PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
nationmultimedia.com Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said during his TV program that the martial law is still needed to control the situation. ''What would happen if we did not have the martial law in effect? You all know the answer to this question.''
AP In most countries, February 14 is a highly commercialised day of romance. In Thailand, it's also a time for strict warnings - and this year a new Twitter hashtag aimed at preventing premarital sex, #DinnerOnly in Thai.
bbc.com Most patients leave Thailand very happy with the results of their cosmetic surgery. But what happens when something goes wrong?
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31433890
Phuket World of People
bangkokpost.com A Turkish tourist was shot dead outside a Koh Samui pub early Friday, allegedly by a security guard who argued with him outside the Chaweng beach bar. The unidentified 34-year-old Turk sustained gunshots to the head and abdomen in front of the Solo Bar.
xinhua The international community has responded with cautious optimism to the Minsk peace deal reached between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany on ending the Ukraine crisis.
telegraph.co.uk Teetotalism has become a major force in British life for the first time since the industrial heyday of the temperance movement after a dramatic rise in the number young people shunning alcohol. The number of under-25s opting for total abstinence from drink has leapt by 40 percent in just eight years.
bbc.com Islamic State (IS) has captured an Iraqi town about 8km (5 miles) from an air base housing hundreds of US troops, the Pentagon says. US officials downplayed the fall of al-Baghdadi, which is within striking distance of the Ain al-Asad air base.
afp New York has gone a record-setting 11 straight days without a murder, police say.
mirror.co.uk A sham wedding couple have been jailed for immigration offences after the dopey groom forgot his wife's to be's name. Pakistani Zubair Khan, 28, and Hungarian Beata Szilagyi, 33, were arrested minutes before their bogus ceremony in October, the Home Office has revealed.
scmp.com A comprehensive study reveals that of the 8m tonnes worldwide that pollute the sea every year up to 3.5m tonnes is from mainland Chinese cities.
rappler.com Poor waste management and littering across the globe likely added eight million metric tons (MMT) of plastic to the ocean in 2010, posing significant dangers to marine life, according to the study published in the February 13 edition of the journal Science. The top three sources are China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Phuket Update Tourists have been flocking to the Similan Islands off the coast of Phang Nga province, north of Phuket, following the sighting of large Bryde's whales, a park chief and tour boat staff said.
scmp.com South Korea announced a crackdown on the medical tourism industry in a bid to curb illegal brokers and unregistered medical clinics that have flourished as mainland Chinese women flock there for plastic surgery.
theguardian.com Doctors should give clear messages to patients about the benefits of 30 minutes of exercise five times a week - which can be a ''miracle cure,'' according to a report.
Around the Asean Region
Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-laos-turns-back-young-women-burma-slaughter-brunei-clamp-chinese-year-21877/
Phuket World of Sport
espn.co.uk A full house crowd in excess of 90,000 is expected at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to see these old enemies start their World Cup campaigns. Most will be expecting a Valentine's Day massacre.
cnn.com Tiger Woods - a 14-time major champion and former world No. 1 - is taking a break from the sport after admitting his game isn't up to scratch. The 39-year-old shot a career worst round of 82 at his first tournament of 2015 in Phoenix before withdrawing from his second at Torrey Pines due to injury.
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 14 Valentine's Day
February 19 Chinese New Year
February 26-28 Phuket Old Town Festival
March 1-15 Heroines festival
March 4-8 Bay Regatta
April 11-13 Phuket Bike Week
April 17-19 Songkran Festival
May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled
