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

tvnz.co.nz Police in Thailand are reportedly investigating a hotel where a young Kiwi woman and three other people died within a few weeks. Sarah Carter, 23, was staying in Chiang Mai, when she and her two friends were taken ill. They were admitted to hospital where Sarah later died.

nzherald.co.nz It has emerged British pensioners George and Eileen Everitt were found dead several days after Sarah lost her fight for life. And police have confirmed that Thai woman Waraporn Pungmahisiranon died in the room next door to Sarah's the day before Sarah fell ill.

newstalkzb.co.nz Police say there's no indication yet as to whether the deaths were linked - the hotel manager at the Downtown Inn maintains the deaths are a coincidence. He insists there's nothing wrong or dangerous in the hotel. Autopsy results on the four people have not come back yet.

bangkokpost.com The government needs to invest heavily in infrastructure to support the tourism industry and the private sector can help with efforts to maintain continuous and sustainable growth in the next decade, says Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. However, he said any investment in new infrastructure must take natural resources conservation into account while the public and private sectors needed to solve existing problems such as deterioration of tourism spots.

Associated Press A German court has sentenced an HIV-positive sex tourist to nine years in prison on 399 counts of abusing minors in Thailand. The defendant has not been identified in line with German privacy laws.

bangkokpost.com The six months given to THAI flight attendants to lose weight under a new slim-down rule may have been too harsh, a doctor says. It may have encouraged people to resort to reckless ways of losing weight, such as fasting or taking fat-burner pills.

lennoxherald.co.uk A Vale man is languishing in a Thai prison after allegedly being caught with crystal meth. Alastair Mitchell was apparently caught with one gram of the drug after a police stake-out in Pattaya. Thailand is one of only a few countries that imposes the death penalty for drugs offences although no Westerner has ever been executed.

afp An ingenious thief has swiped almost a quarter million dollars on a flight in the Caribbean after sneaking into the cash-laden cargo hold via the toilet, police say. Cleaners who found bundles of notes in the toilet raised the alarm. The woman travelling with him was questioned in the baggage arrival hall but did not have any of the missing money.

africareview.com Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe left for Singapore for yet another medical check-up, further fuelling speculation about his health. Celebrating his 87th birthday on Saturday, Mr Mugabe admitted that his body was ''spent'' but insisted he still has political ideas of a young man.

ntnews.com.au An air disaster was averted at the last minute when an international passenger jet packed with holiday makers missed the runway after making a dangerous approach at Darwin airport in 2008, an official inquiry has found. Garuda scrapped its Darwin-Bali service the following year.

abc.net.au Malaysia's PM has urged the Australia to offer his country more resources to help catch people smugglers. Najib Razak says Malaysia has stepped up its efforts to disrupt people smuggling, but more help from Australia could slow the flow of asylum seekers.

smh.com.au An ''epidemic of narcissism'' has swept across the student population in the past 30 years, a US expert will tell a conference on personality disorders in Melbourne. Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, said a study she conducted of 16,000 university students across the US showed 30 percent were narcissistic in psychological tests, compared with 15 percent in 1982.

asiatraveltips.com Indigo Pearl has opened a new spa which features a suspended treetop room that allows true mid-air pampering. The new Coqoon Spa was modeled on the boyhood vision of internationally renowned designer, Bill Bensley, who is responsible for the entire resort's raw-industrial meets sensual-chic styling.

msnbc.com The training session is coined the ''crush'' as its goal is to break the elephant's spirit. Wild elephants are typically tied up and beaten for three days and left to starve. Burmese Karen mahouts near the Thai border operate a clandestine and illegal trade network smuggling elephants into Thailand to be sold to mahouts for the Thai tourism industry. Officials estimate that a Burmese elephant is smuggled into Thailand every week.

bangkokpost.com The Phuket condominium market is at a turning point, with more units priced below 10 million baht a unit emerging. Most of them are one bedroom and between 40 and 60 square metres in size. Other condominiums target the middle- to low-end market, along Patong, Karon and Kata beaches.

telegraph.co.uk Chris Dale, 1962-2011: Chris Dale was a 198-centimetre-tall mountaineer with a passion for solo climbs among the hardest peaks of Scotland, Wales and the Alps. He was also an equally enthusiastic cross-dresser who went by the name of Crystal.

stockmarketsreview.com Many people choose to invest in a second home in Phuket because of its warm climate, excellent infrastructure, beautiful beaches, international facilities, a laid-back lifestyle, cheap and fresh food plus the availability of foreign products in shops and supermarkets dotted around the island. Both short and long visitors nowadays choose to stay in vacation rental properties rather than in a guesthouse, as they realise the advantages that these vacation homes can provide, particularly when it comes to privacy, space, convenience and the money saved if travelling with a group of friends or family.



The 18th Laguna Phuket Triathlon takes place on November 27 and the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship on December 4. ''We will add even more sporting and social events to create an even bigger and better Laguna Tri Fest - a week-long carnival of multisport fun and tri-related activities for you to enjoy at Laguna Phuket,'' organisers say.

March 4-6 Pool Asia Expo and Conference, Hilton, Phuket
March 6 Phuket Grumpy Old Men's Society car rally around Phuket
March 11 John Gray speaks at IBAP
March 5-19 Heroine's Monument Festival
March 14-19 ADFEST 2011 at Movenpick Resort, Phuket
March 26 St Patrick's Day Ball, Movenpick Resort and Spa, Karon. Details 081 3979809 or 086 9469232
March 27 Earth Hour commemoration on Phuket
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


Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket