afp Anti-government protesters have stormed Thailand's parliament, using a truck to smash through the gates and force their way into the compound, a parliamentary official says. "Hundreds of them are inside parliament premises," said Pitoon Pumhiran, secretary general of the House of Representatives.


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

PHUKET beaches were being evacuated today amid a tsunami alert, the local director of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Sam Jantawong, told Phuketwan at 6.30am this morning. He said that if there is a tsunami, it would arrive at 7am.

All the Andaman provinces were in the process of evacuation, Thai news reports said.

heraldsun.com.au A massive earthquake has rocked Sumatra - in Indonesia - the same region battered just last year. The quake measured 7.8, according to the US Geological Survey, and triggered a local tsunami alert. It struck at a depth of 46km in Northern Sumatra, about 5.15am.

reuters A local tsunami watch was in effect for Indonesia, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. ''A destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data,'' the center said. But it added ''there is the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts'' no more than 100 km from the epicenter of the quake. The quake was centered 127 miles west-northwest of Sibolga and was at a depth of 28.6 miles, the USGS said.
In December 2004, a magnitude 9.15 quake off the coast of Sumatra's Aceh province triggered an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed about 226,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries.

aviationweek.com US low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, one of the first carriers in the world to charge customers for all checked bags, will start charging them as much as $45 for carry-on items that do not fit under a seat. Spirit is calling the charge for carry-on overhead bin storage as ''the next phase of unbundling.'' Passengers who pay the fee also will move to the front of the line for boarding.

cnn.com Each passenger will still able to bring one personal item that fits under a seat for free, such as a purse, briefcase, backpack or laptop computer. They also won't have to pay extra for items such as diaper bags, pet containers and cameras. Airline officials called it a ''bring less; pay less'' policy that would ultimately benefit customers.

abc.net.au The Indian government has expressed its shock after more than 75 police were killed in an attack by Maoist rebels, the deadliest such attack on security forces. Almost an entire company of paramilitary police was wiped out after hundreds of rebels opened fire on the officers on a jungle road in the central state of Chhattisgarh. Reinforcements were ambushed.

Reuters Lonely Planet has come up with 10 destinations where you can reinvent yourself. At No. 6: Fed up peering in the mirror, jiggling your wobbly bits and wishing everything was a little further north? Considering a little nip and tuck or two, but worried about showing your post-op bruises in public? Cheap prices coupled with recuperation in the sun is making surgery in Phuket, Kuala Lumpur or Manila increasingly popular. Today state-of the-art facilities make a facelift or a hip replacement a short inconvenience before relaxing by the beach.

telegraph.co.uk George Brown visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace to ask her to dissolve parliament with an election to be held on May 6. George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, set the scene for the fight ahead in the closest election campaign for almost 20 years. ''Britain wants change but it's going to be a big, hard-fought election,'' said Mr Osborne.

Associated Press Two women have been arrested at a British airport after they reportedly put their dead relative in a wheelchair, stuck some sunglasses on him and tried to smuggle his corpse onto a flight. Police said the women were detained at Liverpool's John Lennon airport ''on suspicion of failing to give notification of death'' of a 91-year-old man.

bangkokpost.com The intensifying red-shirt rally by the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship in Bangkok has pummeled the tourism sector, reducing arrivals by about 10 percent, said Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa. ''The off-season for tourists is also nearing and there have to be more measures to encourage Thai and foreign tourists,'' he added.

heraldsun.com.au A Qantas plane with 335 passengers on board has been forced down after experiencing a surge in one of its engines. The Boeing 747 from Bangkok to London Heathrow experienced the engine problem shortly after take-off and returned to Bangkok. Qantas said passenger were never in danger as the aircraft can fly normally on three engines.


smh.com.au Mirko Bagaric writes: The best way to ameliorate Third World poverty is by massively increasing migration to the West. Left to their own devices many people would gravitate to life-sustaining resources, leading to a rough equilibrium between the world's resources and its population. There is one fundamental obstacle to Western nations relaxing border controls: racism.

bioprepwatch.com A new bill aimed at changing the perception of Malaysia as a dumping ground for weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons, has been introduced There is currently no specific law in Malaysia to control strategic goods that takes into account specific elements and the potentials for the abuse of WMDs by irresponsible groups.

eglobaltravelnews.com.au The Mekong Tourism Forum 2010 will take place near Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, May 7-8.The theme of the Mekong Tourism Forum 2010 is ''New Roads, New Opportunities''. Business and government sector leaders will assess the latest tourism developments and investment opportunities along the regional road networks linking Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern China provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi.



Until April 8 First Phuket Tattoo Convention, Jungceylon, Patong. Admission 150 baht.
April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.
April 12-13 Water festival on the Beach
April 13-15 Songkran in Old Phuket Town
April 14-18 Phuket Cricket Sixes, Karon Sports Stadium.
May 31-June 5 Eight-nation football tournament for players over 55 at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City. Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, Iran, Armenia competing.
May Annual Phuket seafood festival.
May Date to be finalised for Muay Thai kickboxing competition at Laguna Phuket.
May 21-23 Paragliding on Phuket.
June 4-13 Phuket International Film Festival, Coliseum Cineplex, Phuket City.
June 13 Laguna Phuket International Marathon. Fun runs, too.
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta