bangkokpost.com Safari World Plc, Thailand's biggest theme park operator, plans to spend 1.35 billion baht to develop a new attraction and facilities in Phuket and respond to higher demand arising from the upcoming Asean Economic Community. The new theme park will go alongside FantaSea in Kamala.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/476900/safari-world-pins-hopes-on-phuket

bangkokpost.com The Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced former Central Investigation Bureau chief Pongpat Chayapan to another 10 years and six other defendants to different prison terms for breaches of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2009.

theguardian.co.uk Evacuations were ordered for towns closest to the coast in Iwate prefecture in Japan early on Tuesday after a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 was recorded off the country's coast.


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



nationmultimedia.com Tourism bounced back in first half of February with an 18-per-cent surge in foreign-tourist arrivals and a 78-percent occupancy rate in the hotel sector thanks to several major events. But arrivals at Phuket International Airport fell seven percent.

bangkokpost.com Krabi and Satun have the highest number of travel fraud cases and tour agents have urged the governors of the two southern provinces to help tackle the problem before it affects their tourism image.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism/476076/krabi-satun-urged-to-tackle-travel-scams

travelpulse.com Following recent reports of air rage among Chinese passengers and several incidents of bad behavior from last year, Thailand's Tourism Authority has issued ''etiquette manuals'' for those visiting the country ahead of the Chinese New Year this week.

bloomberg Thailand recorded its slowest economic growth in three years in 2014 as political unrest curbed local consumption, while lower agricultural prices and cooling global demand hurt exports.



Phuket Update Teachers at Darasamuth Phuket School strutted their singing and dancing stuff from Grease in a memorable Vanetine's Day performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SLu9g3PuKg

nationmultimedia.com A bomb planted on a Thai oil ship that had been robbed by pirates in the Straits of Malacca contained a circuit panel and battery but no gunpowder, Royal Thai Navy 3 Commander, Vice Admiral Saiyan Prasongsamret, said. This was the first pirate attack on the Andaman side after five to six attacks in the Southern China Sea, he said, adding that Thai waters would be patrolled more frequently.

Phuket Update More than 150 divers and nature lovers gathered at Patong Bay at the weekend to take part in the Patong Coral Reef Restoration project. The campaign is expected to speed up recovery of the coral reefs off Patong that have been affected by pollution, an increase in number of the coral-eating starfish, and the disaster of the 2004 Tsunami.

bangkokpost.com Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says he can't talk to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in pursuit of national reconciliation, as Thaksin is a convicted fugitive.

Phuket Update Doctors at Vachira Phuket Hospital are attempting to establish the cause of death and identify the body of a man pulled from the sea near Coral Island at the weekend. He is thought to be Asian and to have been killed about 10 days ago.

reuters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's calls for Jews to move to Israel after attacks in Paris and Copenhagen may strike a chord with thousands of French Jews but will likely fall on deaf ears in Denmark.

CNN.com Egyptian warplanes staged a second wave of airstrikes against ISIS targets in Libya in retaliation for the slaughter of 21 Egyptian Christians by ISIS militants, Egypt's state-run Ahram Online reported, citing security officials.

scmp.com One of the two skippers held responsible for the Lamma ferry tragedy was sentenced by a High Court judge to eight years in jail and the other to nine months.

nytimes.com Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore, who topped the charts in 1963 at age 16 with her epic song of teenage angst, 'It's My Party,' and followed it up with the hits 'Judy's Turn to Cry,' and the feminist anthem 'You Don't Own Me,' died of lung cancer. She was 68.

theaustralian.com.au Singapore Airlines claims its new premium economy 13.3-inch full-HD monitor is the largest in its class. Other standard benefits include greater food and beverage selection than in economy class, and a sense of roominess.

anna.aero Lucky Air on February 11 introduced thrice-weekly flights (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) between Kunming(KMG) and Krabi (KBV) in Thailand.



theaustralian.com.au In a rare and commanding show of political unity, Australia's six former prime ministers have backed diplomatic efforts to save Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from their looming executions in Indonesia.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-singapore-police-probe-fireworks-video-queue-firing-squad-21892/



bbc.com Manchester United survived a second-half scare at Deepdale to see off Preston 1-3 and set up an FA Cup quarter-final tie with holders Arsenal.

espn.co.uk Lance Armstrong has been ordered to pay a record $10 million in damages after losing a long-running lawsuit with a promotions company. SCA Promotions paid Armstrong about $12m in bonuses during his career, when he won seven Tour de France titles. Those victories were stripped away after Armstrong and his US Postal Service teams were found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.

bangkokpost.com Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol said he made an offer of 1 billion euros to buy control of AC Milan FC, but club owners say its not for sale.

Phuket Update Phuket FC were able to secure a 1-0 victory on the road at Trat FC at the weekend to begin their 2015 Division One campaign.



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