kyodo news The de facto 48-year-old Thai wife of an 83-year-old Japanese man who was murdered at his home in Ang Thong province Monday has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the crime, local police said.

AP China opened a meeting with defense ministers from the 10-nation Asean on Friday, amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. The event marks the first time China has hosted such a meeting and takes place as expectations grow that the US Navy will directly challenge Beijing's claims to the South China Sea.


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 new US ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies, expressed hope that the Kingdom would return to democracy and have an early election.

bangkokpost.com Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda has proposed a renewed effort to fight corruption, which he decried as Thailand's number one enemy.



nationmultimedia.com The Royal Thai Navy says it is ready to respond if the Thalang Police Station in Phuket province is attacked again. The police station was rocked by a riot over the weekend.

bangkokpost.com Editorial: Any failure by the police to observe the highest professional standards in this prominent case will result in a further dwindling of confidence in the department and the likelihood of dangerous confrontations recurring.



straitstimes.com Crackdowns in Thailand and Bangladesh have disrupted the people smugglers who prey on Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar - but the effect may be temporary and the region must prepare for more boat people over the next six months, migration experts say.



wsj.com The Thai government - led by a military junta since last year - continues to chart an uncertain course on media controls. Last month journalists Alan Morison and Chutima Sidasathian were acquitted of computer-crime charges for citing, on their Phuketwan news site, parts of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters report about Thai naval officers allegedly mistreating Rohingya Muslim boat people. The court ruled that the Computer Crime Act wasn't intended to apply to such defamation claims. Since that verdict the junta has tightened its squeeze.

straitstimes.com India is holding naval drills with Japan and the United States in the Bay of Bengal and will conduct joint exercises with Indonesia in the Andaman Sea over the weekend, in a sign of India's increasing focus on the Indian Ocean where China has been making significant inroads.

nationmultimedia.com The idea of a leasehold term extension has been floated time and time again, but has not been seriously considered by any government. Today, especially in prime locations such as downtown Bangkok or major international resorts such as Phuket, the value of residential property is |far higher than that of commercial property.

financialexpress.com Global travel distributor GTA, which focuses on the fully independent travel (FIT) business shared insights on the latest travel trends for Chinese travellers during the Golden Week holiday. Based on year-on-year comparison of room nights booked and earned revenue, Hong Kong and Singapore took the top two positions. Phuket came in third, and was the top beach destination, where room bookings doubled from 2014. The other popular beach destinations in Thailand, Samui and Krabi, also saw strong room bookings this Golden Week holiday.

nationmultimedia.com Increased healthcare expenditures, an ageing population and strong growth in medical tourism in Thailand have turned hospitals into another commercial real-estate asset that receives strong investor interest, said property agency Jones Lang LaSalle (Thailand). For example, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services purchased the 281-bed Phuket International Hospital (formerly Siriroj Hospital).

bangkokpost.com A 76-year-old relief teacher was sentenced to four weeks' jail for kissing a female student 65 years younger than him.



washingtonpost.com Experts say that along with dramatic global coral bleaching, thousands of fires across Indonesia represents the next sign of an intensifying global El Nino event. And the consequences, in this case, could affect the entire globe's atmosphere.



afp Jose Mourinho has launched a scathing attack on the Football Association after the Chelsea manager was fined and given a one-match suspended stadium ban.



Phuket Update Phuket's Chinese shrines are taking part in the annual Vegetarian Festival with daily parades.

Until October 21 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies



January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show