PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Phuketwan closes on December 31.



usmagazine.com Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 12-year-old son, Pax, broke his leg while jet-skiing during his family's adventure-filled vacation in Phuket, Thailand, over the holiday weekend, a source tells Us Weekly. The superstar couple's second-oldest child - adopted by the pair in 2007 - is on the mend and hobbling around on crutches.

dailymail.co.uk Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's 12-year-old son, Pax, injured his right leg on their family getaway in Thailand, a source told People magazine. While the injury was bad, he did not break his leg, added the insider.

bangkokpost.com Authorities including the No.2 junta leader believe Koh Tao protests in Myanmar are instigated by outsiders to make the government look bad.



Phuket Update Police believe that a Chinese couple seriously injured when jet-skis crashed at Phuket's Patong beach have settled compensation privately with the jet-ski operator. The case, in which a male tourist suffered a broken shoulder and a woman incurred a large flesh wound to her leg, has not been reported to police.

mirror.co.uk A shocking Facebook photo shows a Thai beach covered in a sea of plastic rubbish left by those who took part in a full moon party. Reportedly taken on the island of Ko Phangan, the scene will shame many of the wealthy westerners who took part in the event, which is mostly attended by tourists. The rubbish was apparently left for locals to clean up.

news.com.au A television reporter who was injured holidaying in Thailand says budget airline Jetstar made her pay for a pillow to keep her leg elevated, before she had to hop down the stairs out of the aircraft in the rain. Jodi Lee snapped her Achilles tendon when she was in Phuket and took to Facebook to hit out at Jetstar after what she believed was ''blatant disregard for customer service''.

bangkokpost.com Despite an annual decline in lawsuits over the past couple of years, the lese majeste law has been toughened under the junta, in which a military court has replaced a civilian one in ruling on criminal charges that carry a maximum jail term of 15 years for each count, lawyers and critics say.

theage.com.au The Australian and New Zealand dollars are poised for tumbles as policy makers consider interest-rate cuts to spur growth, forecasts for next year show. [A lower $A means fewer Aussies travelling to Phuket.]

nationmultimedia.com The military is jumping on the holiday spirit band-wagon by offering New Year's gifts to all Thais by opening |up its facilities nationwide as tourist attractions. Defence Ministry spokesman Maj-General Kongcheep Tantravanich said the ministry has instructed its officials |in charge of all tourist attractions under its supervision to welcome tourists without charge during the New Year.

independent.ie A man has died in Germany after he and two others blew up a condom machine and he was hit in the head by a flying piece of metal.

travel.asiaone.com It's hard not to love Krabi, with its delicious food, sprawling beaches, resorts for all sorts of budgets and activities for any kind of traveller.



bangkokpost.com Editorial: On Thursday, Asean will achieve another phase of regional integration, as the launch of the Asean Economic Community further eliminates trade and business barriers. While the AEC will push economic cooperation, the other two ''Asean pillars'' - political security and socio-cultural - are lagging behind.



afp Meadowlark Lemon, the lithe showman, jester and trick-shot genius who entertained audiences worldwide as the heart and soul of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, has died at age 83, the team announced.



Until January 5 Red Cross Fair, Saphan Hin, Phuket City



January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show