PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.



dailymirror.co.uk A group of Thai footballers have been quizzed by police over the horrific murders of two British backpackers who were bludgeoned to death on a paradise island.

nationmultimedia.com Everybody who was in a 600-metre radius of the murder scene between 2am and 4am on September 15 is a suspect, said Pol Lt-General Panya Mamen, chief of the Police Region 8 command. The resort island of Koh Tao comes under his jurisdiction.

andrew-drummond.com The latest pictures posted on the internet by locals indicate a sub-culture on Koh Tao of 'cool' movers and shakers seeking western women.

channelnewsasia.com The European Aviation Safety Agency said it had authorised airlines to allow passengers to use mobile electronic devices, including phones, throughout the flight.

bangkokpost.com The government should provide more detailed statistics on foreign visitor arrivals and destinations, because the existing database is too broad and can lead to wrong investment decisions, a senior hotel group executive said.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/434410/business-seeks-more-detailed-statistics-on-vistors-destinations-purpose



AP Thousands of doses of experimental Ebola vaccines should be available in the coming months and could eventually be given to health care workers and other people at high risk of the deadly disease, the World Health Organisation said.



news.com.au The family of Australian journalist Alan Morison, who is facing criminal defamation charges in Thailand, has appealed for Prime Minister Tony Abbott's help in getting his passport back so he can return home to visit his ailing 91-year-old father. ''We would now welcome the Australian government adopting the same approach as the British government and asking for the Phuket Provincial Court to return (our) brother's passport,'' they said.

nationmultimedia.com The Immigration Bureau will begin the process of deporting a German who was found enjoying the nightlife in Pattaya after begging for money on Bangkok streets. Benjamin Holse, 29, claimed his passport and cash were stolen during his trip to Thailand.

nytimes.com A man in southern China stabbed to death four children on their way to school, state media reported. Six children also died and 22 were wounded in a stampede at a primary school in the southwestern city of Kunming, according to state media.

scmp.com Phnom Penh and Canberra signed a controversial agreement to resettle Australia-bound refugees in Cambodia, a deal the UN criticised as a ''worrying departure from international norms''.

nationmultimedia.com The Stop Global Warming Association (SGWA) has filed a petition asking that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) drop its plan to construct a coal-transportation pier in the seaside province of Krabi.

wsj.com The Bank of Thailand lowered its export-growth forecast for this year to zero from an earlier projection of 3 percent, citing weak global demand, Thai manufacturers' limited production capability and low agricultural prices.

computerworld.com BlackBerry's new qwerty Passport smartphone quickly sold out just hours after going on sale online, with another 200,000 back orders waiting in line, BlackBerry CEO John Chen announced.

cnn.com Flights resumed on a ''reduced rate'' at Chicago O'Hare International and nearby Midway Airport after a fire in an air traffic control center shut down operations, authorities said. A contract employee set the fire then tried to kill himself with a knife.

smh.com.au Flight Centre estimates fares from Australia to destinations such as Phuket in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are about 5 percent cheaper than this time last year. ''From an affordability perspective, it is fair to say that they have never been cheaper,'' a spokesman said.

reuters There was no other news on the Rialto as A-list stars glided into Venice to celebrate the wedding of Hollywood hero George Clooney, 53, and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 36.



themalaymailonline.com France has issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to be vigilant in several countries including Malaysia over fears of a threat from militants from Islamic State.

nytimes.com Indonesia's outgoing Parliament unexpectedly passed legislation eliminating direct elections for provincial governors, district chiefs and mayors, a move denounced by critics as a major setback for the country's democratic transition and a naked power grab by its wounded political elite.

thephuketinsider.com With just over 2 million visitors from January to July, if momentum is maintained then Bali could hit 3.8 million overseas arrivals by year's end. [The figure of 13 million visitors this year for Phuket, offered by a prominent bank's research unit this week, is considered to be wildly inaccurate.]

cnn.com Verite's two-year study of labor conditions in electronics manufacturing in Malaysia has found that one in three foreign workers surveyed was in a condition of forced labor.



bangkokpost.com The Thai women's national volleyball team and their Mexican counterparts set a World Championship record score of 36-34 in a match against Mexico when the Thai team won in straight sets.

givemesport.com Chelsea fan Fahad Musanan died after Frank Lampard struck a late equaliser for Manchester City against his former club, reports the Daily Star. The 24-year-old - a professional footballer in the Ugandan Premier League - was watching the crunch Premier League clash and fainted as Lampard struck home City's equalising goal with five minutes remaining.



September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November 1-3 Patong Carnival

November 6 Loy Kratong

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket

December 5 King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show