afp A Qantas jet was stranded in Bangkok today after crew were forced to shut down one engine. The Boeing 747 carrying 308 passengers had been bound for London, but turned back shortly after take-off after pilots shut down one of its four engines due to "an increase in vibration and high temperatures".


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

prestv.ir Bangkok's luxury shopping district was once again filled with a sea of red as tens of thousands of red shirt supporters converged from all over Thailand. They had come to commemorate the deadly events which ended their anti-government protest exactly one year ago, here on the same streets.

bangkokpost.com Around 20,000 red shirt supporters attended a gathering at Ratchaprasong intersection to mark the one-year anniversary of the clashes between red shirt protesters and security forces on May 19 last year. The violence resulted in 91 deaths in the capital and one upcountry.

theage.com.au Saturday will be cool and windy, with a chance of total apocalypse. That, at least, is the prediction of Harold Camping, the 89-year-old founder of a Christian cult that disseminates numerological interpretations of the Bible to followers via a network of FM radio stations in the US.

bangkokpost.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand forecasts Chinese tourists will be the top foreign arrivals in Thailand by 2014 at an estimated 1.5 million, up from 864,977 last year. The proportion of premium Chinese tourists will increase from 20 percent last year to 30 percent in the coming years.

nationmultimedia.com Tourism experts are urging Thailand to prepare specific strategies and products to cope with the rise of China, which is set to become Thailand's largest market within three years.

dpa Twenty-six political parties registered candidates to contest the July 3 general election, seen as a watershed for Thailand's political future. Main contenders are the Democrat Party, which led the last government, and the opposition Pheu Thai party, whose de facto leader is fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

ft.com Recent polls show Thailand's two biggest parties, the Democrats of prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Pheu Thai, the vehicle of controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinwatra, are running neck and neck. But the key to a successful ballot will be if it is accepted by society in general, and that is far from a foregone conclusion.

slate.com Is buying sex a better way to help Cambodian women than buying a T-shirt? The sex and apparel sectors draw from the same labor pool: young, poorly educated women from the impoverished countryside who send part of their earnings home to support their families. Are sex workers exploited? Absolutely. But so are textile workers.

Phuket Update Phuket Prison officers are increasingly concerned about contraband and a gift to Rayong Prison demonstrates why. A man who donated a refrigerator to the jail was arrested after officials discovered that secreted inside were 50 mobiles telephones, 300 ya bah methamphetamine tablets, 0.6 grams of crystal meth, and a gun.

todayonline.com Instead of being screened by immigration personnel, travellers at Singapore's checkpoints could be cleared in future by a facial recognition biometric system - which will allow entry into the country in record time. Called the Flexi Immigration Clearance System, the project is the first of its kind in Singapore.

launcestontimes.com.au A team of Victorian experts will leave for Thailand to defend an Australian state's jail and justice systems at a pre-extradition hearing for two men allegedly involved in a murder in Melbourne. Two Thais charged with the murder of Luke Mitchell will fight extradition from Bangkok, claiming that they will not receive a fair trial in Melbourne and that the Victorian jails they will be held in are Third World standard. [The Thai pair once worked on Phuket.]

scmp.com A top Chinese general has called for combined international attacks on pirate bases on the Somali coast to end the dangerous and expensive scourge of Indian Ocean piracy.

todayonline.com Less than a month after it warned of dark clouds looming in the external environment, the Government revised upwards its outlook for the Singapore economy, forecasting growth of 5 to 7 percent this year, up a full percentage point from its previous forecast of 4 to 6 percent.

channelnewsasia.com Harley-Davidson Motor Company has made Singapore its headquarters for its operations in the Asia-Pacific region. The Milwaukee-based company said the move was part of its bid to beef up its dealership in the region and rack up sales outside of the US.


bangkokpost.com Phuket's iconic Soi Dog Foundation is hosting a Sunday brunch fundraising event at Evason Phuket & Bon Island this Sunday from noon to 4 pm. Funds must be raised to prevent possible closure or relocation of the Northern Phuket, Mai Khao shelter providing refuge for 250 dogs.

thephuketinsider.com A survey of six leading golf destinations in Asia has concluded Thailand offered excellent value for money.

afp The head of security for football's ruling body Fifa said ''several'' Malaysians and a Singaporean living in Kuala Lumpur were involved in match-fixing but cleared the national body. Chris Eaton said his team was investigating match-fixing scandals in Germany, Finland and Singapore, and their probe had led them to Malaysia.

nytimes.com Across Indonesia, analysts say, the authorities have largely stood by as fundamentalist vigilante groups have increasingly used street-level violence and intimidation in an attempt to turn this nonsectarian democracy where moderate Islam predominates into a conservative Islamic state. Now, emboldened by a lack of official action, it appears some Islamist vigilantes are turning to terrorism.

smh.com.au Airline passengers will have less chance of surviving a crash if cabin crew ratios for domestic Australian flights are reduced, a former Qantas senior safety manager says.

cityjournalistdirectory.com For decades one of the tourist jewels of Asia has been the idyllic Thai island of Phuket a stellar preferred holiday location for millions of holiday seekers. In fact Phuket has so much to offer that tourists return year after year. That speaks volume for the magnetic pull and attraction of this superior location nestled in the south of Thailand deep in the sky blue waters of the Andaman Sea.

bernama.com According to Vietnam Airlines, with its similarities to Bali (Indonesia) and Phuket (Thailand), that both attract a large number of tourists from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Vietnam's central region boasts long beaches and blue sea and improved infrastructure will help the region become an ideal destination for tourists.

chron.com We learn that, although Thais drive on the left, this is a loosely enforced rule, as people are constantly passing across even double yellow lines, causing us to stifle silent screams as cars speed toward us head-on in our lane. Traffic is further complicated by "family bikes" - motorbikes that have been modified with sidecars of varying sizes and sturdiness, carrying everything from monks in their flowing robes to mobile kitchens.

theatlanticwire.com When I read the Times or The Wall Street Journal, I know those reporters had to have cleared a very high bar to get the jobs they have. When I read a blog piece from BobsThoughts.com, Bob could be the most qualified guy in the world but I have no way of knowing that because all he had to do to get his job was set up a website - something my 10-year-old daughter has been doing for three years.



Until May 22 Phuket's nightly village fair of local products, food and entertainment, Saphan Hin, Phuket City
June 1 New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 6-11 Phuket Snooker Championships, Patong
June 10-11 Traditional Baba wedding festival, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 17 Phuket Property Dot Com Pro Am Invitational, Laguna
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 15 Asarnha Bucha Day public holiday
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday public holiday
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 1-6 Women's Beach Volleyball Series at Karon on Phuket
November 26-27 9th Phuket International Soccer 7s
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 3-4 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket