Patrick's Day Ball at the Movenpick Resort and Spa in Karon on March 26 with cocktails from 6.30pm and dinner to follow. Tickets at 4000 baht benefit the Life Home Project. Contact Khun Joojee 081 3979809 or Khun Eee or Nee 086 9469232. Tickets will be available at BAKE Chalong, Cherng Talay and BIS.

PHUKET Navy League is planning a free Independence Day event on Sunday, July 3 from 10am to 7pm at Headstart International School, across the street from Makro, near Central Festival in Phuket City.

March 26 St Patrick's Day Ball, Movenpick Resort and Spa, Karon. Details 081 3979809 or 086 9469232
March 26 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
March 28-31 longboat races, Koh Panyee, Phang Nga
April 1 Turtle release, Banyan Tree seafront, Laguna Phuket
April 2 'To Japan from Phuket With Love' charity concert, Karon Beach
April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket