bangkokpost.com Australia agreed to join a multi-lateral summit hosted by Thailand aimed at tackling the issue of undocumented Rohingya not only in Thailand but also in the region.

theage.com.au Up to three teenagers have been arrested in relation to a Melbourne terror plot that was reportedly set to be carried out on Mother's Day in Australia. A 14-year-old boy in Sydney was also arrested in relation to the ''imminent threat,'' News Corp has reported.

bangkokpost.com A number of small hotels in Phuket that cannot shoulder their financial burden look set to be sold in 2016 despite tourism picking up again since late last year. Amid tough circumstances, a price war has sprung up among Phuket hotels, threatening to lower service standards in the near future: ''Phuket used to be high-end but nowadays is more mass market,''
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/555875/small-phuket-hotels-feeling-the-pinch

smh.com.au A surge for the conservatives in Thursday's UK election and the SNP's near clean sweep in Scotland revives the spectre of a possible British breakaway from Europe - and the break-up of Britain itself.

telegraph.co.uk Border officials who scanned a suitcase at the border of a Spanish territory in North Africa were confronted with an image of an eight-year-old Ivorian boy hidden inside. A 19-year-old woman had brought the case from Morocco to a pedestrian border crossing in the small territory of Ceuta.


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 Chinese aviation authorities likely will ban Thai charter airlines from their skies when they arrive for an inspection of four carriers next week, Thai airline executives said. Piya Yodmani, chief executive officer of NokScoot, said Chinese aeronautical officials will arrive Monday or Tuesday to check maintenance and operational procedures of his airline, Orient Thai Airlines, City Airways and R Airlines.
http://tinyurl.com/mkjzy6o

bangkokpost.com Lottery tickets must be sold at no more than 80 baht a pair starting in June and buyers should report any vendors who do not comply, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said. [Phuket punters are often overcharged for lottery tickets.]

news.sky.com The Conservatives are on track to be the largest party following Britain's General Election. With the looming prospect of a disappointing result for Labour, MPs and party sources tell Sky News they cannot see how Ed Miliband can stay on as leader. One says he ''won't make tomorrow lunchtime.''



afp Three people-smugglers accused of trafficking thousands of people were killed in a gunfight with Bangladeshi police on Friday, officers said, days after dozens of migrant remains were found in Thailand. The traffickers were suspected of smuggling thousands of Bangladeshi and Rohingya across rough seas to Malaysia and Thailand.

thedailystar.net A UNHCR report says some 25,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis boarded smugglers' boats from the Bay of Bengal between January and March this year - almost double the number over the same period in 2014. Rape by crew members and smugglers was also reported by female interviewees who were either themselves the victims or knew of other women or girls who had been raped, occasionally on board but more frequently and repeatedly in smugglers' camps in Thailand.

thejakartapost.com Speaking in fluent Thai and some broken English, Rohingya activist Abdul Kalam revealed that those who did not pay up or attempted to run away would be beaten, some to death.

voanews.com Thailand is proposing talks with Malaysia and Burma (Myanmar) to discuss the problem of human trafficking, following the discovery of dozens of fresh graves of apparently trafficked migrant workers. Dozens of police and local officials have been transferred or detained for suspected involvement in the trafficking activities.

nationmultimedia.com Myanmar has welcomed Prayuth's call for talks but there has been no response from Malaysian authorities so far.

bangkokpost.com Police arrested the mayor of Padang Besar, alleging he was the kingpin of the trafficking ring that ran detention camps where dozens of migrant graves have been found.

NNT Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Sek Wannamethee was positive that the Rohingya graveyard case would not have negative impact on the [US State Department] Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report as the report was submitted to the US Foreign Ministry on March 31, a month before the case was exposed.



Phuket Update Hopes for three sailors lost on a boat bound for Phuket have been abandoned by their families. The search for Jaryd Payne, 20, skipper Anthony Murray, 58, and Reginald ''Reg'' Robertson, 59, has been ended. The men set sail from Cape Town on December 14 to deliver the catamaran Sunsail RC044-978 to Phuket, Thailand, but never arrived. Last contact was in mid-January.
http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/search-for-sa-yachtsmen-called-off-1.1855849#.VUyjeI6qqko

Phuket Update The new Central Festival Phuket underpass in Phuket City was closed briefly for some late checks on the electrical system. The underpass has reopened.

nationmultimedia.com Thailand and Australia re-launched the New Colombo Plan in Bangkok to strengthen the trading and interpersonal relationship between both countries, Foreign ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said. The ceremony was presided over by Thai Foreign Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn and his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop who is visiting Thailand as the guest of Thai foreign ministry.

bangkokpost.com Police arrested a man who allegedly admitted to raping his 86-year-old grandmother in Lop Buri last Sunday. The 23-year-old man was identified only as ''Game.''

thetimes.co.uk A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman suffered catastrophic injuries when her parachute failed to open during a skydive. The experienced parachutist, 39, plunged 4000ft to an airfield and survived only because her reserve parachute, which also failed, opened just enough to slow her descent.

bangkokpost.com A 21-year-old motorcyclist captured on video punching and kicking a middle-aged man to death surrendered to police. Kritsana Puithong admitted to assaulting Wichai Chaitrakul, 51, in a fit of anger after the man scolded him for having his headlight on highbeam.

ttrweekly.com International tourist arrivals to Thailand posted an improvement of 23.54 percent during January to March this year according to Ministry of Tourism and Sports' data. The ministry data showed that during the first quarter the country attracted 7,876,726 international visits up from 6,375,880 visits during the same period last year.

bbc.co.uk After 17 years of searching the galaxy, Australian scientists have discovered the source of mysterious signals hitting a telescope. It turns out it was their own kitchen microwave. Scientists eventually noticed that the telescope only picked up the signals when lots of people were working in the office.



smh.com.au The Australian and US governments knew Indonesia was prepared to use napalm against the people of Timor Leste but made no protest, according to secret documents unearthed by an Australian researcher. Associate Professor Clinton Fernandes from the Australian Defence Force Academy has found previously classified Australian diplomatic papers that call into question repeated Indonesian denials that incendiary weapons were used in Timor Leste during Jakarta's 24-year occupation of the former Portuguese colony.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-malaysia-check-death-camps-trawler-slaves-going-home-vietnam-reclaims-sea-22423/



liverpoolecho.co.uk Liverpool FC are close to announcing a lucrative friendly in Thailand to kick-off this summer's pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia. Brendan Rodgers' side are set to face a Thailand All Stars XI in Bangkok on Tuesday, July 14.

Phuket Update Fresh from a midweek 2-0 win over Bangkok FC, a smokin' Phuket FC take on Thailand Tobacco Monopoly FC on Sunday at Surakul Stadium in Phuket City. Kickoff is at 7pm.



June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek