tvnz.co.nz Wellington furniture-maker Andrew Missen, reported missing in Thailand, has returned home to New Zealand safely.

bloomberg Thailand's junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha made no mention of his military takeover in a speech to world leaders gathered at the United Nations, instead highlighting his country's commitment to sustainable development and protecting human rights.


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



stuff.co.nz Police are now making inquiries over a New Zealand man missing in Thailand whose teen daughter is pleading for help. His family hasn't heard from him. His 15-year-old daughter, Teal Edwards-Missen, made a public plea for information on Facebook: ''My dad, Andrew Missen, has gone missing in Ko Samui an island off Bangkok in Thailand. No one in our family has heard from him in over 10 days.''

Phuket Update Departing Governor Nisit Jansomwong rates among his achievements in 12 months obtaining a 29-million-baht budget to purchase more than 200 CCTV cameras, and 150 million baht from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports project, Phuket, Peaceful City' to install and maintain the cameras. '''I am also proud of implementing the Grab Taxi system in Phuket, as well as approving 87 new tuk-tuks to work legally, while pushing 50-baht public van transportation between Patong and Phuket.''

smh.com.au Intrepid Syrian refugees are opening up a new route to Europe by travelling to Russia and crossing a remote Arctic border into Norway on bicycles.



bangkokpost.com Scepticism has flared following police claims that a Thai male suspect allegedly linked to two politically-motivated bomb blasts in 2010 and last year was involved in last month's Bangkok bombings.



aljazeera.com More than 200 ethnic Rohingya stormed out of an Indonesian encampment as tensions erupted following alleged rapes and beatings by locals at the site where members of Myanmar's long-persecuted minority have been held since arriving by boat four months ago.

bangkokpost.com Police have wrapped up their five-month investigation into Rohingya migrant trafficking with warrants issued for the arrest of 232 suspects involved in the human trade and money laundering. But Deputy Provincial Police Region 8 commander, Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin, said a number of suspects are still at large and need to be brought to justice.

mongabay.com Speaking fluent English, a 29-year-old Burmese man describes his arrival into Thailand nine years ago. ''It was a nightmare,'' he said of his 10 months spent slaving with dozens of his countrymen who were sold into the fishing industry. ''Police are involved in protecting the people transporting and holding the men, and in taking money to look the other way,'' said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch Asia.

bangkokpost.com Many army officers also allegedly played a role, including ex-senior army adviser Lt Gen Manas Kongpan, three army officers attached to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) based in the South, and one navy officer.

aa.com.tr Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) says it seized a record 60 million baht ($1.6 million) in assets from a trafficking network in September as it sought to clamp down on the smuggling of Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar. A government statement added that added that most of the network's members were still at large.

nationmultimedia.com Captain Wisut Bunnak surrendered Monday but has maintained his innocence. Three other wanted military men were identified as Satun-based ISOC officer Colonel Natthasit Maksuwan, Chumphon-based ISOC officer Capt Santad Phetnoi and Royal Navy Region 3 officer in Phuket, Commander Kampanat Sangthongchin.



nationmultimedia.com Nok Air has announced it will be increasing flight frequency to Phuket to eight flights a day during the high season.

cambodiadaily.com The beaten corpse of a Caucasian man was found stuffed in a rolling suitcase floating in an inlet near the Vietnamese border in Kep province, police said, though few details of his identity could be established. The decomposing body of the middle-aged man was discovered by shrimp fishermen, who retrieved the heavily taped suitcase after noticing a head sticking out.

nationmultimedia.com Toyota, Dutch Mill, KFC, Kasikornbank and Dtac are ranked as Thailand's most powerful brands this year among their sectors, according to a brand equity study by Millward Brown.

cpj.com An initiative in Thailand to create a single government-controlled gateway for international Internet traffic represents a clear danger to online freedoms, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement. CPJ calls on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to drop the proposed plan and stop harassing journalists and social media users.

bangkokpost.com Economic Crime Suppression Division police said 166 businesses used pirated computer software worth 358 million baht between January and September this year, a 20 percent year-on-year increase.

media release Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel and Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort now offer a complimentary smartphone called ''handy'' in all guest rooms, and are the first hotels in Thailand to offer such a service. The aptly named handy device is preloaded with destination specific features to offer a superior guest experience and interactive travel solutions for leisure and business travellers. handy keeps guests connected, informed and entertained 24 hours a day.

bangkokpost.com Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said all the right things in his speech at the UN summit. Congratulations. The question is whether he will make good on his promises.

nytimes.com When it was over and the feature page was gone, dozens of reporters had been fired and the morning assignment editor was shown the door only minutes after handing out the morning's first assignments, The Daily News - or what was left of it - was in a state of shock. For weeks the staff had known that layoffs might be coming, and when they did come, on September 16, it was with the swiftness of a Soviet-era purge.

nationmultimedia.com A beachside resort that will appeal to anyone interested in Phuket's past, the luxurious Indigo Pearl plays on the days when the southern island was frequented not as a place to relax but for mining tin. A major source of revenue from the sixteenth century right up until the mid-1900s, tin mining eventually gave way to tourism and while the tin culture has now gone for good, its legacy remains at Indigo Pearl resort.



thediplomat.com Asean is looking to step up its efforts to tackle transnational crime under Malaysia's chairmanship of the regional grouping, the country's deputy prime minister said following a meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Transnational crime traditionally is limited to eight areas - drug trafficking, terrorism, economic crimes, human trafficking, money laundering, piracy, weapon smuggling and cybercrime - three have been added: illicit trafficking in wildlife, illicit trafficking in timber, and people smuggling.



afp Arsenal and Chelsea had a Champion League night to forget on Tuesday as a Robert Lewandowski hat-trick helped Bayern Munich crush Dinamo Zagreb.

watoday.com.au Because the western Eagles are playing the Hawks in Saturday's AFL grand final, airfares from Perth to Melbourne are being sold for hundreds of dollars above their face value, with one would-be entrepreneur trying to sell four airfares for $10,000.



October 15-23 Phuket Vegetarian Festival

November Patong Festival

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