crikey.com.au The racist outburst by Tony Fernandes, the chief executive of the AirAsia Group, in the Bangkok Post concerning Tiger Airways may be a sign that his Singaporean competitor is getting closer to setting up its joint venture with Thai International. It is hard to explain it any other way.


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

channelnewsasia.com Thailand's red shirt movement said it expected thousands of supporters to join a mass rally outside Bangkok this weekend, with authorities planning tight security. The gathering in Ayutthaya on Sunday could be even bigger than one on September 19 involving 6000 people in the capital.

bangkokpost.com A senior police commander said that corruption in the force, especially the extortion of money from motorists, would be suppressed. Lieutenant General Phongphat Chayaphan has ordered criminal action against all wrongdoers pointed out in hundreds of complaints, many of which include visual evidence taken by motorists.

smh.com.au The Australian dollar has hit parity overnight with the US dollar for the first time since 1982 before easing to 98.84 US cents by the end of the week's trading.

Phuketwan Update Dressed in white, Sompol Chanakul, 33, collapsed and died of a heart attack while watching the Kathu temple parade through Phuket City on Friday, near the Macro store. He was taken to Phuket International Hospital but doctors were unable to save him.

Phuketwan Update Aeroflot is to fly direct to Phuket from Moscow three times a week from December 29 using the Airbus A330s. Prospective Phuket passengers are being told: ''The local rivers and seashores are enchanting. The entire coastline is sandy and the water so clear that the sea bottom is visible at a depth of 30 metres. Good humor, pleasant company, and tasty meals are always guaranteed.''

bangkokpost.com Tiger Airways yesterday hit back at AirAsia, the region's largest low-cost airline, for what it called ''racial slurs'' about the Singapore-based budget carrier. AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes made a comment about ''white guys'' running an Asian airline in an interview with the Bangkok Post.

smh.com.au Jetstar has cleared the way for three flights a week to Manila, connecting with services from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane via Darwin. Jetstar will also start four new services a week from Darwin to Bali.

cnn.com The longest railway tunnel in the world was completed in Switzerland when the last two meters of rock were drilled through. After 14 years of construction the 57 km of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps was finally completed when a giant drilling machine nicknamed Sissi cut through the last slice of rock to connect both ends. [Patong to the Sarasin Bridge, no traffic lights.]

dailymail.com Friends of British PM David Cameron say he plans to take his family to Thailand, where he will enjoy the hospitality of Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva. Vejjajiva, 46, was a contemporary of Cameron, 44, at Eton and Oxford, where he was known to chums as ''Mark Vej''.

reuters.com Singapore is the most expensive city in the Asia-Pacific region for hotel rooms, according to a survey. A Singapore hotel room cost an average of S$230 in the second quarter, up 22 percent from the same period last year, according to Hotels.com. Tokyo was the second-most expensive at $156.80 with Sydney third.

afp An outbreak of rabies on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has claimed 100 lives over two years, a health official said. ''Sixty of them died in our hospital. The last two victims died on Wednesday,'' said Ken Wirasandhi, from the rabies eradication team at Sanglah Hospital.

guardian.co.uk Prosecutors have called for a 63-year-old French woman to be given a two-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of $1060 after she admitted tearing a full Islamic veil from the face of a tourist from the United Arab Emirates.

scmp.com Beijing has barred about 200 Protestant church representatives on the mainland from joining a global religious conference in South Africa.

prwire.com.au Fly with Thai Airways to Europe and Flight Centre will give you a free sidetrip from Bangkok to Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, plus one night accommodation and return transfers.



THE VEGETARIAN Festival climaxes tonight with a blast in Phuket City as parades from all the Chinese temples converge in a mix of dancing entranced warriors and firecrackers that some visitors have described as ''world's most amazing street event.'' Processions begin about 9pm and continue until after midnight.

Until October 16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 6 Charity golf at Tab Lamu, near Khao Lak: Call Sam on 089 875 1995 E: sam@khaolakappeal.com
November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
November 21 Loy Kratong Festival
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi