Patong firemen took about 30 minutes to extinguish a blaze in a clothing shop in Soi Braisanee, off Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi Road. The blaze was spotted about 3am. Damage is still being assessed.


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

NEAR perfect blue skies greeted dawn on Phuket on Monday. The weather bureau forecast: 34 degrees the maximum, with a 30 percent chance of showers in the evening.

afp Hundreds of residents fled the Indonesian port town of Cilacap for higher ground on Monday when an earthquake struck south of Java with a magnitude estimated by US seismologists at 6.7. A tsunami warning was later cancelled.

bangkokpost.com Exports, tourism and domestic consumption helped the Thai economy expand in February, the Bank of Thailand said in its latest economic report. Tourist arrivals were robust, with hotel occupancy at 69 percent, up from 66 percent in the same period last year.

xinhua.com A total of 45 people were confirmed killed by the flash floods and mudslides in southern provinces of Thailand, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said.

bangkokpost.com The National Disaster Warning Centre has warned people in the South to remain on high alert for more mudslides over the next two days.

nationmultimedia.com The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry recorded over 30 landslides and eight flashfloods in eight southern provinces from March 24-31.

abcnews.go.com Southwest Airlines says inspectors have found cracks - similar to those that caused an airplane to lose pressure and make an emergency landing - in two more planes.

smh.com.au The Australian dollar has burst through the 104-US-cent mark, marking a record of 104.23 US cents in the early hours of this morning. [Phuket is likely to benefit from a high Aussie $.]

straitstimes.com A 14-year-old Thai girl who fell onto a Singapore MRT track at the Ang Mo Kio station has lost both her legs. Lianhe Wanbao reported that she had come to stay with a relative three weeks ago to learn English, and was supposed to return to Thailand on Saturday.

smh.com.au People smugglers have duped 128 Afghan asylum seekers by dropping them off at a tiny Indonesian island they were told was Australia's Ashmore Reef. The smugglers were long gone by the time the asylum seekers discovered they were on N'Dao, Indonesia's closest island to Australia, about 50 kilometres from Ashmore Reef.

cnn.com The overall confirmed death toll from the March 11 quake and tsunami in Japan stands at 12,087, according to Japan's National Police Agency. Another 15,552 are missing or unaccounted for and 2876 are injured.

japantimes.co.jp The establishment's efforts to put a lid on the seething Thai kettle appear untenable. Unless good-faith efforts at compromise are shown by all sides, Thailand will not retake its rightful place among the world's up-and-coming democracies.

afp Malaysia's top Islamic clerical body will decide the fate of a popular dance later this month after a state banned it over claims it contained "Christian rituals," according to reports. Harussani Zakaria, mufti of the northern state of Perak has said the "poco-poco" dance violated Islamic law as it was a "cult dance," whose "moves reflect the making of a cross."

onislam.net The Malaysian government allowed on Sunday, April 3, to print and import Bibles in all local Malay languages, a move that won praise from the country's Christian minority. Under the move, Bibles written in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, Iban, Kadazan-Dusun and Lun Bawang will now be allowed into the country.

nytimes.com Beijing has at least 16 oil and gas companies invested in 21 onshore and offshore projects in Burma, far more than any other country. Until now, there's been very little information available about these projects. Revenues will accrue to the military rulers and serve to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

rthk.org.hk Burma is warning that revellers who wear "decadent" clothing during the upcoming New Year's celebrations can face up to a month in prison.

stuff.co.nz The Maritime Union is calling for a full audit of the industry after reports have revealed overseas fishing crews are being exploited in New Zealand waters. The men earn between $260 and $460 a month before paying the agents. Conditions on the boats are unsafe and often violent.



BIKE WEEK from April 8-11 is expected to draw thousands of visitors to Patong with highlights including a tree planting campaign, a tattoo contest, island rides and Miss Phuket Bike Week.

JAPAN and flood relief concerts April 9-10 in Queen Sirikit Park and a walking street fair in Thalang Road Phuket City hope to raise six million baht for quake and tsunami victims in Japan and flood victims in Thailand. From 5pm.

SARASIN Songkran. A first-time three-day fair and concerts from April 11-13 sees Phuket joining with neighboring Phang Nga to celebrate Thai new year on the obsolete Sarasin Bridge that links the provinces.

April 8 IBAP with Michael Ma at Indochine
April 9-10 Phuket 'mini concert' to aid Japan
April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 11-13 Sarasin Songkran on the bridge between Phuket and Phang Nga
April 12-17 Phuket International Cricket Sixes
April 13-15 Songkran Festival, Phuket City, Patong celebrations
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
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 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket