smh.com.au The condition of Singapore's critically ill first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, 91, has worsened, the prime minister's office said on Saturday.

smh.com.au New Zealand's Martin Guptill smashed 237 not out to record the highest individual World Cup score in the co-hosts' quarter-final against West Indies. The 28-year-old hit 24 boundaries and 11 sixes.


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 More than 300 police and soldiers raided known haunts of gunmen and criminals on the tourist island of Koh Samui on Friday morning, in a major clampdown on crime in the wake of the public murder of a major building contractor early this month.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/503372/police-soldiers-raid-criminal-haunts-on-koh-samui

Samui Times The shooting took place around 7.20pm during the village's weekly walking street, hundreds of tourists were witness to the crime, authorities are gravely concerned that such acts will have a negative effect on tourism and are concerned about violent crimes on the island as a whole, specifically gun crime.

bbc.com Islamic State (IS) say its militants carried out suicide bombings on two mosques in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, that killed at least 137 people. The attacks are the first claimed by IS - a Sunni group - since it set up a branch in Yemen in November.



voanews.com A campaign by Thai authorities to crack down on human trafficking has led to the arrests this month of hundreds of foreign nationals in Bangkok. But the detainees include many Pakistani nationals seeking refuge, and rights groups are calling for their release.
http://www.voanews.com/content/thai-crackdown-on-human-trafficking-ensnares-refugees/2683500.html



khaosodenglish.com The Director of Lanta National Park in southern Thailand says he will file charges against a diving company that advertised its business with photos of a tour guide picking up marine life. Suriyan Narongkul, chief of Koh Lanta district, said he has urged all diving companies and tour guides in the area to refrain from disturbing the local ecology.
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1426766969§ion=14

straitstimes.com A Singapore Airlines flight from Milan to Singapore was diverted to New Delhi due to a drunk passenger on board. When contacted, the airline confirmed that SQ367 was diverted to the Indian capital on Thursday. No other details were given.

channelnewsasia.com A member of the public, Louis Young, emailed Channel NewsAsia, saying the flight was diverted to Delhi due to an ''abusive Italian passenger.'' and adding that the flight's inflight supervisor and chief steward were assaulted, and that the inflight supervisor's knee was ''bleeding''.

nationmultimedia.com After listening to reporters sing ''Happy Birthday'' to him yesterday, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha - who turns 61 today - said he would like to have the hearts and support from members of the press as his birthday present. Meanwhile, a Government House journalist wished him success in his work - and a lot of patience in return.

bangkokpost.com A year after the ''Bangkok shutdown,'' tourists flocked back to Thailand, with arrivals in January jumping 16.3pc despite a 46pc plunge in Russian visitors.
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/china-boosts-thailand-record-levels-excellent-tourism-recovery-22077/

reuters Thailand jailed three brothers of a former princess for five-and-a-half years, in the latest court decision giving prison time to family members after her dramatic fall from grace last year.

straitstimes.com Thailand has asked neighboring Myanmar for its cooperation in tackling forest fires, as Bangkok fights haze which has blanketed the northern region of the country. Officers also requested that Thailand be informed in advance of outdoor burning or wildfires to enable them to build fire buffer zones, officials said.

scmp.com Chinese airports and airlines were the worst in the world for being on time last year, according to a US-based company that tracks air travel around the globe.

xinhua The death toll from a passenger train derailing in northern India has risen to 30, while around 150 were injured, some in critical conditions, said railway officials.

nationmultimedia.com Narathiwat Governor Nattapong Sirichana has ordered the installation of 600 security cameras, worth Bt4 million, throughout the province to help prevent insurgent attacks.

scmp.com Former US prisoners of war are demanding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ''acknowledge Japan's historical responsibilities'' when he becomes the first Japanese leader to address a joint session of the US Congress next month.

AP Five dead babies have been found in the home of a couple in the Bordeaux region in France, including four recovered from a freezer. The fifth infant, a boy born on Tuesday, was found in a freezer bag.

scmp.com Chinese drinkers consume about three standard drinks on average a day - more than the Brits, Americans, Germans or Australians, recent statistics show.

dailymail.co.uk Two weeks after being suspended over claims that he'd punched Oisin Tymon (a 36-year-old Top Gear producer), Clarkson told the audience that he wanted to do one more lap of the show's racetrack ''before the f****** b******* sack me.''

news.com.au ''Consider travelling to destinations such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos or even Myanmar for better value. South East Asia is so much more than Thailand and Bali, and there are so many picturesque beaches and so much history and culture to explore,'' he said.

nationmultimedia.com Pruksa Real Estate introduces its latest single detached house, the Palm KraToo-Pathong, in Phuket starting at Bt8.9 million per unit.



afp The Philippines financial capital Makati has been plunged into chaos with two politicians claiming to be mayor, forcing courts to close and delaying government business during a bitter stand-off triggered by graft claims.

Try Phuketwan's Asean Today daily:
http://phuketwan.com/tourism/asean-today-bear-cubs-menu-canadian-trash-wanted-michelle-cambodia-singapore-currency-22088/



reuters The absence of Germany from this year's Formula One calendar, confirmed on Friday, would have been utterly unthinkable a decade ago. When Michael Schumacher was adored by an army of red-shirted Ferrari fans as seven-times world champion, Europe's biggest economy happily hosted two races a year at Hockenheim and the Nuerburgring.



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