andrew-drummond.com The lawyer for Chumpol Khaonuang,32, has asked a Thai court to order the Dutch model victim of an alleged rape in Krabi to return to Thailand to give evidence. He claims that Khaonuang, convicted of murder when he was 17 and jailed for nine years, will not get a fair trial unless the young woman, a 19-year old Dutch model from Amsterdam can be cross examined.

dailymail.com German tourist Lana Lutteropp, 20, has died in a hospital in Maui, Hawaii, one week after she lost her right arm in a horrific shark attack. A heroic teacher heard her screams and pulled her from the water.


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

bangkokpost.com Bangkok Airways has made a surprising foray into Burma with a plan to launch regular services to Nay Pyi Taw from Bangkok. Its intended launch on September 30 is expected to pre-empt budget airline Thai AirAsia, which in June announced it would become the first carrier to connect the Thai and Burma capitals in October.

scmp.com Syria's opposition accused government forces of gassing hundreds of people - by one report as many as 1300 - near Damascus after rockets released deadly fumes over rebel-held suburbs, killing men, women and children as they slept.

cnn.com The UN says its inspectors are ''fully engaged'' in an investigation of rebel claims, denied by Assad's regime, that 1300 have died in a chemical attack.

Phuket Update A tourist at Phuket's Patong beach spotted a dolphin in distress while swimming but the one metre, 30 kilo female died before rescuers manager to bring it to shore. Marine biologists said an illness was the killer.

nytimes.com A military judge sentenced Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for providing more than 700,000 government files to WikiLeaks, a gigantic leak that lifted the veil on military and diplomatic activities around the world.

theguardian.com A legal system that doesn't distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability.

cnn.com At least 37 people were killed when a bus in a mountainous area of Malaysia plunged into a ravine, the country's Bernama news agency said, citing rescue officials. Among the dead were Bangladeshi, Thai and Chinese nationals.

bangkokpost.com The founder of listed and bankrupt fitness firm California Wow Xperience Plc, Eric Levine, denied fraudulently transferring the company's funds overseas. In October 2012, many unhappy customers lodged complaints with the Department of Special Investigation, accusing the company of fraud.

abc.net.au A plan to make teenage girls undergo virginity tests to enter senior high school in a city in Indonesia has sparked outrage. Activists have accused the education chief of Prabumulih, in South Sumatra, of promoting sexual violence against women by suggesting the plan.

bangkokpost.com A Vietnamese People's Court sentenced Suracha Chaimongkol, 31, to death for smuggling two kilos of cocaine from Brazil last October - the second Thai woman on death row in Ho Chi Minh City in almost indentical cases.

reuters Thailand has positioned itself as a holiday destination for gay couples and could soon be cashing in on another niche market if a proposed law makes it the first Asian country to legalise gay marriage. Other Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei ban sexual relationships between men, but Thailand has become a regional haven for same-sex couples.

thediplomat.com Thailand has amazed again, only this time on the downside. After its stunning 18.9 percent rise in gross domestic product for the December quarter, Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy has now officially entered into a recession for the first time since 2009.

cnn.com The indiscriminate shooting of Christopher Lane, a 23-year-old Australian who was living his dream of studying in the US on a baseball scholarship, has repulsed many and led to calls for Australian tourists to boycott the US. ''It is another example of murder mayhem on Main Street,'' former Australian deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer told CNN.

bbcc.o.uk An Egyptian court has ordered the release on bail of former President Hosni Mubarak in a corruption case. Reports from Cairo suggest he may be freed from prison on Thursday, but the prosecution may still appeal.

domainnamewire.com Phuket, Thailand vacation rental site AwesomeVillas.com bought AwesomeRetreats.com for $1344. The owner of Adamas.ru bought Adamas.net for $1755.

afp Thai police said they had seized 16 elephants from tourist destinations as part of a nationwide swoop on operators suspected of using smuggled wild pachyderms for entertainment. The animals were removed from camps in the southern and eastern resort areas of Ko Chang, Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga.

news24.com The case began after police found suspicious elephant identification certificates in camps in Phuket and Phang Nga. Further investigation uncovered 69 more fake certificates in the homes of two men in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum. The two men are now being sought for arrest.

scmp.com Guests at some luxury hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities have been surprised to access Facebook and Twitter - the social media services banned on the mainland for years.

thejakartapost.com Indonesia's largest private airline, Lion Air, is set to strengthen its foothold in Southeast Asia???s aviation market by establishing Thai Lion in Thailand by the end of this year. The group CEO Rusdi Kirana said that the company is going to collaborate with a local airline in Thailand.

ttrweekly.com Airports of Thailand's latest July data shows increases in both aircraft movements and passenger traffic at six airports under its management. Three airports set the pace; Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport 29.8 million passengers, Don Muang 9.3 million and Phuket 6.5 million.

afp Thai police said that they had seized 16 elephants from tourist destinations as part of a nationwide swoop on operators suspected of using smuggled wild pachyderms for entertainment. The animals were removed from camps in the southern and eastern resort areas of Ko Chang, Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga, all popular with holidaymakers.

watoday.com.au Singapore Airlines' budget offshoot Scoot has become the second Asian airline to introduce a child-free zone. The airline has announced a separate ''Scoot in silence'' cabin behind business class with more leg room than standard economy where children under 12 are banned.



reuters Branislav Ivanovic headed a second-half winner as Chelsea escaped from a lacklustre performance against Aston Villa with a 2-1 victory in the Premier League.

watoday.com.au Currently about halfway down Western Australia, Janette Murray-Wakelin, 64, and her husband, Alan, 68, are running 365 marathons in 365 days, aiming to finish in Melbourne on New Year's Eve. They move slowly, taking up to 10 hours including meal and rest stops to complete each marathon, but never take a break and have compiled a streak of 225 so far.



August 23 Beginning of Phuket's Hungry Ghost Festival

August 25 Singtharua Port Lions v Phuket FC

August 31 Phuket FC v Ayuthaya FC

October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

October 29-November 3 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Karon

November 17 Loy Kratong Day

November 24-December 1 Challenge Laguna Phuket Tri-Fest. Laguna Phuket

December 5 HM The King's birthday



January 9-12 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket