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

telegraph.co.uk US embassy officials in Malaysia say terrorist groups are planning to increase attacks in the state of Sabah. The state, including the highest mountain in south east Asia, Mount Kinabalu, and world class diving, is popular among British tourists. The US believes that there is ''present concern'' that the Abu Sayyaf group of Islamic militants, with links to al Qaeda, is planning to attack foreign tourists in Sabah and issued a travel notice on Friday.

Associated Press ''There are indications that both criminal and terrorist groups are planning or intend acts of violence against foreigners in eastern Sabah, notwithstanding the government of Malaysia's increased ability to detect, deter and prevent such attacks,'' according to a travel advisory posted on the Web site of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. The advisory noted that al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants based in the southern Philippines, which is a short boat ride from Sabah, have kidnapped foreigners from Sabah's secluded resort areas in the past.

reuters.com Malaysia's deputy police chief, Ismail Omar, said his officers were taking all necessary steps. ''I have alerted all my officers in Sabah to boost security at all these places,'' he told Reuters. A US embassy spokesman in Kuala Lumpur said such statements were issued periodically and the latest warning was posted ''to enable people to make informed decisions about their security.''

Straitstimes.com Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his politically divided nation would be better off if it stopped relying on the widely revered King to intervene in times of difficulty. Speaking to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand on Thursday, Mr Abhisit said the country had ''struggled at times of crisis to solve problems,'' in which 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej's role had been ''critical, crucial, vital''. ''Now what I'm saying is that it would be better if we can all resolve these issues without having to rely on His Majesty's interventions, even though they are always within the framework of the Constitution.''

smh.com.au Worldwide, a quarter of all travel bookings last year were made online. And in the US, the number of main-street travel agencies has halved in the past decade as travellers go straight to the web. In Australia, traditional travel agents are still popular but the future may not be so bright. Business information analyst IBISWorld predicts a difficult year for these agents.

UKPA Malaysian police have arrested a Lebanese man allegedly carrying fake currency with a value of 66 million US dollars after he tipped a hotel worker with a 500 US dollar note. The largest US note currently in circulation is a 100 dollar bill. Yet police found bundles of one million, 100,000 and 500 dollar notes in the man's hotel room in Kuala Lumpur, the New Straits Times and The Star newspapers reported.

courant.com Three members of a newly formed civilian patrol to enforce Islam's strict Shariah law in Indonesia's Aceh province have been accused of gang-raping a 20-year-old university student, authorities there said. The attack allegedly occurred this month at a small-town police station after the patrol members, known here as the Shariah police, took the woman into custody. Two men, ages 27 and 29, were arrested and one is still being sought, authorities said.

chinadaily.com.cn China's statistics from 2009 are expected to show its first deficit in tourism, due to a weak global economy and a strong travel incentive at home, a senior researcher said. China Tourism Academy, the think tank for the country's tourism authority, said that mainland tourists spent some $42 billion in overseas destinations including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan last year. At the same time, overseas tourists spent only $38 billion on the mainland, down by 7 percent year-on-year.

asiatribune.com Asean aims to promote regional peace and stability through respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the UN Charter. Yet it shuts its eyes while extrajudicial killings and violence against women and children take place daily in one of its member countries. There is no law and order at all under Burma's military dictatorship.

smh.com.au Countries concerned for 4500 Hmong people deported from Thailand should have resettled the asylum seekers while they had time, the Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, has said. Four countries, including Australia, had already agreed to take some of the asylum seekers but they are now back in Laos, where they cannot be accessed and their fate is uncertain.

greenbaypressgazette.com Tragically, with the help of Washington bureaucrats, America once again has helped betray many of its former Hmong allies who served with US clandestine and military forces during the Vietnam War. Key US diplomats have chosen to ignore overwhelming evidence of human rights abuses against the Hmong people, including horrific attacks by the Lao military on civilians and dissidents, and instead stressed promoting free trade with the one-party, communist regime in Laos.

scmp.com Beijing police forced organisers to cancel what would have been the mainland's first gay pageant an hour before it was due to begin last night, dashing optimism that authorities are adopting a more open attitude to homosexuality. The decision was a disappointment for those championing gay rights and social equality. As late as yesterday afternoon, Xinhua was still reporting that Mr Gay China would be held at Beijing's Lan Club.

irrawaddy.org The Htoo Group of Companies owned by Tay Za, a close associate of Burmese junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe, has reportedly bought the police headquarters buildings in Mandalay, according to local sources. One building, the old Burma Provincial Police Training School, is the site where George Orwell was trained as a British police officer and is mentioned in his classic 'Burmese Days.' Orwell served as police officer in Burma from 1922 to 1927.



January 24 A new kind of raw gourmet food is gaining popularity for its unrivaled health benefits including weight loss and anti-aging. Mom Tri's Villa Royale is holding the first raw food workshop on Phuket. The half-day workshop will feature celebrity raw food chef and author Ani Phyo, demonstrating six recipes adapted for Thailand. The 1pm-5pm workshop is 800 baht in advance or 1000 baht on the day. Call 076 333 569 for Sylvie or e: pr@villaroyalephuket.com

February 7 Wichit Municipality mini-marathon over 4.5 kilometres and 10.5 kilometres. For more information call 076-525100 or 080-6481363.

February 26-27 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2010 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, Karon.

April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.