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

bangkokpost.com Police have beefed up security for US citizens and interests in Bangkok in the wake of al-Qaeda terrorist group leader Osama bin Laden's death.There are fears Muslim insurgents in the deep South may retaliate against the US-led operation to kill bin Laden.

reuters US special forces set out to kill Osama bin Laden and dump his body in the sea to make it harder for the al-Qaeda founder to become a martyr, US national security officials say. "This was a kill operation," one of the officials said.

smh.com.au Bin Laden died knowing that he had not only killed almost 3000 people (including the 19 hijackers) in his attacks on the US. He had also successfully goaded the US into pointlessly invading Iraq, damaging US credibility, sacrificing more than 4000 of its own troops, hundreds of troops of its allies and more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians.

telegraph.co.uk In September, the final piece of the jigsaw fell into place when facial recognition software identified bin Laden, 54, from satellite pictures as he exercised outside.

todayonline.com Dr Rohan Gunaratna from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorist Research at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies said: "In the short term, it will ignite resentment and anger, suffering, frustration, and that will translate into support for extremism, advocacy for extremism, and even participation in terrorism, in Indonesia, and perhaps to some extent in southern Philippines".

theage.com.au Indonesia is bracing for retaliatory terrorist acts targeting Westerners as it emerged that the country's most wanted militant, Umar Patek, was arrested earlier this year in the same Pakistani town where Osama bin Laden met his end. The country's anti-terrorism chief said that he ''definitely'' expects an attack.

foxnews.com Through a spokesman, Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said he didn't believe that bin Laden's death would lead to the end of Al Qaeda. "We're still waiting for clarification from Al Qaeda, whether it's true or not - that news of his death," he said."When it's true, then it will not put Al Qaeda to death. Osama's death will not make Al Qaeda dead." Bashir, said to be behind the Bali bombings, is in jail awaiting a verdict following the discovery of a new terrorist cell known as Al Qaeda of the Veranda of Mecca training in Aceh.

channelnewsasia.com Singapore has heightened all security measures at its borders and checkpoints in light of bin Laden's death. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs says this is to guard against the entry of terrorist operatives as well as regional elements affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

thestar.com.my International police agency Interpol issued a global alert to ''a heightened terror risk from al-Qaeda affiliated or inspired terrorists'' even as Osama's supporters took to the Internet to ''vow revenge''.

latimes.com Osama bin Laden has been buried at sea because it would have been too hard to find a country willing to accept the remains of the world's most wanted terrorist, according to a US official.

globalpost.com With Osama bin Laden's killing in Pakistan, so goes the opportunity to make him answer for Al Qaeda's wrongdoings in court. That distinction will largely fall to Kuwait-born Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or ''KSM,'' a confessed architect of the World Trade Center attacks. The US has just recently announced that his military trial will take place soon at Guantanamo Bay detention center, his prison since 2006.

afp Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian surgeon considered the real mastermind of the global terror franchise, is now set to succeed Osama bin Laden as the world's most-wanted man.

channel6newsonline.com Indonesia announced that four Somali pirates were killed during an operation that freed 20 sailors, the Jakarta Globe reported. The operation was conducted to free the 20 crew members of the bulk cargo carrier Sinar Kudus which was pirated about 46 days ago.

bangkokpost.com Thailand have been booted out from the Olympic qualifying round for fielding an ineligible player, the Football Association of Thailand confirmed. Thailand defeated Palestine 5-4 on penalties in the first qualifying round for the 2012 Olympics after the Thais won 1-0 in Bangkok and Palestine triumphed by the same scoreline in the return leg.

Thailand Update Human Rights Watch is holding a news conference today to release a report, 'Descent Into Chaos: Thailand's 2010 Red Shirt Protests and the Government Crackdown.' A media release says: ''With no justice, there has been no peace as the political polarisation in Thailand deepens and the country prepares for national elections that must be called in 2011. This report scrutinises key events and violence in the descent into chaos in Bangkok, assesses and assigns responsibility for human rights abuse on both sides of the struggle, exposes the ongoing, rolling political crackdown visited by the government against political opponents since the end of the May protests, and makes recommendations.''



May 5 Coronation Day public holiday
May 13 Royal Ploughing Day public holiday
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
May 17 Visakha Bucha Day public holiday
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 17 Phuket Property Dot Com Pro Am Invitational, Laguna
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 3 Phuket Navy League US Independence Day fair at Headstart International School
July 15 Asarnha Bucha Day public holiday
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday public holiday
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 26-27 9th Phuket International Soccer 7s
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 3-4 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket