straitstimes.com Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday demanded Cambodian citizens leave a disputed border area that has been the focus of deadly clashes in recent years. Speaking to reporters, Abhisit said that Cambodians had trespassed and must be evicted, promising that Thailand would ''do everything possible through peaceful means'' to get the Cambodians to leave.

afp A major 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, generating a small tsunami and sending thousands of frightened people running for the hills. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a 23-centimetre tsunami hit the capital Port Vila, but warned bigger waves may be seen in other areas.


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

NEW BUDGET airline Thai Tiger is coming Phuket's way. bangkokpost.com reports: The current plan is to start flying in the first quarter of next year with five new Airbus A320s, before another five join the fleet a year after. The preliminary plan is for the airline to operate eight routes: Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phuket, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Macau, Chennai, Shenzhen and Phuket-Chiang Mai. Thai Tiger's business plan is expected to be finalised in the next two months.

nationmultimedia.com Safari World, the operator of Safari World Bangkok and Phuket Fantasy [actually it's FantaSea], has spent 100 million baht on three new projects to cash in on the recovery in tourism. Visitor numbers at Safari World had been restored by 60 percent, while Phuket Fantasy [FantaSea] has enjoyed nearly full recovery. Litti Kewkacha, Safari World vice president said some clients of Phuket Fantasy [FantaSea] complained that rising THAI Airways fares might be a barrier to domestic travel, while China, Singapore and South Korea offer tour package promotions with local airlines to help boost in-country tourism.

nytimes.com A JetBlue flight attendant apparently upset with an uncooperative passenger on a just-landed flight unleashed a profanity-laden tirade on the public-address system, pulled the emergency-exit chute, slid off the plane and fled Kennedy International Airport. The dramatic getaway was short-lived. The attendant, Steven Slater, 39, was arrested at his home not far away in Queens. He was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.

afp Slater, on a flight from Pittsburgh to New York that had just landed, told passengers to remain seated. When a passenger started collecting his belongings from the overhead bin, Slater tried to stop him but was hit in the head by the baggage and became irate. When Slater ''asked for an apology,'' the passenger ''instead cursed at him.'' Slater ''got on the plane's public address system and cursed out all aboard. Then he activated the inflatable evacuation slide.'' The attendant snatched a beer from the galley before jumping out..

Phuketwan Update AirAsia has launched a Mega Sale with one-way fares from KL to Kota Bahru, Langkawi and Penang start from A$3 while flights from KL to Kuching, Miri or Sandakan are from just A$7 one-way; Krabi, Phuket or Phnom Penh are from A$10; Bangkok, Jakarta or Jogyakarta from A$14; and flights to Chiang Mai, Bali or Hanoi are available from A$29. The booking period runs August 10 August to August 15 for 2011 travel between April 1-August 11.

soutrhalltravel.co.uk Those looking to head off on cheap flights to Phuket may find that taking a break during the monsoon season offers them the best kind of experience. Far East product manager for Cox & Kings Travel Yaow Butwisate-Lok said that between May and September, those on a trip to Thailand will be able to see local people out in the fields planting rice and crops. She said that between these months, the Thai countryside ''comes alive''. And for those trying to cut back on the cost of holidays, south east Asia in general is a great region to visit, she said, which could interest those keen to add another jaunt onto their cheap flight to Phuket.

nasdaq.com Thailand is willing to review regulations in the tourism sector to give more access to foreign investors and professionals in a move to attract more visitors, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said. Korn urged parties involved in the sector to review, refocus and rebrand the industry as it has potential to raise its contribution to gross domestic product from the current six percent. ''We should be broader-minded. There's room to grow in services for aging people. Medical tourism can be developed seriously, like foreign doctors should be allowed to work in Thailand...We may set up a hotel or a golf club with foreign partners, who can draw their fellows to visit Thailand repeatedly,'' Korn said.

afp The UN says massive floods in Pakistan have affected 13.8 million people and eclipsed the scale of the devastating 2004 tsunami, as anger mounts among survivors. The UN estimates 1600 people have died in Pakistan's floods. About 220,000 were killed by the December 26, 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia.

news.com.au Queensland tourism operators are facing the fight of their lives to lure holidaymakers, who are increasingly shunning domestic beach holidays in favor of cheap deals to places such as Bali, Fiji and Thailand. New figures released this week show more than a million more Australians travelled overseas in the last financial year than the number of international tourists who came to Queensland - the biggest gap on record.

straitstimes.com Cambodia's Premier warned that a border dispute with Thailand was ''very hot'' and could result in violence, reiterating his call for international assistance to end the row. ''Cambodia would like to ask for intervention to have an international conference on the issue of the Cambodian-Thai border dispute,'' PM Hun Sen said during a ceremony attended by foreign diplomats.

scotsman.com Indonesian anti-terror police have detained radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir and several other militants in a crackdown on a network found making bombs and planning to attack the country's president. The detention of Bashir, considered by many foreign governments as a driving force for radical Islamic movements in Indonesia, shows Jakarta is stepping up a fight against a relatively new network plotting a coup to form a sharia state.

cnn.com Eight people were killed and 90 were missing after a boat sank in Indonesia, according to the Antara news agency. A police official, said the 'Hasnita' motor boat sank just minutes before arriving in Lembata. It mainly carried farmers and traders who were traveling to sell agricultural products, the news agency said.

speroforum.com Hundreds of Muslim extremists and residents in Bekasi, 25 kilometres east of Jakarta, attacked dozens of members of a Protestant Church. A mob of about 800 angry Muslims stormed an open field in Ciketing Asem, Bekasi, Sunday morning, where Christians were holding Mass. After taking over the place, they roughly threw the Christians out.

asiaone.com Many of the foreigners rescued in Malaysia on suspicion of being victims of human trafficking turned out to be people who came to work as prostitutes. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu Seman Yusop said of the 1656 suspected human trafficking victims rescued between February 2008 and July this year, only 484 of them were actual victims. The 1656 came from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and China. Abu Seman said the 484 victims were now being housed in shelters and safe houses. ''Of the 484, 291 had been trafficked for sexual purposes and checks later revealed that 25 were below the age of 18,'' he said.

reuters Turkish Airlines has grounded 28 flight attendants for being overweight and given them six months to slim down or face reassignment. The employees, 13 of whom are women, are on unpaid leave until they lose weight, Haber Turk daily said, citing a statement from state-run Turkish Airlines. All of them previously had been warned to shape up, it added.

smh.com.au Does ace Thai chef David Thompson, an Australian, have any advice for travellers apprehensive about eating street food? ''Get over it,'' he says. ''Thais go to the market each morning. Everything is super fresh and spends less than eight hours between being picked and landing on a plate. They have never died from eating their food and neither will you.'' There are a few universal rules. Eat where the locals are eating; there is usually a reason that street stalls, like restaurants, are busy, or empty.

thisislondon.co.uk Thai health authorities are urging women not to wear fashionable black leggings to avoid attracting dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes. They recommend thick clothes such as jeans after a dengue outbreak. This year 26 out of 43 dengue deaths in Thailand were of people between the ages of 10 and 24. There have been 40,000 cases this year, a significant increase on the 31,929 cases and 30 deaths in 2009.



Until August 12 Andaman Motor Expo
August 11-September 9 Ramadan
August 12-13 Queen's Birthday Holiday, public offices closed
August 14-15 Baba wedding, Phuket Town
August 21 Rip Curl Hunt for Young Surfers, Nai Harn beach
September 11 Phuket Surf Lifesaving Carnival, Loma Park, Patong
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
October 8-16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi