dalje.com Phuket International Airport, the country's second busiest airport [or perhaps third busiest], was designed to handle 20 flights per hour but is now serving 23.

channelnewsasia.com For the past 10 years, deserted beaches in Phang Nga near popular Kao Lak and Phuket have been landing sites for boats bearing Rohingya, and an operating area for human traffickers.


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



Phuket Update Three suspects in the murder of a 72-year-old Muslim man in Phuket have been arrested in separate raids in three provinces, Phuket police announced. Ied Chaisit, 72, was shot dead while riding home from a mosque in Patong to Kalim on April 24, apparently because he'd boosted rent on a property.

bangkokpost.com Thailand will restrict the number of incoming flights as they are overloading its skies and airports, Transport Minister Prajin Juntong said. The minister said the move away from the ''open sky'' policy was needed to ensure aviation safety.
Full story here http://goo.gl/O5Upf1

reuters A suicide bomber killed 21 worshippers during Friday prayers in a packed Shi'ite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia, residents and the health minister said, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State militant group.



afp Deputy US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Myanmar to extend ''citizenship'' to the oppressed Rohingya minority to address the ongoing migrant crisis.

reuters Thailand's deputy national police chief, General Aek Angsananont, said human smuggling and trafficking gangs were allowed to flourish in 2013/14 because police were unable to set up road blocks and other preventative measures as many officers were transferred to Bangkok during months of street protests that eventually led to a May coup.

theage.com.au With a handful of carefully crafted sound bites, Tony Abbott has damaged Australia's standing in the region, over-simplified the refugee crisis in south-east Asia and sent an ominous warning to Labor on border protection.



Phuket Update Chalong language teacher Phanarat Nopphakhun, 37, is being charged for a fake bomb scare at Phuket International Airport. ''She faces a maximum fine of 200,000 baht, five years imprisonment or both,'' said the investigating officer.

AP The Tuk Tuk Factory, based in Amsterdam, has signed a licensing agreement with Denver-based eTuk USA to allow the company to manufacture and sell an electric version of the vehicle. The company's founders hope the eco-friendly vehicles, a far cry from the loud, pollution-spewing versions common in Asia and South America, will become the next hip mode of transportation for urban dwellers and tourists across the country.

nationmultimedia.com The current stable political climate has been a key factor in drawing back foreigners who are considering buying in Bangkok for investment purposes. CBRE has received more inquiries from individual buyers, foreign developers looking to develop in Thailand, and fund investors.

reuters Thai authorities detained dozens of student activists protesting against military rule on Friday, a year after the army seized power from an elected government.

nationmultimedia.com Human Rights Watch called on the foreign community to continue to pressure the Thai government of General Prayut Chan-o-cha to return democracy.

nytimes.com Bands of pickpockets at the Eiffel Tower prompted workers to close the monument for much of Friday in a protest over a lack of security for both visitors and staff.

cbc.ca Irish voters are hitting the polls in droves to vote on whether gay marriage should be legalised - some of them, travelling thousands of miles just to do so.

washingtonpost.com The critical clue that led police searching for a suspect connected to the deaths of four people at a home in an upscale Washington neighborhood was a leftover pizza crust. Three law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation said that Daron Dylon Wint, 34, was a match for DNA evidence left on the pizza crust.

bbc.com At least 39 people have been killed in a shoot-out in the Mexican state of Michoacan. The violence is thought to be drug related and local officials have said that police are among the dead.

bangkokpost.com This is a system where money is God, where the value of a human being is determined by his or her wealth. So, the lower down you are on the economic rungs, the less of a human being you are. Unfortunately, the Rohingya migrants, one of the most desperate people on Earth, have brought out the worst in the Thai people.

nhs.uk ''The amount of alcohol people in England drink has been underestimated by the equivalent of 12 million bottles of wine a week,'' BBC News reports.



straitstimes.com Singaporean Mohamed Aslam Shahul, 21, died after falling into the ocean from a cliff during a holiday with eight friends at the Sandi Bay Beach in Bali. He was unable to swim, friends said, and drowned.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-taking-selfie-kills-tourist-burma-finds-boatpeople-dental-care-targets-tourists-vietnam-closer-22520/



nzherald.co.nz Two century partnerships rekindled New Zealand's dominance over England on the second day of the first test at Lord's. The visitors are 303 for two at stumps, 86 runs behind.



NNT The Phuket Andaman Halal Tourism 2015 festival is to be held during May 28-30 will promote the Year of Thainess and assure worldwide Muslim tourists that Phuket is a ''Muslim Friendly Destination''.

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek