afp The owner of a Bangkok nightclub was jailed for three years on Thursday over a deadly New Year's nightclub blaze nearly seven years ago that killed 67 people. Visuk Setsawat was found guilty of negligence over an inferno at the upscale Santika club, Bangkok's Supreme Court said.

afp Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said it was important not to ''exaggerate'' the plight of the nation's persecuted Rohingya, hundreds of thousands of whom have been barred from Sunday's landmark polls.


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



reuters Evidence now suggests that a bomb planted by the Islamic State militant group is the likely cause of last weekend's crash of a Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai peninsula, US and European security sources said.

bangkokpost.com Police say the deputy rector of a Buddhist university had relations with five different 13-year-olds in a paedophile-prostitution ring involving 23 men.



bbc.com Denied the most basic of rights, earlier this year tens of thousands of Rohingya took to boats in an attempt to flee, with many ending up in traffickers' camps in Thailand and Malaysia. Some are thinking of taking to the water again.



bangkokpost.com Phuket immigration police have arrested a Russian man Eldar Gasanguseynov, 29, wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, or international wanted persons alert, for fraud.

Phuket Update Four speed cameras that came online on Phuket at the end of 2013 are booking about 10 drivers a day, says Phuket Provincial Police Commander Teeraphol Thipjaroen.

firstpost.com No-frills airline SpiceJet announced a direct flight to Bangkok from Chennai from December 10 six times a week with a Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft.

reuters The perennial push to make Buddhism Thailand's state religion has gained new momentum thanks for radical Myanmar monks accused of stoking religious tension.

bangkokpost.com For a Buddhist monk killed in the deep South, a mosque should be burned down in retaliation. This violent proposal from a Buddhist monk stirred a heated debate on social media last week. Is it merely a a storm in a tea cup? The answer is no.

haaretz.com Vladimir Putin tops Forbes magazine's list of power brokers, followed by Angela Merkel, Barack Obama and Pope Francis. North Korea's Kim Jung-un is also there.

theguardian.com Canada's new prime minister Justin Trudeau has named a young and ethnically diverse cabinet, with a ministerial team that for the first time in the country's history is equally balanced between men and women.

valuewalk.com Thailand is aiming to design and build military equipment and weapons systems on its own, according to Thai officials. Prawit Wongsuwan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Thailand shared the news.

scmp.com 400 years on and still fomenting revolution: Guy Fawkes now the symbol of a generation of disenchanted Hong Kong youths.

afp Mexico's Supreme Court opened the door to recreational use of marijuana in a historic ruling, giving a group of activists permission to grow and smoke their own pot.

hongkongfp.com Customs officials in southern China's Guangdong province seized 2764 frozen pangolin carcasses last month in the biggest trafficking case involving the endangered species in five years. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in China and traditional Chinese medicine holds that pangolin scales possess healing qualities

afp Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergenc, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest suspects ahead of a major anti-government protest rally.

traveldailymedia.com Thailand has reiterated its focus on attracting more ''quality'' tourists. Speaking at a buyers' lunch at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London this week, the country's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, provided information on the steps Thailand is taking to increase its visitor expenditure and average length-of-stay.

shanghaiist.com Explore amazing exotic getaways, with fantastic flight and hotel deals for popular destinations like Bangkok, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Phuket.



telegraph.co.uk Rivals of Aung San Sun Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, have launched a last-ditch ''dirty tricks'' campaign before Sunday's election portraying her as ''puppet'' of Britain.



afp Arsenal's hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout phase were left hanging by a thread after they were thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich, while Chelsea revived their faltering campaign with a nervy 2-1 victory over Dynamo Kiev.



November 20 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

November 25 Loy Kratong festival

November 29 Challenge Laguna Phuket 2015

November 29 Phuket King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 26 Tsunami memorial ceremonies



January 7-10 Phuket International Boat Show