thaipbs.or.th Thai health officials have now placed Phuket and Thailand's five other international airports on high alert following the rising cases of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in South Korea, where three people have died.


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 A forum on human rights in post-coup Thailand scheduled for the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand has been shut down by the junta before it began. Thailand's human rights situation shows no signs of improvement, says the head of the Thai Human Rights Lawyers Association, Yaowalak Anupan.

nationmultimedia.com Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated for the first time that he was ready to remain in power for another two years to complete the national reforms. But he said he needed protection from criticisms both inside and outside Thailand if his government were to continue running the country.



bangkokpost.com The US embassy's charge d'affaires expressed his appreciation to Thai authorities for their progress in investigating human trafficking in the South.

nationmultimedia.com Lt-General Manat Khongpaen, a special adviser in the Army, was hit with a total of 13 charges over his alleged role as the ringleader of a major trafficking operation in southern Thailand of the Rohingya and other migrants, while a court rejected his bail plea.

bangkokpost.com Editorial: The arrest of Lt Gen Manat followed the army's initial vehement insistence that no army officers were involved. We must punish traffickers and corrupt officials. We must accord migrant workers their rights and dignity. Not because we face international pressure, but because it is the right thing to do.

AP Burma said that thousands of migrants left the country to seek better jobs elsewhere, and were not fleeing persecution, a day after bringing to shore about 730 migrants, the latest arrivals in Southeast Asia's ongoing crisis.

news.com.au After months at sea, hundreds of Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants have been taken to a temporary holding area in Myanmar, where they face even more cramped conditions awaiting repatriation.



abc.net.au An explosion at a petrol station in Ghana's capital Accra has killed at least 150 people who had been sheltering from torrential rain. Ghana's president John Dramani Mahama described the loss of life as ''catastrophic and almost unprecedented,'' as he toured the scene of the disaster.

reuters Relatives of passengers missing in the sinking of a cruise ship on the Yangtze River have accused Chinese police of beating them when they sought more information on the disaster.

bbc.com More than 700 schools in South Korea have been closed as a third person died from the Mers virus and the number of people infected rose to 35.

news.com.au Thousands of people have streamed into a park in central Hong Kong for a candlelit vigil to mark the 26th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown. Hong Kong is the only location on Chinese soil to see a major commemoration.

thetimes.co.uk Theme park staff waited 11 minutes before calling an ambulance after a rollercoaster crashed on Tuesday, and firefighters were not called to free the injured victims for at least half an hour, it has emerged.

thelocal.no The head of Nato has spoken admiringly of German chancellor Angela Merkel's capacity for white wine, telling interviewers in Norway, ''Let???s put it like this: she isn't the first to leave.''

bbc.com Prince Harry has been knighted by his grandmother, the Queen, for ''services to the sovereign''. The prince, 30, has been made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), Buckingham Palace confirmed.



firstpost.com Vietnam is offering scores of patriotic citizens the holiday of a lifetime with a cruise to some of Asia's most hotly contested islands, in a move likely to stoke its simmering dispute with Beijing over South China Sea sovereignty.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-lost-dad-sings-elvis-pattaya-volcano-evacuation-viet-cruise-danger-zone-22602/



nationmultimedia.com Muangthong United midfielder Sarach Yooyen further enhanced his reputation by netting a solitary goal in Thailand's crucial 1-0 victory over Malaysia in their third Group B match, which put them within touching distance of a place in the semifinals of the SEA Games.

news.com.au Australia and England both say they are ready to hold the 2022 FIFA World Cup if Qatar is stripped.

news.com.au Adam Voges hit a memorable 130 not out on debut before two late wickets put Australia in complete control of the first Test against West Indies.



June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 14-16 Trial of Phuketwan journalists at Phuket Provincial Court

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek