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

nationmultimedia.com Bangrak District Office director Surakiat Limcharern lodged a complaint with police over topless female Songkran revellers whose sexy dancing near Silom Road was recorded and posted on the Internet. "It hurts the image of Thailand, in particular Silom," he said. "It distorts Songkran culture too."

bangkokpost.com The International Civil Aviation Organisation has joined the ranks of industry groups advising Thailand to further develop Suvarnabhumi Airport to serve as the country's sole main air hub. The ICAO made its recommendations in a study commissioned by Airports of Thailand Plc to resolve the repeated state policy flip-flops over whether Bangkok should be served by one or two international airports.

thephuketinsider.com Phuket's marinas are bursting at the seams and unless the local government allows an open door policy for new projects the sector looks set to travel to other nearby provinces.

nationmultimedia.com The mysterious deaths of up to seven tourists in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai have baffled the authorities, casting doubts over the safety of the popular holiday destination. David Mabey, professor of communicable diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that if the cases were a coincidence they would be a "remarkable" one.

nationmultimedia.com Saravut Saeteaw, president of the Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association, said visitors to Chiang Mai were up 10-15 per cent this Songkran. Many revellers shifted their holiday from flood-affected areas in the South.

todayonline.com A passenger has accused Singapore Airlines of leaving him with long-term heart damage after he had to endure a 14-hour flight while suffering a cardiac arrest. The Daily Mail reported that Max Pearson, 51, an award-winning BBC World Service journalist, was flying home to London after completing an assignment on the Japan disaster last month when he suffered a heart attack shortly after the Singapore Airlines flight took off.

Associated Press Laos has quietly begun work on the first dam across the lower Mekong River even before a four-nation meeting to decide on the project that has roused critics ranging from a US senator to the country's closest ally, Vietnam, an environmental group said.

the-diplomat.com A survey by the Asia Foundation in 2010 found that Thais are not as politically divided along color lines as widely reported, with 76 percent claiming they had no strong color attachment. Given the New Politics Party's ability to contest the elections hasn't yet been confirmed, the limited color loyalty would suggest they are unlikely to draw away a large number of votes from the Democrat party's current strongholds in the south and centre of the country.

thestar.com.my A planned honeymoon in Bali that went sour sent a man into the arms of the law for carrying ketamine and his bride into hysterics when he was caught. The 38-year-old suspect from Penang was nabbed by Indonesian authorities at the Ngurah Rai International Airport as soon as the couple arrived. The groom now faces at least 10 years in jail.

CNA A Polish man has been detained for attempting to carry hashish through customs at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The 7.4 kg of hashish was discovered during a search of the 50-year-old man's luggage a day earlier following his arrival on a flight from Bangkok

afp A new metropolis three times the size of neighboring Singapore is taking shape in the foothills of southern Malaysia, where officials and investors have equally huge ambitions for the city. Legoland Malaysia - Asia's first Lego theme park - is slated to open in the Medini sector in late 2012, next to a Legoland Hotel and a lifestyle retail mall.



April 24 Ao Chalong Yacht Club Open Day
April 28 Pierre-Yves Cousteau dinner at IndoChine
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
May 1 National Labor Day public holiday
May 5 Coronation Day public holiday
May 13 Royal Ploughing Day public holiday
May 17 Visakha Bucha Day public holiday
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
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 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

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket