UPDATING All Day, Every Day
asiacorrespondent.com Tthe two Burmese migrant workers accused of brutally murdering David Miller and Hannah Witheridge on the island of Koh Tao in September, had their detention extended for a sixth time at Ko Samui Court today.
bangkokpost.com Uber Technologies Inc, the online car-booking company that competes with traditional cab services, faces a roadblock in Vietnam after the government said its taxi service is illegal.
smh.com.au The trial of two Jakarta International School teachers on child sex allegations has begun with the reading of indictments, but the South Jakarta courtroom was closed to reporters and the public.
usatoday.com It's World AIDS Day, a day started in 1988 to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and work to end the epidemic. An estimated 34 million people have HIV/AIDS worldwide.
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
business-standard.com The Thai and Malaysian premiers agreed that stalled talks on ending southern Thailand's deadly Muslim insurrection could only resume once all rebel attacks cease and its various insurgent groups come to the table as one.
dpa One volunteer rescue worker died when rival ambulance squads brawled on the streets of Bangkok early Monday, officials said. The incident started when an ambulance crew belonging to the Pai Rom Sai Foundation accused another from the Por Tek Tung Foundation of encroaching on its territory in responding to a traffic accident.
cnn.com More than 32,000 people die each year by gun violence in the United States. CNN charts every shooting in a single day across the nation.
http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2014/12/us/cnn-guns-project/?hpt=hp_c1
Human Trafficking in Thailand
globalvoicesonline.org Refugees and asylum seekers have fled the repressive and often brutal conditions in their home countries to seek shelter in a modern and peaceful Malaysia only to find that the government's tourism slogan of 'Caring Malaysia' is not entirely accurate.
Tourist Murders on Koh Tao
samuitimes.com Today the two suspects in the Koh Tao murder case Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo (Win) will attend the Koh Samui Provincial Court at 9am. It is unclear whether the prosecutor will request a sixth bail detention extension or prosecute.
Phuket World of People
Phuket Update Former Australian ambassador to Thailand, Paul Grigson, is set to take up the important role in Indonesia in the New Year amid tension over the ''turn back the boats'' policy and recent revelations of spying by Australian officials. Grigson has recently run the south-east Asia division in Canberra.
bangkokpost.com The government is now determined to shut down the smartphone-savvy Uber taxis - a dinosaur-era act that has Uber demanding a review.
bbc.com The Thailand decision is just one of many that have gone against the taxi-app firm in recent weeks.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30274979
news24.com Tourists were left flabbergasted when Thai police raided the Surin beach, a popular spot in Phuket, over the weekend, confiscating sun umbrellas and loungers.
news.com.au The woman who told President Obama's daughters to ''dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar,'' has resigned from her position as a Republican aide.
dw.de While the military seems to have succeeded in stabilising Thailand's economy, key sectors such as the tourism industry are still struggling.
travelpulse.com These days Bali vies with the Thai island of Phuket for the title of top vacation island in Southeast Asia. Despite efforts by Indonesian tourism officials to highlight its many other islands, developers continue to add to Bali's hotel inventory. This year Indonesia for the first time became the top destination for Australian tourists, overtaking New Zealand.
scmp.com Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has issued his strongest warning yet about clearing the nine-week-old Occupy Central protest sites.
tvnz.co.nz A member of the Australian Sex Party is expected to secure a seat in Parliament for the first time as Victorians appear to be looking at minor parties for leadership. The party wants prostitution laws reformed and marijuana decriminalised, same-sex marriage legalised, equal opportunity for people with HIV/AIDS and age-appropriate sex education in schools.
news.com.au Jailed paedophile Rolf Harris, 84, has abandoned his push to appeal 12 convictions for sexually assaulting four girls in the United Kingdom.
bloomberg A ten percent decline in oil prices means gross domestic product growth of 45 basis points in both South Korea and Thailand, economists including Chua Hak Bin and Lee Jaewoo wrote in a December 1 report on the region's 2015 outlook.
Around the Asean Region
nst.com.my Police dug out a body believed to be of a kidnapped victim from a bush area in Bidor, Perak, Malaysia. Not long after the victim was kidnapped, his wife was contacted by a man who ordered her to transfer RM2 million into a bank account registered in Bangkok, Thailand, for her husband's release.
todayonline.com Malaysia's ringgit was set to suffer its biggest two-day slide since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis as tumbling oil prices threatened to undermine the oil exporter's economy.
Phuket World of Sport
bangkokpost.com The King's Cup Regatta, with 93 boats from 16 countries, began yesterday. Neil Pryde's HiFi team opened their account with a six-second win over Beau Geste in race one of the IRC Zero class. But Beau Geste beat HiFi in the next two races to stay on top at the end of of the first day.
news.com.au Australia's first Test will begin on Tuesday, December 9 in Adelaide after the series was delayed following the death of Phillip Hughes.
Coming Events on Phuket 2014
Until December 6 King's Cup Regatta
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
Coming Events on Phuket 2015
February 13-15 Phuket Yacht Show
