bangkokpost.com Twelve policemen are suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of three Korean men for ransom, a source from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) said. The officers are from the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Tourist Police Division and the CSD, the source said, adding that a civilian was also involved.


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



nationmultimedia.com The Thai Hotels Association is hopeful that amendments to the law governing hotel construction will make it easier for authorities to crack down on illegal operators in the hospitality sector, while improving overall service standards, especially among small outfits.

bangkokpost.com Twenty-five private organisations are urging the government to build a dedicated cruise terminal in Phuket to better promote tourism, Finance Minister Sommai Phasi said.

nationmultimedia.com Cabinet has approved developing Phuket as a yacht centre, with a plan for maritime routes linking the island with Singapore and Burma (Myanmar). Phuket would also be developed as a hub for cruises and sailing.



themalaysianinsider.com Two more Rohingya migrants have died in southern Thailand after trucks packed with dozens of members of the Myanmar Muslim minority group were intercepted by authorities, police said. The two men, both believed to be aged 20, died in hospital of hunger and dehydration.

voanews.com Thailand is reporting progress in efforts to curb human trafficking and abusive labor practices for migrant workers. The government is taking steps, including tougher regulations and new anti-trafficking measures, after coming under criticism from rights groups and the US.



idependent.co.uk The controversial anti-Islamic Pegida movement and terror attacks in neighboring France have polarised Germany, bringing thousands on to the streets in protest against racism and in support of press freedom. But there are disturbing signs that anti-immigrant xenophobia is on the increase.

washingtonpost.com American Muslim groups, concerned about potential backlash from the recent terrorist killings in France, are scrambling to get out a dual message to the American public: Muslims in the US may be offended by images that ridicule the prophet Muhammad, but they condemn violence and support the principle of free speech.

thetimes.co.uk Thousands of French Jews have moved to London and other British cities over the past two years, according to senior figures in the Jewish community.



dailymail.co.uk A list of the most dangerous airlines in the world has been released and while AirAsia Indonesia is included, Malaysia Airlines is not.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2908531/Ranking-world-s-dangerous-airlines-includes-troubled-AirAsia-Malaysia-Airlines-scores-highly-safety.html

news.com.au Airlines from Nepal, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan bottomed out on a list of the world's safest carriers.

A Republic of Singapore Navy ship has found the main wreckage of the AirAsia plane that crashed in the Java Sea two weeks ago.



Phuket Update Police are hoping security camera footage will lead them to the person who left a grenade-shaped cigarette lighter hidden outside a health clinic in Phuket City's Rassada district, sparking alarm and the evacuation of the building.

travel.aol.co.uk A British backpacker has been banned from Cambodia following a naked motorbike ride. Crawford Brown, 23, from Oban, Scotland, was jailed for two nights with his fellow pranksters, Catarina Aarnio, 22, and Giancarlo Allocca, 30, before being deported toThailand.

bangkokpost.com Six surrogate mothers accuse the social welfare agency of illegally keeping and poorly treating their nine babies, all fathered by the same Japanese man.

scmp.com Shanghai police arrested 10 people from Turkey who plotted to fly ethnic Uigurs from Xinjiang out of the country on forged passports, a state-run newspaper reported.

abc.net.au A wild elephant has gone on an extended rampage in a Thai national park, crushing four cars including one with a family inside. The bull elephant has harassed tourists in Khao Yai National Park over the past 10 days, local reports said.

smh.com.au The huge success of Booking.com, now the largest online travel agent in Australia, has raised concerns among some travel industry participants that it would become too dominant, according to inquiries by the competition regulator. A German court decision last week cleared the way for German regulators to push Booking.com and Expedia to remove their rate parity clauses in that country.

scmp.com More taxi drivers are going on strike across China as frustrations grow over poor pay and increasing competition of car-rental drivers using smartphone apps to offer unlicensed taxi services.

nationmultimedia.com Land & Houses has budgeted 12 billion baht to buy undeveloped land this year and to acquire apartments and retail outlets in the United States and Thailand.

news.com.au A jealous wife in China chopped off her cheating husband's penis as he slept, then snuck into his hospital room after he had it sewn back on - and hacked it off again.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-tolerance-under-attack-pop-girls-face-arrest-horrors-hun-sen-westerners-jailed-drugs-21716/



independent.co.uk No victory is routine after being 2-0 down after seven minutes, but from that point on this was almost as comfortable evening as possible for Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham 4-2 Burnley.

smh.com.au England opener Ian Bell posted the highest score in the fixture's history with 187 against the Australian Prime Minister's XI.



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

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show