independent.co.uk The suspected terrorists shot dead by special forces during a raid in Belgium last night may have been planning to dress as police to launch a deadly gun and bomb attack, it has emerged. Special forces who raided a property in the town of Verviers, killing the two men as snipers patrolled the rooftops, found four Kalashnikovs and bomb-making equipment among police uniforms, La Libre reported.


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 Thai tour agents have reached an agreement to set a maximum price for optional tours for Chinese visitors at 600 yuan (3175 baht) per head to reduce problems of them being abandoned or forced to buy expensive goods in Thailand.

bbc.com Two suspected jihadists have been killed in an anti-terror operation in eastern Belgium, officials say. Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt said a third person had been arrested in the raid in Verviers, and no police or members of the public were harmed.

reuters Thailand's constitution will include the term ''third gender'' for the first time, a member of a panel drafting a new charter said, in a move to empower transgender and gay communities and ensure them fairer legal treatment.

afp The Swiss franc soared 29 percent against the euro Thursday after Switzerland's central bank said it was ending a three-year bid to artificially hold down the currency's value.



straitstimes.com There's been a familiar pattern to Thailand's anti-human trafficking efforts: Every now and then - especially around the time the US issues its annual worldwide Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report - Bangkok will declare its achievements and announce tough measures to rein in this scourge. This week reporters detected that same whiff of earnestness.

voanews.com Fleeing persecution in Burma (Myanmar), the Rohingya see Malaysia as a potential safe haven. But Malaysia has not signed the UN convention on refugees, so the Rohingya find they cannot work legally, or send their children to school. Activists estimate at least 18,000 have arrived in recent months. Most feel they had no option but to flee.



wsj.com Pilots in Indonesia say the archipelago nation's air-traffic control system is unsophisticated and doesn't do enough to help airliners contend with poor flying conditions, concerns that are getting more attention after last month's crash of an AirAsia plane over Indonesian waters.



nationmultimedia.com Thailand's nationwide beach clean-ups are continuing into the new year with Pattaya and Jomtien receiving a new zoning regulation to reduce the space for beach chairs and umbrellas so as to increase fun areas for holidaymakers. Tourists can choose to relax on wide stretches of empty sand or seek out deckchairs and umbrellas in designated areas.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/New-zoning-policy-ensures-more-space-on-beaches-30251982.html

reuters The number of tourists arriving in Thailand rose for the third straight month in December, increasing 11.76 percent from the same period a year earlier, as the sector continues to recover from months of political unrest that led to an army coup in May.

telegraph.co.uk The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) reported that Thailand was one of the top 10 global tourism destinations in 2012 and 2013. Mass tourism has been an economic mainstay in Thailand for three decades, and the country's charm remains largely intact.

themalaysianinsider.com Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who was sentenced to death over the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, is likely to escape the gallows, after an Australian daily quoted officials as saying that extraditing him to face the death penalty would violate the country's laws. The Sydney Morning Herald, quoting a spokesman for the Attorney-General's Department, said Australian laws do not allow extradition in cases where the penalty is the death sentence.

hospitality.net The Southern Tip Peninsula of Patong is to be the stunning location for a new five star property developed by Andakira Group named, Andakira Crest Tri Trang Resort & Spa Pool Villas. This eco-friendly five star upper upscale hotel class is planning to have a soft opening in December 2015.

scmp.com Pesticide levels that exceeded national safety limits were found in a third of vegetable samples taken from Guangzhou markets in a new study by the environmental group Greenpeace.

telegraph.co.uk Shortly after the military coup in May 2014, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, coup leader and now Prime Minister of Thailand, published 12 values that he believes represent Thainess, which are recited by pupils in schools across the country each morning. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has picked up on the theme and its new 2015 Discover Thainess campaign launched with a parade in downtown Bangkok.

ft.com Cheaper oil prices and a resurgent US economy are unlikely to be enough to pull the global economy out of a growth pattern that is ''too low, too brittle and too lopsided,'' said Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

bangkokpost.com Thais and Chinese could be riding back and forth on a dual-track railway before 2020, thanks to plans brought to the top of the agenda by Prime Minister Prayuth.

nytimes.com If the Paris attacks unleashed a powerful demonstration of unity, with world leaders gathering to denounce terrorism, they also touched off a divisive new chapter in the war of words between Turkey and Israel, once stalwart allies but now bitter rivals.

time.com Tommy Schaefer and Heather Mack, charged with the brutal killing of Mack's mother and Chicago socialite Sheila von Wiese-Mack during a vacation in Bali, traded their bright orange prison vests for clean pressed clothes as guards led them into an Indonesian courtroom for the first day of their murder trial.

bangkokpost.com A grenade and an airsoft pistol have been seized from the home of former Norwegian soldier Arnie Oloph Johnsen, 67, in Nakhon Phanom, after the gun accidentally fell from his clothing to the floor during a row with a village chief.

thephuketinsider.com We've been expanding the island's boundaries for a few years now under the moniker of Greater Phuket, because, let's face it, who really gives a damn about Krabi or Phang Nga when we can add some Vegas pizazz to the region's leading leisure real estate market. It's even made its way over the Sarasin Bridge towards the white sandy stretch of Natai Beach; Asia's very own version of The Hamptons.



bbc.com The Pope has been greeted by hundreds of thousands of cheering people who waited several hours in steaming heat for his arrival in the Philippines.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-indonesia-execute-six-sunday-video-ride-martyr-pope-greeted-sex-trade-raid-frees-21724/



eurosport.yahoo.com Cristiano Ronaldo apologised to Real Madrid fans after his miraculous powers deserted him as the holders were knocked out of the King's Cup by city rivals Atletico Madrid. Atletico went through to the quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate and will face record winners Barcelona.

theguardian.com Juventus demolished Verona 6-1 to reach the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and remain on course for a league and cup double in Massimiliano Allegri's first season in charge.

skysports.com The start time for March's Malaysian GP could be brought forward as a result of the recommendations made to the FIA in the wake of Jules Bianchi's horrific accident at Suzuka last October.



January 21 Australian embassy outreach to Phuket Call 02-3446300, e: consular.bangkok@dfat.gov.au

January 30 US consular outreach, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show