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

timesonline.com A downcast and sometimes angry Tiger Woods broke his three-month silence with a rambling apology to friends, fans - and his absent wife. Sighing heavily and sniffing back tears, the world's leading golfer and first billion-dollar sportsman read a repetitive 14-minute statement to a small, invited audience during a week-long break from his sex addiction therapy.

news.com.au This was a press conference called solely to woo the networks and get the sponsors back on side (Gillette, AT&T, Tag Heuer and Gatorade, Tiger Woods wants you back). If Woods could come across as humble and repentant as a preacher caught with one hand in the till and another up a waitress's skirt, then all would be well for his return to the game.

washingtonpost.com Eva Rodriguez writes: I've never been more disgusted with Tiger Woods.I found his apology unbelievable, insincere, self-serving, self-indulgent, and narcissistic. The more he spoke about redemption, about becoming a better man, a better husband, a better father, a better Buddhist, a better role model for your children and mine, the more I wanted him to just shut up.

afp Thousands of protesters forced Thailand's biggest bank to close its headquarters, raising tensions one week before a court ruling on the fortune of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Bangkok Bank shut its head office for the day and sent 3000 staff home because of the rally by Thaksin's supporters, who say the bank has links to a royal aide whom they blame for the 2006 coup that toppled their idol.

abc.net.au The caning of three Muslim women for breaking Islamic law in Malaysia has drawn outrage from human rights groups. Amnesty International said there was an "epidemic" of caning, calling the punishment cruel and degrading. Amnesty's Malaysia researcher, Lance Lattig, says some 35,000 people have been caned in Malaysia since 2002.

Associated Press Three Muslim women who were the first in Malaysia to be caned for illicit sex feel the penalty was an opportunity for them to repent, media reports said. One, aged 17, told reporters that she surrendered to Islamic authorities after her prematurely born child died. She is now serving a six-month prison sentence.

afp Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways said it will provide a chartered aircraft that will exclusively fly foreign guests visiting the city's first casino resort. The airline said it signed an agreement with Resorts World Sentosa under which the casino operator will take over the lease of the aircraft. The plane will be staffed by pilots and cabin crew from Tiger Airways.

businessweek.com Genting Singapore Plc, owner of Singapore's first casino, fell for a fourth day amid concern the venture may draw fewer visitors than forecast. The stock lost 1.1 percent to 94 Singapore cents at the close, down 11 percent since Resorts World Sentosa opened its gambling facility on February 14. Genting Singapore has slumped 28 percent this year, the worst performance on the benchmark Straits Times Index, which has retreated 4.9 percent.

smh.com.au Australia's biggest low-cost airline has revealed it has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past year retraining staff to reduce the number of complaints about bad customer service. The airline unveiled a customer charter last week known as the "Jetstar Customer Guarantee" following a call by the federal government in its aviation white paper, released in December, for airlines to improve customer service to avoid new laws setting minimum standards. The new charter follows the stranding of nearly 300 Jetstar passengers in Phuket, Thailand, in late January and their rescue at a cost of more than $A1 million.

theage.com.au Australian Catholics were jubilant at the Vatican's announcement that Mary MacKillop has become the nation's first saint. A consistory of cardinals and Pope Benedict XVI voted to declare the founder of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart among the company of the saints.

telegraph.co.uk in spite of the unrestricted development and crowds, there are seascapes in Thailand forever burnt in my memory for their singular drama: the karstic hills around Krabi, Phuket's sheer cliffs down to sandy coves, the limestone islands rising up from Phang Nga bay .Few of us want a truly desert island-style experience.

theaustralian.com.au Double Pool Villas, Banyan Tree Phuket: Arguably Phuket's most glamorous hideaways, these 22 house-sized villas with two swimming spaces are scattered through an estate on the resort's northern reaches. They are accessed via frangipani-filled gardens and arched bridges, the villas complement Banyan Tree Phuket proper but have their own entry and infrastructure.



February 19-21 Old Phuket Chinese New Year Festival, Old Phuket Town.
February 25-28 Phuket Gay Festival in Patong.
February 26-27 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2010 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, Karon.
February 26-28 Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s at Fifa Phuket Tsunami Centre.
April 9-13 Phuket Bike Week, including tattoo competitions, island rides and the Miss Phuket Bike Week contest.
April 14 Phuket Cricket Sixes begin.
May31-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 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.