theaguradian.com Snow caused serious travel disruption in northern areas of the UK overnight, with Yorkshire particularly hard hit.


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 Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Thais to be careful while travelling during the long New Year holidays. During his weekly TV program, Prayut said the drivers should not drink and passengers should not get on board the vehicles if the drivers have drunk.



bangkokpost.com The government's plans to issue more rules and regulations to combat human trafficking are bound to come to nothing when the crux of the problem remains untouched - corruption. For starters, the government must stop denying human trafficking by calling it voluntary human smuggling. There is ample evidence of fraud, physical violence, extortion and ransom. The plight of ethnic Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh is a case in point.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/452150/end-graft-to-end-slavery



edp24.co.uk On Christmas Day 2004 James Hurren phoned his mum - but to her never-ending regret she missed his call, possibly the last he would ever make.

scmp.com Tearful memorials were held in tsunami-hit nations for the 220,000 people who died 10 years ago when giant waves decimated coastal areas along the Indian Ocean.

theguardian.com Gains in disaster preparedness in Indonesia following 2004's devastating tsunami could be wound back due to cuts to Australia's foreign aid budget, aid organisations have warned.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/26/australias-foreign-aid-cuts-could-affect-indonesias-ability-to-handle-a-tsunami

dvb.com The Burmese military government - pathologically driven to distort facts and figures of any event at that time - claimed 61 lives were lost in the country, all of whom were fishermen and islanders. In the years ahead, non-government studies would increase the accepted number to around 600. Today the Indian Ocean is peppered with tsunami warning systems. Today local knowledge includes a fear of tsunamis.
https://www.dvb.no/news/remembering-the-tsunami-burma-myanmar/46929

wsj.com Hundreds of Thais and visitors from around the world converged on this town on Thailand's southern coast to commemorate the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Thailand and a dozen other nations on 10 years ago.

stuff.co.nz William Morgan, then six months old, was wrenched from his mother's arms in the chaos in the Seychelles and sucked away. Once the waters receded, he was incredibly found hanging by his nappy from a tree.

scmp.com A morning snooze saved two Hong Kong honeymooners in Phuket from the Indian Ocean tsunami ten years ago, but the disaster has made them treasure their family life all the more.

aljazeera.com Khao Lak has changed tremendously since that day. The streets are bustling with families on holiday, backpackers and tour operators. German bakeries, Indian restaurants, Italian cafes and of course Thai eateries jostle for customers.

nnt The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation and the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center Region 18 hosted a lecture attended by community leaders, people who live or work in areas with tsunami risk, and those with duties related to disaster response. The lecture aimed at creating disaster preparedness as well as boosting confidence on disaster-handling capacity.



bbc.com The judge in the trial of two Burmese men charged with the murder of two British tourists in Thailand has postponed witness testimony until July.



bangkokpost.com A fight broke out between a Chinese woman and a Thai woman after the former tried to cut into a queue in front of a check-in counter at Don Muang airport.

reuters US forces and their allies staged 39 air strikes on Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria over the past two days, the Combined Joint Task Force said.

scmp.com In the largest police action against pro-democracy demonstrators since the Occupy Central protests ended nearly three weeks ago, Hong Kong police said they arrested a total of 37 people in Mong Kok in a second night of protests and clashes during the Christmas holidays.

smh.com.au Authorities in South Korea indict Travis Kalanick, the US chief, on charges that Uber violated local licensing laws.

bangkokpost.com The Bangkok criminal court has dismissed a libel case in which former foreign affairs minister Kasit Piromya was accused of slandering ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.



dw.de Thousands of people have been displaced in Malaysia as the nation experiences severe monsoon floods. The prime minister has been criticized for playing golf with the US president instead of being at home.

abc.net.au A bar manager from New Zealand has told a Myanmar court he had ''no intention'' of insulting religion when he used a mocked-up image of the Buddha wearing headphones to promote a cheap drinks night.



goal.com Arsene Wenger believes Olivier Giroud left Arsenal with ''a mountain to climb'' after the striker was sent off during the club's 2-1 win over QPR on Boxing Day.

afp Goals by John Terry and Diego Costa gave English Premier League leaders Chelsea a 2-0 win over West Ham during their Boxing Day clash at Stamford Bridge.

smh.com.au Steve Smith personified leadership on 72 not out as Australia reached 5-259 at stumps on day one of the Boxing Day Test against India.



The ''Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015'' will usher in the New Year with light shows and live concerts at Sanam Chai Park, across the road from Phuket Provincial Hall, from December 29-31.

Phuket International Boat Show returns to southern Thailand's beach destination from January 8 to 11.

December 29-31 Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015 to New Year's Eve



January 6-11 Phuket International Boat Show

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

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show