Phuket Update The woman in the photofgraph above was injured in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on the road between Kamala and Patong on Saturday. As the crash was not reported to police, it will not be recorded.



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 Nine Supreme Court judges will hear the case involving former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra over her government's controversial rice-pledging scheme. They must decide by March 19 whether it will go to trial.

mashable.com After a bleak 2014 financial report, SeaWorld is looking ahead to a marketing campaign that the company hopes will rescue its sinking reputation. Attendance at SeaWorld parks dropped by 1 million visitors from 2013 to 2014, according to the company's fourth-quarter and full-year report.



nationmultimedia.com The Interior Ministry has instructed provincial governors to survey the number of migrant workers and dispatch special-task teams to crack down on human traffickers. The move is part of the bid to get Thailand out of a Tier 3 ranking on the United States' Trafficking in Persons Report 2015, to be out in June. People were also urged to report human trafficking on the 1567 hotline.



theguardian.com The identity of an Australian man killed in a motorcycle smash in Thailand has been confirmed by his colleagues as bitcoin entrepreneur Adam Tepper. The 34-year-old wasn't wearing a helmet when he crashed into a pole in Phuket, local media reported, citing police.

washingtonpost.com Letter: The Feb. 20 editorial 'Thailand's rule by force' grossly misrepresented the situation in the country. Thailand has not wavered in its commitment to democracy. Progress is being made, and the new constitution's drafting and consultation process must, by law, be completed by September.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/thailand-is-fully-committed-to-democracy/2015/02/27/2878ac90-bd15-11e4-9dfb-03366e719af8_story.html

andrew-drummond.com Despite what the estate agents or realtors and their lawyers tell you in Thailand, anything over a 30-year lease is extremely dodgy and not worth the paper it is printed on. And indeed so are dormant nominee companies created by foreigners to hold properties. The authorities, of course, have only acted spasmodically on the latter - but if you fall foul of favor so to speak - you can lose everything. In short you are lucky until you are unlucky.

theage.com.au A Melbourne to Perth Jetstar flight returned to Melbourne after about an hour in the air, due to a disruptive passeneger. The man was consuming his own alcohol and was twice caught smoking onboard.

bangkokpost.com The Immigration Police Bureau will install immigration clearance machines to cut queues at the country's main Bangkok airports by mid-2015. Sixteen automated immigration clearance machines will be allotted to Suvarnabhumi airport and be ready to use by July this year.

bbc.com Thousands of people have paid tribute with candles and flowers at the site in Moscow where leading Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot dead. An opposition march which Mr Nemtsov planned in Moscow for Sunday has now been turned into a memorial rally.

news.24.com Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe marked his 91st birthday with lavish celebrations at Victoria Falls, defying Western criticism of his policies by vowing to expel the country's last remaining white farmers from their land.

smh.com.au The Australian government has spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars on private military contractors to protect high risk diplomatic posts, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade plans to spend much more, according to official documents.

scmp.com Cathay Pacific bosses say pilots engaged in a work-to-rule campaign are forcing flight cancellations and delays by taking sick days in unusually high numbers, which the airline has dubbed ''tactical sickness''.



Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-region-grow-toll-rebel-clashes-mounts-mh370-families-hope-21957/



metro.co.uk Sam Allardyce admitted he was 'shocked' as West Ham slumped to a miserable home defeat against Crystal Palace. Glenn Murray scored twice and Scott Dann once as the Eagles claimed a 3-1 win.



Until February 28 Phuket Old Town Festival

March 1-15 Heroines festival

March 4-8 Bay Regatta

April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 17-19 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek