reuters Thailand is buckling under the burden of sheltering and feeding hundreds of boat people over the past month, a senior government spokesman said on Thursday, and needs more help from rights groups and non-governmental organisations. Many of the arrivals are Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar, while others are Bangladeshi.

bangkokpost.com Cabinet approved next year's year-long tourism promotion campaign which stresses Thailand's unique cultural treasures and Thainess. Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga are among the 10 major tourist attractions.

propertyshowrooms.com Land values in Phuket increased by an average 14 percent during 2014, cooling down somewhat after two years of almost frenzied growth that saw prices increasing 32 percent annually.


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



straitstimes.com Thailand expects around 25 million tourists this year, down one million from 2013, the government said, thanks in part to months of street protests in the capital which ended with a coup. But Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said there was a 6 percent increase in hotel reservations for December compared with last year.

bangkokpost.com Thailand is losing considerable private jet traffic as high-net-worth flyers face restrictions in parking their aircraft at Phuket, their top destination. Overnight parking is banned for executive jets at Phuket airport and adjoining ground belonging to the Royal Thai Navy.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/443016/disappointed-jet-set-fly-past-phuket

nastionmultimedia.com Asean should have a bright vision for its future after the establishment of the Asean Community in 2015, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said, noting that Thailand supported a high-level task force to draft the Post-2015 Vision and other related documents.

thewildlife.wbr.org It's a critical moment. Asian elephants are highly endangered. There are perhaps 50,000 left across 13 countries. So Myanmar's elephants - 5000 in captivity, 1000-6000 in the wild - really count.
http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2014/11/12/the-half-captive-half-wild-elephants-of-myanmar-a-quirky-road-to-survival/



irrawady. org Interview with Barack Obama: ''We also continue to be deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Rakhine [Arakan] State and the treatment of the Rohingya and other Muslim communities, who continue to endure discrimination and abuse. One of the main messages that I'll deliver on this visit is that the government of Myanmar has a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of all people in the country, and that the fundamental human rights and freedoms of all people should be respected.''



theguardian.com The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that 5160 people had died of Ebola in eight countries out of 14,098 cases of infection.



Karon Beach Sambo 9am-5.30pm Squash 6pm-10pm
Patong Beach Ju-Jitsu 5.30pm-9pm
Saphan Hin Sport Center Beach Flag Football 8am-5pm



smh.com.au A young Melbourne woman has told how she was accosted by a would-be rapist on the Thai resort island of Phuket as she enjoyed a beach party after a family wedding. The woman, whose name is not available, told Phuketwan she stayed on Phuket for a few days after the attack last week so she could reveal publicly to the media about what happened to her as a warning to others.

wtop.com A dog that escaped the illegal dog meat market in Thailand and was trying to make a new home in Maryland is missing. A ''Help Find Cookie'' Facebook page has been set up to track the terrier's movements.

bangkokpost.com Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda ordered authorities to prepare for storms in Krabi and nine other southern provinces from Thursday to Sunday as a northeast monsoon appears to grow stronger.

nationmultimedia.com The Bt12.7-billion Central Phuket will open in 2017, Central Pattana executives revealed: ''We now have more land for developing shopping centres nationwide.''

thephuketinsider.com Thailand's boutique airline Bangkok Airways has launched daily flights between Phuket and Chiang Mai.

NNT Pattaya City is boosting safety for tourists, to address shortcomings the local tourism scene has been experiencing since the imposition of martial law and the murder of British tourists on Koh Tao.

news.com.au After more than 300 days behind bars in Egypt, there could finally be hope that Australian Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste will be sent home. US President Barack Obama has led international calls for three journalists.

bangkokpost.com France has reaffirmed its desire to see Thailand return to democratic constitutional rule. The message was conveyed to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn by French ambassador to Thailand Thierry Viteau during a recent meeting.

independent.co.uk It was audacious, it was bold, but it was a success. For the first time, humanity has a physical presence on the icy surface of a passing comet - cosmic objects that have both fascinated and terrified human beings since the dawn of history. The presence comes in the shape of a fridge-sized robotic probe named Philae which separated as planned and on cue from its mother ship, the Rosetta spacecraft launched more than 10 years ago.

bangkokpost.com A pair of nine-year-old show business corruption cases totalling 191.7 million baht have been revived against Juthmas Siriwan in the Bangkok International Film Festival bribery and newscaster Sorayuth Suthassanachinda in the MCOT embezzlement.

thetimes.co.uk Australia scrambled surveillance aircraft and dispatched a naval frigate yesterday after a fleet of Russian warships was seen approaching the country's north coast, days before a number of world leaders are scheduled to arrive in Brisbane for the G20 summit at the weekend.

standard.co.uk A British terror suspect dubbed the ''white widow'' has been shot dead by a sniper in Ukraine, a Russian news agency has claimed. Samantha Lewthwaite, who was married to 7/7 London bomber Germaine Lindsay, was gunned down by a Russian sniper, it was claimed.



wsj.com The United Nations on Wednesday urged Myanmar to protect the rights of its stateless Rohingya people amid plans for a state program to issue second-class citizenship to members of the Muslim minority and expel those who don't qualify.

washingtonpost.com Once, Burma's majority Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims lived peacefully. Today, many Rohingya have been closed off in refugee camps for more than two years after a wave of religious violence swept the country, leaving thousands displaced.

dvb.no Southeast Asian heads of state and prominent world leaders have begun gathering in the Burmese capital, Naypyidaw, for the 25th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the East Asia Summit, held concurrently on November 12-13.

straitstimes.com The Malaysian authorities have been working on a system to blacklist repeat traffic offenders from Singapore and block them from driving into Malaysia, an official here said.

au.news.yahoo.com When a booking made with a now insolvent Bali wedding planner left them $17,000 out of pocket, little did Nathan and Carly Bell know that would soon be the least of their problems as Ms Bell's father came close to death on their wedding night and Ms Bell was struck down with dengue fever on their honeymoon.



AP Qatar's sports minister says the 2022 World Cup will set a benchmark of excellence that will be ''almost impossible to beat'' and promised in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that the Gulf nation will implement labor reforms in the next few months. He was vague on whether alcohol will be sold inside World Cup stadiums and how gay fans will be welcomed at the 2022 tournament.

Phuket Update About 75 schools have been requested to close between November 13-14 for the Asian Beach Games following an order from government officials.

tasnim Iran will send 85 athletes to take part in the fourth Asian Beach Games which will be held in Phuket, Thailand from November 14 to 23. The Iranian athletes will compete in 17 out of 26 sports in the event. It is anticipated that more than 3,500 athletes and officers from 45 countries in Asia will be participating in the games.



November 14-23 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