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

Associated Press An anchored boat packed with sleeping travellers sank in Vietnam's scenic Ha Long Bay, killing 12 people from nine countries in the deadliest tour boat accident since the country opened to foreign visitors 25 years ago.

telegraph.co.uk Two Swedish women in their early 20s and a British tourist were among the 12 killed after their tour boat sank during the night in Vietnam's picturesque Ha Long Bay. Twenty seven people were on the boat when it went down.

afp Thailand will hold a general election by the middle of this year, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said, setting the stage for a fierce poll battle in the politically divided nation. "I guarantee that it will happen before June," he told reporters when asked about the timing of the vote.

Phuket Update PHUKET has seen the election coming. The big new billboards at the airport t-intersection and along Thepkasattri Road, promoting the virtues of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Phuket-based secretary-general Anchalee Vanich, can mean only one thing: roll on the poll.

reuters.com Troops took control of Manama after riot police stormed an anti-government protest camp at dawn and fought demonstrators on the streets, killing four people in Bahrain's worst violence in decades. Police cleared the capital's Pearl Square of mainly Shi'ite protesters demanding more say in the Sunni-ruled island kingdom.

rian.ru At least two people have been killed and 40 wounded when Iraqi police dispersed a protest demonstration in Iraqi Kurdistan. Police opened fire at protesters when they tried to storm the government offices in the city of Sulaimaniya, chanting slogans against corruption, the BBC said.

aljazeera.net In an apparent effort to control the public narrative in the wake of rare protests that have spread throughout Libya, the country's government is threatening to withdraw scholarship funding from citizens studying in the US unless they attend pro-government rallies in Washington this weekend, Al Jazeera has learned. Several Libyans studying in the US said they and their peers have received phone calls this week from a man employed by the Libyan embassy instructing them to join rallies in the capital.

Phuket Update Graders have almost completed razing a grove of rubber trees ready for building the large new Tesco-Lotus store, close to the Bang Tao-Surin turnoff in Thepkasattri Road, Thalang. The store is expected to be of a similar size to the existing one in Phuket City.

bangkokpost.com Letter: While Thailand and Cambodia are busy fighting over the ruins of an ancient temple, boys and girls are being trafficked from one side of the border to the other right under the authorities' noses but they are too busy to see it. Child trafficking is a real issue we should be concentrating on. The Thai-Cambodian trouble is like two brothers on the beach, fighting over a sand castle while their little sister nearby is drowning in the sea!

reuters Singapore's Changi Airport Group, Asia's fifth-biggest by the number of passengers, said its passenger traffic grew 11.9 percent to 3.79 million in January from a year ago. The passenger traffic growth was faster compared to 6 percent increase in December.

nationmultimedia.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand is approaching the US and Middle East markets through its "Memorable Honeymoon in Thailand" campaign to attract newlyweds.

todayonline.com Malaysia has scrapped plans to build a coal-fired power plant near a Borneo wildlife reserve, a move environmentalists praised as a landmark effort to curtail projects that threaten rainforests teeming with endangered animals.

allheadlinenews.com An environmental organization in Indonesia has warned that the 1,000-odd captive orangutans set to be released on Borneo Island ''are being sent into a killing field of illegal logging and poaching.''



February 18 Makha Bucha public holiday
February 20 Pink Floyd charity tribute by New Machine, Zantika, Khao Lak
February 23-26 Phuket Gay Pride Festival, Patong
February 25-26 Phuket International Blues and Rock Festival 2011
February 26-27 Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s, Phuket International Academy
March4-6 Pool Asia Expo and Conference, Hilton, Phuket
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


Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket