bbc.co.uk The family of Phuket motorcycle crash and coma victim Steve Thomas, 39, claim his insurers, Barclays, have said they will not bring him home to Britain, but the company said it could not discuss his claim without his permission: ''If provided with the relevant permission we would be fully prepared to explain all details and exclusions with regard to the individual's claim.''

afp Internet giant Google has launched a flight-search tool in a potential challenge to online travel services. It's limited to the US but Google said it would add more cities and options.


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

bangkokpost.com Thai hoteliers plan to raise their room rates by 8-10 percent next year, the first time in four years, to offset rising costs as more perceived local political stability is making tourists more confident, says the Thai Hotels Association.

aap Hotel prices in the Asia-Pacific fell an average of 6 percent in the first half of 2011; in North America they fell four percent. In Bali and Singapore, they rose nine percent.

nationmultimedia.com THA president Prakit Chinamourphong said that the group would propose at least three priorities to the ministry - limiting new hotel investment, improving tourism services and products, and ending the tourist scams at airports - when the group meets Tourism Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa on Friday.

telegraph.co.uk Guests at the Kiwayu Safari Village in Kenya pay upwards of 280 pounds a night for a bed in one of the 18 thatched cottages dotted along a mile of sheltered private beach. Early on Sunday gunmen stormed the resort and murdered Briton David Tebbutt, 58. His wife, Judith, was taken hostage. The SAS are travelling to the region to try to find her.

smh.com.au The attack has caused fear on the main Lamu island that it will badly damage tourism on which it so heavily depends. Chairman of the local tour guide association estimated that some "90 per cent of the people live by tourism" on Lamu.

telegraph.co.uk Crime happens everywhere. The key is to be aware of that, but not let it frighten you so that you never go through your front door. Because the world is a far more beautiful place than it is a dangerous one.

bangkokpost.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand is promoting ''slow travel,'' a new approach to exploring destinations and cultures in a relaxed way, to create sustainability among local tourists. The agency says many travellers want a less hectic pace for their holidays because of the rising pressures of daily urban life.

stuff.co.nz A South African couple visiting New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup couldn't understand why their Wellington hotel wasn't on their GPS - until they realised they were about 19,000 kilometres off track and actually in Britain. Michael Adendorff couldn't understand how they managed to make the colossal mistake.

abc.net.au For Australian tourist Blair Beattie, being bitten by a puppy at his rented villa brought his trip to Bali to an abrupt end. The puppy died and tested positive for rabies. Mr Beattie visited a local hospital where he was told he couldn't get the treatment he needed. Almost 100 tourists have had to cut their holidays short this year after being bitten, says Dr Gary Dowse from the West Australian Department of Health.

nationmultimedia.com Bangkok Airways has teamed up with The Pavilions, Phuket to introduce a special onboard menu created exclusively for Blue Ribbon Class (Business Class) fliers. From September to October, the menu is from The Pavilions, Phuket, specially selected by chef Alec Lomas.

Associated Press The Thai government has launched a new campaign against illegal drugs but says it will not repeat the mistakes of an earlier push in 2003 when at least 2300 accused dealers were killed.

forbes.com A court in Thailand ordered the military to stop labeling transgender people as being mentally ill in a decision praised by activists. The Thai army conscripts males over the age of 18, but has historically disqualified transgender people, classifying them as "having a permanent mental disorder." Transgender activists have protested that this stigmatises them.

smh.com.au Economist Ross Gittins writes: We've exaggerated the threat from terrorism and spent far more than is sensible in trying to reduce it. The number of people killed since 2001 by Islamic extremists outside of war zones is 200 to 300 a year. We're left with security measures at airports and elsewhere that do more to inconvenience the public than the terrorists and amount to little more than security theatre.

Associated Press Leila Lopes from Angola has been crowned Miss Universe, stating it was her inner beauty and principles that counted most. The 25-year-old is Angola's first winner.

moodiereport.com Airports of Thailand has posted a +20.6% year-on-year rise in international passengers to 3.63 million for the month of August. The figures cover AoT's entire national airport network, which is made up of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang in Bangkok, as well as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai.

Associated Press The owners of a tourist park just outside Pattaya are scrambling to track down missing crocodiles after dozens escaped when floods swept the area over the weekend. Suthawut Temtub, a spokesman for the Million Years Stone Park and Crocodile Farm, said 28 crocodiles have been recaptured.

smh.com.au An air safety investigation into claims a Jetstar flight carrying 147 people struggled to get off the ground at Darwin airport has found it was hit by a freak tail wind. The pilots were able to carry out emergency safety manoeuvres on october 31 last year.

globalpost.com A shortage of psychiatrists, limited mental health services, stigma and misinformation about mental illness are some of the reasons people in Indonesia go without treatment. In a country of 240 million people, there are less than 600 psychiatrists, many of them based in urban centers. Relapses are common in remote areas where people are unable to return to mental hospitals for regular treatment.



reuters Barcelona conceded one of the fastest goals ever scored in the Champions League then suffered the shock of a stoppage time equaliser as they began the defence of their crown with a 2-2 draw at home to AC Milan when group action began.

dailymail.com The patience of those waiting for Arsenal to turn the corner continues to be tested. Actually, it is not so much a corner, more a very long blind bend, with a perilous drop to one side and a hint of oncoming headlights. Overtake at your peril.



September 17-18 Honda Racing, Saphan Hin, Phuket City

September 21-24 Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition 2011, Patong

September 27-October 5 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

March 29-April 1 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket