UPDATING All Day, Every Day
bbc.com A Chinese tourist has died in Hong Kong a day after being beaten up during a so-called ''forced shopping'' tour. Police said the victim, 54, intervened when a fellow tourist got into a fight with a tour guide after refusing to buy anything.
dw.de Trafficked, beaten and sometimes even killed for ransom - a new Amnesty International report examines the horrors experienced by Rohingya attempting to flee persecution in Myanmar in May this year, and warns of another looming crisis.
reuters People smugglers are exploring new routes to Malaysia after a crackdown on trafficking in Thailand with no large migrant boat departures from Myanmar and Bangladesh in nearly six months, aid agencies said.
smh.com.au Australia has been criticised for refusing to resettle any of the Rohingya who reached Indonesia after fleeing persecution in Myanmar during the refugee and trafficking crisis in Southeast Asia earlier this year.
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top Stories
bangkokpost.com Thai AirAsia X said a Tokyo-bound flight returned to Don Muang airport less than hour after takeoff when the airline discovered an ''irregularity in the passenger cabin''. The airline did not go into details of the ''irregularity'' in its statement.
afp A lack of key safety standards and poor enforcement of laws already on the books have combined to give Thailand the second-highest road-fatality rate in the world, according to a new World Health Organisation survey.
bloomberg Foreign tourists continue to flock to Thailand, with arrivals likely to pass 30 million by New Year's Eve, beating predictions by more than 20 percent.
Phuket World of People
bangkokpost.com Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha set a six-month deadline for authorities to rid the country of mafia-style local figures. The general ordered Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to lead the nationwide crackdown.
nationmultimedia.com Smoke from Indonesian forest fires shrouded the southern provinces of Songkhla and Yala, but the levels of tiny dust particles did not exceed the safety limit of 120 micrograms per cubic metre.
bangkokpost.com The Supreme Court acquitted Noppawan Tang-udomsuk of lese majeste and computer crime charges in a historic case that will set a precedent for similar cases in the future. The case is the first in which a defendant of such grave charges fought to the end. In other similar cases, defendants have been advised to plead guilty so the penalties are halved.
telegraph.co.uk A leading animal rights group has named the man believed to be the German hunter who paid nearly 40,000 pounds to shoot one of the largest elephants ever seen in Zimbabwe as a property mogul in Berlin. PETA in Germany offered a 1000 euro reward to anyone who could identify the German hunter photographed posing with the body of the huge elephant that was circulated widely online after the Telegraph revealed the animal had been killed as a trophy on a private shoot.
techinsider.io 10 things 'Back to the Future II' got right about October 21, 2015: Screenplay writers definitely envisioned a more high-tech version of 2015 than what we are actually living. But there were a few things that the creators were (eerily) spot-on about.
nationmultimedia.com Motorcycle enthusiasts will sit down with senior Khao Yai National Park officials tomorrow to discuss ways to prevent loud engines from disturbing wild animals. Animals that frequent the park - especially elephants - are reportedly upset by loud vehicles.
Around the Region
newsweek.com Now Myanmar has reached another milestone, in the form of what the government promises will be a free and fair general election on November 8. In reality, this will be a test of whether the country moves closer to democracy or remains a military kleptocracy characterised by cronyism.
Phuket World of Sport
theguardian.com In the course of a thrilling, relentlessly surprising 2-0 defeat of Bayern Munich, Arsenal produced something genuinely rare. Not just a victory against one of Europe's heavyweights with their Champions League season still just about guttering with life. But a night of redemption and role reversal on a cinematic scale.
bloomberg World football's suspected most-corrupt were given a one-day heads-up they will be named Wednesday in a Fifa attempt to appear transparent.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
Phuket Update Phuket's Chinese shrines are taking part in the annual Vegetarian Festival with daily parades.
Until October 21 Phuket Vegetarian Festival
November 1-3 Patong Carnival
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
Coming Events on Phuket 2016
January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show
Interesting that Don P expects to achieve in a few months that which the rest of the world has been unable to do in hundreds of years??
Posted by david on October 21, 2015 09:35
Editor Comment:
Cynicism does not add value, david. No point in blaming someone for trying.