traveldailymedia.com Latest data from STR Global reports Asia's revPAR declined 3.4 percent in November with Phuket (-7.4pc to THB2995, or approx. US$91) recording the second-largest revPAR decrease behind Seoul.


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 The Thai tourism industry is expected to face another tough year, judging from a slow economic recovery in key markets. But stakeholders are optimistic that arrivals will soar from 25 million in 2015 to 29 million in 2016. Phuket is targeted as a venue for premium cruises and a destination for MICE, together with beaches and diving.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Tourism-industry-again-braces-for-another-tough-ye-30250502.html

bangkokpost.com Scandal at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang as police arrest the university's accountant and a Bank of Ayudhya manager for siphoning off 1.6 billion baht.

nationmultimedia.com Like Thai tourists, European tourists were surprised when the junta ordered a ''beach clean-up'' along the coast from Hua Hin in Prachuab Khiri Khan to Patong in Phuket. ''Trespassers'' - meaning everyone from masseurs to those renting out daybeds and umbrellas -- were removed, giving the public beaches back to the people.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/travel/Good-times-bad-times-30250475.html



news.com.au An Aussie paramedic who oversaw the treatment of hundreds of Indian Ocean tsunami victims in Thailand has spoken for the first time about the traumatic events of a decade ago. Peter Davison, who responded to the Port Arthur massacre before moving to Phuket, is an unsung hero of the Boxing Day tsunami.
http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/aussie-paramedic-peter-davison-tells-how-he-oversaw-the-treatment-of-hundreds-of-indian-ocean-tsunami-victims-in-phuket/story-fnh81fz8-1227165451216

afp Ten years after the deadliest tsunami on record wrought destruction across the Indian Ocean, creeping complacency is undermining a hi-tech warning system designed to prevent another disaster of such shocking magnitude. Among the victims were thousands of foreign tourists, the majority enjoying the Christmas period on Thailand's sun-kissed southwest coast, spreading the horrors of the disaster to homes around the world.

AP An Associated Press investigation helped track down two families with loved ones at the Tsunami Victim Cemetery in Thailand north of Phuket, including Maye Aye Nwe's mother. As the 10th anniversary of the disaster approaches, Aye Pu, now a 55-year-old widow, says her healing process can finally begin.

reuters Watches, chunky gold necklaces with Buddhist amulets, an Egyptian souvenir coin purse, and a wad of $1800 in cash were pulled from tattered cardboard boxes and police evidence bags stashed in the container that has not been opened since 2011. ''I'm a bit surprised by the large number of valuables,'' Lieutenant Colonel Voravit Yamaree from Takuapa [north of Phuket] said.

nationmultimedia.com Tsunami survivors' mental problems reduced significantly within four years after the deadly disaster hit Thailand's Andaman coast a decade ago. However, a study on intelligence quotients among children in hard-hit zones who were aged three and under at the time of the tsunami showed that many had lower-than-average IQ.

abc.net.au Acting Inspector Scott McLaren was among 19 Queensland police officers in the Disaster Victim Identification Unit to be flown into Thailand: ''It's a pivotal moment in Australian and international responses to victim identification and mass fatalities.''



itv.com The Metropolitan police have confirmed that British detectives who travelled to Thailand to look into concerns that had been raised about the investigation into the murder of Jerseyman David Miller and a fellow Brit, had observer status only.



afp A Thai woman was sentenced to death after a Malaysian high court found her guilty of trafficking drugs, Bernama news agency reported. Duangchit Khonthokhonbari, 33, who had been working in Malaysia as a maid, was caught with 2.81 kilogrammes (6.2 pounds) of methamphetamine at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in March last year.

xinhua Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter President (Pattaya) Sanpech Supabowornsthian said that the number of Russian visitors has dropped by as much as 70 percent during the high season as the ruble has lost more than 50 percent of its value against the dollar since the start of the year.

theguardian.com Christmas morning, 2010. I'm in bed with my mother in a Thai sex hotel. It is my 30th birthday. How have things got so out of hand?
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/23/how-got-to-know-mum-bangkok-sex-hotel-christmas

hotelchatter.com From March 1, the 354-room Four Seasons Bangkok on Radjadamri Road will become the flagship for Anantara Hotels & Resorts, officially known as Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel & Spa.

smh.com.au France has stepped up security nationwide with army patrols following three attacks, in a bid to ease growing unease in the country.

cbc.ca Imprisoned Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to personally ask Egypt's president to release him before an appeal court closes his chance at a retrial. Two other Ajazeera journalists are in jail with him.

smh.com.au For those who think boat people are criminals who should be locked up, Scott Morrison's time in the immigration portfolio has been hailed a success. For those who understand the truth of the matter, his time as immigration minister is a terrible stain on Australia's history.
http://www.watoday.com.au/comment/scott-morrisons-calculated-cruelty-is-his-legacy-20141222-12c05g.html

bloomberg.com North Korea's limited access to the Internet was restored after being cut off for hours, days after the US government accused the country of hacking into Sony Corp's files. The connection, which can be patchy, was restored after a nearly 10-hour outage.

bangkokpost.com Thailand's frozen-foods exports are expected to grow by 29.6 percent next year thanks in part to recovering shrimp shipments.

reuters US health regulators will recommend that gay men be allowed to donate blood one year after their last sexual contact, easing a ban that has been in place since 1983.



Asean Update With the assumption of chairmanship of Asean 2015 by Malaysia from January 1, 2015, Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to announce the official launch of its dedicated website asean2015.gov.my. The portal is intended to provide extensive coverage, information, updates and news on important events that will take place in 2015 during the chairmanship.

scmp.com Many of Yem Chrin's former patients still refer to him as ''the good doctor,'' but others say the life sentence he faces for allegedly infecting more than 140 people in a Cambodian village with HIV is not enough. Children as young as two and people in their 80s contracted the virus. He has been charged with murder.

straitstimes.com A total of 14 passengers and crew were injured after sudden severe turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Osaka, which landed in Singapore on Tuesday morning. One patient was referred to a hospital.

aljazeera.com Parts of southern Thailand and northern Malaysia have experienced severe flooding in recent days after heavy rains hit the region. Despite mass evacuations, at least four people are known to have died so far.

wsj.com Singapore Airlines Ltd. and India's Tata Sons Ltd. will start flights of a new joint venture airline, Vistara, in India early next month, a market where high costs and low fares have pushed most carriers into losses.



The ''Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015'' will usher in the New Year with light shows and live concerts at Sanam Chai Park, across the road from Phuket Provincial Hall, from December 29-31.

Phuket International Boat Show returns to southern Thailand's beach destination from January 8 to 11.

December 25 Christmas Day

December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami

December 29-31 Colorful Countdown Phuket 2015 to New Year's Eve



January 6-11 Phuket International Boat Show

January 21 Australian embassy outreach to Phuket Call 02-3446300, e: consular.bangkok@dfat.gov.au

February 12-15 Phuket Yacht Show