pattayaone.net A Royal Thai Navy Seahawk Rescue Helicopter was scrambled to Larn Island, off Pattaya, to assist Greek tourist-climber Bouras Theodoras, 37, who was stuck half-way up a 400-metre cliff.

bloomberg.com Hong Kong police will clear all protesters blocking roads around the government offices tomorrow, seeking to end the pro-democracy movement that has paralyzed the city center for more than two months.


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



cnn.com The brutal CIA torture program didn't work - but two psychologists who helped develop it pocketed $81 million.

bangkokpost.com Americans in Thailand got an overnight email from the US Embassy warning of possible dangers because of the report on CIA torture and rendition.

smh.com.au The CIA used far more brutal interrogation methods against terrorism suspects than previously disclosed, in secret prisons under a program that failed to extract useful intelligence, then lied about its conduct and its success to Congress and the American public, according to a newly declassified Senate report.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/448563/thailand-figures-prominently-in-scathing-us-cia-torture-report

9news.com.au Australian revellers have admitted to being offered a string of illicit drugs at Thailand's notorious full moon party. An 'A Current Affair' hidden camera investigation at the infamous beach party has captured dealers offering reporter Ben McCormack both ecstacy and MDMA.
http://www.9news.com.au/National/2014/12/09/18/46/Thailands-full-moon-parties-schoolies-on-steroids

bangkokpost.com The driver was killed and 15 passengers slightly injured when an air-conditioned inter-provincial bus travelling from Krabi to Bangkok ran into the back of a parked refrigerated truck in Phetchaburi province.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/448493/tour-bus-rams-into-back-of-parked-refrigerated-truck



abc.net.au UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan says this year there's been a disturbing 37 per cent increase in the numbers fleeing Burma and Bangladesh by sea. The asylum seekers are heading for a better life in Thailand and Malaysia and then some hope to Australia via Indonesia.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2014/s4144778.htm



Samui Update The hearing of witnesses in the murder case of two British tourists on Koh Tao has been moved from February 25 to December 26 - triggering ''the most serious and concerning implications for preparation of the defense case,'' says British rights advocate Andy Hall.

mizzima.com The Myanmar embassy's special team responsible for the two Myanmar suspects in the Koh Tao beach murders has expressed surprise at the Thai court abruptly bringing forward the planned hearing of the case by two months.



Phuket Update Twinpalms Phuket, the stylish, innovative resort at Surin, marked its tenth anniversary with a weekend party that took in the newly-renovated Catch Beach Club, the first on the island.

bangkokpost.com A wild elephant killed an elderly woman in the Kaeng Krachan National Park area in Hua Hin district. A male elephant blocked a road, struck the motorbike with his tusks, throwing the woman and her husband to the ground. The elephant then stomped the woman, killing her instantly.

nationmultimedia.com PM General Prayut Chan-ocha said that he has no objections to the sale of alcoholic beverages during New Year holidays. When asked about the Public Health Ministry's plan to impose a ban on the sale of alcohol on December 31 and January 1: ''If you ask me, the sale of alcohol can go ahead as usual. It's just that drinkers must be responsible. If they are going to drive, they must avoid drinking.''

reuters A Korean Air executive, whose dismay over the way she was served macadamia nuts led to a plane returning to its gate to expel the cabin crew chief, has stepped down as head of in-flight service, the airline says. Korean Air apologised for the incident at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in which Heather Cho took issue with a crew member for substandard service.

bangkokpost.com Southern rubber farmers gathered in Surat Thani and threatened to march on Bangkok next year if their demands for higher prices and an industry-rescue plan aren't met.

nnt Three airports under the management of Airports of Thailand (AOT) have received awards on excellent and outstanding facility with good accessibility granted by the National Office for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (NEP). Suvarnabhumi Airport and Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok received outstanding awards, and the Phuket Airport received the excellent award.

bangkokpost.com The Interior Ministry will offer visas on arrival at ten more immigration checkpoints in the Northeast, North and South ( at Tak Bai and Buketa checkpoints) starting Wednesday.

theage.com.au Aussies will be able to fly direct from Melbourne to Singapore for less than $300 when Scoot Airlines launches its new Melbourne-to-Singapore service in November next year. Scoot, a low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines founded in 2011, plans to run five flights a week, with a one-way trip costing $229 and a return priced at $460.

traveldailynews.asia Travellers can also connect beyond Singapore to 71 destinations served by Scoot or its partner airlines, including Phuket, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok.

scmp.com Thailand's military rulers are pushing a new behavioral code on children emphasising love for the monarchy and deference to authority, in a move critics say typifies the junta's authoritarianism and the country's stultifying education system.

nytimes.com According to the police and news media reports, Isao Kakehi was just one of six outwardly healthy elderly men in Japan who died abruptly over the last eight years after marrying or starting romantic relationships with Chisako Kakehi, known as the Black Widow.

dailymail.co.uk The future of 25 Australian babies born to asylum seeker parents this year is uncertain after Immigration Minister Scott Morrison retrospectively changed the legal status of children born in detention.

nytimes.com A run of bad news for Uber continued, when Spain and Thailand ordered the ride-sharing service to cease operations in the two countries. In Madrid, a commercial court judge sided with a taxi association complaint, saying that Uber must cease driving in Spain until a lawsuit contesting its right to operate can be heard.

independent.co.uk Greek financial markets plummeted as investors took fright at the premier's decision to hold a no-confidence vote in his administration fuelling fresh political instability and fears of the radical Syriza party taking power.

afp Australia accused Islamic militants of using foreign fighters as ''cannon fodder'' and ''propaganda tools'' as it revealed 20 nationals have now been killed in Syria and Iraq.

bdnews24.com Detectives have arrested five Rohingya women and their tout in Pabna who had come to get Bangladesh passports.

AP A Southwest Airlines flight landed in Los Angeles with one more passenger than when it took off. A woman passenger gave birth shortly after Flight 623 took off from San Francisco and the Phoenix-bound jet diverted to Los Angeles International Airport.



cnn.com An Indonesian maid has told a Hong Kong court that she was tortured for six months by her former employer, who shoved a vacuum cleaner tube into her mouth, breaking teeth and tearing her mouth.

traveller.com.au Can the world's best airport get even better? Singapore's Changi Airport hopes its new $1.5 billion building will be a new reason for travellers to choose to transit through the hub.

wsj.com Joko Widodo has a message for all countries with illegal fishing boats operating in Indonesian waters: no one is safe from ''shock therapy'' sinkings. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Indonesia's president said illegal fishing boats sailing under the flag of any nation would be treated the same.

themalaysianinsider.com Human rights in Malaysia have hit a new low, Suara Rakyat Malaysia's (Suaram) 2014 report on human rights in the country said.



rappler.com After holding tournament favorites Thailand in a scoreless draw in front of their home crowd in Manila, the Azkals are confident going into the last leg of their semi-final bout against the Thais at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Wednesday.

reuters Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed his ''extraordinary'' players after they set a Spanish record for consecutive victories of 19 thanks to a 4-0 success at home to Ludogorets in Champions League Group B .

skysports.com A 1-1 home draw with Basel means the Reds finished third in their group - relegating them to the Europa League - and they were not aided by Lazar Markovic coming on at half-time only to be sent off 16 minutes later.

therakyatpost.com Southeast Asia's football federation said it has told Malaysia's soccer body to explain its failure to prevent a violent attack on visiting Vietnamese fans during the Suzuki Cup semi-finals.



December 10 Constitution Day holiday

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 31 New Year's Eve



February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show