Pattaya Update Briton Ian James Day, 61, failed to see an oncoming motorcycle as he made a u-turn in his car in Pattaya at 2.30am. The rider crashed into a concrete pole and was killed instantly despite wearing a helmet. Day faces serious charges.


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 The government's move to replace martial law with Section 44 could benefit the tourism industry, compensating for exports, said Deputy PM MR Pridiyathorn Devakula. Without martial law, tourists can qualify for travel insurance.

news.com.au More than 3000 people clashed in Melbourne in a battleground of competing ideologies, with a rally by the Reclaim Australia movement and counter-protest by the left-wing No Room for Racism group. Chants of ''immigrants are welcome, racists are not'' could be heard. Others clashed in Sydney and Brisbane.

nationmultimedia.com Human Rights Watch called on Thai military authorities to immediately confirm the location of 17 student activists arrested last week following a predawn search at four student dormitories in Narathiwat.



theguardian.com The World Health Organisation's top official in Thailand has denied beating his Ethiopian domestic helper and treating her like a modern day slave. The 25-year-old unnamed maid filed a complaint accusing Dr Yonas Tegegn and his wife of forcing her to work without pay for nearly two years.

AP As the news rippled around the island, hundreds of weathered former and current slaves with long, greasy hair and tattoos streamed from their trawlers, down the hills, even out of the jungle, running toward what they had only dreamed of for years: Freedom.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/300-slave-fishermen-rescued-indonesian-island-article-1.2173220



wvtm13.com A woman convicted in the 2004 death of a man in Jefferson County has returned to Alabama after spending several years overseas, avoiding her five-year sentence. Kelly Lynn Miller was arrested in Thailand in February.

al.com Longtime fugitive Kelly Lynn Miller, who fled to Thailand to avoid prison, stepped foot back in Alabama for the first time in five years. She apologised to the family of her victim, 57-year-old Donnie Goodwin. ''For the man's family, for Donnie's family, I know they've had to suffer a lot and I truly am deeply sorry.''

bangkokpost.com Twenty-five passengers were injured, one seriously, when an air-conditioned interprovincial bus travelling from Bangkok to Phuket overturned in Krabi.

cnn.com Cuban state media released images of a rare public appearance by former leader Fidel Castro, 88, who met with a group of Venezuelans who were on a solidarity mission to the island. ''Fidel is full of vitality,'' the Juventud Rebelde newspaper exclaimed.

news.com.au The naked corpses of the al-Shabab gunmen who slaughtered 148 people have been paraded through Kenya, after militants threatened ''another bloodbath''.

smh.com.au A US man sobbed as he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for operating a ''revenge porn'' website. Kevin Bollaert, from San Diego, ran the website ugotposted.com which featured more than 10,000 sexually explicit photos of people, mostly women, which had been submitted by their ex-lovers.

news.com.au An EasyJet A320 flight heading to Kosovo from Geneva was forced to divert and land because a ''hungry'' passenger became so impatient about getting some food he punched a stewardess to the ground, reports 11alive.com.

nytimes.com Nearly 30 years after the Alabama authorities relied on analyses of a handgun and bullets to send him to this state's death row, Anthony Ray Hinton was freed after experts undermined the state's case: "He was convicted because he's poor. We have a system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent.''

dpa The operator of 7-Eleven stores in Japan has applied for a trademark for the color combination of orange, green and red featured in its logo. It is not unusual to see independent shops in Japan and other countries using the same colors, as the public associates them with a branded convenience store.

metro.co.uk A large explosion at Lloyds bank in Shirehampton, Bristol, reduced the entire shop front to debris as thieves made off with a cash machine. Awitness reported seeing a gang of seven or eight men in balaclavas storming the bank before escaping with cash.

richarddawkins.net The city of Madison, Wisconsin announced that it is now against the law to discriminate against atheists, making it the first city in the US to grant explicit legal protection to people who do not believe in a God.

theglobeandmail.com If you've ever wanted to hit your fellow citizens, then International Pillow Fight Day is for you. Of course, your opponents also have to be holding a pillow. And they can hit you back.

news.com.au A shepherd in Argentina was found dead after having sex with a scarecrow that he had dressed in a wig and lipstick.



A CLOUDLESS night has given Thailand and other parts of the region a clear view of the lunar eclipse, in which the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-eclipse-captured-speedo-madness-thousands-evacuated-chopper-crash-kills-22180/



dailymail.co.uk Chelsea are limping to the Premier League title, unlike Charlie Adam's quite breathtaking 66-yard rocket at Stamford Bridge. This clash will be remembered for one of the greatest goals in English football history.

bangkokpost.com Three goals in the final eight minutes of the first half helped give red-hot Arsenal a comfortable 4-1 win over Liverpool in their Premier League match at Etihad Stadium.



April 6 Public Holiday

April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week

April 13-15 Songkran Festival

May 4 Additional public holiday scheduled

June 20-21 Baba wedding at Old Phuket Town

July 15-19 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek