mmtimes.com Burmese police have launched a brutal crackdown on student protesters in Letpadan, who attempted to push through the barricades to continue their march on Yangon for education reform.

theguardian.com French sports stars participating in a reality TV show were among 10 killed when helicopters collided in mid-air while filming in northwestern Argentina. Champion sailor Florence Arthaud, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine were among those killed.


PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.



bangkokpost.com Make a choice, says Prime Minister Prayut: The government needs 200 billion baht, and can get it with a new tax on buildings and land - or a VAT rise from seven percent to 10 percent.

nationmultimedia.com The Abbot of Dhammakaya Temple, Phra Dhammachayo, and another monk at the centre of the Klongchan Credit Union embezzlement case have postponed their appointment at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to answer questions about their alleged receipt of huge donations from the controversy-plagued cooperative.

news.com.au Thousands of migrant workers - including teenagers and alleged underage employees - are living and working in gruelling conditions packaging cheap tuna tins destined for Australian supermarket shelves.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/toxic-tuna-daily-telegraph-investigation-reveals-the-smelly-and-messy-conditions-at-thai-tuna-factories-linked-to-poisoned-fish/story-fnpn0zn5-1227255781943



news.com.au You can get any notification on your Apple Watch that appears on your phone today, whether it be a sports score, news update, Facebook message or text message. A new MacBook was also announced. Weighing less than 1kg, it is only 13.1mm at its thickest point, 24 percent thinner than the old MacBook Air.

economist.com The Apple Watch is dependent on a nearby smartphone, which means that users will just be adding another device to their growing menageries instead of replacing one. This is not unlike selling someone a wristwatch that requires a pocket watch to work.

manila.coconuts.co A 30-year-old German man who was found drinking and partying after begging for money on Bangkok and Pattaya streets is now chancing his luck in the Philippines, reports the Bangkok Post. Benjamin Holst has a swollen left leg (he suffers from a condition called macrodystrophia lipomatosa) and has been allegedly using his condition to get people to help him out.

scmp.com The fewest number of air accidents in history were recorded last year as more flights took off than ever before - but the number of fatalities from air crashes rose after high-profile disasters involving Asian airlines.

cnn.com For the second year running Bangkok has nabbed regional culinary bragging rights in Asia with Gaggan taking home the coveted number one spot at the San Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurant Awards. [Nahm in Bangkok took seventh.]

smh.com.au A Sydney council has lost a landmark legal battle against a massage parlor it alleged was operating as an illegal brothel, after a court ruled the council failed to prove there was enough sex being provided on the premises.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/show-me-more-sex-judge-tells-council-in-landmark-legal-case-20150308-13vx7g.html

bbc.com German Ivana Hoffman, 19, has become the first female foreign fighter to be killed battling Islamic State (IS) alongside Kurdish militia groups.

afp North Korea apologised to Bangladesh after one of its diplomats was caught trying to smuggle 27 kilos of gold into the country, a Dhaka official said.

cnn.com Two American women have reportedly been arrested for carving their initials into a wall with a coin inside Rome's Colosseum. Daily Italian newspaper La Stampa says the women, aged 21 and 25, were spotted carrying out the act by fellow tourists, who then told security.



thanhniennews.com Vietnamese can start working in Thailand in the next few months under a new labor pact being discussed by the two countries, which have struggled to find a good solution for illegal workers. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Vietnam's deputy labor minister, said officials are discussing related matters including labor protection and wages.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-viet-labor-thailand-thein-sein-herded-rohingya-camps-central-tries-laos-cambodia-22010/



paininthearsenal.com I was incredibly proud of Arsenal's winning 1-2 performance in the FA Cup, and all Gooners should be. They showed tremendous composure, determination and grit to edge out their rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

independent.co.uk England have been knocked out of the Cricket World Cup after losing their crucial Pool A match against Bangladesh by 15 runs.



Until March 15 Heroines Festival

Until March 8 Bay Regatta

April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-15 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek